Clearly something I haven’t been very good at over the past several months. But that’s all in the past. Thanks to Kate Messner and her incredibly generous writing camp, Teachers Write!, I’m inspired to turn off the TV, sit down and make some plans. School isn’t over for two more weeks, and I have a week of curriculum work after that, so until the end of June, my plan is to get up half an hour earlier than usual and write for 30 minutes. I’ll be at my desk in my small office. My husband won’t be up for another hour, but Lucy, my 7-year old beagle, will be snoring in her bed nearby to keep me company. You all are the first to find out about these plans. Everyone at work is busy thinking about report cards, packing up classrooms (did I mention I’m moving to a new classroom?), etc., and I didn’t really have a chance to talk to anyone else today. Once school is over, my writing time will shift to later in the morning, after walking, eating, and reading the paper.

I recently finished reading Mindset, by Carol Dweck. In it, she talks about the importance of having a growth mindset, or “the belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts” (p. 7). Here’s to cultivating our writing through our efforts. I look forward to the learning and growing with all of you.

 

Welcome to Reading to the Core. The name is a bit of a play on words, as my goal for this space is to share thoughts about implementing the Common Core State Standards in English/Language Arts. Like many of you, I have plenty of questions and reservations about the CCSS. I am a reader and lover of literature to the core. One of the reasons I became a teacher was to share this passion with my students. Will this still be possible when the CCSS is fully  implemented? Will the CCSS make this easier? I don’t know. So, some posts will  address my thoughts and opinions about the standards.  Other posts will be my ideas about using specific books that I am passionate about (and may not be on the exemplar list) to teach specific standards. In either case, I hope to have a conversation with literacy professionals around the country about reading and writing instruction today. I’m looking forward to hearing from you!