The One Where Visions of Koopa Troopas Danced in My Head #slice2014

Every Tuesday, I participate in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

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He stands on the couch, a controller in each hand. His tongue sticks out the side of his mouth and his hips wiggle back and forth. I watch him wave and jerk his hands all over the place. Peanut is having so much fun playing Disney Infinity. It's adorable to watch him and see looks of concentration, exhilaration, and pure joy cross his face. 

I remember when my parents first bought us Nintendo. We were so excited for that 8-bit Nintendo and loved to play as much as they would let us. My neighbor and I would and play Mario together. He was also the kind of kid who threw his whole body into the game. I dodged a few wild moves as he tried to jump over caverns or squash those little Koopa Troopas. And we could play for hours, too. 

My kids didn't get Disney Infinity for Christmas but two of their cousins got it and they were in love. Me, not so much. This whole Disney Infinity business is not like the simple Mario games I played when I was young. I'm still trying to figure out the whole point of Disney Infinity. I loved the games where you were thrown into a world and given a mission - either it was to get to the end and later to complete missions to get stars. I miss those stars. Disney Infinity is a totally different kind of game.

I've loved Nintendo since I was little. After the 8-bit, we had Super NES and then Nintendo 64. Gamecube came out when I was in college, but I would play when I came home for breaks. And when Nintendo Wii came out - even though we were newlyweds and didn't have any kids yet - we bought the Wii.

When it comes to video games, things have definitely changed over the years. Part of me wants to be cranky over this Disney Infinity business because I don't get the point of it...not to mention it seems they've figured out a way to get people to spend even crazier amounts of money than before. (You can't just buy the game, now you have to buy all the figurines and power discs to get further into the game.) And I desperately wish he was playing in the snow or cuddled up reading books instead of all the craziness that comes with video games.

But part of me also sees how happy Peanut is. He's absolutely loving it. He plays with me or his dad and it's fun to talk to him about where to go next or what to try next. I can see the little wheels and gears moving around in his head as he makes decisions and I know he's at least thinking things through and creatively trying to problem solve. Not to mention he's so proud of himself when he accomplishes something. 

For me it's definitely been a realization of how things change but how they also stay the same. Games have evolved over time but they still give families the opportunity to spend time together. They still allow us to think, experience new ups and downs, celebrate our triumphs and deal with our defeats. I never expected to have Disney Infinity in our house but knowing that my kids are happy and that we are able to all join in on the fun makes it worth it.

The One With Oprah and the Great Barrier Reef #slice2013

Every Tuesday, I participate in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

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Last night, when I woke up at 1:00 in the morning with a burst of energy to start really mapping out plans for my short term and long term goals (I know it's crazy, but this is fun to me!), I pulled out a list of life accomplishments I wrote out when I was in college. I distinctly remember sitting at the front desk of the university library where I worked and choosing 30 items to put on this list...mostly because Oprah said I should do it...but also because I felt like I had so much of my life in front of me and it was fun to dream of all the things I hoped to experience. 

A lot of them I have crossed off, like running a marathon, volunteering for Special Olympics and owning a new car (I was still in college...this was a big deal at the time!). But I also realized that many I haven't even thought about in a long time. Some of these are going on a hot air balloon ride, backpacking through Europe, seeing the aurora borealis and hiking a volcano. 

It struck me that so many of the things on my list were places to go and things to see and less things for me to accomplish personally. Lately, I've been thinking so much about what I really want to do with my life. I'm still not entirely sure but I definitely have different ideas from when I was in college. I'm more focused on a vision of what I would love my life to be and all the baby steps to get me there. Being able to really narrow and focus on this vision has definitely come from everything I have experienced since I first wrote my list. I can also see a balance between goals I have set for myself and the fun challenges I have outlined in my Un-Boring List. Obviously, I'm a different person from who I was 13-14 years ago. It's pretty amazing to see how I have evolved and how that manifests in my goals and dreams. 

One thing that has definitely stayed the same is that I want to live life to the fullest. When I remember my 21-year-old self writing down her life's dreams, I can still feel the sense of hope and excitement for what was yet to come. I remember writing down crazy things like scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef in Australia because, why not? Why not write something big and crazy down? What was there to lose in truly dreaming? Oprah helped me feel like there wasn't anything too wild to dream about. As I mapped out plans for 2014 and 2015 and put together my 2014 Bookish Un-Boring List, I have the same sense of hope and excitement. 

I feel strongly now that it doesn't matter what dreams I have - whether they change or stay the same - whether they are big and adventurous or small and satisfying - all that matters is that my dreams are my own. This is my life to live and being true to myself is so important. That said, I wish you a very wonderful New Year's Eve and I hope you find yourself thinking of all the wonderful things in store for you in 2014 and beyond. I hope you find dreams that are perfectly your own to hold onto and make into a reality! 

The One With Brownie Edges #slice2013

Every Tuesday, I participate in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

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A little less than a year ago, black bean brownies came into my life thanks to my friend Andrea and a discussion about being vegan (me) and gluten free (her). I had never heard of black bean brownies but she shared a recipe from the blog Chocolate-Covered Katie. Katie has a phenomenal black bean brownie recipe. I actually have never tried any other black bean brownie recipe...but with this one being as amazing as it is, I've never had to.

I'm thinking you might be skeptical. I get it! I was totally hesitant but believe me, these are worth trying. The worst that can happen is that you try them and think, "See, I was right to have been skeptical. Blech." BUT I honestly think that best that can happen is that you'll say, "I'm eating brownies made with black beans and they are amazing!" And you'll want to make them for all of your friends.

It's Christmas Eve and whether you celebrate Christmas or another holiday(s), it's a crazy, busy time of year. You might want to tuck away this fabulous recipe into your little brain and come back to it when you're feeling daring, or when you decide your New Year's resolution is to try new things, or when you add try a vegan recipe to your Un-Boring List for 2014. I am so serious when I say that I have made this for all sorts of people and they are always a hit. (One little thing...I usually don't tell people they have black beans in them until after they eat them and like them.)

My whole reason for sharing my favorite, most-excellent brownie recipe for today's Slice of Life is to actually ask you a question! As I was baking up batches of these babies for our holiday party at work last week, I wondered...what is your favorite part of brownies? 

See, when I make these brownies for work, I cut them into 12-16 cute little bite-size squares. I always cut away the outer edge and that's my sample. If the outer edge tastes good, I know I can trust that the squares I plan to share are ready to go but I don't have to waste any of them. Suddenly, I realized I love the slightly-crustier outer edge when it comes to brownies. But, you, do you like the inside pieces? Or maybe you like the mushy middle?

Are you an outer-edge-lover like me or a mushy-middle-megafan...or something else? Maybe you don't like brownies! To which I would say, "Then you must not have had Chocolate-Covered Katie's black bean brownies..." 

I'm so curious! Please share, which part of brownies do you like best? 

The One With My Favorite 2013 Posts #slice2013

Every Tuesday, I participate in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here.   

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I love reflecting at the end of the year...I actually do a lot of reflecting all the time, maybe too much of the time, but this kind of reflecting is fun. I'm super proud of this blog and love being able to share a slice of my life here on Tuesdays but every other day, too. 

This year Kellee and I hosted book swaps and a Girl Power series and created Un-Boring Lists for 2013. We partied on World Read Aloud Day, stopped to Unplug and Read, and Reread in April. I'm so glad to have shared this space with Kellee for two years. 

Jen's 2013 Bookish Un-Boring List

Kellee's 2013 Un-Boring List

World Read Aloud Day 2013

WRAD After Party

My favorite reread post: Jen Rereads The Fault In Our Stars

Unplug and Read 

This summer was another great summer of writing with teacher friends and author cheerleaders with Teachers Write. I started regularly participating in the Slice of Life Challenge, Poetry Friday and Ruth's Celebrate Link Up.

 

Some of my favorite Slice posts:

The One With Random Thoughts About Pears

The One With Revisions and Headstands (Nerdlution)

The One Where I Write YOU a Letter

We held the first ever nErDcamp and it was awesome!

Franki and I brought back the fun of Team Bear and Team Rabbit with our 10 for 10 Picture Books post this year.

And I had a blast celebrating my all-time favorite books of the year:

Must Read Mentor Text - Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild Blog Tour Scavenger Hunt

Reading in the Wild Book Tour!

I know it's not quite the end of the year but too soon it will be time to think about 2014 and all that it holds in store so I thought I would do this recap now. Thank you so much for being part of my 2013! What are your favorite memories of the year? I would love to reminisce with you if you want to share!

The One Where I Write YOU a Letter #slice2013

Every Tuesday, I participate in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

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On my last day in Boston, I spotted this adorable change purse at Trident Book Store and I just had to take a picture. It made me recognize how empowered I always feel after NCTE. I know that for various reasons not everyone can make it to NCTE so I thought I would share some of the encouragement I feel with you. It's actually perfect as so many of us (who were at NCTE and who were not) having jumped onto the #Nerdlution bandwagon. And if you aren't joining in on the Nerdlution, I hope you still find some strength in this. Without further adieu, from me to you.

Dear YOU,

     I believe in you. I know you can do anything you want to accomplish. You have dreams and aspirations and there isn't any reason you can't make them come true. Let yourself be in the moment. Let yourself put your heart into everything that you do. Let yourself embrace all the opportunities available to you. Don't let anything hold you back. Follow your heart and follow your head. You have a great mind and you need to let yourself be free to do what makes you feel empowered. Know that you are important to this world. It's a big, giant place with so many people all here to make an impact in some small or huge way but a significant way no matter the size. You may be one of many, but you can still make a difference. Believe in yourself because you rock, inside and out. You're beautiful. Don't change. Just be awesome.

Love,

The One With Revisions and Headstands #slice2013

Every Tuesday, I participate in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

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I'm guessing if you've been on Twitter or blogs lately you've seen the #nerdlution craze started by Colby Sharp, Franki Sibberson, Katherine Sokolowski and Chris Lehman. Now lots of people are joining in. You can read about how it all started at Franki's blog and share your #nerdlution at Colby's blog. The whole idea is to commit to something you'll do everyday for 50 days. It might be writing, running, doing push-ups...whatever strikes your fancy. 

I'm a huge fan of setting goals. There's definitely a knack to setting goals though. They have to be enough of a challenge but not impossibly so. A goal has to be just right. Besides that, I've realized that the more I write, the more I need a motivator and checker-inner when it comes to reaching a goal. Accountability actually seems to be a buzz word in my life lately. It's one thing to say I'm going to do something but it's another thing to be held accountable to what I say I'm going to do. Getting another person or lots of people involved seems to be what really makes me feel accountable and helps me get to things that I really have to make time for in my life.  

I've decided on two Nerdlutions for this first round. My Teachers Write goal over the summer was to revise my novel. I worked on it quite a bit and created a whole storyboard that seems to make my plot so much tighter and definitely more interesting but I'm still so far behind where I want to be when it comes to revising. So I'm deciding to work on my revisions everyday for thirty minutes. I'm hoping that by looking at it everyday I'll really make some headway.

My other Nerdlution has a fitness focus. I fell in love with yoga a few years ago after I had Little Bean. Recently, I did the Do You Yoga 30 day yoga challenge and completely fell in love with it all over again. Erin Motz (see the video below) shares some great yoga workouts. I'm setting my second Nerdlution to do yoga everyday with a focus on being able to do my headstand without any help (usually it's the wall that helps me...) and to be able to hold it for 15 seconds. I have no idea if 15 seconds is a lot or not but I certainly can't do that now so I'm going with it. 

Yesterday was the first day and I worked on my revisions as well as practiced yoga. I love that yoga is a practice...it's not about achieving something or reaching something but about focusing on the moment and doing my best. And because I'm feeling super supported by all the Nerdies doing their own Nerdlutions I'm actually going to share my headstand from last night. I really believe that we have to be open and honest about where we are so that we can move forward. Plus, I thought I better document where I was when I started to be able to see if I can actually get better at this whole headstand situation. Please, ignore my mega-frizzy hair! And how dark it is! It was late and I had just put my kids to bed so I was trying to be quiet and keep it dark. Ohmigosh, I can't believe I'm posting this...just ignore me as I cover my eyes!

You'll see how I desperately still need the wall at this point. This doesn't even count as a headstand in my opinion. If the wall wasn't there, I so would have landed way hard on my back and would be out of commission for a while. Luckily, the wall was there! Being part of Nerdlution and knowing others are out there trying new things or rededicating themselves to great things is kind of like my wall. I feel like you all are there to catch me and support me towards my goals. It's crazy awesome. I definitely feel empowered! Thank you to everyone who has joined in and tweeted or blogged about their Nerdlutions!

I'm excited to see where I'm at with both of these Nerdlutions come mid-January. Did you set any Nerdlutions? It's only day two, I say you can still jump in if you decide now. Be sure to let me know what you are working on so I can cheer you on! Hooray!

The One With Awesome People at #NCTE13 #slice2013

Every Tuesday, I participate in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

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As I hugged Donalyn goodbye at ALAN yesterday, I whispered to her how amazing it is to think how my life has changed in the last five years. Five years ago, I hadn't even heard of NCTE, as crazy as that is. As a hearing itinerant teacher, I was a member of and had presented at an organization for teachers of students who are deaf and hard of hearing in Illinois but I just went to my third NCTE, presented twice and completely love it. It's hard to imagine not going to NCTE now! It's also hard - really hard - to believe that another year has come and gone already since the last NCTE. I absolutely love this conference. 

What I love most about NCTE is the opportunity to be surrounded by unbelievably amazing colleagues; from teachers, to authors, to illustrators and publishers. It's all about sharing reading and writing and being passionate about making an impact on students. Every year I am more and more inspired!

There were a few highlights of this year for sure! One was getting to spend time with Peter Brown. After celebrating the release of Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, it was fun to talk to him about books and writing. If you haven't read Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, you can read my review here...and then I'm sure you'll be off to grab it! It's awesome. It really, truly is. Go read it. Or go read it again just for fun and to marvel and how great it is. 

I'm so mad at myself for not taking enough pictures this year but I do have a few to share at least and they are of my other highlights so that's good! On Friday, I presented on the topic of non-fiction picture books as mentor texts for secondary students. It was a complete honor to collaborate with Kellee, Beth Shaum and Audrey Vernick. I loved going through books I have reviewed here and pulling some great mentor texts that I have used with secondary students. 

The Nerdy part was Friday night and it was fun to visit with everyone there! Despite the late night, I was up early and ready to run with this wonderful group of troopers! Look at all of our smiling faces a 7:00 a.m. on a cold and windy morning in Boston. It actually could have been colder. Our run was great, we ran down Newbury street and around the Boston Common before returning to Copley Square and crossing the real finish line of the Boston Marathon. It was fun and I felt so great the rest of the day...except for the crazy cramp I got in my foot/toe...but it went away pretty quickly! (It's really hard to spot me in this picture, I'm way to the right kind of in the shadows in the back.)

It's much easier to see me in this picture! We were just about to cross the street and circle around the Boston Common! Go runners! 

On Sunday morning, I was thrilled to share the epic-ness of Teachers Write with Kate Messner, Gae Polisner, Jo Knowles and Brian Wyzlic. I'm still pinching myself and reminding myself just how absolutely incredible it is that I have been able to work with these fabulous people on Teachers Write over the last two summers and that we got to present our passion for Teachers Write all together in the same room. I've been inspired to write more after every NCTE but I can honestly say that my heart is really calling for me to write after this conference. I have a million ideas in my little brain that I'm desperate to get into my computer and have been planning how to make this happen!

If you've been to NCTE before, I'm sure you share my enthusiasm for this conference. If you've never been to NCTE before, I hope you don't feel too bad...there are lots of people tweeting at NCTE, just check out the #NCTE13 hashtag! Did you attend NCTE this year? What did you love about it? Or maybe you've attended another time? Are you thinking of going next year in Washington, DC or maybe the following year in Minneapolis? I definitely recommend it!

The One With Tofurky...Or Not! #slice2013

Every Tuesday, I participate in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

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I keep saying that it's a busy time of year for me and I'm starting to think that it's just always a busy time of year. Maybe soon I'll get used to being as busy as I am...maybe? One thing I remind myself is that while I'm busy, I'm busy with fun things, challenging things and, usually, worthwhile things. And those are all great things to be busy with.

November is a particularly busy time for me because of NCTE. I just looked at my monthly calendar last night and realized that NCTE will be here in two weeks! Two weeks! That's craziness. As soon as NCTE was over last year, it felt like it would take forever to get here again and yet,  here we are. I'm so honored to be participating in two presentations (that I still have to work on...). It's going to be exciting to visit with friends, learn like crazy, and share my love of literacy and technology with colleagues.

I wish I was participating in Nanowrimo this year but I've realized it just isn't a good time of year for me to be drafting a novel. I've tried the last few years and every time I haven't been successful. If you are up for it though, go for it! I think Nanowrimo is phenomenal. There are so many great resources and opportunities to connect with others and get some cheerleading. The button is so cool this year, too!

I am participating in Picture Book Month though! I love picture books! Any excuse to celebrate picture books and share them with others is a great opportunity. If you haven't visited the Picture Book Month blog/website, I definitely recommend it. Again, a great resource and a happy place to celebrate picture books! I'll be sharing picture book posts throughout the month so be sure to check back!

In November, I also get to celebrate Thanksgiving. I love the Thanksgiving holiday. It's just a great time to visit with family, sit around and sift through Black Friday ads, and watch football. And we usually get some reading in, too. Over the weekend we were talking about plans for Thanksgiving. Could we convince my sister to host it this year? What was everyone going to bring? What about a vegan Thanksgiving this year?

I love the thought of a vegan Thanksgiving. I could enjoy a meal of all of my favorite Thanksgiving sides...but then my aunt brought up the idea of a vegan turkey. Enter Tofurky:

I don't mind chicken-less chicken nuggets or even some fake bacon every once in a while but Tofurky freaks me out. That is definitely one thing I'd be happy to be too busy to figure out! What's keeping you busy this time of year?

The One Where I Love Me My Edcamp #slice2013

Every Tuesday, I participate in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

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October is Connected Educator month and in my new position as Coordinator of Instructional Technology I have been thinking a lot about how to encourage, inspire and empower teachers to embrace a growth mindset when it comes to integrating technology but also when it comes to teaching and learning in today's world in general. The world is so very different today for my six-year-old than it was when I was six and teaching and learning is evolving as well.

I strongly believe that teachers need to adopt a growth mindset when it comes to developing professionally. They need to continually look closely and honestly at their practice in order to see how to make adjustments and to strive to be better in the future. One of my favorite ideas that we have been talking about lately in my department is thinking about past practice versus best practice.

Over the weekend, I attended my 4th unconference experience. I've now been to two Edcamp Chicagos, one PLAYDATE (in Chicago), and nErDcamp Battle Creek...and all just in 2013! Every experience has been completely amazing and energizing. I've been excited to go every time. I've had wonderful conversations and have made new connections with colleagues near and far while at the same strengthening connections I already did have. I've left every time full of energy and brimming with new ideas, conversations to continue, and a longing to do it all over again. 

Edcamps are like the Disney World of professional development for teachers. They are magical. They really are. I know not everyone is as in love with Disney World as I am, but I love me my Disney World. And I love me my Edcamps.

Edcamps are an amazing way to connect with others in real life but since many people are on Twitter, the conversations can extend further than that day. Twitter is an awesome way to stay connected. As I visit schools in my district and talk to teachers, lots of teachers are also talking about Pinterest as a great way to get ideas.

What are your favorite ways for staying connected? Do you have any apps or websites/tools that help you keep all of your digital learning organizes? I'm always looking for ways to be more efficient or organized, so please share!

I'd also love to hear about your Edcamp or unconference experience. Did you love it? Would you go again? Are you intrigued? And if you have an Edcamp in your near future, have you thought about convincing a friend or two or three to go with you? Edcamps are so wonderful and I think if every Edcamp believer could bring along a friend or five (why not five?) that we could turn lots of educators on to just how brilliant professional development can be when done Edcamp-fabulous.

The One Where I #write2connect #slice2013

Every Tuesday, I participate in the Slice of Life challenge at Two Writing Teachers. If you want to participate, you can link up at their Slice of Life Story Post on Tuesdays or you can just head on over there to check out other people's stories. For more information on what a Slice of Life post is about, you can go here. 

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October 20th is The National Day on Writing. Did you celebrate!? There were lots of ways to connect and share your love of writing online and especially via Twitter. I've loved writing for a long time now but as I reflect of my love of writing, I can definitely see how it has evolved over time in an amazing way.

I really owe much of this evolvement of my love of writing to how I connect as a writer. When I was in 5th grade, my teacher, Ms. Corn, asked us to keep notebooks where she would respond to us throughout the year. I wish I could remember more details about what we wrote about and how often we wrote back and forth in these notebooks, but I can't. What I do remember was that at the end of the year, she invited me out to lunch to celebrate and thank me because she used my notebook for coursework she had worked on that year.  I remember feeling super special because of my work as a writer. We had connected all year through this notebook and I was super proud of myself as a writer.

Throughout middle school and high school, I participated in writer's workshop. This is where I truly learned about and embrace the writing process. I wholeheartedly believe in the writing process and believe that finding a great friend who honestly critiqued my writing while still supporting it, helped me to feel confident in sharing my writing. I also had great teachers who gave me equally supportive constructive feedback in teacher conferences. I think an editor is just this kind of supporter - giving feedback while also pushing a writer to improve their writing with guidance - and I also believe that sharing writing this closely forges amazing connections.

As an adult, I have been blogging since 2008 and I absolutely love it. Blogging has allowed me to connect with so many readers. I'm so thankful with all the connections I have made my being part of this blogging community. Twitter is a kind of mini-version of blogging because I can also connect because of what I've written...it's just limited to those precious 140 characters. 

On Saturday, I celebrated my new free-writing notebook. I love journaling and keep notes all over the place but this new free-writing notebook is really about connecting with myself and my thoughts about my writing. I've found that just taking a few minutes to explore a topic really helps me clarify my thoughts and then I'm hoping that will carry over into my writing. It might be kind of strange to think of connecting with myself but it's totally true!

My free-writing notebook also stems from Teachers Write. I had my free-writing-epiphany over the summer when I was stuck on a scene in my novel but I've extended into the work I'm doing with students this year, talking to them about my process and how free writing helps me. I've connected with so many colleagues around the world participating in Teachers Write but also with the student writers I've been working with. 

On Sunday, Peanut and I shared how much he loves reading and graphic novels over at Nerdy Book Club but Peanut and I have been connecting through writing more lately, too. We started a notebook where we can write letters to each other. So far we've only written a few times and my page-long letters are usually met with one line or a picture from Peanut but it's still connecting with writing and I'm sure he'll grow as a writer as the year goes on. Hey, it's kind of like the notebook I had with my 5th grade teacher! I just realized!

Writing is imperative if we are going to teach writing. Actively writing, communicating and connecting through writing is the only way to experience how writing impacts us - how it makes us think reflectively and critically, causes us to analyze good writing and use mentor texts to improve upon our writing, gives us the opportunity to persevere through the writing process. By experiencing what writers experience, we are better equipped to support students as writers. Writing takes so many different forms! Writing doesn't have to be writing a book, writing doesn't have to be blogging. There are so many opportunities to write and to connect with others who are writing. What's most important is to get writing!

How did you celebrate the National Day on Writing? What are some ways that you write to connect?