In remembrance of Maya Angelou, I wonder if you've seen the hashtag #MayaTaughtMe, and read some of them. It's filled with tiny memories that can only be because of twitter's structure. Here, less becomes more as one reads. She taught me that being older is okay, that thriving at any age is the purpose. Have you thought about what Maya Angelou taught you?
It’s been a pleasure working almost
all my time in the past weeks with one classroom. I’ve continued to meet
sometimes with other teachers, but this time it’s like being back in the
classroom again. My colleague has planned numerous kinds of projects, including
writing in a workshop-type atmosphere where students have the chance to make
their own choices in writing. In this
kind of group, I usually have students bring some examples of texts they think
is good, and we respond to those. Then, when they have writing to share, I copy
all the pieces into a packet so each can “see” the words as well as “hear”
them. It gives everyone a chance to think first, then give some ideas for
revision to their group members. I think of myself as the facilitator, bring up
different ‘craft’ skills that I notice in the words shared, and take a few
minutes to give a mini-lesson, hopefully that will help each writer improve.