I have changed

I've been occupying most of my posts so far this summer with book studies.

However this hasn't really highlighted the change in me this summer. Since I started writing every day for my online summer camp Teachers Write! my mind has changed. I started meeting all these people who are voracious readers and writers. Many of them are working with kids in grades 3-8.  This was my first year in first grade, but previously I taught 6th and 8th grades for four years. I had missed some of these books! So I went to the library and took out several middle level books that I hadn't known about until recently. 

I had changed. I could see that even as I read. I was now reading for more than just story, but also for craft. These books are amazing, truly. I have been writing every single day and this has brought new perspective as well. I don't feel like I need to be perfect any more. I can do what I can today because I also have tomorrow and the next day for revision and new ideas. 


I started to shift my perspective on what I want my classroom to look like. 


Then I began doing the book study (with Deedee Wills) of Katie Wood Ray's book In Pictures and In Words, I realized that teaching is a craft, but so is writing and reading. This book is mind blowing to me. It explains how important illustrations are to books and how if we aren't teaching illustrating as craft, we are missing out. We have to hone those crafts. We must read, draw,  and write in order to be good at teaching reading, illustrating, and writing.

So I've added some other blogs I've been stalking to my blog roll because I am changed and I must honor this new thirst I have.

Recently I wrote a post about Kindergarten, but this new thinking is making me wonder if I should go back to teaching upper elementary. I can't stop thinking about it so I emailed my great friend Barbara from Grade Onederful and she gave me great advice.. follow your heart. I'm working on that piece right now. Sometimes it's hard to know what your heart is telling you.