Writer's Notebook

A peek into my Writer's Notebook... not exactly a treasure trove of writing ideas, but I'm working on it. I am trying to be more consistent with putting the ideas in my head onto a piece of paper, preferably paper in my writer's notebook.
A kick in the arse Some motivation from other talented writers/teachers is always appreciated! (Thank you, Ruth Ayers!)

Place. Setting. Location. Surroundings. Destination. 

Where are you? 

VlogBrothers

I'm not a big YouTube user; I mainly use it to stay abreast with the latest talk circulating my seventh grade classroom. But, I am a big John Green* fan! (not to mention, I also have a secret crush) So, besides using YouTube to keep me "in the know" with my students, I also use it to view John and Hank Green's (they're brothers) VlogBrothers channel. 

If I had to describe this vlog in three words, it would be: 

Genius + Hilarious + Awesome. 

According to the Green Brothers, the mission of their vlog is raising nerdy to the power of awesome. There are so many topics covered; from current events, YA lit, "How To," debunking misconceptions, the list goes on. Basically, they are here to teach us the stuff we don't know. And boy, it is quite an engaging learning experience!  If you still aren't convinced to click on this link and visit VlogBrothers, then maybe some of their vlog titles will convince you.

"A Surreal Descent into Madness: Reviewing Children's TV"

"Disgusting Cookies: The 2012 Hunger Games"

"5 Worst Typos of History"

"Can I Be Space President"

"Idiotic Governance: How Our Political Discourse Hurts Our Economy"

"Springtime Hunger Games Zit Bully Walk"

"On Cuties and Cooties"

"2011 Presidential Anagrams!"

*John Green is a New York Times Bestselling Author of Looking For Alaska, Paper Towns, An Abundance of Katherines, Will Grayson Will Grayson, and most recently, The Fault in Our Stars. 

Up, Up, and Away!

I am a firm believer that if opportunity knocks on your door, you should perform a background check and if all clears, let opportunity in. A recent opportunity did not exactly come knocking on my door, but instead, I sought it out and after doing its own background check on me, opportunity decide to let me in.


The opportunity that I have been granted with is to teach at another school. It will be bittersweet to leave the school that I am currently at since I have taught there for six years, and I adore the students and my colleagues; however, the school is on a path that I do not necessarily want to be on. Therefore, I decided to do something about it. Fortunately -- and I feel amazingly blessed -- I was hired at an independent school with a strong reputation. Without a doubt, every school has its own challenges, but I am ecstatic to be able to embrace change with my arms wide-open.


June 6, the final day of the school year will be sad; I've already shed a few tears when I watch my seventh graders shine and demonstrate how much they have matured throughout the school year. Not seeing them as eighth graders will definitely feel like I've misplaced something. Yet at the same time, I am looking forward to the completion of the current school year. I am ready for a new adventure; a new journey that will challenge me to be a stronger middle level educator. Becoming the veteran teacher who never made an attempt at something new or who was always resistant to change is someone that I refuse to become. The students deserve teachers who want to be there, excited to try new strategies, provide innovative and engaging lessons while creating a nurturing environment where adolescents want to work hard in order to exceed expectations. I want to strive to be that teacher and by embracing this opportunity, I believe that making this transition now is the right thing for me my family.

Inspired by

Two Writing Teachers inspires the writer within me.


Two Writing Teachers saved my life.
Yes, I realized that is a very heavy statement, but they did.
I was lost in motherhood with nothing to call my own.
And then destiny called logged on,
and I discovered the Slice of Life.
A little bit about your day,
a chunk, a piece, a slice.
A story.
Once-a-week.
Tuesdays to be exact.
Behold, a challenge!
I love like a challenge.
SOLSC = Slice of Life Story Challenge
Hence, The Chockboard.
Every single day in March, I wrote.
and wrote.
and wrote.
31 days straight.
It was exhilarating!
Writer's block is not exhilarating, but sharing your writing
with other writers IS.
Who cares if your grammar isn't up to par
or if your spelling is somewhat spontaneous?

Teachers, beware!
Two Writing Teachers
will refuel you
and your writing teacher habits.
Refreshing ideas, encouragement, and shared experiences
is what Two Writing Teachers is all about.
Teachers building capacity within one another makes
every single classroom flourish
and TWT is where it's at.

Thank you, Ruth & Stacey!

Stressed

{be. designs}

I was perusing some design/diy blogs (I love reading d.i.y. blogs, but rarely never actually d.i.m), and I came upon Amy's be.designs blog where I found the above graphic with the most marvelous anagram. 

It was the perfect reminder for me to work on letting go of things that I either cannot control or have to do anyway, so why be stressed about it? Like a dessert, just eat it and enjoy it!

Remember when...

the TELEPHONE edition






The first cell phones were gray bricks... and you certainly did not own one?


Pay phones were easy to locate and making a phone call cost 25 cents?


Everyone's household had a landline telephone?


Memorizing phone numbers was customary and was done easily?


The word "phone" was not synonymous with "iPhone"?


You didn't have to be paranoid when someone took out their phone, in fear of being recorded and then posted publicly for all the world to see your bizarre behaviors?


Kids couldn't text message during class?


There were no telephone rules at school because... well, you didn't need them!


People did not bump into you as you walked on the sidewalk because their eyes were glued to their smartphones?


You actually called someone and heard their voice rather than "communication via text message"?

Quotes: My Top Ten

10. "Respect my Authori-tah!" 

-Cartman from South Park

9. Pull your weeds and plant good seeds.

8. "For you, a thousand times over!"

-Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

7. "In the end, everything's gonna be alright and if it's not alright, then it's not the end."

 -Bill Rancic

6. The more open to possibility, the more possibilities open.

5. "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in Ourselves."

-Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

4. "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

-Eleanor Roosevelt

3. "Love is keeping the promise anyway."

-John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

2. "The time is always right, to do what is right."

-MLK, Jr.

1. "In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer."

-Albert Camus