A Slice of Life: Approaching August

August is approaching. For many educators, parents, and students, August 1st signifies the anticipated opening of school. Shopping season begins; dorm room planning is at full peak; summer reading is a priority. Sometimes angst builds up with these commitments and expectancies. My #TuesdayTip is to flip all thoughts to the positive to maintain a sense of balance and continued enjoyment of the summer season. As Meeno Rami said in a recent Twitter chat, "Summer is a great time to seek inspiration and imagine the possibilities." 

With the word possibilities in my mind, I took part in a morning yoga practice today. While at Come Together Yoga Studio I heard a message that validated my #TuesdayTip. In the stillness of the room only the gentle voice of our instructor Flor Villazon was heard. With her usual gracious style, she respectfully greeted everyone with "Namaste" and led us into a breathing exercise. I heard words like relax, reduce stress, breathe, and release the negative. As these thoughts flowed in the stillness of the room, I savored and stored them in the corners of my mind. Separate though the words were strung together they became not only a message for the moment but a life mantra as I walked away from the class.

In yoga, students benefit from the practice of being fully committed. Thoughts that enter the mind are to be swept away to totally engage in the present - a life message for me and perhaps for you as you approach August. There is a benefit from the practice of reflection and a gentle breathing exercise when the signs of frustration, disruption, and anxiousness over upcoming events come your way.

My Take-Aways Tips for the Day: 

• Tip #1 - Relax in stillness. Unclutter the mind. 
• Tip #2 - Reduce stress. Let go of outside interference during reflective moments. 
• Tip #3 - Breathe in and exhale in a flowing pattern to calm the spirit.
• Tip #4 - While engaged in a breathing exercise, allow the breath to be exhaled out the left nostril to dispose of any negativity. 
• Tip # 4 - Savor the present moment. 

Approach August with a positive frame of mind.

Open your heart to possibilities.

A Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Check out the various writers who comprise this community of learners. 

Souvenir from REFLECT WITH ME: Summer Serenity

In anticipation of the unveiling of my new gallery collection of REFLECT WITH ME: Summer Serenity in late August, I decided to provide a sneak preview. Various writers have accepted my invitation to capture their summer go-to spots for quiet meditation, relaxation, or enjoyment in photographs accompanied by their poetic thoughts. Today, I created a poem for Poetry Friday based on photographs taken at two different beaches, one on the East Coast of the United States and the other on the West Coast. This is my teaser for the new gallery. 

I have always been captivated by the beauty of the beach and intrigued by driftwood washed ashore. On one of my summer jaunts to Long Beach on the south shore of Long Island I found an interesting piece of driftwood in the sand. Later, as I was perusing some travel photos taken by daughter when she traveled to the state of Washington with her husband, I found a photo of a collection of driftwood cast on to Ruby Beach.  

If you would like to join me in my new venture, please saunter over to 

Exploring Summer Serenity 

or

Summertime's Alluring Call to Relax, Reflect, Recharge

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This post is written as a #ThankfulThursday tribute to the Poetry Friday community who welcomed me as a new contributor. You can find a collection of wonderful additions to this week's Poetry Friday at Poetry for Children hosted by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. There is an exciting announcement about plans for their next installment in The Poetry Friday Anthology series. 

PS: Special thanks to Karen at The Graphics Fairy for allowing use of her Vintage Clip Art-Souvenir Seashell Postcard. Check out her site. 

A Slice of Life: Re-energizing our Teaching Lives with A Mid-Summer Tune-Up

It's mid-summer! In the past, that phrase used to create a ripple effect in my body. It signaled that the summer was halfway over and I had a short time left to enjoy sunshine days with my school-age children. A little anxiety would set in as thoughts of preparing for back-to-school lessons became the focus. Then, came the administrative summers in which year round work was the norm. 

Speed dial to current times. While it is true that summer is halfway over and there is still much  planning to do for teacher training workshops, I do not feel anxious. The glass half full concept has replaced the glass half empty one. Is it because I am living with a growth mindset? Or is it because I know the value of re-energizing my teaching and learning life? Of course being recently retired from years of service as a reading specialist and districtwide administrator and not having to punch the clock on September 2nd helps with my frame of mind. Retirement does have its perks although the state of unretirement, working with teachers as an ELA consultant, keeps me in the loop and continuing in a field that I love. So for these reasons and an eagerness for a fresh approach to the school year, the mid-summer crunch experience is no longer filled with anxious thoughts. It has become a time period to recharge my teaching life.

Spinning the mid-summer crunch in a different way is something I learned from reading Carol Ann Tomlinson's article in ASCD Architects of Summer. Educators know quite well that summertime is the season to relax, explore passions, and recharge batteries in preparation for a new school year. Tomlinson spoke of this call to re-energize our teaching lives in her article. She described a four-part summer tune-up to summon new possibilities, to renew confidence, enthusiasm, and sense of purpose: 

From Carol Ann Tomlinson's ASCD article, Summer Architects

So, how does this four-part summer tune-up play out in my life?

First of all, I must admit that I have not taken full of advantage of summer yet so now is my time for a mid-summer tune-up. More reading for enjoyment will be part of my menu and of course, the perfect place to do so is at the beach. The amazing, south shore beaches of Long Island allow the rippling waves of the Atlantic Ocean to create the perfect backdrop for relaxation and the recharging of spirits.

Secondly, I challenged myself yesterday to learn something different, how to edit Word Press. Since I am a Blogger fan, switching platforms to add a page to the new #NYEDChat website was quite a learning curve. Frustration was an understatement but the feeling of accomplishment outweighed the angst of not knowing what I was doing. Thanks Carol Ann for helping me understand that a new learning experience can broaden my perspective.

Third, I feel that I am always pushing the boundaries of my practice so I am in agreement with Tomlinson's thought on that matter. Sometimes, though I wish that I did not feel compelled to continually push forward. There is beauty in lingering in the here and now for awhile. This is a goal that I will work on this year. 

Fourth, at the beginning of the summer Dave Burgess, author of Teach Like a Pirate, created a GPS challenge for educators: create five words that would steer your course for next year and provide direction for your practice. With these words guiding me, my compass will point me in the right direction. (You can read others' thoughts on Twitter at #summerLS.)

By cvarsalona July 2014 in response to Dave Burgess' 5 Word GPS Challenge

Last night, I popped into Meenoo Rami's #EdThrive chat on Twitter to hear her speak about her new book, Thrive. The driving question was "How can we better thrive as we are preparing one for a new school?" I thought this was quite appropriate for the mid-summer mark. The conversation provided a great starting part for educators. What Meenoo had to say resonated with me with regard to this time of year.

Summer is a great time to seek inspiration and imagine the possibilities...

I am using these precious days to connect with others for ideas, inspiration, etc.

Meenoo Rami

Yes these days are precious and there is still time for all of us to kick back and relax while reflecting on a new approach for the 2014-15 educator's journey. So in closing, I note that summer is my time and yours to reflect and broaden perspectives. May summer's restful and relaxing days, allow us to re-energize our lives for the months to come. 

Sponsored by Two Writing Teachers

Gearing Up for Fall with NYEDChat

Mid-summer is upon us and although NYEDChat is on summer hiatus, the moderators: Bill Brennan, Vicki Day, Blanca Duarte, Starr Sackstein, Tony Sinanis, and I, are gearing up for a new season of connectivity with NYS educators and those from across the states. Last school year saw the relaunch of #NYEDChat as the voice of NYS educators and a partnership of committed moderators grew to a team of six. Every other Monday at 8:30 pm #NYEDChat posed lively discussions. Guest moderators often visited the chats and one of the highlights of the year was a triple state chat #NJNYCOL with ten moderators from #njed, #NYEDChat, and #COLchat. This chat was not only a great collaborative effort but a fast-paced, successful discussion that trended on Twitter. Many connections were made that night. 

Following this was a joint venture by #njed and #NYEDChat, the Showcase of Teaching and Learning, a highlighting of best practices, blogs, and lessons from educators around the globe. The site created hopes to attract educators who wish to globally share their best learning. It will remain open to all who would like to add to the collection of shared practices. 

With its expansion as a professional learning network (PLN), #NYEDChat continues its journey to connect educators from across New York State so that they can add their collective voices to a broader, global connected community.  Vicki Day has taken one step forward to make #NYEDChat a more dynamic and united front. She has worked diligently to construct a new website from the previous wiki site that we have seemed to outgrow. You can see the new look that is under construction at http://nyedchat.wordpress.com/. Today, Vicki and I collaborated on adding a new page to the site and I must admit it was quite an experience for me, a worthwhile endeavor but a frustrating one while learning a new platform. 

Thank you @VictoriaL_Day for creating the new NYEDChat Website



 

This summer educators are reenergizing their personal lives by engaging in activities that are relaxing and a departure from daily school work. The moderating team of NYEDChat wants you to know that we are gearing up for another dynamic year of connectivity, driven by our passion to impact teaching and learning. Remember as Connected Educators: Together We are One. 

Join the first #NYEDChat conversation of the school year on
 August 25, 2014, 8:30 PM 
for a lively discussion, 

"Beginning the School Year on a Positive Note"

In the meantime, enjoy your summer!

Reflecting on the Super Moon Phenomenon

Last Saturday, July 12th there was much hype about the Super Moon. As the days approached, I wondered if it would be as magnificent as news accounts depicted it would be. When I actually saw it shining so bright and full I was in awe of the universe. I stood mesmerized and started to recollect the times in my childhood when I engaged in the same act of watching the full moon at night. Riveted, I looked into the dark sky to see the crater face of Mr. Moon, all ablaze and peeking out at me between the trees. I captured its sight but I must admit the photo taken with my iPhone did not do justice to the Super Moon's beauty. What I saw was the best and clearest image of the moon's "crater-made face" that I have ever seen.

Continuing to stare intently into the sky, led me to think of the countless children around the world that were doing the exact same thing I was doing - just silently staring! Subsequent to this event, news article, photos, and tweets began to surface speaking about the wonders of the image in the sky. Although my photo of the man in the moon face pales in comparison to some on Twitter, I appreciated the beauty of what I saw and wanted to share my enthusiasm for this phenomenon. 

The found poem below was written from words lifted from news articles and quotes about the Super Moon night sky event. My goal was to create a poem that would speak to the experience of moon gazing on a dark summer night from a reflective stance.

The following are resources for children that I found about "moon poems" that can used during the school year.

By Grace Andreachhi
https://sites.google.com/site/graceandreacchi/
Also see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKi_60NLbQw

Child Moon 
By Carl Sandburg

The child's wonder 
At the old moon 
Comes back nightly. 
She points her finger 
To the far silent yellow thing
Shining through the branches 
Filtering on the leaves a golden sand, 
Crying with her little tongue, “See the moon!” 
And in her bed fading to sleep 
With babblings of the moon on her little mouth.

The Moon - A Children's poem 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSyPs8BW9EM

Today Tabatha Yeatts is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup at The Opposite of Indifference with her whimsical feathered friend, Poetry Monster.