Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Life is so endlessly delicious.
―Ruth Reichl
The Tuesday Crew
A few years ago Andy’s cousin Denver moved home. We started eating meals together a handful of times each week. Often our young adult children joined us. As life settled for Denver, more things started to fill his time, and soon we all guarded Tuesday night for dinner together.
It was a season of transitions for all of us. There were new jobs, kids moving out and kids moving back, new houses, and new routines. Sometimes people talk about finding a new normal, and we were definitely finding ours.
On Tuesdays, no matter how chaotic life was, we gathered around our kitchen table, ate together, and relaxed. The conversation flowed from jokes to work and school to serious matters and lighthearted stories. Then I met a registered nurse in her early twenties. She was new to the area and had just transferred to a new hospital. I asked her to Tuesday dinner, and she kept showing up. Sam asked his friend Jacob to Tuesday dinner, and a few weeks later Jacob invited his fiancée. Sam met a friend through a friend who moved here from upstate New York to work on the railroad. He was far from friends and family, and when his work schedule allowed, he was at Tuesday dinner.
As time moved on, more people joined our eclectic group. “The door is always open on Tuesdays around dinnertime. Come when it works. Swing by and get a to-go container. Don’t worry if it’s been a while. You’re welcome. Always.” These were the things we found ourselves saying over and over again.
Although we have the main group of 10, we have almost twice that on our “Toostay Crew” Snap thread. If someone shows up once and says they’d like to come back, they get added to the “Toostay Crew” thread.
The “Toostay Crew” began as a play on words (Tuesday Crew), but became something more meaningful. Too-stay—you can stay, too. In a world where it’s easy to feel like you don’t belong, having a place where you’re welcomed means so much.
I’ve been reading The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters by Priya Parker. I find it fascinating. Parker writes in the introduction:
In all my gatherings, whether a board meeting or a birthday party, I have come to believe that it is the way a group is gathered that determines what happens in it and how successful it is, the little design choices that you can make help your gathering soar (xiii).
This issue gathers ideas for “little design choices” that can help you set in motion a year where you and your students will soar. And, if you’re in my corner of the world on a Tuesday, I hope you’ll have a seat at the kitchen table and tell me all about it. The door is always open.
Shine on,
Ruth Ayres
Editor in Chief
Dana Murphy finds community-building activities may be more helpful than just a review of classroom rules and norms.
In this second part of a series on educational theorists, Gretchen Schroeder shares the way she has branched out to evolve and adapt to serve all students in an equitable way. Her reflection inspires all of us to branch out to make space for new ideas.
What do you do on day one? Christy Rush-Levine describes the routines in her middle school classroom.
Join Coach-to-Coach, a supportive and inspiring network just for instructional coaches. Meet virtually once a month to keep your professional goals fresh and stay accountable for your next steps as a coach. This free community is inspired by Choice Literacy articles and led by Ruth Ayres.
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 a new student spirals into anxiety and becomes aggressive, Becca Burk finds herself with a dislocated knee and advocating for the student to return to the classroom. This is the second installment of a four-part series chronicling the responses when a student with dysregulated behaviors joins Becca Burk’s kindergarten class mid-year.
Tara Barnett and Kate Mills use poetry to help students discover writing ideas. Inspired by three poems, students share their notebook entries and poems from the first days of a new school year.
In this video, Bitsy Parks gives direction in beginning a community circle with primary learners.
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.
Heather Fisher helps her father create a pizza pie in his new outdoor pizza oven. Through trial and perseverance, they finally taste success. Heather connects this experience to the importance of encouragement and presence as instructional coaches.
Heather Rader offers sage advice for coaches who want to be of use. Using a mnemonic device—”Peppers make cats cry”—you’ll be ready to start the year strong.
Ruth Ayres shares the details of developing and using norms in intentional and meaningful ways. This is the first of three installments in a series about norms.
Quote It:
Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races, one after the other.
—Walter Elliot
That’s all for this week!
