A Fellow Traveller

Yesterday, as I was wiping out book bins, setting up my classroom library, doing bulletin boards and generally arranging things, my mind went back to three years ago. I remembered two friends who gave up a Saturday to combine all the work into one day. I remember how encouraging that was to work with others and not feel overwhelmed. I realized how we teachers work so much in isolation as an island unto ourselves. I thought of everyone who was probably thinking the same kind of thoughts....."what should I do first?" and " I still need to get my class list so I can get started on a whole bunch of other jobs." etc. etc.   As teachers, we don't often talk about our insecurities before the students walk in the door. We prepare and yet until we see the white of their eyes, hear their voices and interact with their personalities, we can only imagine what things will be like. We can plan things, but until we meet the students, the teaching process is just a pla...

Words kill; words give life. They're either poison, or fruit - you choose. What does this proverb have to do with a primary classroom? I didn't know the answer at first but knew I needed to post the proverb on the bulletin board. I needed a visible reminder that my words have a powerful effect for good and for bad - it's my choice how I react and what I will choose to say. This week alone, I have referred to this proverb four times (and it's only Tuesday). When gossip is being passed around, right in the middle of work time, it's time to stop and evaluate what's happening. When verbal put-downs are handed out continually on the playground and feelings are hurt, it's time to stop the pattern. When written words, "You are a failure." are posted on a worksheet, it's time to redefine peer feedback. When threats of revenge are spoken undercover to keep things a secret, it's time to expose and stop the poison. What if that's w...

When I read a story of a little girl's sleep-over with a great grandma,   my heart is warmed. Rather than sleeping in the guest bed, the six year old wanted to crawl in with Grandma, laughing and chatting as if at a friend's house. When it was finally time to settle down to sleep, the grandma held her great granddaughter's hand until sleep came. The phrase about hands reaching "across the generations" is what has stayed with me. There is a special connection when women build relationships and are willing to share some of life's wisdom with each other. I love it when it happens with my daughters, or with my mom or aunt. I'm realizing that not everyone has those nourishing relationships within their birth families. Even if we do, we still need other women to encourage us. I felt that connection when I dropped in on a young mom with preschoolers and we chatted over coffee. She's like a daughter to me and I realized how connected we are at th...