The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.
―Marcus Aurelius
Throw-Down
You’ll find me at the gym before 6 a.m. three times a week. There’s a class called “heavy weights,” and I saw it as an opportunity to improve my strength training routine.
None of this is the impressive part.
Lila is the impressive part.
Lila is retired and has a few more years of life experience than the rest of the people in the class. She’s also the strongest, with the most endurance.
In our class text thread we were sharing favorite core exercises. She sent a long list that ended with “throw-downs, if you have a partner.”
Throw-downs?
Someone else sent a gif of an old-school WWE takedown. Even if you’ve never watched Hulk Hogan, you know the one with leaping off the ropes, sprawling in midair, and body slamming the opponent.
Lila just sent a laughing emoji.
It is an understatement to say she inspires me. Not just because I know she could take me down in a WWE-esque move, but because she keeps showing up and making progress.
She bumps up her dumbbell weight. She does an extra rep. She cheers when there’s another AMRAP (as many reps as possible) challenge. She reminds us that small progress is still progress.
She nourishes her own growth, and she makes me want to nourish my own growth, too. That’s what I noticed about this week’s articles. They inspire me to nourish growth.
It is special when in-the-field educators open their doors and let us see what’s happening. What you’ll see happening in this collection is not all rainbows and sunshine. There are struggles. There are frustrations. And there is always a little progress.
We will all do well to remember Lila’s encouragement: Small progress is still progress.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Jennifer Schwanke has a student who just won’t sit still and behave appropriately in her middle school classroom. She finally gives up. That’s where the learning begins.
Christina Torres Cawdery inspires teachers to find joy in their work without ignoring the real challenges.
Finding books they want to read is at the heart of students becoming powerful, independent readers. This field experience chronicles the way book talks put books into students’ hands that have them begging for more independent reading time.
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.
When Leigh Anne Eck noticed her students’ reading practices weren’t as robust as she expected, she realized she was the one who had drifted away from key instructional practices. Leigh Anne offers several ways to support students in their independent reading lives.
In this era of pressure to perform, Vivian Chen suggests slowing down as an act of intentionality, equity, and meeting the needs of all learners.
In this video, Dana Murphy shares ways to nourish a sense of belonging in all students.
Choice Numeracy | Jodie Bailey shares the importance of conferring with students during math to reinforce what students are doing well and differentiate instruction.
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.
When data was flying and difficult to corral, David Pittman sought to create a tool for teachers to use that would encompass all pieces of data as well as align with shifts in instruction. David shares the process of developing a useful tool that honors student learning and provides clarity for next steps for growth.
Matt Renwick encourages five classroom design ideas for supporting readers and writers with ADHD.
Jennifer Schwanke shares principles for leading those awkward meetings when staff need to decide between too many students who need a finite amount of services.
In this PD2G, Katherine Sokolowski shares a wall display from her fifth graders that students build to celebrate who they are and people they love from home. The reading is from Suzy Kaback, explaining the value of an “All About Us” board in classrooms. In this workshop, you’ll explore the value of building classroom communities through personal identities.
Quote It:
Humility is not ignoring your gifts; it’s stepping into them.
—Peter Burak
That’s all for this week!
