Blue-Sky Teaching

May is almost half over! How did that happen? One minute it was May first, and now it's the 14th - my seniors are done; my underclassmen are scurrying frantically to finish up their last books and responses. And me? I, uh, well. I've been reading running books. This feels like a guilty confession. Like, I should be reading a good professional book, an award-winning adult novel, or more YA lit (I did finish Jennifer Niven's All The Bright Places and loved, loved, loved it). But I am not. Instead I am immersed in the world of running books. Not how-to books. I'm reading some life-changing stuff - narratives about lives transformed by running and tales of human accomplishment I never even dreamed were possible. First, I read Tom Foreman's My Year of Running Dangerously: A Dad, a Daughter, and a Ridiculous Plan with my ears. It was a lovely, funny story of a dad and his daughter training for a marathon, and then it became the story of a dad, in his 50...

May 1st...already!  While some teachers are counting down the days until the end of the year, I choose the savor this month, in all its sweetness.  As I look around my classroom, I choose to see all the hard work and persistence of the last 8 months paying off, instead of rushing to summer vacation. I choose to see all those personalities I know and to enjoy each day of this month.  Here are my top 3 reasons to LOVE May: 1.   I know my kids.   Yes, August is exciting with it's newness, but May is like my favorite purple fleece sweatshirt, broken-in and cozy.  Yes, the zipper is broken and it's got some cat hair on it, but when I put it on, it feels so familiar and safe.  I know just how it feels, what to expect.  I can relax. That's just how my classroom feels now - well-known and loved.  The kids and I have established a rhythm to our days - we all know each other - what to expect, what motivates each person, when to joke around, ...