Within every human soul is the gift of writing, whether we believe this is so or not. Everyone has a thought deep inside. Some thoughts explode on paper and some through oral communication. Others do not surface because of a lack of confidence in the writing process. As an educator and a proponent of writing, I have always encouraged others to have their voice take flight.
Words can come forth and flow if we just let them float freely, proudly to paper.
Join me this month in a March Madness campaign.
As Springtime is ready to burst open, let your words explode.
STOP, JOT, SHARE your thoughts:
Pen to Paper
Keyboard to Print
Tweet to PLN
All thoughts welcomed.
Let's bring together a community of writers!
As Ernest Hemingway once said,
"We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master."
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JOIN THE MARCH MONDAY REFLECTIVE PRACTICE
Thoughts that have taken flight:
Reflecting in the Stillness of March
Carol Varsalona
As March briskly marches in
Time bows its head and Winter salutes
Reflection jumps forward
And all launch their campaigns.
Winter lingers.
Time fidgets.
Reflection pauses
In the cold stillness.
March holds on tight
To stop the madness
But Time passes by,
Letting Daylight pass through
While Spring awaits its resurrection
flowers bloom just out of sightcolor explosions below the surface-and all we see is the white of snowsmothering Spring like some criminal
Incapsulated in a moment, insufferable frustration.
Adolescent regression like falling into the rabbit hole,
Temporarily drowning in the anguish of senioritis diffused
And suffocating beneath the weight of authoritative decree.
Resonating power oscillates outward from the source,
a lone teacher, deftly avoiding opportunity
to demonstrate what not to do for her mirror,
a room full of eager minds
looking to the beacon.
Resilience, the destination of sorted injustice
Time, the cure for misguided mumblings
easing into the ample arms of acceptance
with genial gratitude for those backs which bore the weight
of the momentary mental transgression.
The water sits now, unrippled and serene
Beneath the cover of a cloudless sky
Ever so remarkable is the placid easement
elucidated by the echo
of the bell.
On March Madness
Richard Varsalona
Nothing more frustrating
about the March Madness experience
than watching your team
eliminated in first game
by a team they were supposed
to Easily Defeat!
From years of traveling to the Saturday Reunions, I learned that arriving early is a prerequisite. First task once you are on the Columbia campus is to pick up a flyer on the street corners surrounding Teachers College or in the foyer of Riverside Church. The early birds are able to relax into the experience of the day's ongoing learning by perusing the extensive flyer and planning their schedule before the crowds arrive. They are also able to secure a spot in the magnificent church where notable theologians and political figures, such as Martin Luther King and Bill Clinton, have spoken. 
Because I thoroughly enjoyed this session, I stayed for Maggie's second workshop, "From Writing Information Books to Designing Websites: A New Unit of Study (and Book) in Information Writing for Middle School." I was not disappointed in my choice for I was introduced to the new Unit of Study in Information Writing for Middle School that Katie co-authored and work from the Riverhead School District's 6th graders. I learned that the goals of this new work are to expose and teach a variety of writing forms from an essay to a book to a website, develop healthy research practice, and incorporate research into writing. 
