Celebrating Voice

As soon as I retired from public education, I created a dedicated space to ponder, reflect, and converse about life, literacy, and learning. It is here, at my blog site, that voice has been my connector to educators across the globe so this week, I celebrate voice and the opportunities writing brings.

#1  The joke in my household is "tell me when you really retire" as I walk out the door early in the morning to travel to a district or BOCES center to deliver professional development training on some aspect of literacy learning. What started out on July 24, 2013 as an "unretirement" state of mind has now slowly grown into professional pursuit. I am enjoying working with different teachers across Long Island as we grapple with ways to create a culture of trust and positivity and impact teaching and literacy learning. This week I broke all records with four days of presenting. (This is not the norm but because of the extreme weather conditions, professional development had to be postponed in several instances.)  I celebrate the pursuit of "unretirement" opportunities. 

#2  I celebrate the ease of creating presentations in Google Drive and now converting then into Google Slides to share with educators. My thoughts are now being housed in the cloud for easy access. Long gone are the days when I forget to download presentations on flash drives and wonder what to do. Google Slides on Drive have provided me with a new avenue to worry free presentations. 

#3  I celebrate the creation of inspirational images to provide messages of positivity. I release images like the one below across the Twittersphere. There are for teachers to use in their classrooms or for PLNs. Motivating everyone to raise their voices with others across the globe is a focus for me this year as I listen more intently. 

#4  I celebrate new to Twitter teachers I worked with this week who are intrigued about new possibilities that await them in the cloud. Here is my tweet that I sent out this evening. 

Believe in the poser of Twitter to open doors to educational possibilities. Make connections. They are real! #NYEDChat #satchat #edchat

#5  I celebrate the many educators, business contacts, friends, family, and even three elementary students for participating in the Finding Fall Gallery that I just updated with a poem that was hidden under an image when the gallery first went to post. Please enjoy a stroll back into autumn to read different perspectives on the season before I start designing the next collection, Winter Whisperings.  

Enjoy your weekend as you find the positives that lead to daily celebrations! Voice Counts. Let it be heard.

Now stroll over to Ruth Ayres' Celebrate This Week site to read the blogging community's posts on their celebrations this week. 

Celebrating With a New Lens to Continue Growing a Writer's Life

One morning last week as I traveled the highways of Long Island from west to east I reflected on the stream of traffic that disrupted my flow of thoughts. A multitude of cars were keeping pace while trying to avoid the glaring sun and a potential stream of accidents. There was an acute awareness of the potential pitfalls of reckless driving. Proceeding with caution was the headline that flashed in my mind as I traveled to my destination during the morning rush hour traffic. 

As I crossed from one county to the next, the incessant pace of three lanes of traffic slowed down. The sun moved over, and the tone of the trip changed. Driving became less strained and surroundings were seen through a different lens. It is amazing how one forgets to notice nature and honor the small moments in life. Once the strain of driving in a potential hazardous scenario was lifted, I could view the onset of autumn on this sun-kissed crisp day. A new lens was added that allowed me to place all in perspective. It was not my sunglasses that provided clarity of vision but the lens used by writers. 

Tiny segments of a tree-lined highway 

showed signs of autumn's arrival. 

Nature played a peek-a-boo game. 

Hints of red shown amongst green-leaved trees. 

The sun bowed its head 

to provide a clear pathway onward. 

Glaring yellow hues softened to sunshine. 

Cars hummed at a normal pace. 

Autumn's call was in the air 

and 

I was able to reflect 

on its first moments 

during early morning hours. 

This trip east was a short journey to a new destination but it was also the first day to find fall with a writer's eye. This season I will celebrate life and use my special lens to connect with nature as I observe the small moments and awaken my observation skills. If you are interested in joining me to grow a writing life this autumn, stroll over to my first blog post on finding fall here.

Enjoy the season, become  more reflective, and take additional steps to grow a personal writing life.

Celebrate Saturdays with Ruth Ayres as she hosts

This post is being shared on "Celebrate this week" and #celebratlu. You can find the writings of others who come together from near and far to celebrate their week because life is a blessing to be shared.