The more I practice, the luckier I get.
—Gary Player
Daily Practice
When I was a kid, I took piano lessons. My teacher, Mrs. McGarvey, believed practice was the key to success. “You must practice 15 minutes a day, every day,” Mrs. McGarvey said sternly. She was always stern.
I always intended to practice, but the days filled with more important things like reading books and catching frogs and stomping around the woods with my dog. Yet, I wanted to please Mrs. McGarvey, so I started practicing 105 minutes the day before piano lessons. I rationalized that it was the same amount of time as practicing 15 minutes every day, so it would be fine.
It wasn’t fine. Mrs. McGarvey did not agree with my assertion that it is the same.
“You must practice 15 minutes a day, every day,” Mrs. McGarvey said sternly.
As much as I attempted to sidestep the daily nature of practice, it was never satisfying to Mrs. McGarvey. “Discipline yourself,” she said sternly.
Learning to play the piano isn’t the only thing you need to do routinely over time to reap the benefits. Can you imagine if you completed four hours of strength training once a month instead of two or three 20-minute sessions each week? Not only would you be too sore to walk, but you wouldn’t have the results you want.
This idea is true as we develop routines for readers in our classrooms. There are small things we can do daily that will lead to stronger readers. This week we look at ways to establish routines to daily strengthen readers—plus more, as always.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Listen to the Principal Matters podcast where Jen Schwanke joins Will Parker as they discuss practical responses to real-life scenarios educators encounter when serving students who are struggling with anxiety or other emotional challenges connected to emerging technologies.
Christy Rush-Levine challenges the notion that there is anything easy or natural about getting young teens to select and read books independently in classrooms.
In this beautiful personal essay, Melissa Quimby reminds us to nurture readers through passion conferences, classroom libraries, read-aloud, and independent reading time.
Are you looking to engage with a community of instructional influencers? Join me on LinkedIn to continue conversations from the Big Fresh and connect with other educators who are just as smart and funny as you are.
Are you an instructional coach? You won’t want to miss being part of this supportive and inspiring network led by Ruth Ayres. Meet virtually once a month to keep your professional goals fresh and stay accountable for your next steps as a coach. Click here for more details and to register for free!
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 ways to establish middle school reading routines. They share two downloads to help support reading routines in all classrooms.
Jen Vincent outlines a twist on book talks—the Emoji Book Talks. This is a fast and fun way for students to share books and build their Books to Read lists.
In this video, Gigi McAllister shares tips for better student book talks and models one to be critiqued.
In this encore article, Melissa Quimby shares online routines to strengthen the class reading community.
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.
Strong librarian-teacher partnerships are a win-win! Gigi McAllister shares how they provide extra support for students and create reinvigorating and fulfilling experiences for colleagues.
Matt Renwick offers three contexts in which a coaching culture is deliberately built and supported in school. This is a great reminder for the start of a new school year.
When people hear “meeting icebreakers,” they think of “bonding exercises.” Vanessa Van Edwards shares 35 fun meeting icebreakers that are anti-boring and easy.
Quote It:
Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under trees on a summer’s day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means waste of time.
—John Lubbock
That’s all for this week!
