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Wednesday, November 13, 2019

In Gratitude

Silence after a successful Twitter chat settles a racing mind and an energized spirit. When the November 4th's #NYEDChat with my talented guest moderator and friend, Rita Wirtz, officially finished, I was immersed in the quietude of a silent room. I reflected on the art and craft of teaching and what was accomplished as connected educators voiced their responses to beautifully crafted questions. What did it mean to me to walk the walk with learners who daily experience and understand the productive struggle? How do I encourage all teachers to passionately continue to hone their craft when faced with learners who are troubled by the unproductive, disquieted moments of classroom work? Being a reflective educator is an essential component of teaching and learning. I am thankful for walking the walk as a teacher and being blessed to have the opportunity to work with so many dedicated and passionate educators.

With this in mind, I collaborated with Rita Wirtz on a post-NYEDChat project to put our thoughts on the art and craft of teaching to paper. We diligently worked for days to research quotes and texts on celebrating the art and craft of teaching and were surprised by the scarcity of articles found. Taking a deep dive into writing from two different sides of the United States, we collaborated via Google Docs, FaceTime, and texting. Collaboration became a true interactive exchange of ideas. You can access our published post, Celebrating Art and Craft of Teaching, Thoughts to Inspire You! at Rita Wirtz's Bam Radio! blog site.
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Because my mind often thinks in terms of poetic thoughts, you will find two modified forms of a golden shovel poem based simply on an inspirational quote and mantra on teaching, Below you will see the lines I chose to be inspired by, how I took each word and wove it as the ending line of a poem.

Inspirational Quote:
“Teaching is a work of heart, love, and passion!" (Rita Wirtz)
Educators celebrate artful teaching,
journeying along a path that is
filled with a myriad of practices, a
collection of collaborative work,
resources, and reflective tools of
quality. They fill their heart-
inspired teaching pathway with love,
joyfully deliberating, collaborating, and
following their innermost passion.
©CV, 2019

Inspirational Mantra:
"Time for Change"
Talking and walking the walk in real-time
breathes hope into a life plan for
renewal and a call to change.
©CV, 2019
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Energized teachers unleash their creativity when designing joyful havens of learning. Each day, they interact with learners as the guides on the journey toward lifelong learning. In gratitude for what teachers do, I ask those who have chosen to follow this esteemed profession to keep on celebrating the art and craft of teaching with heart, love, and passion!

6 comments:

  1. Love the golden shovel poem format and the way the different pieces of your post all tie together ..
    Kevin

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    1. Kevin, it is a treat to wake to your response to my post. Thank you for joining me here. Are you attending NCTE19? If so, I would love to meet up with you. Poetry Friday poets are meeting in the bar at the Biltmore Hilton to honor Lee Bennett Hopkins on Friday night at 9pm.

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  2. I'm sorry I missed the chat, but I love this post. Your words, your poem, your thoughts are the inspiration I need on this mid-November morning.

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    1. Amanda, Thank you for giving opening your day with my post. Your response gave me a smile to open my day before I head out to the last day of my state education conference. Have a good day.

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  3. I often think in poem-lines, as you do ... and your passion for the profession and for creativity is palpable in every phrase here. This topic, the art and craft of teaching, is so important, for creativity is at the heart of being human; it SHOULD be an integral part of education. It's not just a way of doing business, but a way of doing life. You're a priceless inspiration, Carol. Thank you for inviting me to be part of the vibrant chat.

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  4. Fran, beside your blog posts your comments are always filled with inspiration. Thanks for your ever-faithful support. Since creativity is one of the 4C's of 21st C learning, it should be promoted and focused on in classrooms where choice leads to amplified voice.

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