Celebrating Words, in conversation

Thanks to Ruth Ayres for Celebration Saturday! Tweet at CelebrateLu  Link up here!

             This week, I'm celebrating the gifts of words: 

• I celebrated my mother yesterday in a poem for all mothers. It's for all of you, too, if you didn't get a chance to read it. You can find it here.
• Today I celebrate my daughter and daughter-in-law, wonderful mothers who, like many of you, juggle such full lives, raising children, managing the household, their professional lives, and offering me such support, especially in these past challenging years. A proverb for them: "Mother is a verb, not a noun."
• I started a writing workshop for a small group this week. We'll only meet for a few weeks, and they were so excited. They all have chosen personal goals:

A Little Bit of Peter H. Johnston

Tuesday Slice of Life is hosted by Ruth and Stacey at Two Writing Teachers.  Come enjoy all the summer slices!

     “Language is the essential condition of knowing, the process by which experience becomes knowledge.”  Michael Halliday

         With my book sharing buddy and colleague, I attended a workshop last Thursday to listen to Peter H. Johnston talk about his latest discoveries about how using language precisely can make huge differences in students' ability to learn and trust, and just feel so comfortable in their skins.  It was an exhilarating day of some table talk, but mostly listening to this author of Choice Words and Opening Minds.  We spent much of the day enjoying parts of Peter's stories from Opening Minds and our own conversations as we applied the questions and ideas to our individual experiences.  I’ll share some of the highlights I thought important.  As I re-read this second book, I may add more another time.

       Early in the book, Peter writes:  “My intention with this book is to offer a basis for choosing more productive talk—how to make the most of these opportunities children offer us.”