Celebrate: Time, Talent, Treasure

TIME

Yesterday was the last official day of library classes for this school year, but not my last day working with students, thankfully in the remaining five days of school I will be working in classrooms on projects. It is so hard to say goodbye. This was a hard week, but a good week. I always feel pressure to make the last library classes of the year memorable, so that can put too much pressure on me and the students. Saying goodbye to the fifth graders is the absolute worst, our six-year journey together comes to an end too abruptly. I was forced to change my last lesson with them because I forgot to give them a district-wide assessment (oops), so I thought "no memorable lesson could they have," but I was mistaken!  I've said it before, time is a crazy thing.  How is it that thirty minutes can be so different depending upon one's goals for that time? In thirty minutes, the students took the assessment, reflected on their library experience and then created six word memoirs. I am celebrating the power of these intense amounts of time where the students are so willing to through themselves mind, body, and soul into our work. Check out their six word memoirs.

TALENT

I am celebrating the visit of Jen Vincent of Teach Mentor Texts. She is here in Boston for the weekend and staying with me. We have big plans that mainly involving spending time together. Jen is an inspiration, but even better she is an inspirational leader. Jen is one of the forces behind Teachers Write! a summer-long writing experience that encourages writing from prompts as well as working on projects. Participants receive feedback and advice from established authors.  I signed up two years ago and made it through the first few weeks, but couldn't carve out the time. Last year, Jen worked tirelessly to encourage me, but my father's health and well being took precedence. So here I sit, on the cusp of a third summer hoping this will be "the one." Without knowing it, Jen provided the reassurance I needed, the sense that I could accomplish finding the time to write in a busy life. Lat night, she carved out twenty-five minutes, turned away from the distractions in the room, and wrote. I think I can do that. I hope I can do that. I am going to try to do that. The same pulls and pushes on my time will still exist this summer, but I am going to find twenty-five minutes to write, every day, and see where it goes from there. Thanks, Jen!

TREASURE

The world is full of treasures and I love reminding myself of those that are right in my backyard. This morning, Jen and I are going to The Forest Hills Cemetery to walk around. This might sound morbid, but it is not, it is a beautiful garden as much as a cemetery.  This afternoon, we are heading to Harvard to go to the Harvard Museum of Natural History to see the Glass Flowers. Sure, we'll walk around Harvard Square, which is always fun, but the Glass Flowers are rare treasures that are hard to comprehend until you actually see them.

Here's to hoping you found time, talent, and treasure in your own lives.