Reflections of 13 big
happenings in my 2013—professional, personal, and other.
(In chronological order, mostly.)
(In chronological order, mostly.)
(1) Beauty & the
Beast – The Disney classic, a favorite of mine, was the musical staged by
the Oxford Elementary School Drama Club in May. This was my seventh production as the director
of the club, it was no less magical than the first. Every year I wonder if
it will come together, if maybe the project is too much for the students. And
every year I am taken by how beautiful the experience is—beyond the show. The
new friendships, uncovered skills and talents, self-confidence and pride. This
was one of my favorite things I did for students this year.
(2) The Donut Day Giveaway
– I was still new to Twitter in the spring, and—as I let myself believe is
true of all new Twitter-users—my early action was mostly retweeting and
signing up for giveaways. When Linda Urban first wrote me to say I had been
selected to receive a copy of her brand-new book The Center of Everything, a
Skype visit with her, and donuts for my whole-class on National Donut Day, I
thought I had been pretty lucky. After our Skype, I floated on air, knowing in
my heart that I had just witnessed a most incredible interaction between a
gold-hearted author and some authentic readers. (When did that happen, I
found myself asking. When did my kiddos become so good at talking about
reading?) I got to meet Linda in person at NCTE,
and I’m excited about connecting with her.
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| With Loree Griffin Burns, Kate Messner, and Linda Urban at NCTE '13. |
(3) One Amazing Class – This
year brought one of the hardest ever end-of-year goodbyes. After a second year
with more than half my 4th grade class, it was time for the 5th
graders to move on. This group of students taught me so much, and they gave me more
than I can adequately express. They taught me about relationships with
students. They taught me about perseverance and taking a different route. They
taught me that there was still a better teacher residing within, and they
brought it out. This class underwent an amazing transformation, and they have
lots to be proud of about themselves.
(4) Denver - Keeping
this “mini,” I hopped on a plane the day after school finished for the year and
flew to Denver, Colorado—solo. Fresh off
the plane, I caught up with Joey, a friend from high school who I had not seen
since 1998. I rented a car and navigated Denver on my own. Later that night, I
met up with Amy and her husband, Ed, who were kind enough to let me stay with
them on my quick getaway. I had not spent time with Amy since she graduated
from Saint Mike’s in 2000. In both cases, it was easy to pass time with Joey
and Amy, making it hard to believe any time had passed at all. The next day, I drove
myself north through beautiful Colorado to meet up with my GPN friend, Trish,
and we spent most of the day driving the heights of Rocky Mountain National
Park. Everything about this dash to Denver was incredible, from the friendship
to the freedom of being independent.
(5) Red Rocks – (I had
to break Denver up a little to avoid a “maxi-slice.”) On my last night in
Denver, I had tickets to see Grace Potter & the Nocturnals play Red Rocks. My
ticket was a birthday gift from David and good for a seat in the center of row
30, which was about halfway up the venue. Thanks to some other generous fan
friends who had waited in line (while Trish and I were gaping at the beauty of
the Rockies), we were summoned to the third row during the break between the
opener and GPN’s set. I was simply in
awe of the whole experience-music, surroundings, and company. Of the 22 shows I’ve
seen, this may be the GPN show I remember the least because I remember
everything else about it the most.
(6) Less Pain & More
Normalcy – In what is perhaps my most personal mini-slice (skip to #7 if you want), this summer I
had many large tumors removed from my uterus. I had experienced a lot of pain
and inconvenience for as long as I can remember. I was fearful of surgery and
possible risks and prolonged the inevitable for two years while the tumors’
measurements were monitored. However, the June surgery and my
recovery were picture perfect, and the results were immediate. I was blessed
with a very patient and skilled doctor.
(7) Tanglewood – Tanglewood
was the second stop in my bucket-list venue summer. I traveled to western Massachusetts
to meet up with Trish. The venue was picturesque, and so were we as we shared a
pizza picnic style on a blanket from her car. We took in the sights and sounds
of his historic location and greeted old friends—other longtime fans with more
Grace Potter & the Nocturnal shows to their names than me. But this was one
of those times when I felt aware that I’ve found my place among them, and I’m
part of a bigger community of devoted fans. (It was three years ago this night
that I first met up with Trish to attend a GPN show solo—I guess it was
inevitable?)
(8) NERA
Author/Illustrator Event – For more than a year I helped plan the New
England Reading Association conference that was held in Portland, Maine in
September. Early on, I assumed responsibility for organizing an
author/illustrator meet and greet style event. We were overwhelmed to have 27
authors and illustrators accept the invitation to attend. Guests happily milled
about, visiting tables, purchasing books, taking photos. It was special to be breathing the air of literary excitement, and I was proud to have played a part in
the orchestration.
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| With Donalyn at dinner in September |
(9) Blogging for Nerdy
Book Club – Why didn’t this happen sooner? I suppose this was a text-book
case of “the right thing at the right time.” In September I was lucky to join
Maine Reading Association friends at dinner with Donalyn Miller and Penny
Kittle. In conversation with Donalyn that night, she asked why I hadn’t written
something for Nerdy Book Club, and when was I going to? It was a challenge
I couldn’t leave unanswered, but more than that, I knew deep down it was a
chance I needed to take. But I was afraid! What did I have to share? Would
anyone be interested in reading what I wrote? I sat with it, quietly,
introspectively. And then my post fell in my lap. The composition came together
quick, and it was posted, and…now I’m awaiting inspiration to write for Nerdy
Book Club again. (See my post here.)
(10) NCTE – This past
NCTE in Boston was my first experience attending a national conference, and I
was doubly fortunate because I presented material about reading communities
with two colleagues from my school district, also. I am grateful for the day my friend Justin insisted I/we had something worth sharing and asked me to help with a proposal. My maiden blog post about my
NCTE experience captures more of the spirit of the weekend,
but suffice it to say it was incredible to feel connected and embraced by a
wider, literacy-oriented community. There ARE other people like me, and now I
know where they hang out.
(11) NBCT – I did it.
It: I achieved National Board Certification for Teachers. I completed the
Middle Childhood Generalist certificate. I am one of 254 teachers in the state
of Maine who hold this certification. It took me two years and a whole lot of
energy, tears, and plain ol' umph to get there, but I did it, and I’m all the better for
the journey. (Blog post to come, someday, when I can put words to the
experience.)
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| With colleagues Justin & Jenn, who also achieved! |
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| Brandon's Benefit Quilt |
(12) Benefit Quilt Raffle –
In May my cousin (read: a third little sister) and her fiancé learned he had testicular cancer. He has fought
courageously all year through chemo, transfusions, and stem cell treatments. A
lot of the time we feel helpless because there isn’t much we can do, but it was
a gift for me to be able to make a quilt in their honor that could be raffled
as a fundraiser to support their expenses. There are no words for the gratitude
I felt as family and friends stepped up to help sell tickets, when donations
rolled in from friends near and far, even those who have no connection to
Kassie & Brandon other than through me, and when we finally gave them $2,675
the weekend of Thanksgiving.
(13) Family – Time
spent with my family is dear and there are too many varied options to
choose from to pick only one memory to feature. My family is fortunate to have two young,
spirited boys in our lives—my nephews who are 2 and 5. To see their joy in our
outing to the beach or the adventure we had at Storyland is a gift of 2013.
Time away with my parents and one sister in Rangeley for a cousin’s wedding was
quiet, calm, and too infrequent. Busy holidays, graduations, birthdays, and
other excuses for getting together are irreplaceable and will, always, have a
spot in my mini-slices of the year.
Honorable Mentions:
- The Donald Graves Legacy Breakfast
- Champion the Cure Challenge with Team Fishing for a Cure
- Submitting my first co-authored manuscript
- Skyping with Sarah Aronson
- The First-ever OES READS!
Thank you, to all of you who have shared in my 2013. I'm hopeful for what 2014 may bring!
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