I Know a Male High School Grad -- a Colleague -- That Should Make Louisville Extremely Proud, Especially Those Who Love Shakespeare

I can only begin, if not outline, the spark offered last night at Dr. Shannon Kelley's Tree Becoming: Gender, Race, and Trauma on Shakespeare's Stage talk at Fairfield University. I've seen her teach, and I always knew she was brilliant, but her book talk brought all of it together. It was collegial, educative, humorous, and awe-inspiring -- I couldn't be prouder of a scholar I work with. More importantly, I want to read her publication and possibly bring this knowledge towards ways of teaching Shakespeare in middle and high school. The level of her scholarship, digging deep into archives and art museums, reading botany texts from the 16th century, and knowledge of Shakespeare was out of this world.

The crazy part for me is that she attended Male High School while I was teaching English at Brown High School. She could have been my student many moons ago, and look at her now! I couldn't believe the number of alumni who drove from other states to see Dr. Kelley debut this book. It was an extremely powerful experience to see what I already understood as excellence, far surpassing any expectation I could have for scholarship. Distinguished Exemplar all the way. 

The rest of the day was catching up on grading, recording class for some of Action Research, and cleaning my front porch. I also ran over to Ocean State Job Lot because they had a crazy deal on carpet cleaners. You buy one at XXX, you get a Crazy Bucks Card for XXX. In other words, it's twice the money. I get my cleaner and they pay me back to buy other things throughout the year. It's a total win for me. 

Now, time to pace myself for the long day, as I teach until late tonight. I need to get into high gear before I can allow myself to walk Karal and then head into work. The walk is always a top priority.

I'm still shaking my head with pride as a result of Dr. Shannon Kelley. Just top notch all the way.

Once Again, It is the Little Things That Matter the Most. The Noticings. The Human Connections. The Power of Looking Out for One Another.

I wasn't able to make either of the home games this weekend for the Women's Volleyball team. They, fortunately, won both matches and I hated to miss them. The traffic from Eastern Connecticut State University was not going to make it possible. 

Earlier in the week, Coach sent me a photo of a gift I gave her last season. I found him at Mellow Monkey and delivered them in the tiniest of boxes. Coach got the giraffe and in a text this week she wrote, "Look who I am looking at." It's wonderful to be able to support not only the players, but the coaches as well.

I have to love the little things in life.

I had three tasks yesterday and I accomplished them both. The first was an overdue journal review and the second was the need to process charges in the University's system, as well as work on CWP administrative stuff. The third was to pack up the back patio, bring furniture into the shed, and to winterize the outdoors. Before I would put up the hoses, however, I wanted to try my best at wiping down the green moss that grows on Connecticut homes this time of year. I got the tall ladder out, too, and tried my best. The house is so talk and even if I climbed out 2nd-floor windows, I still couldn't reach it all. The power washer can only apply pressure so hight. 

Actually, I had four....to get a haircut at Fade Factory.

Oona and Rose had me over for dinner: pork, vegetables, and mashed potatoes. It was a perfect Sunday night meal and getting off my laptop and out of my house was definitely a good idea. 

The day was beautiful. Karal and I got an extra few laps in the neighborhood and she definitely got much playtime in the backyard while I was working. She had the zoom-ees for most of the afternoon.

It's back to the teaching grind today and getting everything in place: grading, planning, and responding. 

It Was a NEATE Nor'eastern Literacy Conference Host by Eastern Connecticut State University the Past Two Days

I've never attended NEATE, but when teacher-leaders put in proposals, you can't help but join. Max, Emmi, and I presented on translanguaging with language learners at a National Writing Project site and we got a fortunate crowd who was extremely engaged. I love how Emmi and Max created the presentation and offered their perspectives from elementary to high school, and the power of NWP opportunities to work with language learners in the summer. 

I got to meet authors Ann Braden and Elly Swartz, see Dr. Brooke Eisenbach in action with mental health and YA novels, and see the brilliance of Dr. Shawna Shapiro, who was a coeditor of a book where I shared data from working with Sudanese-background youth. The sessions were top notch, the conversations extremely producing, and the company warmer than the temperatures of the building where we presented. 

It was an hour and a half each way, two days in a row...basically a tank of gas...a little more than driving to Syracuse, although so much closer to home mileage-wise (it's the traffic that is the time-killer.

This morning, I want to stare in space and veg some before grading, planning, reviewing an article, and cleaning the house some. We shall see. 

Congratulations to the planners who put in all the hardworking for the conference. Although I am exhausted, I imagine they can't even describe their fatigue. Wonderful to work with educators from Maine to New Hampshire to Vermont to Massachusetts to Connecticut and to Ohio and Indiana (OI, a little beyond the northeast).

Day Two of the New England Association of Teachers of English at Eastern Connecticut State University. One More Presentation Left

So I cried. I allowed emotions to come to my eyes as I watched Johanna Mackenzie present her research and work with the charge of teaching literacy skills with young people with special needs and behavioral issues. She has students who read at a 1st - 9th grade leveland is working with them to move up as much as she can each day. Her principal wanted her to show a documentary on the two Connecticuts and she paired this instruction with Ursula LeGuin's The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. She taught English for five years before getting a dual certification in special education, which led her to take the most challenging students in the school. 

Her project models the ways she's helped young people engage with difficult text, and to reach for the highest of their abilities. She modeled this work with the growth/work of a student at the bottom and one at the top of what she works with. She engages with ChatGPT because it helps her to take what she wants to do and turn it into visually appealing opportunities for kids to work in groups, show their own understanding, and work as teams to push all forward. 

Yes, the daily grind can be trying at times, but the result she demonstrated speak volumes. Perhaps Wigginton's Sometimes a Shining Moment book title is appropriate for all of us who teach. 

And I got emotional because I've witnessed Joanna's undying grind since she first entered my office and said, "In two years, I'm getting a divorce. I'm finding a home. I'm running a half marathon. And I am becoming an English teacher." It happened exactly as she said it would. She'd choose to teach in an urban school classroom, but then shifted when she wanted to reach the very kids who she felt the mainstream English classes weren't reaching. She knew everything about me she could find online, saw we had a Kentucky connection, and realized the Great Whatever gave her the path to this life-plan 180 she wanted for her life. 

A few years later, she'd remarry. I flew to Kentucky to see it happen. And now I hear her family stories as if they are my own. I guess the Kentucky connection was there for me, too.

Joanna went over the presentation before the conference and I wondered if her thorough documentation and shared material would be too much for teachers at once. Nope. Joanna Mackenzie took command of the room, moved from Padlet to binders, to humor to reality-checks, to honesty and truth, all in the name for doing best by her students.

The natural poise, leadership, and delivery was as professional as we would want. So the water came to my eyes. On the drive back last night, I told her how a man named Dr. Chris Goering always says to me, "Game recognizes game." I told her I saw this in her, because I know what she is doing and it is useful and phenomenal. There simply needs to find that way to get this expertise into bigger hands, given the demands of classroom teachers accomplishing amazing things everyday. It's too easy for the nation (and even academics) to fault teachers. They're there doing the real work - the amazing service to our nation raising the bar for youth each and every day.

We just don't listen to them enough. 

Yesterday Was National Treat Your Dog Day, so I Brought Karal to Play with Rico in Between Events & She Was Served a Treat.

Yesterday was rather productive, I suppose, if there is such a thing. I got much done by noon, wanted to walk the dog, headed to campus for the anniversary of working at Fairfield. They do them in fives and it was year 15 for me. Ate too much fried food and regretted it later. I also got the 10th Anniversary Dear Martin book by Nic Stone. I knew I signed permission to use the piece in the new release, but I only expected it to be a tiny little photo...not a whole page. I am truly honored as the art piece was a recreation of the cover with a collage with lines from my students' essays. They chose their favorite part of their essay, got a shape to trace on it, only to be cut out and put into a puzzle that recreated the cover. We late painted it with water color. 

True Story: Pam Kelly painted it for us, because she has the talent. 

We gifted it to Nic Stone during StoryFest the first year we ran it. 2018. Phew. Time. Now the artwork is in the New York Time's #1 Selling Book. Unbelievable...and aligned with Jason Reynolds, Angie Thomas, and John Green's appreciation for its brilliance, too. Sort of Charlie-gets-a-Gobstopper moment for me. 

I also brought Karal to play with Rico because I had a book reading I needed to attend, but wanted to 'treat her well' out of the name of the national holiday. That was fun. Got a slice of pizza and the canine got a bowl of ice cream with a biscuit (and look, I showed Pam her artwork made a deluxe edition.

Later, I attended a local poetry reading sponsored by Lordship House held at Obodo Serendipity books. The poet was good and, it turned out, attended the San Diego Writing Project where she was inspired to write with her students. Now she's a book consultant and does readings across the nation. That's the power of the project (and I wasn't expecting it at a random, local reading). 

Today, I'm off to the New England Association of Teachers of English conference at Eastern Connecticut University. I'm going to support CWP teacher leaders presenting and to see a new campus in the nutmeg state. It's a blue-sky morning, so I look forward to the changing leaves on the drive there. Tomorrow, I present with other teachers. 

Here we go again. 

When You Focus On One Good Thing From Each Day, Sometimes You Find that Genuine Nugget Where What You Do Matters

One might stay that back-to-back faculty meetings on campus (SEHD, General Faculty, and FWC) would be like surviving three overnight sleeps in The Hunger Games. There are wounds, but I get to rest another night. I do what I can, I know what I know, and I fight for what I believe in when given the opportunity. I also did a peer-observation of a colleague that was unbelievable...what a teacher (and intellect). Watching her work as she did, offering wisdom as she did with the audience of her class, was truly amazing. I can't wait to debrief with her, as I want to learn more of how she got to be the educator she is. 

After than, and before the bludgeoning of meetings, I went to do a rescheduled visit of one of the schools in Bridgeport I work with, where I also dropped of more books and several writing opportunities. The teacher I visited shared several book stands around the room (yes, they are scarce, but they are there). She wanted me to know that the shelves are loaded as they are because of CWP programs giving her opportunities to buy books for kids. This was a veteran teacher who, without a doubt, remains dedicated to the young people in her space. Book Deserts are real (and the poorer the school, the less classrooms are given a support for literacy, including books to read. 

The rest of that visit went to sharing pieces from the writing notebooks I gave them, where the teacher (with reason) should be proud. I didn't know she was participating in Write Out, but emails and newsletters from CWP put her in the know. That was definitely a win, although I want to see more of her shelves filled. The grant she worked with last year (because an anonymous foundation) offered writing instruction support with her students and funded $98 per kid to buy classroom texts for reading groups. She was thrilled to share the books the students chose for classroom reading. 

Of course, she shared the incredible challenges of urban districts, changing leadership, and ways of getting reprimanded for advocating for students and their rights to literacy.

Ah, it is something. But I survived another day.

The 15-Hour Day Sequences Get Old, Simply Because There's No Way to Process All the Items That Occurred So Quickly. Need to Channel Simon & Garfunkel

Definitely need to slow down. I'm going too fast. 

Write Out and National Day on Writing with PD in schools and back to back graduate courses make for a lot of stimulation without much time to think through the success or not. What I do know is that teachers across southern Connecticut were texting me photos of students outside and writing, and in many cases sending me the comics they sketched from the inspiration of Grant Snider. The skinny is that the ambassador's books were perfect hits for getting teachers to get kids not only writing, but enjoying what they were composing for others (whether in textual or visual form). The fact they want to share the work with me is also interesting on all levels. 

We fused this thinking with a FYE (first year experience) course where a number of students jointed my YA Literature class for the evening. Dr. Richard Novack discussed rambling, and took us on a hike through the back trails of campus. My students were not expecting that and weren't necessarily the hiking type, but they did great. I saw more mosquitos (felt them) on that hike than I did all summer. We were a feast for them. 

After, students discussed Grant Snider's work in relation to the graphic novels they chose for the week (each of them read a different one) and presented it using a Gallagher one-pager. 

Soon after, it was the research methodology course, but the trick was that the National Writing Project's WRITE TIME episode with Grant Snider was at the same time. So, I recorded the first hour of that class so they would be on the right page when we met at 8 pm and I could be part of the Grant Snider NDOW/WRITE OUT teacher community.

All in all, it was a beautiful day for a hike and for the celebration that needed to occur (and did). To say it exhausted me is an understatement and a similar trajectory is ahead for today....but also including meeting after meeting after meeting. 

Here's to all who participated yesterday in Write Out and celebrated the NDOW. Love having the opportunity to do this every year.