World Poetry Day

“Human life cannot exist without poetry.”

~Haider Khan Hoti

Today, World Poetry Day, is a day to celebrate poetry across the world. As UNESCO says, "This day is aimed at encouraging creativity, inspiring the teaching of poetry and restoring a dialogue between poetry and other arts, such as theatre, dance and music."

Digital Poetry

Non-digital Poetry (Post-it Poetry)

Last month, twenty-nine days of poetry writing with Laura Shovan at the Found Poetry Object Project, cleared a path for me to celebrate poetry today and make preparations for the upcoming National Poetry Month and a special #NYEDChat Twitter chat on April 11, 2016. I invite educators, poets, writers, colleagues, and poetry lovers around the world to join me in a global, poetryliscious talk celebrating the creative spirit.

This post marks the twenty-first one of my Clearing a Path series for the Two Writing Teachers' March Slice of Life Story Challenge. Visit the Day 21 site here to read what other slicers are writing. 

Discovery

In my attempt to clear a path this March and savor the single, simple moments of each day, I created a new look for this blog and for my Wonderopolis Wonder Lead Ambassador site. Actually, the computer issue disaster that I experienced earlier this month precipitated the move to create a new identity for Beyond LiteracyLink. 

With the Wonderopolis Wonder Ground launching tomorrow, I was asked to populate my site with content. Wondering what the digital visuals for both Beyond LiteracyLink and my Wonder Lead Ambassador site should be led me to discover the bigger picture of design and the details needed. 

Brainstorming Ideas On What I Vision a Site Should Look Like:

Clean, simple style showing a creative flair 

     with varied, engaging content to share-

     colors and fonts visually appealing

     digital compositions conveying meaning

     and multiple texts worth your reading

Why the Site Needs To Be All of the Above:
When creating a blog site, I feel that matching the site to your identity is key. For my Beyond LiteracyLink blog site, I challenged myself to design a clean, bright screen splashing color across a page, much like voice that rises from within and boldly announces its entry into the world. On some days my mood is quiet and reflective so muted, watercolor-like digital compositions suit me, but on other days a bold expressive approach is important. My Wonder Lead Ambassador site hopes to be a place for educators to find wonder and inspiration.

Reflection:
I feel that the new designs invite "voice" to make its entrance and be received by teacher and colleagues as learners across the world. I would love to hear your comments on whether the styles I chose are ones that capture my thoughts as they splash across a page. 

What Readers Can Discover at the Wonder Ground:
The Wonder Ground is a site to "help educators make the most of Wonderopolis" so the creative team is working diligently to prepare for the launch. They encourage teachers to log in and visit the wonders of Wonderopolis. Once the site goes live, teachers can share lesson plans, blogs, and resources with colleagues and students. The Wonder Ground will be a "valuable portal for educators everywhere" and provide the inspiration to continue to bring children into a world of wonder.

Digital literacy is alive and breathing life into lessons, learnings, and life daily. 

Be Inspired. Create!

Today, I am writing on the topic of discovery for DigiLit Sunday under the leadership of Margaret Simon. In my own journey of discovery, digitally creating meaningful content is important.

This post marks the twentieth one of my Clearing a Path series for the March SOLSC-Day 20. In this piece, I talk about creating new designs to bring a new look to my blog sites. 

Celebrating This Week's Bests

I Am Celebrating:

Something I Accomplished: This week started off with the theme transitions posted by Margaret Simon for DigitLit Sunday. I was delighted to reflect upon that word and how it would affect my week both professionally (transitions are the dabs of glue needed to make the vision connect with the content) and personally (decluttering led to the creation of a sanctuary of tranquility).

Something I Did For Fun: I decided that this blog needed a pick-me-up in keeping with my thoughts on the power of voice and digital change. I transformed my blog site to make it more visually appealing. You can let me know what you think of the the new design.

Almost Wonderful Mini-Trip: We thought that the cherry blossoms were going to pop this weekend so we planned a short trip to Washington, D.C. to see my daughter and son-in-law. Unfortunately, the weather changed and the blossoms will peak next week when my daughter is out of town for a business trip. The photo below from National Cherry Blossom Festival will be the only sighting I will have of the cherry blossoms this year.

Favorite Quote of the Week:
Have words wash over your brain! ~Douglas Fisher

Most Relaxing Activity:

My Gentle Yoga session this week provided the opportunity to stretch, increase my balance, and sink into quiet time.

Wonderful Conference I Attended:

Ann Weiss of McGraw-Hill Education brought Douglas Fisher to Long Island for a morning workshop. I am a huge fan and was delighted to hear Doug speak about purpose-driven learning. Take-Aways from the presentation: 

• Teach why and what we are learning.
• Teaching isolated strategies does not raise comprehension levels. 
• Teacher modeling should be punctuated with student talk.

Best Gift:

A copy of Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher's book, Rigorous Reading: 5 Access Points for Comprehending Complex Text.

Wonderful Chat of the Week: 

This week I co-moderated #NYEDChat with Dan McCabe and guest moderator, Connie Hamilton of #TMchat. The topic was instructional leadership. The conversation was engaging and lively. Connie provided many thinking maps on the topic. One of her quotes that resonated with me is: "Vertical alignment and coherence are KEY!"

What I Look Forward To: 

• Palm Sunday Mass when are Cathedral will reopen. 
• The launch of Wonderopolis' Wonder Ground on March 21st. I have been uploading material to my Wonder Lead Ambassador blog site but hit a snag tonight when my password did not work. 
• Reading the posts from Ruth Ayres' Celebrate This Week bloggers and those from Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC. (Please visit those sites to enjoy the celebrations and slices of life.)

Transitions have been a major part of my week and these have helped me clear a path to simplifying my life as I wrote in my Spiritual Journey Thursday blog. This post today marks the nineteenth one of my series, Clearing a Path. 

Luck of the Irish

Stories about St. Patrick's Day grow from lore and reality. 

Their words find a home as pen lays to rest. 

It's the day of days in Rockville Centre, my hometown. Green is everywhere. Irish flags, high on the poles sitting next to American flags, flow in the breeze. Green and yellow painted stripes line the village route. Restaurants and bars prepare traditional Irish food and green drafts. The luck of the Irish is anticipated by all. 

Putting on the green is a town ritual. Whether you are Irish by heritage or Irish for the day, there are songs, food, the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade, and blessings to be shared. 

Even our parish rector recognizes that everyone in town thinks "Irish" on St. Patrick's Day. There is a wink in his eye and a smile upon his face as he recounts a true story about the importance of the parade to the village folk. 

Reporter: Monsignor, will the cathedral be open in time for the St. Patrick's Day Parade? 

Monsignor to the congregation: What do you expect? After all this is Rockville Centre!  

It's the day of days in my hometown today but this weekend is the parade the village waits for all year. 

Below is a poem I created after reading Wonderopolis' Wonder of the Day #1649. The informational text, Why are Four Leaf Clovers So Hard To Find?, proved to be a worthy resource for my blackout poem attempt.

This year I did not have time to purchase a shamrock plant so the blessing below will be my gift to all who read this post. 

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.
~Irish Blessing

A special thanks is extended to Denise Buchman, founder of #couragecafe, for posting the beautiful St. Patrick's Day image above, created by @Heatherstilluf. Unknowingly, they cleared a path for me to write this post on celebrating the luck of the Irish.

The Poetry Friday Round-up is being hosted by the artsy poet, Robyn Black at Life on the Deckle Edge. Robyn also is showcasing award-winning student haikus. Please visit.

This post marks the eighteenth post of my Clearing A Path series for Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC-Day 18.  Please visit the site here to read what other small moments slicers are writing about. 

Simplify Life

WARNING: 

When you are eager to simplify life, do not spend time juggling several balls.

LESSON LEARNED:

An early spring cleaning spree has helped me clear a path to a non-cluttered approach to writing and life, but wanting to get as much done in a given day may not be a thoughtful plan. Unless you are mindful of each moment too many plans may lead to error, as I well know. I opened this draft today and realized that in the midst of juggling several balls I dropped one. My completed draft to this post was sent into cyberspace with no way to retrieve it. Having only a few thoughts facing me left me speechless or should I say writerless.

RESULT:

I turned to the wisdom of Mother Theresa, who in her saintly way started with what is possible. With simplicity and grace, she brought about change through a simple life of self-sacrifice and service. She exemplified the mantra, "Less is More."

While I am not saying that each of us needs to change the world, we do need to live a mindful life, savoring each moment to benefit ourselves and impact others. 

LIVING LIFE MANTRA:

-ACTION PLAN-
STEPS TO SIMPLIFY LIFE:

Awaken a mindful spirit.
Be present in the moment.
Delight in the beauty of nature.
Admire what is surrounding you.
Believe in a faith-filled and intentful journey.
Wait with bold wonder until the light of love and peace shines forth. 

Then, pause and reflect, before moving on.
SELAH!

“The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service and the fruit of service is peace.” 
~Mother Theresa, A Simple Path

You can listen and read a sample of Mother Theresa's book, A Simple Life here. 

The Spiritual Journey Thursday (SJT) community under the direction of Holly Mueller is examining the spiritual side of each of our one words that guide our journeys. This week, Linda Kulp's One Word, simplify, is the topic of discussion. My Steps to Simplify Life Plan contains all of the one words in italics that we have or will examine. You can access the SJT site here.

Today marks the seventeeth post of my Clearing a Path series for Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC - Day 17. Please visit the site here to read what other small moments slicers are writing about. 

Quiet Nook

Reflection

Come find me in a quiet corner of the house. 

I am a newly configured quiet nook, standing in sharp contrast to a lower level, messy office. 

I am a sanctuary of tranquility. 

For the past months in the midst of de-clutttering winter decorations from the living and dining rooms, I became a storage area. That was unacceptable, so a great exodus of winter items to the pull-down attic began. Slowly, my space was transformed. 

I am a peaceful writing place to slip into in the early morning hours. 

Styled in the fashion of a bed and breakfast room, serenity and simplicity exist in my space. 

I am a safe haven where time passes slowly but in my sacred sanctuary alone time is not lonely. 

I am a place that the muse visits; whispers her soft tune as the world unfolds each day. 

From the outside world, I hear the birds chirp. I imagine an array of thoughts floating out through the window and connecting with nature. In this flow, words circle back finding a home at my desk.  

I am a reading and writing corner, a cherished space for reflection and wonder. 

Come find me when the quietness of the house settles.

I am always here for you.

Is there not a better way to start the day than to be alone in my quiet corner of the house? 

No constraints or tasks exists here in my quiet space.

I am your place of tranquility. 

Where do you go to still the chatter, find quiet,

and invite the muse into your life? 

(Slicer Bonnie Kaplan is capturing all of the different writing corners to showcase them at Two Writing Teachers. I sent in the above photo without the poem.)

Today marks the sixteenth post of my Clearing a Path series for Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC. Please visit the site here to read what other small moments slicers are writing about. 

I Believe

At the beginning of March, Michelle Heidenrich Barnes interviewed New York State poet, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. Amy, inspired by nature wrote and recently published Every Day Birds. You can read the interview here. For this month's challenge, Michelle and Amy announced the little ditty to be the following task. Write a poem about something small, an animal or object you see every day and do not usually give much thought. 

Quote taken by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes from an interview by Irene Latham 
on the Nerdy Book Club website.

As I started to think about this challenge, I searched for such an object and realized it was right before my eyes. After Christmas, I placed a believe inscripted ornament that my friend gave me in my front entrance for all to see. Since believe is my one little word for 2016, I talked about it, wrote about it, held it dear to my heart, and then, showcased the ornament. As many times as I passed by the entrance stand that holds the winter shopping doll, I had not stopped long enough to notice that the ornament adorned the hallway. I wondered why and then decided that this would be the small object to write about. I hope to be more in touch with my word ornament as I clear the path of winter decorations to make way for the spring ones.

Today marks the fifteenth post of my Clearing A Path series for Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC. Please visit the site here to read what other small moments slicers are writing about. 

Winter Flight

A few days ago, my family and friends decided to walk the boardwalk to celebrate Nature's glorious gift of great weather to Long Island. While we were strolling, the seagulls were circling. I tried to photograph their flight but had to be very quick to find one lucky shot. Good fortune was with me. I was able to capture one seagull taking off. 

I was amazed by the flight of the gull who appeared to be making an announcement. "Springlike weather approaching. Freedom flight in progress." The photo below cleared the path for my muse to whisper in my ear and then the words flowed. There was some word weaving before the final piece was complete. 

You do not have to be at the beach to watch birds in flight. Their swooning strokes, their gliding moves, and sometimes screeching sounds all signify that flight is in progress. How many times have you felt the urgency to fly like a bird into a quiet place where the sun continues to shine and the clouds carry your dreams?

Today, marks the fourteenth day of my Clearing A Path series for Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC. Please visit the site here to read what other small moments slicers are writing about. 

Transitions

In this season of fluctuation, winter showed its many faces as it moved from varied weather patterns. Around the world, voice rose in tune with the fluctuations. Nature's movement from one scene to another, created an opportunity for a flow of thoughts to showcase winter's changes in my upcoming gallery, Winter Wanderings.

As I created a draft of the photo corner for the gallery, I listened to the creative training team at the Apple store and tried to gracefully transition one slide to the next. You can see the draft of the photo corner here. Since I am slowing designing the gallery, I am interested in transitioning the process from my draft to a formal public viewing. 

Transitions are the dabs of glue needed to make the vision connect with the content.

A How To Poem on Transitioning

First, capture a big idea.

Winter wandered in and out-

a season of fluctuation.

For example:

From winter white

    

to quasi-spring

a contrast unfolded.

Accordingly, moods changed

as whimsical Nature presented

her perpetual calling cards.

Equally important, Nature's beauty

reigned throughout the days

so writers wrote while 

     photographers captured highlights.

In a word, inspiration rose

from voices lingering in

winter's savored moments.

To have voice flow, transition words are needed. 

In the above poem, I used some transition words to create fluidity of thought. 

 In the classroom, student voice is enhanced through the use of transition words. 

This brief video provides an engaging example that can be used as an introduction to transition words.

In your digital classroom, how do you teach students to include transitions in their storytelling or poetry?

DigiLit Sunday

Today, I am writing on the topic of transitions for DigiLit Sunday under the leadership of Margaret Simon. She has invited the Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC community to join in. 

This post marks the thirteenth one of my Clearing A Path series for the March SOLSC. In this piece, I have created a transition that will passionately get me back into the task of organizing the offerings that have come in for my upcoming gallery, Winter Wanderings.

This Week's Bests

Teachers have a long history of creatively borrowing each others' ideas. I will do the same with today's Celebrate This Week and Day 12 of the March SOLSC. This week, Leigh Anne Eck and Rose Capelli both gave me ideas to try. Leigh Anne used one of my favorite photo editing apps to showcase her Currently I'm list and Rose created a visual framework using stem starters to recap her week (you can see some of them below). Their work led me to create a similar format for my week's celebration of events. 

Energy was high at the beginning of this week and positivity in full force. I traveled from Long Island to Albany with a dear friend for a statewide conference.

This Week's Bests That I Am Celebrating

Something I Did For Fun: I tried out a new photo editing app, Walaxy, and transformed ordinary photos into creative designs that sparkle. You can see the original photos at the following posts, Morning Light and  Press On!

Something I Accomplished: Since spring smiled on us this week with her beautiful weather, spring cleaning felt right. When I returned home from my conference, I moved my winter clothes to my cedar closet and brought out the spring ones.

WONDERFul News I Heard: I was named one of the fifteen Wonder Lead Ambassadors for Wonderopolis. I was delighted when the announcement was made. You can read about that here.

Favorite Quote of the Week:

I created this poster of Romano's quote at recite.com.

WONDERful Chats of the Week: While there are many chats I enjoy participating in this week it was difficult to find time because I was away at a conference. Two chats that I enjoyed chatting time with colleagues were #WonderChat about Genius Hour and #TeachWriting about poetry writing.

Best Outing: My family and friends took a short ride to walk the Long Beach Boardwalk. It was my first trip to the beach during this winter season. We enjoyed a magnificent afternoon. Even when the sprinkles came out, we watched the ocean and wondered how long the rain would last. Luckily, it was just a sun shower. The beach was calling me to photograph it. Even the seagull decided to pose for a shoot. 

Something I Look Forward To: Reading the posts from Ruth Ayres' Celebrate This Week bloggers and those from Two Writing Teachers' March SOLSC.

This post is the twelfth one of my Clearing A Path series for the March SOLSC. With positivity as my guide, I was able to clear a path this week to enjoy the conference, soak in the learning, meet new colleagues from around the state, and collaborate with them on the draft of an end product.