Life is a flower of which love is the honey.
—Victor Hugo
Offer Joy
My daughter Hannah is at Marine Base Camp Pendleton in California but had the opportunity to get off of base and spend the holiday weekend with my friend Jodi. There is no one I’ve been friends with longer than Jodi, and although we live on opposite sides of the country, our roots run deep. When Jodi found out that Hannah had the opportunity to leave base for a few nights, she and her family opened their home enthusiastically.
Besides the usual ways of spoiling a young adult, with movies, food, and hiking, Jodi and her family planned a surprise adventure. They took Hannah to Disneyland. Hannah sent a photo from the park and a message in all caps:
MOM! I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M AT DISNEYLAND. I’M LIKE A KID IN A CANDY STORE!
My heart melted at the sweet gesture of Jodi and her family. Jodi’s response was: “You said she could use a little joy in her life. Is there any better way to infuse joy than the magic of Disney?”
It was a grand gesture, and my kiddo felt loved deep in her bones. As I talked with Hannah on her way back to base, I realized it wasn’t the grandness of Disney that left an impact, but the time and attention Jodi and her family offered Hannah.
“Mom, I read the girls their bedtime stories,” Hannah said in relaying the events of her holiday. “It was so nice to be with family who care about me.”
Although Jodi and I are not related, in all of the ways that matter, we are family. Hannah felt this firsthand. It reminds me of our classrooms. We become a family. And families want to make life a little more joyful for one another, even when things are difficult. That’s what this issue is all about—connecting and trusting one another in making learning happen. I hope you enjoy the way this collection of articles taps creativity in an effort to make learning even the most difficult things possible.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Gwen Blumberg is a literacy leader for a K—8 district in Greater Boston. She’s a lifelong, avid reader who loves to share books with kids and listen to the stories they write and tell. She believes book and topic choice are essential ingredients for students to develop authentic reading and writing lives. Gwen shares her passion for children’s literature by writing for the collaborative Teachers|Books|Readers blog. You can also find her sharing about all things literacy on Twitter and Instagram @gwenblumberg.
The Choice Literacy Book Club is reading When Stars Are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed. Don’t miss Gwen Blumberg‘s book talk. It is fantastic, and you’ll want a copy of the book right now! Just click here.
As Suzy Kaback explores the question “How does your expertise function?” she explains the power of a Photovoice project and details its use in K-12 classrooms. This article was first published in 2012.
Teachers know visual learners are in every classroom, and Andrea Smith is no exception. She uses an “image of the week” to get at high expectations, observations, publishing, and, of course, building community. This article was first published in 2012.
Invite students to share photos to enhance their learning experiences. This video shows how to collect and organize pictures in Google Classroom.
Jump in the Pool: Playing Around with Readers’ Notebooks with Christy Rush-Levine is a new Process Play course that guides us to teach students how to create thoughtful and meaningful responses to text. This course is included with the Literacy Leadership and Literacy Team memberships and available to purchase for others.
It isn’t a secret that writing meaningful responses to text is important. The question is how to empower students to engage in creating substantive responses and deep analysis of text. Christy Rush-Levine cracks open her own notebook to guide us in creating thoughtful responses to text. By sharing over 20 of her own mentor entries, as well as inspiring texts, Christy adds a splash to reading response that no one can resist.
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.
Tammy Mulligan turns to her students for advice on how to make phonics lessons “sticky.” The Be the Teacher Center was created and became a staple in her primary classroom.
In this first of a two-part series, Gretchen Schroeder reflects on three educational philosophers who ground many practices, and pushes us to not stay stuck in the past. We must adapt these practices and honor new voices in the field so that we keep moving forward.
In this encore video, Stella Villalba uses the Photo Booth app to build stamina in a young English language learner, as well as to reinforce the learning and practice at home.
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.
If we want others to change, we first have to be open to change within ourselves. But what does that look like, and how can we embrace the tension that change brings? In this encore article, Matt Renwick explores change from within for literacy leaders.
Quote It:
In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.
—Anne Frank
That’s all for this week!
