Binders, and Standards, and Essentials, Oh My!

Today I started sorting through some binders to get my kindergarten and first-grade curriculum, standards, and must-haves all in one place. It's one of those things I do to feel like I have something organized. It's comforting. 

It is kind of like how a few weeks ago when I was stressed about what my job was going to be I went in my backyard and ripped out rows upon rows of ferns that we had been meaning to remove. It was one of those, "eh, we'll get to it," kind of jobs. It was also something I knew I could do in one day and it would be neat and tidy when I was finished. 

Last weekend I rearranged our overflow pantry items and moved them all to a new location. It's neat and tidy too. I love sorting canned goods

Yesterday I had to go to Target. I do most of my shopping online now and get deliveries but we really needed some new towels. Again, not totally necessary, but we needed a bit of luxury around here. I bought four new towels, a new bath mat, and put a shelf together for the bathroom I hadn't gotten to. My bathroom is now rearranged and I have new towels!

But tonight, I am sitting on my basement floor. I'm surrounded by some clean and unfolded laundry. I have standards for four different grade levels in front of me that I'm attempting to organize. I also know, when I'm done, one more thing will feel like it is complete.  

Cycling Thoughts

I'm in the middle of some Professional Development modules for my "Back to School," requirements. My district's admin team put together several activities to mostly help us reflect and prepare. One of the assignments was to create answers to some prompts and reflect on what virtual learning was like in the spring and how it will change in the fall. I created this image (above) in response to, "The instructional improvements I am making for teaching virtually in the Fall are..."

I feel like that thought bubble is a very accurate representation of my thought pattern right now. I've been reading all summer long. All kinds of reading. Novels, verse, professional texts, articles, antiracist works, blog posts, the news, and now discussion boards for PD. I cycle through ideas that feel like genius, throw up my hands in frustration, settle back to the drawing board, read more, think more, and get more ideas. 

Even amidst all the uncertainty and frustration with reopening plans, changes, opinions, and idiocy at times, I am excited to start the school year. There is still a lot that is unknown to my school district. I don't know when I will actually be able to prepare for whatever happens. I do know that the day will come and until then, I guess I'll go back to reading. 

In My Present Mind

Hmmmm...what should I tell you?

I've been reading a lot of verse poetry in preparation for a unit I'm writing for middle school readers and writers. I'm enjoying the work.

The rain has really cooled things down. It's been a hot summer, my favorite kind.

Fatigue from all that life is offering right now is thick. 

I passed my language arts certification test and can now teach middle school English if the opportunity arises. 

Our dog Cassie keeps growing. We are beginning to think she isn't what we thought she was, but it's hard to know. She'll be six-months-old tomorrow. 

I'm drinking my morning coffee at 6 pm today. I opted for tea this morning. Peach tea is delicious. 

Longing for a family routine, I'm finding it challenging to get everyone on board. 

I miss my mom and dad.  

Not Ready

Early Sunday morning, I was attempting to percolate a post for Two Writing Teachers. I had a handful of ideas but had been so buried I hadn't "put pen to paper."
I ended up writing what sounded like too much of a downer of a post. I did end up using parts of it but merged multiple parts of my ideas into one. I knew it was a pretty real part of what I was feeling, but it also felt a bit more personal than a TWT post. 

The general start of the post was this:

As I write this post, it is the early hours of the day before the first day, and like any other, that could be compared, I am not ready. Just as I would not be "ready" for the first day in my classroom. There is always that measure of readiness before the first day. 

"So, are you ready for your first day?"

"Ready enough!"

No one is ever ready. 

I don't know what will go wrong. I don't know what will be successful. I'm not sure how my students will respond to my math and social studies lessons. I've accepted that I may never be on the pulse of the needs within the moment because most of those moments will not include me in live time. Conferring with readers and writers will be different, and even under the best circumstances when we are all together, it's a challenge. 

I continue to spiral around the questions:

Is this authentic

Will they do this

What's the value

How does this match my beliefs

Will they smile

Will they cry

Will someone be there

Will they love learning

Will they hate "learning"...after this...what will they have gained. 

So, I'm not ready.

I'm now on day two of our official distance learning plan. I'm still not ready, but I'm moving. I'm moving along and hoping things get better. I'm pretty sure it isn't going to get easier, but that's okay. One part I was ready for, and I realized it yesterday--I was ready to SEE my students. I have seen 18 of the 25 faces, and I hope to see a few more soon. Thank goodness for technology.

Sharing a Laugh

For about a week now, my husband, he's a high school teacher, has been participating in a Goose Chase with colleagues. He is on a team with three other people, and each person is to complete three challenges per day. There are six teams in all. The challenges vary in many ways, from dressing up as characters, eating tacos on a Tuesday, or smelling flowers. It has been fun for our family to help him accomplish his different challenges. For my final slice today, I thought you all might enjoy a laugh from my favorite amateur comedian, my husband, Shawn!

Eat a taco. Bonus points if it's on a Tuesday. 

Find a coin from 1999.

Locate at least five different sports balls. 

Go surfing on an ironing board.

Wear protective gear.

Happy Gilmore: Show us your best golf swing. 

Take care of the environment.

Dress up like a Game of Thrones character.

As you can see, we've been having fun watching him and helping him with these challenges. It has lightened us up and made us laugh. I wish you many more laughs as April starts tomorrow. I thank you for being part of this challenge with all of us. I am always grateful to be part of such a wonderful group of writers, listeners, and learners. 

Recipe Alert!

I was perusing recipes online. I absolutely love watching videos of food being made. I feel like a preteen watching Youtube loops. However, the other day I came across a recipe from my childhood. I quickly printed it out in hopes I would make it soon.

Today I was reminded of the recipe and decided it was a great day to make it. The recipe is something I used to make all the time as a kid. It's called Wacky Cake and not only is it the easiest from scratch cake to make it is VEGAN! No dairy and no eggs.

It starts with the basic dry ingredients, flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.


This recipe did not call for three wells in the dry mix, but my mom taught me this when I first learned to make Wacky Cake. Back then, I'm pretty sure it was a third cup of water, oil, and vinegar. One in each well. I followed this recipe for the amounts, which are slightly different. That said, I still made the wells because it felt right.


I even used my old fashion whisk, the fork!



Into the parchment-lined and flour-dusted pan.

After the cake was baked and cooled, I went a step further and looked for a vegan vanilla frosting.

I found a recipe and had all the ingredients but I felt like it might be a bit too sweet or just a single note kind of frosting. Then I remembered my last sleeve of Thin Mints was in the cupboard. Did you know Thin Mints are vegan? They are! I crushed up a few cookies, ate a few cookies and got back to the frosting.

When it was finally, I was pretty happy with it. A single layer, no celebration, weekday cake. Something I never do. Something I should maybe do more often. Dessert is a bit of joy on a plate. One we might begin enjoying more often these days.

Seeing the Joy

During, what is historically a challenging time in our world as a whole, I was comforted by the joy in my daughter's face yesterday.

Friday night I sat in our basement cutting out cardstock balloons, thirteen of them, because I couldn't go to the store to buy any. Too risky.

I wrapped thirteen gifts, some were candy, hair ties, some were special things she had been wishing for.

I stacked them all up on the couch for her the morning of her birthday while she got dressed and ready for video calls, presents, and photos.

She was so happy. I sometimes wish I could capture joy and save it in a reserve somewhere for those moments when joy is needed. But instead, I have to find joy in memories, in future joys to come, and in the hope that there will always be joy.

May these pictures of a happy thirteen-year-old bring you some joy.