My "Wahi Pana"

Kohanaiki

Memories beckon.
My heart hears their summoning.
Respite from reality.
Miles of meditation lay ahead.

Bleached sand and ebony lava offer a gentle embrace.
Cool tender breezes massage achy muscles.
Rhythm of a roaring heart soothes worried thoughts.
Salty spray delicately caress my lips.

Drawn in despite foreboding.
Breath and pulse quicken.
Tribulations float away.

My soul is resolved.

Kaloko Honokohau National Park

Kaloko Honokohau National Park

Critical Incident Poem

Worried to Writing

Write, write, write.  What to write?

  Why do I teach kindergarten? 

Those enthusiastic good mornings and expectant looks. 

I get to feel the world through them. 

In the beginning they are wide eyed and worried.

Lunch trays are carried with a death grip. 

Some time passes and most of the worrying is done. 

Now it is time to get down to business and impart my “knowledge”. 

Brains like sponges, they soak it up. 

Struggling hands try to get the correct lines, squiggles and dots down on paper. 

 It is not an easy task, but they practice.

Everyday they write.

I had pancakes for breakfast…  

Polar Bears are white…

How to make popcorn…

They are proud of their hard work. 

We share, we encourage, and we celebrate. 

Smiling eyes and a sense of certitude have

replaced worried eyes and death grips on lunch trays. 

Write, write, write, What will I write today?

Critical Incident

June 13th , 2011

Worried to Writing

Write, write, write.  What to write?  Why do I teach kindergarten? I teach kindergarten because I love being greeted every morning by smiling faces. Those enthusiastic good mornings and expectant looks. It amazes me how resilient these little ones are. What I felt as drudgery from the day before they are ready to tackle again with enthusiasm.  Maybe that is another reason I teach kindergarten. I get to feel the world through them. I get to share their excitement when they learn new skills and celebrate with them when they have struggled with something and finally get it.
Kindergarten is a rewarding grade to teach. The growth and learning from August to May is vast. They come to kindergarten wide eyed and worried. Worried about being away from their family, worried about what will happen if they have to go to the bathroom and worried about when they will be picked up. Very few of them know what a line is let, alone how to get in one. They carry their lunch trays with a death grip and big anxious eyes. Will I sit at the right table? What do you mean you’re not eating with me?
In a few weeks most of them have the rules and routines down. Many get through the day with few reminders of where they need to be and what they need to be doing at any particular time. Most of the worrying is done. They have begun to feel comfortable and secure in the classroom and are able to carry a lunch tray and carry on a conversation at the same time. Finally, I can get down to business and impart my “knowledge”.
Oh, and the amount of knowledge that needs to be shared and absorbed! It is a good thing their little brains are like sponges. First there are all these lines, squiggles and dots on the paper. Some are connected and some are not. They have names and the correct names for this collection is of utmost importance. When correct names are learned then there are the corresponding sounds.
This collection of  lines, squiggles, dots and sounds not only have to be recognized they have to be manufactured into a product. A product that conveys meaning. They tell their stories. They illustrate their stories. They sound out their words. Writers Workshop is no longer a quiet time filled with drawing and coloring. They are listening to the sounds in their words. The words are broken apart and put back together. Then their little hands and brains struggle as they try to get the correct lines, squiggles, dots and corresponding sounds down on paper.  It is not an easy task, but they practice.
Everyday they write. They write stories about their lives, “This weekend I went to the Beach…I had pancakes for breakfast… I love my mom she is…” They write facts about their favorite animals, “Bats sleep upside down… Polar Bears are white…Sharks have sharp teeth…”  They write procedures, How to dive…How to make popcorn…How to hold your baby brother…”
Soon they are sitting in the Authors Chair sharing their writing with their classmates. This is a very popular chair. All during writing time they ask, “Can I share today?” They want to tell their stories and share their information. They are proud of their hard work. We share, we encourage, and we celebrate.
Gone are the worried eyes and the death grip on the lunch tray. In their place are smiling eyes and a new found sense of confidence. Write, write, write. What will I write today?

Summary of Chapter 4 In Pictures and in Words

Chapter 4: Teaching an Essential Habit of Mind


What It Means to Read Like a Writer: A Metaphor

Katie Wood Ray likens the way she thinks about the writing when reads to the way she thought about houses when she and her husband were building their home. When building her home she became acutely aware of every aspect of how a house was designed. She calls this a habit of the mind. She writes, “Because I write myself, I can’t help it, when I read other peoples writing, I tend to notice how it is written. I think about what it is about too, but often also I am struck by a particular decisions the writer has made about the craft of it.”

Reading Like a Writer on Purpose

When Katie Ray Wood is asked to write an article or book. She reads as many examples of that particular form of writing as possible. She wants to discover what is expected of her as a writer. She writes, “I read as an insider and, without a doubt, every act of reading deepens my understanding of the craft (or lack of craft) of writing, whether I’m conscious of it or not.” She believes it is important to develop this ability in our students. It fosters independence in students, because whether the teacher is present or not a student can think about the writer of whatever text they are reading.

Demonstrating an Important Habit of Mind

The teaching context of Writer Workshop should be designed so that children see themselves as the same kind of people that write and illustrate the books they are surrounded by in their classrooms.

Noticing

In order for students to begin to see the decisions writers and illustrators use when designing their craft a teacher needs to notice these as a story is being read. Katie Ray Wood wants to show children two things about the illustrations in a text: the kind of things they might notice about illustrations and that those things that are a result of the illustrators decision making.

Becoming Articulate About What We Notice

When noticing a illustrators craft we need to pay particular attention to the words we use. We need to articulate why an illustrator used a certain technique to draw the readers attention to the illustration.

New Possibilities

Katie Ray Wood writes, “The purpose of thinking aloud about possibilities in this way is simply to show children how everything they notice about illustrations can easily become something they imagine themselves doing”

My Research Question

What skills and/or developmental milestones need to be in place for children to be able to write phonetically?

The Art of Inquiry Chapter 5 The Legacy of Distant Teachers

I learned what the term distant teachers means...those separated from us not only by geographic distance but by time.

I agreed with the passage... It can be a relief to realize that we don't need to rediscover everything. Other researchers may have investigated the same area, and their work can often aid out investigation.

I found this passage refreshing...Be open to serendipity; we've found that we stumble across interesting references that beckon to be explored in surprising places-from reviews and editorials in newspapers to discussions on the current alternative music scene with neo-Bohemian adolescents.

My question...according to the text using ERIC early in your research is not recommended. Where is a good place to start?