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Carvel
Carvel. The ice cream store. A memory. Out of nowhere. A short walk from my house. On Kings Highway. In Brooklyn. We walk there after dinner. For the best soft ice cream in the world. My parents. Younger. Me. Younger. My mother rarely buys her own cone. Eats at least 1/2 of my father’s ice… Read more
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December
December is a stressful month in schools. It’s report card season. All told, from beginning to end, teachers probably spend four weeks working on report cards. Is it worth it? In December there’s an unusual charge in the air and although it’s the same every year, it still catches us by surprise. The children sense… Read more
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Naive, gullible – That’s Me
I have always been very naive. Gullible. Too trusting. Stupid, even. And, I don’t say this lightly, so let it sit for a while. Stupid, even. I can’t imagine why anyone would deliberately undermine me. Especially not someone I interact with every day. Someone I consider a trusted friend or colleague. When something happens to… Read more
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A Revelation
I had a revelation this afternoon You know. One of those aha! moments that is only possible when I write. When I take the time to reflect and write on what’s happening around me, it will come. That revelation. That aha! moment. That sense of: “Duh! But of course! Why didn’t I see that before?”… Read more
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I am a teacher
I am a teacher. I touch minds and hearts. I work hard, long hours, especially during the summer. I am a teacher. I love what I do even when no one notices. As I inch towards the end of my teaching career (I can’t imagine not teaching so I can’t think about retirement, yet), I… Read more
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What Went Well…What Didn’t Go Well..
What went well today in our classroom: Children sharing in jigsaw groups what they have been learning about one of the six regions of Canada. Children writing headlines (a visible thinking routine) to highlight something interesting or important about a region of Canada that someone else shared. Conversations around division: does the larger number always… Read more
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Silent Writing Time – 5 minutes every day
Every day, at the beginning of writing workshop, we have a 5-minute silent writing time. Sometimes, I do a mini lesson first and sometimes, we just do 5 minutes of silent writing. Afterwards, the kids go off to work on their own writing projects. Most days I’ve given my students free reign about what they… Read more
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Musings on a Tuesday Evening
I am caught between a rock and a hard place…of my own doing. I have made it my mission to say, “Yes. Then, let’s talk about how it went,” when students ask me, “Can I…” or “Am I allowed to…”(This last one really grates on me, for some reason. But that’s a post for another… Read more
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A Philosophical Rumination
One day, as you’re getting on with your life and everything seems great, everything could change. It happens on TV and it happens in real life. I think about the families crossing the border. Hoping for asylum. Thinking they are getting a fresh start on life. Then…separation…cages…despair. I think about the thousands of refugees who… Read more
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A Compelled Tribe Post – October Reading
Even though I am an avid reader, whenever someone asks me to reflect on books that have influenced me in some way, I am not often ready with titles or takeaways. And I wonder why that is. Sometimes it might be because when I read I am in the moment. And then the moment passes.… Read more
Elisa Waingort 