Mondays-new adventures always - I'm a Versatile Blogger!

   

              Every Monday morning brings news from the newspaper, the blogs I follow and e-mails.  Sometimes there is news that I don't want to hear, but most of the time I'm excited for the week again, and enjoying the pleasure of anticipation of good things to come.  So, this morning did not disappoint because when I read the new postings of the blogs I follow, I found that Tara of A Teaching Life had named me as one of her list of Versatile Bloggers.  Blogging this year has been quite a wonderful adventure, and I am grateful to Tara for her recognition.  She and I both are middle school advocates and reading her blog has been inspired reading to see what others are doing in that special world of early adolescents.

       A wonderful part of this honor is that I get to share it with those who have inspired me in the blogging world by

• Thanking the person who nominated me and providing a link
  back to their blog.
• Sharing seven bits of information about myself
• Passing this award along to 15 other blogs that I have discovered.

So, here goes....

Thank you again, Tara

Here are the seven bits of information:

• I began blogging about my teaching life after I discovered the Slice of Life challenge in March that Stacey and Ruth do at Two Writing Teachers.  The community of writers they have formed, and inspired, has meant much to me in these past months.

• I taught middle-school aged students for 20 years in an independent school for gifted students and now am on a different journey, exploring my role as literacy coach of the school.  It is a new beginning to my career, and although I miss the day-to-day immediateness of the students, I am loving my work with teachers.
•  I love the idea of children becoming life-long learners and strive to find positive ways to aid their journey.
• I have three grandchildren and am enjoying that more personal aspect of raising children, watching their exuberance for life.
• I am now teaching a blogging class to some middle-school students with the focus on writing for new audiences, so I am writing in a new blog, Writing Works, along with my teaching blog.
• I am becoming a technophile, and the prospect of its impact on education.
• I have been married for almost 47 years and sometimes am surprised about how fast the time has gone.  I know everyone says that, but it really does!

And here are 15 blogs (in random order) that I'd like to recognize:

      Travis at 100 Scope Notes, who covers so many kinds of things in his Children's Lit blog, especially the day he does "Morning Notes".
       The Stenhouse Blog, who have given me new ideas to explore and new books to keep me learning.
        Tam at Clay Fragments, who keeps talking about teaching and life learning even in retirement.

         Deb, at Coffee With Chloe, who weaves her personal and teaching lives so beautifully together.
         Christy at Living, telling everyone about how her personal life affects her teaching life.
         Donna at Mainely Write whose poetry gives me a challenge every time she writes.
         Alan at Living Life Twice, often posing new questions about teaching writing, always makes me think.
         Storykeeper, at Windows To My Life: Writing To Remember who shows how to write beautiful setting descriptions.  I've learned so much about Montana from this blog, and loved every word and photo!
         Elizabeth at Word By Word, who has the talent of writing such detailed descriptions she brings you to the event every time.
         Mary Helen at Book Savors keeps me wondering how I'm going to buy all the books she writes about.
         Laura at LauraSalas  Writing the World for Kids offers many ideas for writing poetry, and sometimes other kinds of writing.
          Asuen at Picture Book of the Day who also adds to my collection of picture books.
          b at Live...Write...Teach, whom I lately discovered, has some interesting things to say about teaching.
          Elaine at Wild Rose Reader is one of the first blogs that started me reading more.  Her posts are ever enlightening about using books and learning.
          Finally, the ones who started me blogging, and have me sharing their posts again and again, Ruth and Stacey at Two Writing Teachers.


  There are others I enjoy, 15 is not enough.  Thanks to everyone who wants to share their ideas with the blogging world!