Reflections on the Teche

SOL16 #25: Detangle

March 25, 2016 by margaretsmn

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Today is Good Friday. For me, it’s always a day to be quiet. We don’t have school today, so I can take my time waking up (I still wake in the dark.), sip my coffee slowly, and sit with these roses. Our local grocer sells roses for $10.99 a dozen. Every once in a while, I buy them for myself. I bought these over a week ago, and they are still bright and blooming. Flowers can make the saddest of days seem brighter. So in the glow of roses, I contemplate a poem.

The yarn is a tangled mess.

I could have taken the time
to prepare, rolled patiently
this thread into a ball
the needle would glide
smoothly through.
But I left out this step.
Now I am struggling with knots.

How in our daily haste to get started,
to make something new,
we make the process harder.

Yet, as I sit and detangle,
my mind unravels, too.
I release the struggle
into my fingers
let go of the tangles,
knit a prayer.

–Margaret Simon

Poetry Friday round-up with Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe.

Posted in Poetry Friday, Slice of Life | Tagged Good Friday, poetry, roses | 18 Comments »

SOL16 #24 Shine!

March 24, 2016 by margaretsmn

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for March Slice of Life Challenge.

Join the Spiritual Thursday round up at Reading, Teaching, Learning.

Today the Spiritual Thursday group is writing about Doraine’s word, Shine. Dori is a poet and blogs at Dori Reads. In the spirit of Dori’s poetry, I wrote two haiku inspired by images of light.

Sunrise field created in Painteresque

The sun
never fails to shine
like my heart that opens to
shine for you.

Lake Martin sunset by Sandra Sarr.

Shine
The echo of light
calling amidst the darkness
See me.

–Margaret Simon

Posted in Photography, Slice of Life, Spiritual Growth, Writing | 17 Comments »

SOL16 #22 I Could Write about…

March 22, 2016 by margaretsmn

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for March Slice of Life Challenge.

The day has come that I don’t know what to write about. It happens to all of us who are committed to this SOL challenge. In my classroom, students are writing posts about why they hate the SOL challenge. Among the top reasons is not knowing what to write about. Vannisa wrote, “When I’m thinking about what to write, I’m always thinking about if I should really write about it or if it’s sol-worthy.”

I totally understand this dilemma. Not only am I committed to writing a blog post every day, I have that little bird on my shoulder tweeting about the ~~worthiness~~ unworthiness of my writing. Why can’t he just leave me alone? I assure my students that we all go through this. I actually love watching them struggle through because they can be very creative while doing it.

Did I just write that? If my students become creative when they struggle through the dreaded writer’s blog, then shouldn’t I, too?

I could be writing about my sweet blogging-slice-of-life-best friend Julianne and how she traveled all the way from L.A. to see me and visit my class, and how my kids already knew her name from our class connections. Oh, and how we talked and laughed and the time was sooo short.

Me on the left with Charlie and Julianne enjoying the bayou breeze.

You can meet a little slice of Julianne on her blog here. She’s traveling to help her daughter select a college for next year. This is a difficult time. We all want what is best for our kids, but they themselves ultimately need to make the decision. Julianne wisely knows from having two older children that no decision is forever. Still, I hope I provided a safe haven for them on their travels.

When I first connected with the Two Writing Teachers and their March SOL Challenge, I had no idea that it would lead me to such good and lasting friendships. Julianne is a prize. I don’t care about any of the other prizes from the challenge. I have already won.

Posted in Slice of Life, Writing | Tagged writing | 10 Comments »

SOL16: #21 Spring Sunrise

March 21, 2016 by margaretsmn

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Spring sunrise by Margaret Simon

First morning of spring, my husband said, “You’re missing a show outside.” He was right. I grabbed my camera and went out on the deck in my PJs. The air was cool, but the sun was coming up sending a beam of light down the bayou. There was a slight fog flying over the bayou. My mind wandered to poetry.

When the fog floats above the water
like it is today, I believe
I could walk on water,
strap on my angel wings
and move toward the light.

Could heaven be as beautiful as this?

–Margaret Simon

My friend Susan brought me a seedling of a Red Buckeye tree. Her note said, “I sprouted this seedling from a buckeye in our yard, so it should do well in yours also. I would recommend leaving it in its pot until next January keeping it watered and in partial shade. Hope that it thrives for you. Happy Spring!”

I have high hopes for this little tree. The problem is I usually kill plants. But this one came to me in the spirit of spring, new life. It must live, right? It has angel wings.

My red buckeye seedling

Blooming red buckeye

Posted in Poetry, Slice of Life | Tagged bayou, nature, poetry, red buckeye | 11 Comments »

SOL16: #20 Look at This!

March 20, 2016 by margaretsmn

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Please use this button on your site for DigiLit Sunday posts

My husband says to me, “Look at this!” He is not on any social media, but he reads USA Today on his tablet every day. He is a learner who always wants to know more. Yesterday he showed me this amazing video about a tiny poodle in a nursing home. Get your tissues out.

I want my students to know that learning is a part of life. Last week I brought in a snap circuit kit and just let them play with it to try to figure it out. My administrator was observing me, and I am hopeful that she understands the lack of instruction on my part. Discovery was the point, and the answer doesn’t always come immediately.

Discovery is an important aspect to any learning. Because we have so much available at our fingertips, discovery is easy and constant. “Look at this, Mrs. Simon” are words I hear often. Jacob wanted to know how many moons Jupiter has. That’s not something I keep tucked away in my brain. “Check NASA’s site,” I tell him.

Each week my students are engaged in discovery about whatever interests them. During the Slice of Life Challenge, their Wednesday Wonder has become a Wonder SOL. I ask them to write a paragraph about how they became interested in their topic and to conclude with ideas for further learning. Their research is now framed by a personal connection.

I wonder about a lot of things. Do tree trunks grow fungus to make their colors?

Were the leaves flowers at first but it just lost its petals?

Chlorophyll is a large molecule. It absorbs light from the Sun and because it is a green color it makes the plants green.

I was very surprised that Chlorophyll was a word and that it even existed. I didn’t know it made plants green. I wonder why plants are green and not different colors like,pink,black,brown,red,green,orange, or tan. I think that there is another planet out somewhere that has a atmosphere and has different colored plants.
–Jacob, 2nd grade

In what ways is discovery a part of Digital Literacy in your classroom? Join the discussion by leaving a link.

Posted in Digital Learning, Slice of Life, Teaching | Tagged discovery, student Slice of Life Challenge, Wonder | 11 Comments »

SOL16: #19 Celebrating Authors Skyping

March 19, 2016 by margaretsmn

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Each student has a chance to ask a question.

Laura Shovan and Janet Sumner Johnson are on tour as “Sweet Sixteens,” debut children’s authors of 2016. I love any opportunity to connect my students with authors, so when I heard they had some openings, I jumped at the chance.

To prepare my students for this visit, I have been reading aloud an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) of The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary. We are getting to know Hannah, Sloane, Sydney, Kate, George, and other students in the fifth grade at Emerson. The school board plans to sell the school for demolition and a new grocery store. Under the guidance of Ms. Hill, who must be a wonderfully kind teacher, the students protest and use poetry to get their voices heard. Laura Shovan creates a compelling story with her intricate knowledge of each character carefully depicted in the craft of poetry.

With Laura was Janet Sumner Johnson, author of the The Last Great Adventure of the PB&J Society. We had time to read only one chapter of this book before our visit, but Janet packs so much into that first chapter that my kids were full of questions. Janet said that she wrote the first version of the book 15 years ago. It’s been through lots of revisions. My students enjoyed learning about how Janet got her idea for the PB&J Society.

Janet and Laura on the Promethean Board

As an aspiring author myself, I took a special interest in what these wonderful women had to say about their writing and publishing experiences. Laura showed us her huge binder full of tabs in which she kept every draft of every poem for every character. I was amazed!

Both authors connected with the kids and were respectful of each and every question, even the silly ones like “Do you know about narwhals?” Kaiden loved being the first to notice that the homeless girl in Laura’s book had the last name Holmes. I believe that there are many more clever details in these two books. They come out in April. Get ready to add them to your classroom library.

Sharing the love of reading and narwhals on St. Patrick’s Day.

Ruth Ayres invites us the celebrate each week. Click over to her site Discover. Play. Build. to read more celebrations.

Posted in Poetry Friday, Slice of Life | Tagged Janet Sumner Johnson, Laura Shovan, Skype | 11 Comments »

SOL16: #18 Writing is like Praying

March 18, 2016 by margaretsmn

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for March Slice of Life Challenge.

Poetry Friday round-up with Robyn Hood Black.

Writing is like praying, because you stop all other activities, descend into silence, and listen patiently to the depths of your soul, waiting for true words to come. When they do, you thank God because you know the words are a gift, and you write them down as honestly and cleanly as you can.

– Helen Prejean C.S.J.

Broken Pottery by Sweet Tea

Broken
shards of unwanted
clay, rock, soil
litter the ground.

There, unharmed, her hidden heart–
once protected by
earth mother, soft and dark,
now bravely

open like the flowers
in an abandoned field,
reaching for light.

–Margaret Simon

When you open yourself to the world, it will reveal itself to you. I opened two different emails. The first from Laura Shovan. She sent me the Sister Helen Prejean quote. A gift of a gift.

The second was Tabatha Yeatts’ blog post here. This image of the broken pottery grabbed me, and I opened the note on my computer and composed this poem. I know it comes from my heart that aches for a child whose home is not as it should be. Yet she is exactly who she should be, open and kind and full of joy. This broken pot. Her full heart. My attention.

Posted in Poetry, Poetry Friday, Slice of Life, Spiritual Growth, Writing | Tagged broken, nature, Sister Helen Prejean | 22 Comments »

SOL16 #17: Simplify

March 17, 2016 by margaretsmn

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for March Slice of Life Challenge.

I’ve been thinking a lot about Jesus Christ lately. In the past two weeks, I saw “Jesus Christ Superstar” at a local performance theater twice. Even though I continually had to tell myself that the man on stage was really Billy (I’ve known him since he was in elementary school), I couldn’t help but feel the presence of Jesus. Not Jesus a savior, but Jesus as a man. A person who had very complicated feelings. A person who had a calling to do something that was out of the ordinary.

Today, for Spiritual Thursday, we are writing about Linda Kulp’s OLW, Simplify. I look to this image of Jesus as a man. I look at the flowers blooming in my yard. Nothing is simple. God’s call is simply “Love.” Yet there is nothing simple about it.

The bridal wreath is so beautiful, white and simple, yet close-up you can see the complicated pattern of tiny blossoms in a cluster. Even nature isn’t simple.

Bridal wreath flowers

What can I do to Simplify?

I can let go of senseless worry. I can look for ways to show love every day. I can pray “Abba” with my breath.

I can also realize that beauty and love are not always simple. I can accept that answering God’s call isn’t an easy task, and I can look to Jesus to show me how.

Join the Spiritual Thursday round up at Reading, Teaching, Learning.

Posted in Slice of Life, Spiritual Growth, Writing | Tagged bridal wreath flowers, OLW, simplify | 8 Comments »

SOL16 #16 Don’t be too Serious

March 16, 2016 by margaretsmn

Join the Two Writing Teachers blog for March Slice of Life Challenge.

I am an adult, and sometimes I just plain take myself too seriously. The last few days have brought some heavy news: The loss of someone who was once an important mentor to me, the observation from my administrator in order to give me a score for my teaching expertise, and the necessary surgery for my dog on an infected mole. The list adds up and weighs on my shoulders. I start to feel stressed and worried and somewhat out of control.

Then a child, one who faces what comes each day with absolutely no control, comes to me for a hug. Another child realizes a gift that she has for music is being recognized. And this child, a first grader, writes a ditty on her blog. I discovered it when I came home and started checking my Kidblog site. It brought a smile to my face and lightened my load. I hope it does the same for you.

I look outside, It is flooded. It is not that bad, but it is still flooded. When my mother told me to go get the mail, I could not even get by the mailbox. That is bad! There was water all around the mailbox. It was terribly crazy. When I saw it from window view, I thought this song up.

It is raining,

It is pouring,

I wish I was snoring,

I wish I were in bed,

So I would not bump my head,

And I would be able to get up in the morning.

Macaroni and Cheeze,

Yes, please!

Goodbye, Popeye!

–Lynzee, 1st grade