"Read & Ride"

Physical & Mental Health

Dear Readers,

When we left school on Friday March 13, 2020, I never thought we would not be going back for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. I remember being in a GHO with my department when Governor Cuomo announced NYS would continue remote learning through the end of the academic year. I was filled with mixed emotions.

I would not get to say goodbye to my 8th graders that would be headed to the high school.

We would not have end of the year traditions.

We would not have graduation for the class of 2020.

So many events & activities that "make up" the end of the year would have to be cancelled, postponed or revised.

An escape for me has always been reading and books. It took me a couple of weeks in quarantine before I could settle my mind and focus enough to read. Once I started, I couldn't stop. My mental health has revolved around #Read4Fun and YA literature.

I also realized I would not be "physical moving" anywhere as much as I do in the classroom. I typically average 10,000 steps or more daily. Luck would have it that I had purchased a recumbent exercise bike just before everything was shut down. 

I started "Reading & Riding" on an almost daily basis. I am currently up to an average of 6-10 miles while incorporating some small hand held weights. It is an easy ride, no Peloton workouts here, but it has kept my mind and body in a good place during the past few months.

We don't know where life will take us as we move forward. I hope you have found a way that works for you to maintain physical and mental health as much as possible during this difficult and challenging time we all face.

I am including the picture of books I have enjoyed. Sometimes it helps me to see the books, because we often do judge books by their cover. I have divided them into adult reads and YA reads. I have not read any PD books at this point. 

Stay safe.
Stay Healthy.

Warmly,
Teresa

Adult Reads

YA Literature

Introverts Are Struggling Too

What I Miss....

Dear Readers,

I have always considered myself a more introverted personality. I enjoy my independent, quiet, alone time. However, even I am struggling during this time of social distancing. Some things I miss, that I used to do by myself, are.....

• Going to the library.
• Going to Barnes and Noble.
• Getting coffee.
• Making a stop at At Home.
• Running into The Loft.

These are difficult times for all of us in different ways. I am constantly reminding myself.....

• Be kind to yourself.
• Be patient with yourself.
• Step away from the news and social media as needed.
• Get rest.
• Eat healthy.
• Exercise.
• Read.
• Connect with others via phone calls, texting, Twitter, FB or GHOs.
• Participate in chats. Try some new ones!

I give myself permission to.......

• Grieve. I am missing going to work every day and being in my classroom. It's okay to feel sad.
• Do nothing at all. Sometimes it feels so overwhelming, I just don't want to do anything.

But I also give myself permission to..........

• Be happy that I am safe and healthy right now.
• Know that this will pass.
• Be thankful that my family and friends are safe and healthy.

I hope you are all finding your "new norm" and staying safe and healthy. To all our essential workers, thank you, my prayers are with you. 

Warmly,

Teresa

Updated: Twitter Book Study Tips & Tricks

Where Do I Start? 

Dear Readers,

Over the past few years I have facilitated several Twitter Book Studies. It has become one of my favorite "formats" for discussing books. 

How Do I Choose a Book?

Honestly, I choose based on my interest level/passion and/or what I see people posting and reading on social media. The important aspect of the chat to me is the discussion itself. Whether you have a few or many people, it has been completely worth the investment. 

How Do I Choose a Date and Time?

First I would decide if you would like a slow chat (post throughout the week) or weekly chat (scheduled time to discuss). The bottom line is, you will never be able to meet the needs and schedules of everyone. 

What Length of Time Should I Choose?

Since it is a book discussion and there is always so much amazing material to cover, I facilitate a 60 minute chat with approximately 8 questions. It is pretty fast-paced, but so much good discussion happens! I also run mine for approximately 4 weeks. 

If you chose to do a 30 minute chat, you could potentially stretch it out longer than 4 weeks to whatever you feel is appropriate.

Should you opt for a slow chat, you can determine how many times per week you will post a question, quote, etc.

How Do I Approach Authors?

It has been an absolutely amazing experience working with authors over the years. They have graciously allowed me to use their books, participate in chats when they can and support the book study by helping me with promotion. Take a risk and contact authors! You will not know if you do not try!

What hashtag (#) Will I Use?

In my experience, I have used the hashtags associated with the books I have chosen, with permission from the authors, with the exception of two titles. I created my own hashtags just for those book studies. 

A suggestion might be to ask the author if you can borrow the hashtag for the book study. If not, be creative and make up your own! If you plug a # into the "search twitter" box it will let you know if it is already being used. If it is, try adding numbers or abbreviating words until you get one you like. All you have to do once you have it is start using it! Post tweets with the hashtag and you will start a feed. 

How Do I Choose the Questions?

There are a few resources I have used for choosing questions. The first is to read the book and create questions based off the reading. The other is to access websites (with permission from the authors) and borrowing questions that have already been created for book studies to be used with that particular book. In one instance, I had a study guide e-mailed to me upon request.

I try to create questions that are specific to the book, but also general enough that those who have not read the book can still participate. A favorite question starter is to pull quotes that stick out to you. I also try and post the questions ahead of time so participants can prepare if they wish to.

Good luck and happy reading!

Warmly,

Teresa

Children's Literature

Celebrating Picture Books!

Dear Readers,

One of my passions is picture books. I love having them in my classroom even though I teach middle school. I also have picture books in French and Spanish with the English version when possible. Satruday February 23rd, #PD4uandme is celebrating Children's Literature with a chat devoted to sharing titles! We hope you will join us!

Here are some of my favorites!

Warmly,

Teresa

Blogging in 2019

A Writing Routine

Dear Readers,

I am an avid reader, I read almost every day and usually carry a book with me. However, I run very hot and cold in the writing department. It is not always as enjoyable to me as reading so if it feels like something I have to do, I can fall away from it.

Recently, on the #PD4uandme chat, blogging has been a topic of interest. It could not come at a better time as we approach the new year and I am once again trying to find that love of writing. Hopefully some of you will find the following "tips and tricks" useful. They serve as not only a reminder to myself, but encouragement for others as well.

• The first thing I did was read blogs! There are not specific blogs that I follow on a regular basis, I seem to just read what looks appealing to me. Develop your own "reading inventory" of blog posts. Seek out topics, people or hashtags that you enjoy and grow from. 
• Next, I chose a format. Your PLN can be a treasure chest of recommendations! I went with Blogger in Google because it was easy for me.
• Then, start writing! Write for YOU and make it your own! It can be personal or professional. I reflect a lot on instructional practices, both what went well and what did not. We can learn and grow from one another when we are honest and transparent.
• Don't be afraid to hit the publish button. I was terrified the first few times and kept reading and rereading. I wanted it to be perfect. We can be our own worst enemy. Be kind to yourself! You can always go back and edit.
• Finally, believe in yourself. People want to hear what you have to say. 

We will be talking about Blogging on Saturday January 12th on #PD4uandme from 8:30-9:00 AM EST. I hope you will join us!

Until then, happy writing!

Warmly,

Teresa

Building Relationships Through Sketchnoting

"My Pencil Made Me Do It!"

Dear Readers,

One of my favorite youtube videos is My Pencil Made Me Do It by @HeckAwesome also known as Carrie Baughcum. She does a wonderful job introducing sketchnoting with this short video.

This year, I decided to incorporate sketchnoting into my getting to know you activities with students. 

• First, I created my own get to know Ms. Gross sketchnote. In real time, it took me about 10-15 minutes.
• As the students came in, I did a formative assessment. I made a sketchnote and asked them to tally if they had ever heard the word sketchnote, if they had ever created one and how they would describe it to someone. (None of them had heard of it or created one.)
• I used my anchor charts I had created last year. With permission from Carrie, I asked to recreate one of her slides from her video. It is a fantastic model of icons, containers and topics. 

• Then I played the video for them. We discussed how it is a way to make your thinking visible. 
• Afterward, we talked about the icon library. I explained to them that I think in words and language. When I first started sketchnoting I lacked icons and pictures. However, Carrie challenged me to add 5 icons, then 10, etc.
• One way I used the sketchnote was to practice making inferences about me based on what they saw. 
• Before allowing them to get started, I explained the steps I went through in creating mine. (Started with my name using my favorite color, thought about hobbies, important people, favorite words and then added flowers and doodles.)
• I also commended them on being willing to take a risk and try something they have never done before!
• Finally, we have a beautiful hall display for open house!

Are you willing to take a risk with your students and put your creative hand to work?

Happy sketching!

Warmly,

Teresa

The EduNinja Mindset

11 Habits for Building a Stronger Mind and Body

Dear Readers,

If you are like me and love The Zen Teacher by Dan Tricarico (@thezenteacher) then I strongly encourage you to read The EduNinja Mindset by Jennifer Burdis (@jennifer_burdis). Both books are published by Dave Burgess Consulting Inc. (@dbc_inc).

"What activities or restorative practices refuel you?" (pg. 26)

When the end of the school year rolled around on June 22nd, I admit that I was excited for some time to recharge, relax and step away for the summer. I knew that I needed to plan some uninterrupted "me time" and really get refueled for the upcoming year. 

I spent the month of July and now August....

• walking
• reading
• listening to music
• sleeping
• meeting friends including my #CoffeeEDU Group
• swimming
• sketchnoting
• spending time with a very special person in my life (and his family) 

 

 

As far as professional learning, I moderated/co-moderated #PD4uandme, responded to Paul O'Neill's (@PaulONeill1971) daily reflections and occasionally participated in his weekly #PLN365 chat, jumped in #LeadLAP after reading Talk to Me by Kim Bearden (@kimbearden) and connected with my PLN through voxer, to name a few. 

My main focus was on my personal life.

"How do you want to live? What does the best version of you look like?" (pg. 41)

I often tell people I love "slow starts" to the day. When I am on vacation or it's the weekend, I enjoy getting up late, having coffee, checking twitter and voxer, and then settling down with my latest read. One of my favorite fitness activities is walking. Heading out for a 2-4 mile walk with my music and no distractions is definitely a priority when I have (make) time.

Now that summer is drawing to a close, I have started to think about heading back to school. How am I going to "balance" (I know some prefer other vocabulary, but when I think of my personal, professional, health, etc. lives I do think in terms of a balance.) the back to school craziness with my summer calm?

My main focus is to be thoughtful and purposeful about how I spend my time.

"Surround yourself with people who make you hungry for life, touch your heart, and nourish your soul." (pg. 66)

Life is so short. We have to make the most of the time we have. Over the years I have made some difficult decisions about who to keep in my life and who to distance myself from. As I have gotten older and gained more life experience, my perspectives have also evolved and matured.

It seems as though people who are unhappy in their own lives sometimes work so hard at trying to infiltrate others' joy. In order for us to maintain healthy relationships, we have to be able to identify those who do not wish the best for us and establish clear boundaries. This is not an easy task and sometimes it can be hurtful. The goal is not to hurt others, but to protect ourselves.

My main focus is surrounding myself with people who uplift me, support me, encourage me and sincerely care about me.

"I'm a teacher, but will forever be a student-learning, growing, and refining." (pg. 163) 

As a former speech therapist and current literacy teacher, I teach my students that knowledge is power. As Steve Wyborney (@SteveWyborney) reminds us in his book The Writing on the Classroom Wall, there are the same number of students and teachers in the classroom.

Have a wonderful start to the 2018-2019 school year! Thank you Jennifer Burdis for a fantastic read!

Warmly,

Teresa