Celebrate

My school day finished with a Google Meet Slice of Life Celebration. Beginning of the March I shared with my kids that I would be writing for a whole month and invited them to write a daily Slice of Life also. We learned about the writer's craft like how to add sensory details, how to use -ing phrases to start a sentence, or how to use made-up words or poetic language - whole myriad of little mini-lessons, some of them presented asynchronously through a digital platform during the distance learning time. The students chose one good slice to revise into an award-winning SOL. I was able to give feedback both on Google Docs and during individual Google Meets.

Today the kids brought little snacks  (pizza, chocolate, muffin, apple, candy), I brought a cup of white tea and cinnamon rolls (baked from scratch), nothing to share. We muted our microphones and the children took turns reading their award-winning slices. In the midst of the uncertain and crazy times, this afternoon was a bright moment, a beautiful writing celebration.

Today is the last day of SOLSC challenge. We have thirty-one slices on our blogs. We won't be able to read out loud our favourite slices to each other today. We can still celebrate. We can celebrate that we wrote, that we read, that we commented. We can celebrate that the we were here together, for each other, as a community. We can celebrate the resilience and growth and joy we have because of writing.

I shared a gift of ideas with you yesterday.
I wish to share some spring pictures with you today. Last Saturday my hubby and I went to my summer place for a few hours. The sea, the signs of spring and a cup of tea - peace. I hope som eof the peace carries to you through the pictures.

I have received abundant gifts of words from you this month. Thank you, my SOL friends!

See you next Tuesday!

10 ideas for writing

It's Monday morning. In about 15 minutes I will meet with my students through Google Meet. Our third week of distance learning is about to start. I have published my read aloud and writing workshop on the SeeSaw, and updated the daily schedule on Google Docs. I have a cup of green tea next to me. Knowing what I wanted to share today, I started my slice already last week and finished it up last night, so for a change I can post in the morning rather than in the evening. 

What would be a good way to celebrate my tenth SOLSC? Of course you are invited to sit with me, drink tea, or coffee if you prefer, and eat some cinnamon rolls. Last year I created 9 things I've learned in 9 years. This time I'd like to offer you a gift of writing ideas. We all know that once in a while the writer's block stands on your way, so big that you can't go around it, and stops you from reaching a page and a pen. Writer's block is an illusion, it's not real, it's a trick of a mind, and you can make it go away. I wish you to have some tools that help you to move the block or climb over it or dig through it or dismantle it, and get the words on the paper. You can write the block away.


1. If you don't know what to write, start with a list. 
Why lists?

• Anyone can write a list.
•  List can be just words - no complicated organisation, complex sentence structure or metaphorical thinking. 
• Elaborated lists allow to capture a bit more and still you don't have to worry about fantastic details or fabulous word choice. 
• You can tell a lot about yourself through a list. 
• You can collect ideas in a list and not use one of those. 
• You can decide how long your list is going to be. 

I am a big fan of lists (except for to do list.) Gratitude lists are my favorite

List of some of my lists:
What makes me happy
My life in lists
Reversed summer list
Ideas for a writing challenge
Getting ready for March Challenge
100 things about me as a reader
100 things I am grateful for 
List is better than not writing at all
SOL list
Only a list of excuses

2. Focus on the Right Now

When I don't know what to write I just focus on the moment, look around and inside me, and there are so many verbs to use.

Right now I am:
:: sitting on my living room sofa
:: writing this post
:: hoping it will help you

My right now posts


3. Play with the books to create book spine poems

Books, books, books. Filled withs words. The author's have chosen the words for titles carefully. The titles are visible on the spine. Look for titles that speak to you, pile the books on top of each other, play with the order of books, add and take away, rearrange and you will be surprised how the result speaks to you.

My book spine poems

4. Borrow words 

When you are stuck with writing you can turn to the words that have been written already. Look at the blog titles you have written or the comments people have written to you. Use the words and phrases. Just remember to thank the others for their words.

borrowed words form comments
playing with titles and comments
found poem


5. Catch your thoughts

Anyone who has ever done mindfulness practice knows how difficult it is to empty the mind. At first the thoughts flood in and you barely find a moment when you are fully present. Later, when you think you are rather masterful with focusing on breathing, the thoughts still find a way to sneak in. For writing, let the thoughts come, put a timer on or not, just write down what is circling in your head.

thoughts following reading slices
write what you think
10 minute writing

6.  Write super short

Sometimes the block appears because you can't envision writing a paragraph, a page, a whole story. In this case, write short. The important hing is to show up.

short

7. Steal Like an Artist  

This is a lesson I learned form Austin Kleon and tell my students.  When you don't know what to write, you can look at what others write and get inspiration from them, you can give a try to what they do. Let the world know who inspired you and whose text is the bases for your writing.

Late night writing
I will never
Sliver of slice
Who am I
A distance of a whisper
Slice of Life


8. Inner dialogue with the little critic on your shoulder

You know how we all have this voice in our head that  keeps telling us what we do wrong and why we shouldn't write and how our ideas are not good and all sorts of other things that would prevent us from writing. I called the little critic a "Creative Spirit" and recorded my conversations with her. It was very liberating to put her into a slice and allow the inside thoughts to form into playful slices.

Creative Spirit

9. -ish

I hope you have read Peter H. Reynolds' Ish. There is such safety in approximation. I would never dare to say that I write poems. Saying that I write poemish - my attempts at poems, poem-like pieces, things that look and sound like poems to me. No chance to fail. Instantly the writing becomes easier. It's a play not a task. I sometimes take my journal and look at the snippets I have written, take lines,  make line breaks, delete unnecessary words, and the writing looks poemish.

poemish

10. Write a reflection

Writing a reflection does not require envisioning and coming up with anything new. You look back. For the past two years I have written a reflection each Saturday, always following the same format ; where I am, what I celebrate, what my plan was, an appreciation and a wish. Besides that it is good to write other reflections too, like how you have grown and changed, or what you have learned about writing over the time.

weekly reflection
mid challenge reflection
What kind of a writer are you?
SOLSC reflection

Happy Writing!

Found poems

When I started this challenge I gave myself a little extra challenge to try to write a poemish slice once a week. I knew that one poem would be a book spine poem and one would be a found poem. It may seem like cheating to use words that someone else has written but I think when we use these phrases and sentences and rearrange them in a different order, it is still writing, our thoughts and emotions that emerge. This Sunday morning I returned to the comments I have received this month. Reading them was like eating a handful of strawberries. The sweetness of the kind and generous words filled me with gratitude. I picked lines, ordered them, then changed the order, deleted some lines, changed the order a few more times.  I kept the original lines. The only changes I made were taking out few words and changing "your" to "our" in the last line.


A found poem from comments:

what a pleasure to know that we'll be writing together all month long

noticing, paying attention, looking a little more closely at the world around us

writing leans in to whisper in our ears, stirring the mind, the heart

this challenge documents the milestones and moments of our lives 

the daily moments inspire the thinking to come together

we write ourself into a life of connection, into a space where words matter

knowing we are in this together has given us the strength we need

it is always, humbling and heart-warming to realize the world is really a small place 

in which we share so much in common with others

we celebrate each other's joy and feel for each other's losses

our days seem slower now but our writing grows

cheers to our journey

A found poem for my SOLSC 2020 titles:

Sunday morning sunshine
the thoughts without directions
then and now and in between
pretending life is normal
right now
I write
it is what it is

Happy Sunday!

Reflection: week 4

It's past ten o'clock on Saturday morning. I woke up less than an hour ago. Around seven this morning I had a moment when I opened my eyes, but my body refused to get out of the bed, so I fell back to sleep. By the time I got up, my husband and daughter had already finished their breakfast. Any day starts well when you have had a good night sleep and have left over birthday cake for breakfast.

I celebrate that I am still sane and happy after the first full week of distance learning. I had a moment on Thursday evening and yesterday when I thought I would fall apart. As a leadership team member I had a chance to see the parent feedback responses, and no matter how many times I saw the appreciation lines, the following "but" wiped away the positive. With taking a compassionate perspective at the stress that the parents are going through, and using positive self-talk and self-compassion, I held myself together. I celebrate the fabulous slices of life my children wrote, the creative plans they have for teaching each other about matter, and interesting personal "My Growth as A Reader" reflections. I enjoyed the individual meetings with each child and the whole class meetings in the mornings and afternoons. I celebrate that I continued slicing every day.

My plan for this week was to take care of myself. I walked three times every day and took little stretching breaks after each Google Meet. My back and eyes still complain about the screen-time. I also had a writing plan for this week - I had a traditional book pile poem, right now post, and a birthday slice to write. Wrote each three. On other days I was too tired to create very thoughtful traditional slices. I have learned that it's ok to listen to the thoughts that arrive and let them to represent the life as it is at the moment.

I appreciate the birthday wishes I received yesterday. I appreciate the different slicers who inspire, bring different perspectives, push my thinking, and leave me at awe with their beautiful words. I appreciate how the comments to my slices make me feel that I have been noticed and heard and lifted up.

Wishing you space and time where and when you feel peace of mind and heart.

Greetings from my living room sofa!
This is me yesterday before a Google meet with my class.

then and now and in between

Starting the blog in March 2011, I could not have imagined that I would still be writing ten years later. Here is a quick write to look at then and now and in between. First things that come in mind.

I was 37 (turning 38), mom of three daughters (5,13,14), a wife for 15 years, a teacher an PYP coordinator - someone convinced that writing was a special gift only certain people had, and I wasn't one of them.  A classical case of fixed mindset when it came to writing. I didn't even dare to say to anyone that I wrote nor write my name on my blog. It took me almost eight years before I dared to share my blog with my friends and I learned to mention writing as my hobby.

Ten years later, at the beginning of March, I was 47 (turning 48 today), mom of three daughters (15, 23, 24), a wife for 25 years, a PYP Principal-Coordinator and fourth grade teacher,  teacher workshop leader - someone who believes that one can learn to write, and write well, and I am the one who has learned to appreciate the power of writing. Converted to growth mindset. I share my joy of writing with my students.

During the ten years I have written 1067 posts (1068 today), filled 26 journals, wrote a chapter for a teacher book, several texts for workshops and conferences, yearbook texts and who knows how many report card comments, and read more than 600 books. I have participated in Literacy Coaching and Cognitive Coaching training, pedagogical and school leadership courses, and mindfulness courses. I have participated in a book club, writing workshops and tea ceremonies. I travelled to many cities in Europe and stood on the Great Wall of China. I had lunch and drank tea with a Buddhist monk in China and listened to Barak Obama's live speech from a first balcony in a hall in Tallinn. I have gained layers of weight, and more importantly layers of knowledge, experience and wisdom. It has been a decade of learning and personal growth. And writing has helped me to shape it in many ways. I have found celebrations and gathered gratitude.

Some things have stayed the same.
I say yes to chocolate and cinnamon rolls.
I love slow Saturday mornings and eating pancakes on Sunday.
I continue finding pleasure in reading books, never too many.
I cherish family time and summers in the country side.
I appreciate a cup of tea at any time of a day.
I believe it is better be kind than right.

I don't know what the next ten years will bring. I know that tonight I'll eat a piece of chocolate cake that my daughter made and drink a cup of peppermint tea. Before going to sleep I will read "The Elementary Particles" by Michel Houellebecq and write in my journal. And tomorrow morning I will sleep long, write a third week SOLSC reflection, and I will have a distance learning free day.

the thoughts without direction

The distance learning Thursday tiredness is a real thing. I have no idea where my thoughts are going.

At the beginning of the March I had mixed feelings about the writing challenge. Thirty-one blank pages waiting to be filled with words seemed daunting. The hope to collect pieces of my life felt exciting. The tenth year writing anniversary added some pressure. Knowing that I would meet some writing friends again was thrilling. Not in our wildest dreams could we have imagined what the month would bring, and how much the writing would help.

Now that we have less than a week left I wish to shout, "I don't want the SOL to end, yet. I have so much to say." Only no energy tonight. Even though I promised to be open-minded and take whatever the days would bring (what I have done well) I quickly wrote down a list of words I might write about if I would get stuck: winter, dreams, self-compassion, self-care, wise woman, coaching, celebration, sofa, tea, postcards, fear, self-sabotage, acceptance, boredom, invisibility, bookmarks, domestic duties, reading glasses, mastery, humour, journals, childhood writing, dust, dishes, sleep, toys, post-its, books, leadership, gratitude.

I am rather stuck now.

My husband made me a cup of peppermint tea from frozen peppermint leaves he had picked in the summer. He placed the cup on the coffee table next to my sofa. Tea, sofa and gratitude - all represented.

A month ago

I am sitting on my living room sofa. I seem to become one with my living room sofa. It's already late and I should go to bed. I haven't written my slice, yet. I don't want to write about the new stage in the state of emergency. I don't want to write about the distance learning. I don't want to write about social distancing. I could write about the lovely individual google meetings I had with my students. I could write about the sweet Google meeting I had with my three friends. I could write about the joyful FaceTime with my sis and little nephew. Not today. I turn to my journal instead.

On the 25th of February, during my winter holidays, in the evening before falling asleep, I wrote in my journal:

56/100 of #100daysofnotebooking

Wrote a slice. Walked. Bought a Poke bowl, dark bread and sea salt flavoured butter. Ate too much bread. Visited a bank. Watched too much TV.

On a train today I tried to read a book, a third one in trilogy, where an author describes his life on a small Estonian island. I couldn't help but to overhear how, two seats away from me, three elderly ladies talked about teeth, dental procedures, implantations and dentures; of people they knew and which diseases they had; of dogs and cats and why or why not to keep them; of children of people they knew, their jobs, and how often they visited or didn't visit their parents; of things they had read in the newspaper or watched on TV. My attention kept moving between the author's monologue and the women's conversation. Finally I put my book and glasses away and dozed off.
I woke up two stops before mine and spent the rest of my ride looking out of the window. The sun played between the trees and the sky looked spring blue. 

I finished my slice with a thought that I should carry a notebook with me, and not write in the evenings only. 

Gratitude: good food, sunshine, good night sleep. 

My aunt called me to ask where to put commas in the sentences. I hope I gave her the right advice. 

A month seems like a century ago. Walking in the city? Buying food in an open market? Train? Three ladies sitting closely together? Not now.

A notebook and writing a slice - yes!

Right Now

I thought of writing this post between two individual student google meetings. I almost succeeded and got most lines written. Came back for a quick look and adding few more lines.


Right now I am:

:: sitting on a living room sofa/classroom/writing office

:: waiting for my next individual student google meet to start in ten minutes

:: smiling after my first individual student google meet today

:: hoping that the meeting supported the students

:: appreciating that a parent also joined us and we are helping the child together

:: switching between school tasks and this post

:: approving SeeSaw posts as they pop up

:: answering student emails

:: listening to the soft hum of the laptop

:: knowing I need to let the laptop and my back rest soon

:: ignoring the creative chaos of papers, books and post-its around me

:: promising myself to tidy all up after the school day is over and lessons are prepared

:: admiring the light blue sky and bright sunshine through the large living room window next to me

:: looking forward to the first break to go for a short walk

:: realising that it's rather windy - the branches of the big fur tree outside my window are swaying

:: accepting that this post is going to be short



All "Right now" posts

Nightmare and day time

Church bells ringing nine,
I wake up,
gasp for air,
I missed a meeting,
kids waiting,
forgot to upload my tasks,
cant find my laptop,
I-Pad dead,
cords knotted and tangled,
all clothes wrinkled
hair hanging limply,
running to school,
banging on the door,
"Let me in!"
"Let me in!"
Silence.

Sun tickles me awake, "Everything is fine. It's Sunday morning."

The nightmare woke me in sweat yesterday morning. It was too vivid and real. Especially after a school free enjoyable slow Saturday.

I started the  Sunday with cinnamon rolls and creating a book spine poem for SOL. The rest of the day I spent preparing emails to send out on Monday morning, recording and uploading lessons, updating the daily schedule, creating a weekly schedule, and checking SeeSaw posts. I took two walks. For the Monday I made myself a schedule with 20 min to 30 minute slots.

Today I woke up to the alarm. Took a walk before breakfast.
At 8:45 I sat behind my laptop to greet my students for a morning meeting. Everybody showed up. We shared about the weekend, checked the daily schedule and then did a mindfulness exercise together.

Based on the last week's feedback, I scheduled some catch up time for the students for Friday; let go of the expectation for the students to upload all tasks and the teachers to check everything; and reminded everyone for the need to take breaks. Today I google met with the whole class, and with some students individually, and with some parents, and with the director, and then again with the whole class. I approved posts on SeeSaw; commented and asked questions;  took a five minute yoga break; recorded lessons for tomorrow; made carrot soup, and went for a walk outside, answered emails, sent another letter to the teachers, and I am done with the school for today. It's four o'clock.


Last week my days stretched much longer. I have a nagging feeling that I might have forgotten something. Let's hope it doesn't wake me in the middle of the night.

A book spine poem feat. journal

I was startled to find out that we have only ten days left of this challenge. For the past nine years I have always included a book spine poem as one slice. This time I looked a the PD book pile I had brought home as I prepared for a conference presentation (cancelled), and the pile of picture books for family stories unit (knowing we might be at home next month too), mentor texts for writing workshop, poetry books for April, the read aloud book we are still reading (all for the school closure time), and thought I might be able to make one poem for each pile from the books I had brought from school. I played and played but it didn't seem right. I looked at the titles and listened to what they said, picked just some, and realised there were lines missing. These words came from a journal I have and a beautiful collection of letters to young readers. This is my poem for today's Sunday morning:

word after word after word

day by day

things to write about

of primary importance

all the places to love

each kindness

once upon a memory

velocity of being

Reflection: week 3

Sitting in my usual writing place, my living rooms sofa, I wonder, perhaps I should sometimes just deliberately move somewhere else in my house to write, but I let this thought pass. I love my "writing office." Behind me I have a wall with bookshelves and when I lift my eyes, I can see a beautiful photo of a cornflower and a poster saying "Magic is something you make." Now the office has also, until further notice, tuned into "a classroom." On the floor under a window I have piles of picture books and poetry books, that I have already sorted into piles as possible read aloud, and bookmarked pages as possible mentor texts for writing workshop - my planning area. A large white paper on the floor is my scribble calendar to plan the following weeks and see the big picture. My coffee table is plastered with yellow post-its with random ideas and reminders - my desk. The living room sofa functions also as a recording studio. Our school HR person asked us to share our working space, but I do not dare to share with her, because she believes we all need hight-adjustable desks and ergonomic chairs. We have two desks and office chairs at home, in different rooms, and still my daughter and I like doing our tasks in the living room together. We give each other space and quiet when I record my read aloud or writing workshop mini-lessons or she records her guitar lessons. I believe that people should work where their ideas flow best and where they get things done. 

I celebrate that I have been able to accept that the situation is as it is, and even find the moments of positive. Since I don't have to drive to work, I get to sleep a bit longer. In the morning before breakfast I go outside and walk twenty minutes to transition from home to work. And then I have breakfast because I used to eat breakfast at school. And only then I open my laptop. Another positive is the time with my family. The calendar is empty - no appointments, coming home late events, professional development trips, recitals, band practice, dance lessons for anyone. We are all at home. I celebrate that I have been able to keep writing.                                                                                                                               

I did not have a plan for this week. I decided to approach this week open-mindedly and flexibly. I feared a bit that the distance learning would swallow me and my writing. I am thankful that our school had two teacher days at the beginning of the week and one teacher day on Friday, so we had only two days when we were teaching. The two days were intense. Even when we anticipated that this would happen, and had tried to simplify things, we quickly learned that we need to adjust the plans even more, and most of all we have to be super intentional in scheduling breaks and turning off the devices in the evening. I was pleasantly surprised that my writing, though shadowed with the whole situation, was rather light - a Sunday summer-dream poem, finding strength and normality in spring flowers, humour in recording lessons, joy in writing in a virtual global group, and a Friday night party at Leigh Anne's blog. 

I appreciate the support and understanding of people as we explore this uncharted territory.

Wishing you many little joys and writing inspiration for this weekend!

Reflection: week 1

Reflection: week 2

Joining Leigh Anne's Party

I have been waiting for this invitation. Today it arrived and I am excited I can join Leigh Anne's Party. Passing it on. No people limit - this is special in these times where parties are banned and we have to hibernate in quiet solitude. 

You can read what Leigh Anne has brought at her blog.


I will bring:

Some mindfulness practice -  in our school we have a group of teachers who met (when we had school) every Tuesday morning and we shared the different mindfulness exercises we had come across - like finger breathing, petal practice, a teddy-on-a-belly, breathe and doodle, Stop/Take a breath/Observe/Proceed, and many others. Since you have a marker and a journal (small whiteboard and whiteboard marker are even better) available we'll start with breath waves. You put your marker on the left edge of the paper/board and close your eyes. Every time you breathe in, the writing tool goes up. When you breathe out, the marker goes down. Your breath leads the marker up and down, up and down, up and down, until you reach the other side of the paper/board. Then gently, with eyes closed, bring the marker back to the left edge of the paper/board and continue, up and down, up and down, up and down. 2-3 minutes. 

A nap - I appreciate that this party is about self-care. Sleep, nap, dozing off; you may be wrapped in a soft fleece on a sofa or tucked under the fluffy bed covers; dressed in PJs or yoga pants and T-shirt; the hair maybe completely undone and no make-up needed - all of the choices fine. Just don't set an alarm. 

WII Just Dance - sometimes you need the opposite of rest for self-care. Following dance moves of some colorful human bodies on a screen, trying to get little stars and "perfect" moves, and singing along to the tunes if breath allows, takes your mind off from any worry that might have existed there before. 

(I know that Leigh Anne asked to bring only three things, but I hope she doesn't mind if I slip a book in my bag. I am still reading Ray Bradbury's Dandelion Wine.) 

For the hostess gift I'll bring some Toblerone and Prosecco (click on the picture and read the advice form Piglet)


I hope to see many of you at the Party!

I write

For two days I have recorded my read aloud to my students. We are reading Patricia MacLachlan's "Word After Word After Word." The author wrote this book because of the questions children asked her during her school visits, and she decided to show these answers through a fiction book. In the book a visiting author, a guest teacher for some weeks, Ms. Mirabel speaks to children about being a writer. "I, myself, write to change my life, to make it come out the way I want it to," she said.

This line has stayed with me. The truth in it is not fully obvious, because right now it seems that outside forces change our life in ways we were not prepared for. Digging deeper, the truth reveals how much power writing has. It would be silly to imagine that writing down a wish to meet a unicorn or make stars fall on the ground like rain would become true. The power of writing is subtle and sometimes goes unnoticed. 

I don't know where I am going with this.

I stopped. I wrote these lines today, after the second day of distance learning, sitting on my sofa while my computer camera was on and other teacher writers were writing on the other side of the ocean. With a five minute notice I had joined TeachWrite session. Thank you, Leigh Anne for the invitation. Social distancing? I can't say how happy I was to see some familiar faces that I had seen only as photos on their blog or twitter thumbnails. The warmth of smiles and voices travelled through the screen into my living room. I felt human connection.

My head was too jumbled to continue with the slice I had begun with earlier. I started making lists of the good and the bad of the first two days of distance learning and collecting snippets of thoughts about my ten years of slicing. Then my hubby and daughter arrived and I went to greet them.
I returned to my life here and now, feeling thankful for the short encounter with other writers, and the time of writing alongside with them.

I might become a Youtuber

We had our first Distance Learning day today. In preparation I created some videos and today I had a Google Meet with my kids. This kind of showing my self through technology is a challenge for me. I have certainly amused my teenager with my recording attempt. It inspired my short slice for today.

I will become a Youtuber, spectacular and dazzling, no doubt. I will go live morning, lunch, and afternoon, giving writing workshops and read out loud to children and their parents. This will happen as soon as I learn to be still and look straight at the camera, stop speaking with odd accents and unnatural pauses, and withhold presenting with an array of hand gestures and facial acrobatics. I might need to paint my nails to be a hand model while holding a book, comb my hair to avoid looking like electrified, and practice applying artful make-up to look less ghostly. And then, yes then, I will shine on the screen.

Pretending life is normal

In this upside-down topsy-turvy world, I pretended life was normal today.

After two Google Meet gatherings (both good), recording myself reading out loud (several tries) and creating a writing workshop mini-lesson, writing emails to teachers and parents, and answering emails, I needed fresh air. 

I stepped outside. The fresh air and sunshine sang along with twittering birds. With light spring walk I passed a library, crossed a bridge, strolled along a river, admired willows, and took pictures of crocuses. Such a normal spring day. 

After answering more emails, creating another writing-workshop mini-lesson, adding articles and videos to inquiry Google Sites, and answering more emails, I felt hungry.

Mixing grated zucchini, minced meat, eggs, cream, salt, cheese, and breadcrumbs; taking handfuls of mixture and flatting it into patties - into the oven they went. Boiling potatoes and carrots; pouring out the water; adding milk, butter and salt; mash-mash-mash - dinner was ready. Such a normal evening.

My school was kind to give teachers two days for preparation before launching into Distance Learning. I think I am ready for tomorrow. I think my team is ready. I think my students and their parents are ready. We'll see how it goes tomorrow. I needed my moments of normal today, and plan to create them in the days to follow. 

My little spring hero

Do you remember how almost a month ago, in February, a tiny snowdrop helped me to get ready for the SOLSC challenge?
This little flower continues to be my hero.
Two weeks after the unexpectedly super early appearance of the white beauty, a thick layer of not so wanted white snow fell down overnight. I was convinced that this was the end of my hero's short lived life. The not-so-friendly Winter banished the well-loved Spring. Day after day, the Winter refused to understand that her ruling was over and she should let go of her power. Stubbornly she kept giving commands of scraping the ice off the car windows and shovelling the snow. Eventually she got tired and left.
You wouldn't believe what I saw after the snow had melted. My little friend was still there and so was its family. All happy and healthy. I believe the days under the snow had passed peacefully, filled with stories and hope. Once again I will follow my hero. I'll stay strong and life will return to normal. Nothing can stop Spring from coming.

Mid March Sunday morning

On a snail-slow Sunday
made of teacups and poetry books,
dreams of sea-touching toes
and strawberry songs,
white winter quiet
dances with a bright-smiling sun.

On a mid March morning,
holding heart hugs and soul snuggles,
memories of sticky ice-cream fingers
and sunset whispers,
hopeful word-wiggles
tickle my pen-holding fingers.

Reflection: week 2

Like often on Saturday mornings, I am sitting on my living room sofa. The brightly shining sun deceives me to believe it might feel warm outside. The overnight surprise snow and wild wind in treetops lets me know otherwise. The Saturday doesn't feel different than any other Saturday, except for the news filled with virus reports, the knowledge that I won't go to school on Monday and the two book bags I brought home from school reminding me that the situation is far from ordinary everywhere. Staying in the now helps. Right now the sun shines, my home is warm, and I have no to-do-list for today. 

I celebrate all the wonderful people who stay calm and support each other. Kind words and smiles keep the heart beats steady and strong. I celebrate that I keep showing up here. Daily writing in the midst of crazy is quite an achievement and remedy. I celebrate that besides writing a daily post I have wrote alongside my students and also wrote a bit in my journal in the evenings. 

My plan this week was to focus on the positive since life plans made unexpected changes. This was a challenge. Accepting my state of mind, accepting it is what it is, accepting some things are out of my control - still working on it. I had many moments I was ready to weep and wail. I didn't. I counted my gratitude. And in the evenings I watched Big Bang Theory and laughed. And my this week's posts included book titles, Piglet, Chuck Norris jokes, toilet paper and Toblerone (not all in one) - I was somewhat able to keep my writing plan. Yay!

I appreciate that my words have readers and I receive words in return. Your words matter.

May you have wonderful words in your life this weekend - spoken, written and sang!

Reflection: week 1

Unlucky? Lucky?

You all probably know the story of an old man whose horse runs away and people say he is unlucky. Then the horse comes back bringing a wild horse with him. People say he is lucky. His son rides the horse and falls, breaking his leg. Unlucky. The army drafts men form the village and because the son is crippled he is left home. Lucky. The old man answers every time, "Maybe."
This story keeps surfacing in my mind as I think of the current situation.
Last week, when I had to make the decision not to travel to Slovenia to present at a conference, it seemed so unfair, because the numbers of people with the virus were small in Estonia and Slovenia was virus free. Washed with a mixture of negative feelings I certainly felt unlucky. Only ten days later, Estonian government declared a state of emergency. The number of virus cases has increased exponentially. All schools will be closed. Teachers and students will start distance learning on Monday. I am so thankful for not being in Slovenia right now. I don't have to list the reasons, do I?
Luck?
Following what was happening in the world, my school has been preparing for the campus closure for two weeks already. So when the announcement came, we had our distance learning plan and handbook ready. We had time to prepare the kids for the novel situation. The early years and lower school teacher created care packages with all sorts of materials to continue supporting hand-on and play-based learning, including things like pasta, popsicles, and sponges. My fourth graders got special home-learning journals that they decorated with happy stickers; they chose two to five books to take with them; and as all writers, they took some colourful post-its and colourful paperclips with them. And yes, they were allowed to make a paperclip chain. I packed some essentials to take home - several picture and poetry books. The teachers know which platforms to use and how, and how to communicate with children, parents and each other. We learned form other people experiences and stress the need for flexibility and self-care. The school decided not to ask the teachers to prepare anything over the weekend and implemented two day preparation plan for the beginning of next week. The students will have their first e-lesson on Wednesday. This weekend everyone is expected to rest, play, read or do anything else they need to charge.
We also understand the need for humour in building resilience, so based on the following advice form Piglet (shared during a teacher meeting last week), all teachers received a Toblerone. And because (opposite to my belief of Estonians being calm and rational) the toilet paper hoarding has hit Estonia too, so we also received a roll of toilet paper.
I'll be home for the next two weeks for sure. It is very likely that we'll be at home much, much longer.
Unlucky? Maybe. Lucky? Maybe.

random connections and useless info

      Arriving in the teacher room little later than others, there was one spot left at the large table. I first focused on my lunch, chewing the chicken and crunching the salad. The urgent hunger satisfied, I started following the conversation around the table.  The DP History teacher, first grade teacher, MYP math teacher, the school secretary, and the school councillor were talking about movies - mostly titles I hadn't heard about, until they mentioned Indiana Jones. The part of the brain holding the plot had was not active, the synapses probably broken long time ago. The section that lit up in my brain was a memory of of Big Bang Theory episode where Amy ruined Indiana Jones for Sheldon. Then one of the teachers mentioned that Harrison Ford is 77. My brain made a connection with a fact I learned yesterday - Chuck Norris turned 80.

      I wouldn't have known it if I hadn't watched a show yesterday where two hosts sat at a table facing each other, reading jokes and trying to keep a straight face. They failed at the last, constantly bursting into laughter, making others, including the viewers, laugh with them.
I felt like it was a right time for me to join the conversation in the teacher room, explain how I got from Ford to Norris and share the jokes I remembered.

When Chuck Norris does push-ups, he doesn't push away from the ground but he pushes the ground away from him.
Chuck Norris has a grizzly fur carpet, only the bear isn't dead but simply afraid to move.
If children have Superman PJs, then Superman has Chuck Norris PJs.
When Chuck Norris tries to make fire, he rubs two ice cubes together.
When a cobra bit Chuck Norris, then after five days of agony, the cobra died.
When Chuck Norris took a lie detector test, the machine confessed everything.

      Now you are stuck with this useless information and who knows when and where your brain is going to make the connection. It might become useful. A bit of fun is always good.