Star Bright

Time with family is wonderful, and yet... coordinating 10 people and 3 dogs can be a challenge. Still, we are nothing if not a congenial bunch, and so we hatched a plan that included activities and options for everyone. We all explored Leonardtown had a fun lunch in a restaurant in a converted Victorian home. After some shopping and coffee, we split into two groups, half heading home to walk the beach with the dogs, and the other half off to explore thrift shops and discounters and pick up some groceries. Back home again, we snapped into action as a cooperative team, some building a fire, others putting out snacks and drinks, and some starting dinner. At one point, my part of the well-oiled machine involved going out to the car to fetch a bag that had been inadvertently behind. Closing the door purposefully behind me, I strode to the car and then paused midstep to look up at the night sky. Oh! The stars! How they shine out here! All the hectic energy of the day drained away beneath them. The warm light of the house beckoned me, and with a full heart and light step, I headed back inside.

March Miracle

As the years pass and the kids in our family grow up, Oscar weekend at the beach becomes an increasingly complicated affair. This year, our getaway is for 10 people and three dogs, and although the fabulous bay house we have rented is a little less than two hours from home, the overall logistics of our gathering included a flight from Minnesota and one from Florida, a road trip from Western Massachusetts, trading the second half of a double shift at the last minute, and a three car caravan through the gusting winds of Winter Storm Riley. With so many moving pieces, it seems like sheer luck that 9 out of 10 of us are here, with one boy left to arrive tomorrow. Sure, the wind is howling and the surf is pounding (all the better to stir up those shark teeth and sea glass), but inside we are together and warm, with sixty-four hours of mini-vacation to look forward to.

Student View

On the last day of our enrichment session a group of students preformed the drama circle they had written. Entitled "A Day in the Life of a Dolphin Student" it took us through a typical sixth grade schedule. They hilariously captured the essence of each one of the team teachers, poking fun at us without crossing the line into disrespect.

Here's how they dramatized my class:

Person 1) Good morning Ms. S (wave)

Ms S) Get you log checked, record your log, clear your desk, get into canvas, and enter Modules. (list on fingers, across like it’s an on-going list)

Ms S) 5. (shout)

Ms S) You better hurry up! (shout)

Ms S ) 3 (shout)

Ms S)If not you will have lunch detention! (shout)

Ms S) 0 (shout)

Ms S) Done! You should be in modules, modules! MODULES!!! and then I’d like you to click on…

Person 1) But I’m not done! (frustrated shout)

Ms S) I gave you a bunch of time… (act nonchalant, smart alecky)

Person 1) You didn’t even count even numbers!! (frustrated shout, throw arms in air)

Ms S) Life isn’t always fair… Ahahahahahaha (start laughing maniacally)

Person 4). Um, Why are you laughing at you own joke? (act really confused)

Ms S) Hahahahahahahahaha (laugh uncontrollably, maniacally)

S) It’s funny! (throws arms into the air)

Person 1) (roll eyes)

Sound effects) *Bringggg*

For the record? Although I am known for laughing at my own jokes (only when they're funny!), I do not skip numbers or give lunch detention.

Write On

A student ended his first writing challenge post like this:

My goal is to try to make it 100 days but I highly doubt that. Personally it’s a lot harder than Ms S says it is, because you have to write something about your day but most of the time my days are boring and routine so I don’t know how long this will last.

To which I immediately replied:

I never said it was easy! I just said it would be worth it.

You never know; you might surprise yourself.

I like how this is going so far! 

Nulla Dies Sin Linea

Another year, another 100 Day Writing Challenge has begun. I always kick off the activity with a description of the day I started this blog, March 1, 2009. A Sunday morning, it was threatening to snow, and I carried my coffee and my laptop over to the fire and clicked through some of my favorite teacher websites. It was then that I stumbled across the 2nd annual month-long slice of life writing challenge sponsored by Two Writing Teachers and starting that very day. Why not? I thought.

Writing every day was a fun challenge, but it was the readership and the sense of community that really captured my heart and imagination. When on April 1 I woke up with no real requirement to write, I decided to continue anyhow for as long as I thought it was worthwhile. And here we are today, 3285 days later with, as that old writing teacher guru, Donald Graves, would say, nulla dies sin linea, not a day without a line.

It's a bit of a brag, but shared with the intention and hope to inspire my students to give first 10 days, then 20, and then 100 days of writing a crack. I know from personal experience they won't be sorry.

Hippo Birdy to Lucy

All my life people have told me how lucky I am to have a summer birthday. "I guess so," I usually shrug without giving it much thought.

Heidi, born in November usually takes her birthday off; she is serious about celebrating. She even insisted that we always did something fun for our dog, Isabel, on her July 17th birthday, and our cat, Bingo, on his July 31st birthday.

Well, today was Lucy's first birthday, and, like most Mondays, we went to work and came home late. Wow. I guess school-year birthdays do kinda suck. Oh sure, she got the usual love and kindness and a walk to the dog park, but there was nothing special. Rather than feeling guilty, we consoled ourselves today with the promise that Lucy would spend all of next weekend at the beach with her cousin, Rosie.

AND, since she was born on an Oscar weekend, it's almost like having a holiday birthday.

Almost.

Our Canine Village

After being out of the house all day, Heidi and I were running a quick errand before going home to our pets. We had had a fantastic Sunday of brunch and documentary shorts, but Heidi worries about the three of them-- tomorrow Lucy will be a year, but she is the senior member of their group, and believe me? Such a fact is sobering.

"Oh my gosh!" I cried, glancing out the window, "look at that golden doodle! It looks exactly like Lucy!" As we rolled past, I started to laugh. "That was Lucy!" I said.

Our good friend and neighbor Lauren had taken her for a run with her dog, Lady. As it turns out, several of our neighbors had stepped up and entertained little Lu Lu. Her day was just as fun as ours, and Heidi was very relieved.