Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.
—William James
Milestones
I’m thinking about milestones. It’s my son’s 23rd birthday so I woke up contemplating him and the events of the day all those 23 years ago. I’m also thinking about the special days in his life, but even more I’m thinking of a lifetime of everyday moments with him—short and long rides in the car, watching him draw and play, how his stories at dinner make us laugh, the time we stumbled upon fireworks driving home late at night and pulled the car to the side of the road so we could get out and stand in awe at the unexpected beauty.
I’m wrapped up in all the other day-to-day things that filled those wide prairie spaces between the larger milestone moments. How lucky I was to be there beside him. It’s the first birthday I won’t physically be with him, because he’s states away, working in an oh-so-tall building, honing his craft in the field of his choosing. Therefore it’s a kind of mini milestone within a milestone day, and while I wish I could be with him, my heart is content.
I’m thinking about the milestones we celebrate at school—first days, graduation days, and award days. However, a sea of small victories pepper the shores of those showier days when everyone is polished and shiny. As educators, we are rich with a bounty of mini milestones. There are first times, independent times, and times of trying… of words read, stories put to paper, monkey bars scaled, times when someone wanted to hit—but didn’t, and miles run that are long and not won but not abandoned either. Each day, as educators we get to witness these milestone moments and often shepherd them into existence. We experience the cumulative impact of one moment on top of another as our students grow.
This year, I invite you to write down these mini milestones when you see them. Perhaps in a special notebook. Perhaps in an app on your phone. Quickly—jot them down. The child, the event, the date. On the hard days—and there will be hard days—look back at this trove of what your students have accomplished and marvel at how far they have come. Share these days with your students when you all need a boost and a reminder of the richness of this work. Your heart will feel joy for your students, and for yourself.
Happy birthday, Ty.
Shine on,
Gwen Blumberg
K-8 School Librarian
PS: To follow Gwen’s milestone moments and all the moments in between, you can follow her on IG @gwenblumberg.
Gwen Blumberg has worn many hats during her educational career. She’s been a classroom teacher, a reading interventionist, a literacy coach, an adjunct professor, and a district-level literacy leader. Her current professional adventure is serving as a K–8 public school librarian in Greater Boston. Although her roles have changed and the lens through which she pursues her goals have varied, her focus and professional passion have always been constant—to support the development of students’ rich reading and writing lives to help them better understand themselves, others, and their world… with JOY.
As teachers we do many things to get to know our students as readers and writers and mathematicians. Josie Stewart and Hannah Tills lead us to consider how to get to know our students as digital learners.
Cathy Mere offers a booklist in response when a teacher asks her to “Bring me something funny.” These books are sure to fill your classroom with lighthearted laughter.
Connect, collaborate, and grow without leaving your school. Join The Lead Learners (free) Community, designed just for instructional influencers like you.
September’s focus is on the power of connection as the foundation of leadership. By investing in relationships, we create the trust and support that allow real growth to flourish. Inside the community, you’ll find
- Coach-to-Coach: short, live monthly sessions with peers plus recordings if you miss them,
- a curated selection of articles and videos from Choice Literacy,
- prompts and ideas for your professional notebook or journal, and
- easy networking with educators in similar roles.
Join The Lead Learners Community and move from feeling uncertain or isolated to confident, connected, and joyful in your work as a change maker.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Tara Barnett and Kate Mills share a powerful (and simple) community activity. Students create their own Me Boxes to use (and update) throughout the school year to promote identity, academics, and play. Me Boxes originated from thinking about developmentally appropriate ways to build in work around identity in the classroom, as taught to us by Gholdy Muhammad in her book Cultivating Genius.
When kindergarten teacher Becca Burk overheard students’ parents comparing herself and a colleague, she reflected on the importance of play for young learners. In this article, Becca offers ways to communicate the power of play and students’ learning with families.
VIDEO | Mandy Robek shares a collection of portable and personalized tools to help students regulate their emotions.
Choice Numeracy | Jodie Bailey makes a case for purposeful play with her middle school students. To strengthen reading habits, we offer exposure to a wide variety of books, time to read, and opportunities to discuss ideas. In math classrooms, students need similar opportunities to explore and play.
New members-only content is added each week to the Choice Literacy website. If you’re not yet a member, click here to explore membership options.
Julie Cox is candid about the struggles of navigating a new curriculum. She is also hopeful and offers three approaches to help teachers adjust to new curricular expectations.
Coaching Minute | Inga Omondi offers wise (and fun) advice on how to uplift and encourage colleagues.
Quote It:
Grown-ups think of play as a purposeless occupation…, but actually when children are left to play by themselves, very little of their activity is purposeless.
—Maria Montessori
That’s all for this week!
