After reading a blog post from a favorite blogger, Katherine Sokolowski over at Read, Write, Reflect, I was inspired to post as well.  You see, I visited my classroom this week - not to do any heavy work, but just to place the furniture and to envision my learning space for the year.  A fellow teacher stopped by, looked around, and asked, "Where's your desk?"

Last year, I made the shift to go deskless, and haven't looked back.  In trying to create a room that is for all of us, both students and teacher, I don't want areas that are "off limits" to children.  When asked where I teach, I simply replied, "I teach from everywhere," which is true.  I can often be found at a student desk conferring with a student, or sitting alongside students creating a blog entry of their own.  I have come to realize, as so many teacher role models before me, that it really is about the kids.  This one small change has made a HUGE difference in the classroom dynamics.  We are all learning together.

Not having a desk does require you to be organized, and this I hope to improve, but without rigidity.  I know the value of being flexible - being able to change course if something is not working.   And, I know my students will let me know when change is needed.  Excitement fills me as I dream of the year to o

These books are wonderfully inspiring to children and adults alike.  They speak of being true to your passion, being determined even if those around you ridicule you or don't understand.  Hats off to Andrea Beaty for Rosie Revere, Engineer, The Numberlys by William Joyce, and What Do You Do With An Idea? by Kobi Yamada. 

I really loved both of these books.  One by Otoshi chronicles feeling different and wishing to belong, then finding your voice in standing up for yourself and in doing so, creating a space for not only yourself, but for everyone.  Nice.

I can't say enough about Ashley Spires' The Most Magnificent Thing.  There are so many themes that are powerful: persevering, not settling for just "okay", hard work, and triumphing after failure.  These are all things that we should be passing on to our students.  I can't wait to share this one with my new charges.

It is amazing to me that after only three days of this camp, I have experienced so much.  My teaching has been stretched to new limits as the six of us teachers have come to a place where we now finish each other's sentences during instruction.  We truly feed off of each other, and have built a professional trust that usually takes months to achieve.  They have taught me so much about how to teach.

And the students.  The living example that learning can be fun - and funny.  Laughter has abounded, and the aha! moments are frequent occurrences.  The insight these kids have and the connections they make are astounding.  If only one more week...

But we know that part of what makes this so special is the program's brevity.  As we send them off to middle school, I wonder what special things they will be doing.  Is it possible they will remember a four-day camp at the end of their fifth grade year? 

Today I began teaching in our district's camp for gifted learners called Serendipity, to fulfill my final requirements for gifted certification.  I had no idea what to expect, but I really had a ball.  With only 14 students, my fellow teachers and I were really able to learn the students quickly and create a unique learning experience for them.  

It is almost as good as a new school  year, but without all the ceremony of creating the perfect physical space.  With only four days in all, the emphasis was on the teaching and learning.  Period.  There was an urgency in everything - learning names, making connections with kids, assessing prior knowledge, and planning for the next day.  This is what teaching is all about.  Good stuff.

And yes, I did read a great book for the day, Ish, another by Peter Reynolds.  I only wish I had discovered this gem of a picture book earlier this year, as this was known this year among my Diamonds as the adjective of choice.  How do you describe something that doesn't quite fit into a neat category like all the others? Ish.  Perfect!

Teaching is hard.  I mean, to do this well really takes a lot of work.  After some 14 years of it, you would think that I should be an expert, and that is just not the case.  Certainly, I am a much better teacher now than before, but this profession is both art and science.  What to teach evolves alongside the "how" of teaching, and there are always new discoveries that demand to be made.

I really can't think of a better profession for me.  I need a constant challenging endeavor that changes over time.  I honestly don't think much else could keep my attention for the long haul. 




So, on to my list of gratitude:

I get to work with some of the most brilliant minds (both child and adult).
I will never get bored because there is always something else to learn.
My students let me sing each day.
I can never be down for long because my students will pick me up.
My days are full of laughter.
I will never have a shortage of chocolate, mocha frapuccinos, or hugs.
I get to be there when my students say, "Now, I get it!"
My former students still visit and keep in touch.
I don't have to wonder if I am loved.

Now, you tell me, isn't this the best job in the world?