Ok...here I go again

OK...I admit it...it has been too long since I have blogged. I guess I could use the age old...I got so busy...but we all are busy. Teachers are constantly going from thing to thing maintaining the balance. But I'll be honest, I just got a bit uninspired...but now, I am back. I am going to tweak the blog a bit and change it into more of a learning focus...broaden my horizons if you will.

I want to start the conversations around teaching and learning...I am relearning the power of having meaningful discussions professionally. I laugh because I spent a few years right before leaving the classroom as a reading consultant really working on students having meaningful discussions about literature. So, it is kind of funny that I am now switching the focus....or more like a ...duh...why didn't I connect that before? But isn't that what happens?

I had the opportunity to listen to Katie Wood Ray speak at a conference and she was discussing the importance of exposing kids to the kinds of writing we expected them to do. If we want them to write a magazine feature article...they should know what one is and have time to explore reading several. I then thought...ah ha...if we are teaching the kinds of writing we are in the classroom, shouldn't we as adults be doing that kind of writing too???

Anyway...here's to the conversations...if anyone is out there reading...what do you think? What do you want to talk about? Reading? Writing? Assessment? Web 2.0? Let's push ourselves through conversation to hold each other accountable for doing things better and better each year.

I'll be back!!!