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Elisa Waingort

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A Teacher Musing Out Loud

  • One Little Word or Maybe Two – Brave. Strong.

    Brave. Strong. The two words floating around in my head for 2014. To be brave I need to be strong. Being strong is an act of bravery. Interconnected, one with the other. Finally, taking a chance on myself. Letting go. Making space for what’s important. Brave. Strong. I’m ready. Cross posted to Two Writing Teachers… Read more

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  • More Homework Meme (AKA Sunshine Awards)

    Thanks to Bill Ferriter, who tagged 10 bloggers and then opened this up to any of his readers who were interested, I decided to take the challenge and participate in this blogging challenge. Here are the rules: acknowledge the nominating blogger (Bill Ferriter) share 11 random facts about yourself answer 11 questions the nominating blogger has for… Read more

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  • Letting Go

    I am an early riser.Morning is my favourite time of the day.During the school year, I’m up at 5:00 or earlier.On weekends and holidays, I cut myself a little slack and set my alarm for 5:30 or 6:00. The point is that I’m an early riser. I get my best work done in the early… Read more

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  • Notebook Connections

    Every year I struggle with how to organize reading workshop. Even though I’ve been teaching for over 25 years and not new to workshop teaching, each new group of students makes me rethink the reading workshop. How do I help students set up their notebooks? How do I make sure students are using their notebooks… Read more

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  • Me and Matilda

    I am an orphan. But not in the typical way we think of an orphan. I mean, I have a mother and a brother. I had a father. I grew up with them, spent time with them, and we spoke often on the phone once I moved away from home. I’ve never lived close enough… Read more

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  • A Beginning List on the Don’t and Do’s of Reading Workshop

    As I visit classrooms during the Reading Workshop time, I witness practices that are counterproductive to supporting students’ reading habits. I made up the following two lists to sort this out in my head and to use when I work with teachers. What NOT to do during Reading Workshop: interrupt independent reading to talk to… Read more

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  • Random Noticings

    I noticed that if I am proactive and act “as if” I am entitled to this or that resource or tool, then it will happen. I just need to state my case. Is it about being confident even when you don’t feel confident? Probably. Does it work? It sure does! Somewhere, a long time ago,… Read more

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  • Noticing and Taking Note

    Angela Maiers, in this TED talk, recommends that we take note of what we notice. And, by taking note, I think Angela means taking the time to appreciate everything that happens every day. There are many noteworthy things to notice and we need to take the time to appreciate that which we notice. For me, this… Read more

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  • Team Teaching?

    This year, the ESL team has decided that we need to provide more push-in rather than pull-out support for our ESL students. In my case, this means that I will be pushing-in to grades 6 and 8 during their language arts, math and social studies times, and pulling-out some grade six beginner students for an… Read more

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  • What is a leader?

    I am currently enrolled in a course through the ATN-LEAP Learning Employment Aptitudes Program called Leadership and Communication. This week we were asked to reflect on a series of questions about what it means to be a leader. I have posted these here in the hopes of getting a conversation going. I would love to hear what… Read more

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