Last month I attended the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) annual conference in Orlando, Florida. I am one of three newly elected members to the Elementary Section Steering Committee (ESSC). The NCTE annual conference is one of my favorite conferences. It provides for three days of excellent professional development and conversation, and the… Read more

Every once in a while a student does something wonderful that sends my head spinning. Usually, this incident is out of character and even though you hope he’ll do this precise thing he’s just done some day, you’re just not prepared for it when it happens. You hope that it will happen even if you… Read more

It was a short summer compounded by the fact that it never really happened here in Calgary; we went from spring straight into fall and now we’re doing a back step into a summery autumn. I don’t mind because we’re experiencing the most spectacular fall I’ve seen in a long time. The leaves are turning… Read more

Yesterday was the last day of school. It was bittersweet, as it tends to be from year to year. It’s hard to believe that the group you’ve lived with for ten months will no longer be together come September, and at the same time you’re ready for summer vacation to start. The last few days… Read more

The Results of the 2010 Elections Are In! Read more

I have been rethinking my relationship with parents as I read, Becoming Teammates, Teachers and Families as Literacy Partners by Charlene Klassen Endrizzi, a National Council of Teachers (NCTE) publication. I am noticing a subtle change in the way I am willing to frame the conversation at the same time that I realize that many… Read more

At this time of the year,everything begins to gel. We are a community at long last. Everyone is busy reading or writing,absorbed in their play/work.Even…is huddled in the cornerwith a brand new copy ofThe Wimpy Kidor a newly stapled bookabout some character ofthe imagination. There is a quiet hum,the laptop,the rustling of the pagesof a… Read more

I’ve set a goal for myself of writing every day for at least ten minutes. It’s not working. Most of the writing I’m doing is because I have a deadline that’s either imposed internally (blog entry) or externally (doctoral paper). Without the deadlines, I’m not writing during those self-appointed ten minutes every day. Of course,… Read more

Every year, without fail, I am confronted with the dilemma of how to encourage my students to write a lot without compromising drawing as a form of expression during writing workshop. While I understand that drawing is important to writing at this stage and that a drawing can be as intricate and detailed as a… Read more

Recently, several families at my school experienced the devastating effects of a fire that left five families on their block without a home. Fortunately, no one was hurt but one family at our school lost all of their belongings. The different communities this family belongs to have offered various levels of support as they look… Read more