Tagged!

I've been tagged by Literacy Teacher and A Year of Reading!!

Here goes for this teaching meme...

I am a good teacher because...I love to learn! I love thinking about my students learning and what will challenge them as a class and then individually.

If I weren't a teacher I would be a ...a writer of some sort or a librarian. I love to write my thoughts and I love books.

My teaching style is unique...I know every one's style is their own but I guess I like to think I approach the classroom with ideas from professionals I've read and learned from: I use ideas from Debbie Miller(she has helped me think about putting kids first), Kathy Collins(she has helped me add humor and let little issues go), Lisa Cleveland (Katie W Ray)(they have helped me notice the importance of inquiry stance), Georgia Heard(she helps me remember the importance of authenticity of kid work), Patricia Cunningham(she has helped me figure out how to notice words throughout the day), Lucy Calkins (helped me understand the workings of literacy) and Peter Johnson(he has helped me realize how powerful words are in the simplest of conversations during the day).

My classroom is...inviting, comfortable and crafted by the kids and me.

My lesson plans are... I have to say first that I just really don't like writing organized step by step plans. I do a bunch of thinking, jotting notes and visualizing myself teaching. I write down my thoughts on daily post-its that stick to the kid's lit I am teaching from for the day and these books become "my stack" or my plans for the day. I admit, probably need to be more organized

One of my teaching goals is... to talk to my kids about what they know about themselves as writers more this year. Last year I felt like my students were able to look back and talk about their growth over the course of a year. This year I am determined to use partner work and assessment before and after studying crafts/genres etc. to help my students become of aware of themselves as learners/ writers throughout the year.

The toughest part of teaching is...realizing that there isn't time for everything. I am learning to approach my teaching with fewer goals (yet addressing them deeply). These words I remember hearing from Sharon Taberski.

The thing I most love about teaching is...everything. I love the work, the people (kids and adults), the creating and you can't beat the schedule (I love knowing the summer is time my own 3 boys and I can go, relax or explore).

A common misconception about teaching is that the school year ends in June and picks up in August. Don't you feel like some of your best thoughts and work are done in the summer months?!

The most important thing I've learned since I started teaching is... let go and let the kids.