Whistling In The Dark

Slice of Life sharing is hosted by Stacey and Ruth at their blog, Two Writing Teachers.  Please visit, or add your own slice! 

        I am back to work, although the real thing (meaning the students arriving) doesn’t happen for another week.  I have met with some teachers, dusted and moved things around my office. I’ve been browsing files and adding new ideas to them in order to give good support to those I work with.  What do they need:  magic words, lesson ideas, book suggestions for read alouds, mentor texts and possible book for groups.  Some need a big picture and others want to discuss the smaller ones.  All of us are doing what some call “whistling in the dark” because until the students are here for a few weeks, we can only speculate, surmise, imagine, wish, read and talk about general ideas.  By now it is hard to wait.  Teachers are restless during these days before school really starts.  They move desks and tables, make endless lists, cut out cute pictures, rearrange book baskets, hang flags.  They are tired, yet tireless in the talk about the future. 

First Inspiration!

        So that is part of my job, to support, and then help everyone wait, too.  There is only so much I can do these next weeks.  I have a tech tool class to prepare, and I am ready with a few ideas but will wait to see student goals and knowledge before I do more. 

        What do you do in this waiting period? 



 One thing that fills some time is preparing my new writers notebook.  I transfer some ideas from the past ones, teacherly ideas like Donald Murray’s writing about keeping a daybook and some favorite quotes, some of which I’ve copied from other slicers.  I have an entire line of desktop stickies filled with new quotes and ideas, some of those favorites are put into my notebook.  I collect samples of pages, too, for others to see, and favorite poems that I either handwrite or copy and tape into the notebook.  And I write questions:  What works, what does not?  What do you notice?  What will you take away this time? 

I am in the midst of reading Choice Words by Peter H. Johnston, having just finished Penny Kittle’s Write Beside Them in a Google group with some of the slicers; it was terrific, a good inspiration to help begin the year.  I am skimming (re-reading) some of Stacey and Ruth’s Day by Day book about writing workshop and re-reading Ralph Fletcher’s Mentor Author, Mentor Texts to recall what’s in these good resources.  Have I mentioned that I’m reading, and reading, taking notes, and then some more?

I think this is also called the teacher’s way of twiddling our thumbs.  We’re waiting.