Posted in Celebration Saturday, Poetry, Writing, tagged Bayou Teche, haiku on February 25, 2017| 10 Comments »
Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.
Good Morning Haiku
1. Light streams on bayou
wake up trees to stand tall for
perfect reflection.2. Frothy milk swirling
atop French roast coffee drips,
sweet cafe au lait.3. Breezy walk with Anne-
dogs sniff, pull, and interrupt
our conversation.4. Breakfast at Victor’s,
savor sweet potato pancakes,
crispy bacon.5. A day like today,
watering is not a chore;
Praise gentle morning.–Margaret Simon
Posted in Celebration Saturday, Gifted Education, tagged Beautiful Hands, David Sheldrick Wildlife Preserve, service learning on February 4, 2017| 12 Comments »
Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.
This week the flu made its way through my students. I, thankfully, have remained healthy. Today, I want to celebrate my student Andrew and his initiatives. Before Christmas he became interested in the plight of orphaned elephants. We read a Scholastic Scope magazine article that pointed to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Preserve. Andrew wanted to raise funds to adopt an orphaned elephant at the preserve. The adoption fee is $50 a year. He decided to sell posters to classmates. I ordered Vista Print posters of a baby elephant picture from my trip to Tanzania, Africa.
Before the Christmas break, Andrew presented to his fourth grade classmates. He raised about $32. After Christmas break, he decided to present to third grade classes. He raised the remaining funds he needed. He crafted a letter to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Preserve explaining the project and selecting Malima as the baby elephant he wants to sponsor. This video broke our hearts. Andrew and I both already feel and love and affection for Malima.
Andrew is one of those rare kids who wants to inspire and make a difference. In January when preparing to choose our One Little Word, I read aloud the book Beautiful Hands. The production of this book has a heartwarming story. Kathryn Otoshi worked with Bret Baumgarten who was diagnosed with cancer to design this book from something he would say to his own children, “What will you do with your beautiful hands today?”
The artwork was created all with handprints and fingerprints, even a dog print from Bret’s dog.
“My hope that this story empowers love, creativity, compassion, and a
connection to you and yours, in the fulfilling and remarkable way it has for me”
~ Bret Baumgarten, 1970–2014
I think Bret would be proud to know what Andrew did with his inspiring words. Andrew wanted to read the book to his sister’s first grade class and do a hand printing activity with them. Some of Andrew’s gifted classmates helped him. I was impressed with how smoothly the whole activity went. I was not sure because we had to paint all the kids’ hands and help them print. Andrew had selected some Valentine quotes for the kids to copy into their hand painted cards. This creative service activity was a positive experience for all of us.
Posted in Books, Celebration Saturday, Poetry, Teaching, tagged Donna Smith, Joy Acey, Kim Urband, Poetry Postcard Exchange, Preaching to the Chickens, Sylvia Vardell, wedding on January 28, 2017| 12 Comments »
Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.
There are those weeks that seem to go on and on, yet offer nothing to be celebrated. Sometimes I have to look harder to find the bright spots. I am actually ashamed that I felt this way yesterday because this morning I looked through my mail and found so much to celebrate.
I signed up for a poetry postcard exchange. I thought the giving and receiving was over, but this week I got three more poetry postcards.
New Year poem cards from Sylvia Vardell with a Wonder Woman stamp.
Poem from Donna Smith:
Listen to the sounds
crunching, munching, lunch a foot
Leaves nourishing earth
Handwritten poem and card from Kim Urband:
Summer Storm
Stone-gray clouds steal azure sky
Lightning stabs, singes
Liquid silver glazes hills
Relinquishes to Rhapsody–Kim Urband
This sweet, uplifting message from Joy Acey:
My body feels electric like new years fireworks
blazing in starlight.
I want to raise my arms
to twirl and dance in the moonlight.
Poetry fills me
and runs out of my pen.
May the force be with your poetry.
–Joy Acey
And an invitation to my daughter’s wedding in March. Here we go again!
This week I read aloud Preaching to the Chickens about John Lewis’s childhood. I wanted my students to know his name and to have a better understanding of the fight for civil rights. This book is beautifully illustrated. One of my students, Madison, was inspired by the paintings to draw her own yard of chickens. I love the personalities of each of her chickens.
Chickens by Madison, 3rd grade.
I didn’t have to look very hard to find these celebrations today. What are you celebrating?
Posted in Celebration Saturday, Writing, tagged Japanese magnolia, list poem, Rumi on January 21, 2017| 11 Comments »
Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.
“Keep knocking, and the joy inside will eventually open a window and look out to see who’s there.” Rumi The Sunrise Ruby
A celebration list:
Salads:
Monday: Manchego cheese on arugula
Wednesday: Tutu salad pepper tuna, avocado
Friday: Greek Fatouche with pita chips
Conversations:
Tables turned
daughters give advice to Mom
Poetry:
Writing, receiving
fulfilling
Students:
Projects develop
making a difference
in more ways than one
A dog
snoring happily
at my feet
His love
patient, kind
my heart is always open
and complete
Posted in Celebration Saturday, Gratitude, tagged #celebratelu, #cherish, #haikuforhealing, Leigh Anne Eck, OLW, yen yoga on January 7, 2017| 10 Comments »
Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.
I wasn’t going to write today. I woke up to freezing temperatures and a yard of wilting plants. But then I checked my phone and found love in the Twitter feed.
I melted into tears. I’ve know Leigh Anne virtually for years. We’ve visited each other’s blogs. We’ve exchanged teaching ideas. One summer I did a Google Hang-out with a summer writing class she was teaching. But we’ve never met in person. To think that my words could be so inspiring to someone I’ve never met face to face just boggles my mind.
My friend, Julieanne, wrote today about her cyber-bubble, those people we hang out with virtually through Twitter and Facebook, Voxer and Blogger. In this world, I’ve met some of the most precious people on earth. I have come to call them friends.
In this daily struggle to understand what the hell we are doing here, my online community holds me together, grounds me, helps me to see what is truly important.
My OLW this year is Cherish. Leigh Anne coined the term Cherishment. I cherish all of you who click over to this space and read and comment and otherwise spread the love. Please take a minute to go to Leigh Anne’s blog today. She made a poem from comments on my blog. I plan to print the poem and keep it close.
On Wednesday this week, my body revolted. I had a violent and mean stomach virus. Along with cherishing others this year, I want to cherish my own body. I hated it with a passion on Wednesday, but a miracle shot from my trusted physician made it all better.
Today, I was encouraged by a friend to attend a yoga class. I haven’t done yoga in a while and was worried about how my body would work. The instructor calmed me throughout and by the end of the session, I was weeping. Cherish seems to lead me to tears. I was overwhelmed by the feeling of peace and the comfort. This feeling calls for a healing haiku.
#haikuforhealing #haikuforhope #commonplacemarvels #cherishment
Posted in Celebration Saturday, Photography, Poetry, tagged #haikuforhealing, haiku-a-day, Illuminate, John Gibson, pointillism on December 31, 2016| 14 Comments »
Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.
For the last 13 years my father has created a drawing for my parents’ annual Christmas card. In 2013, I published a small chapbook of his drawings along with poems that I wrote. The book, Illuminate, seems to still be available on Amazon.
Earlier this week I visited my parents and talked to my dad about this year’s card. This summer, my husband Jeff was building a pirogue in our carport. When he was close to finishing, I took a picture and posted it on Facebook.
The artist in my dad saw this image.
He emailed me and asked for the picture. Then he blew it up and printed only the trees from the background. These are crepe myrtle trees that are actually on the front of our house.
The photograph became the inspiration for his abstract drawing. My dad works with pen and ink in pointillism. Each drawing is a miracle. I celebrate this creative gift.
John Gibson, 2016
Haiku #31
Happy New Year’s Eve!
Even trees have a party.
Sparks of light illume.
Thanks to Mary Lee Hahn for the haiku-a-day challenge. I celebrate:
Posted in Celebration Saturday, Gifted Education, Poetry, tagged Christmas decorations, Hutch magazine, Peter Reynolds on December 24, 2016| Leave a Comment »
Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.
Taking a walk in my neighborhood this season, one sees all kinds of silly yard decorations. In fact, we have a frog with a Santa hat in ours. This Santa in an airboat with a duck driver caught my eye. The propellor actually turns. Here’s another haiku. Number 24 for haiku-a-day in December.
In the early fall, flood waters claimed many homes here in South Louisiana. My third grade student Jacob’s was one of them. He wrote a story about the flood. I contacted Peter Reynolds about Jacob’s story, and he published it in his magazine for kid authors and illustrators, Hutch. Jacob’s sister, Emily (6th grade), drew the illustrations. An exciting collaboration! I celebrate Jacob and Emily’s first publication!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!
Posted in Celebration Saturday, Digital Learning, Gifted Education, Photography, tagged field trip, Grand Village, Ms., Natchez, Natchez Trace, St. Francisville on December 18, 2016| 14 Comments »
Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.
Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts
Celebration time is just around the corner. It’s moving in quickly with the cold front. My dining table is full of gifts and wrapping paper. Soon the gifts will be under the tree and my dining table will be clean and ready for family to gather. How will I ever get it all done? I ask myself this question every year, and every year, I manage to be ready for the celebration.
In our classrooms, the students are anxious and antsy. They have more difficultly focusing. When my colleagues and I began planning a field trip for December 16th, I thought we were nuts to do it so close to Christmas break when the weather (literally and figuratively) changes daily. It turned out to be the perfect time.
On Friday, the weather was cool but not cold, cloudy but not raining as we set out at 6:30 AM on a charter bus heading to St. Francisville, Louisiana to the Myrtles Plantation, one of the top haunted mansions in the US. The stories of the “little spirits” both intrigued and frightened my students. I have to admit I was a little unsettled when I heard ticking coming from the old desk I was standing next to.
Our next stop was the cemetery of Grace Episcopal Church. This cemetery is a beautiful place with draping oaks and old graves. Our students made gravestone rubbings that we will later use for a research/writing project.
Gravestone rubbings at Grace Episcopal Cemetery, St. Francisville, LA.
Grace Episcopal Cemetery
Taking students outside the classroom is an effort in planning, making reservations, arranging payment, yet every time we do it, I realize how important it is to get us outside and into the world. We traveled northeast to Natchez, MS. to visit the Grand Village of the Natchez Indians, run the mounds, and learn about the ways of the original Americans. We walked the old Natchez Trace and visited an old inn.
Indian mounds at the Grand Village, Natchez, MS.
Walking the old Natchez Trace.
When we return from our winter break, we will revisit this field trip and turn our learning experience into digital posts and presentations. But, for now, I celebrate the opportunity to take students out of the classroom and into an earlier time and place to learn and play together.
I will be taking a holiday break from DigiLitSunday. Come back on January 8th.
Please add your own DigiLit posts with the link button below.
Posted in Celebration Saturday, tagged #DoGood16, Borne to do Good, Main Street New Iberia, Walking Wavers on December 10, 2016| 8 Comments »
Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.
Looking for goldfish
Main Street elves explore magic
Do good for good’s sake
#haikuforhealing
This morning I took a cold walk to downtown Main Street. I knew Callie would be there with her kids selling hot chocolate. But this was not just your everyday Christmas season hot chocolate. This cup of cocoa would help needy families celebrate Christmas, too. Callie applied for a grant from the Acadiana Do Good Project. They were given $100 that had to be used to do good. #DoGood16
Callie and her family decided their tag line would be “Borne to Do Good” because they are the Borne family. Her four children range in age from 3 to 10. I learned about her project on Facebook where she advertised a Go Fund Me page. She is not only soliciting funds, she is getting her whole family involved. Selling the hot chocolate is only one of the steps. They will then shop, wrap, and deliver.
Callie’s project touched me from the beginning because we have adopted a family for many years. My girls remember wrapping gifts and delivering them, and as adults are continuing the tradition.
Callie told me about all the donations she has received. One person gave them $20 to give free hot chocolate to all service workers, police, firefighters, etc. While I was hanging out, they waved down a police car. This cop passed the word on to his colleagues. The kids were so excited to give away their hot chocolate. Doing good passes on.
I also met Marti and her dog, Jenny. They were doing good as well. Marti has started a project called “Walking Wavers.” She explained that in working on her own health, she started walking. She realized that when she waved to drivers, she felt safer because they knew she was there. She was also passing on a smile.
As I walked home, I practiced Marti’s initiative and waved to oncoming cars. She was right. I felt safer and happier.
Today I celebrate the Do Good projects and ask you, “What Do Good project will you do this season?” Let’s pass it on!
Posted in Celebration Saturday, Poetry, tagged #commonplacemarvels, #haikuforhealing, field trips, Jim Foret, Mr. Al oak tree, nature, preservation on December 3, 2016| 6 Comments »
Reds, golden autumn
pushes its way to winter
with silent leaf fall
–Margaret Simon
More about the haiku-a-day project here.
Find more celebration posts at Ruth’s blog.
This week I grabbed the opportunity to take my students outside. We met Mr. Jim Foret, a naturalist and professor from ULL, at Mr. Al, a 150+ year old oak in our community.
Mr. Jim has known Mr. Al for awhile. He was instrumental in saving this amazing oak from being destroyed. Once the blue-haired ladies from Garden Clubs along with the Optimist Club and many school children got involved, the legislatures listened and ordered LADOTD (Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development) to move this old oak from its original home to its specialized, protected home now. Jim explained that the time was terrible to move the tree, but the progress on the service road was halted, so he had to be moved in mid-summer of 2011, a summer of no rain.
Jim figured out just the right amount of water to give Mr. Al. For years, he paced and worried about Mr. Al’s survival and questioned his own resolve to save him. And the sprawling, amazing oak made it, and has withstood the test of time. “He will probably outlive all of you,” Jim explained to the children and parents.
Mr. Al is a community icon. Boy Scouts have mulched him. ULL students have planted prairie grasses. And many others pass by and wave. If you are traveling down Highway 90 away from New Iberia toward New Orleans, take a minute to say hello. Loving care has saved this old grandfather oak, and loving care will sustain him.
I celebrate the history of the land.
I celebrate the gift of an oak and his master.
I celebrate exposing my students to nature.
Sketching a memory of Mr. Al.
Marveling in the shade of mighty Mr. Al.
April 1 Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference
April 2 Cathy Stenquist at A Little Bit of This and That
April 3 Patricia Franz at Reverie
April 4 Donna Smith at Mainely Write
April 5 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
April 6 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care
April 7 Ruth Hersey at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town
April 8 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
April 9 Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche
April 10 Janet Clare Fagel at Reflections on the Teche
April 11 Diane Davis at Starting Again in Poetry
April 12 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
April 13 Linda Mitchell at Another Word Edgewise
April 14 Jone MacCulloch at Poetry Rocks
April 15 Joyce Uglow at Storied Ink
April 16 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
April 17 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
April 18 Michele Kogan at More Art for All
April 19 Kim Johnson at Common Threads
April 20 Buffy Silverman
April 21 Irene Latham at Live Your Poem
April 22 Karen Edmisten
April 23 Heidi Mordhorst at my juicy little universe
April 24 Mary Lee Hahn at A(nother) Year of Reading
April 25 Tanita Davis at Fiction, instead of Lies
April 26 Sharon Roy at Pedaling Poet
April 27 Tracey Kiff-Judson at Tangles and Tails
April 28
April 29
April 30
Our address on the Bayou Teche
Order on Amazon.
April 1 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
April 2 Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect
April 3 Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge
April 4 Donna Smith at Mainely Write
April 5 Denise at https://mrsdkrebs.edublogs.org/
April 6 Buffy at http://www.buffysilverman.com/blog
April 7 Jone at https://www.jonerushmacculloch.com/
April 8 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
April 9 Tabatha at https://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/
April 10 Marcie at Marcie Flinchum Atkins
April 11 Rose at Imagine the Possibilities | Rose's Blog
April 12 Fran Haley at Lit Bits and Pieces
April 13 Cathy Stenquist
April 14 Janet Fagel at Mainly Write
April 15 Carol Varsalona at Beyond LiteracyLink
April 16 Amy Ludwig VanDerwater at The Poem Farm
April 17 Kim Johnson at Common Threads
April 18 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
April 19 Ramona at Pleasures from the Page
April 20 Mary Lee at A(nother) Year of Reading
April 21 Tanita at TanitasDavis.com
April 22 Patricia Franz
April 23 Ruth at There's No Such Thing as a Godforsaken Town
April 24 Linda Kulp Trout at http://lindakulptrout.blogspot.com
April 25 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
April 26 Michelle Kogan at: https://moreart4all.wordpress.com/
April 27 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
April 28 Pamela Ross at Words in Flight
April 29 Diane Davis at Starting Again in Poetry
April 30 April Halprin Wayland at Teaching Authors
Reflections on the Teche 