Saturday, August 9, 2014

Celebrating the Slow Down {8-09-14}

This week was a busy one...and then it wasn't.

It began on Monday with teaching a writing class for a group of 17 teachers from my district.  This was my first time teaching such a class and I feel it went very well.  I tried to balance sharing ideas about writing instruction with a healthy dose of writing time.  (I'm a firm believer that teachers who write make the best teachers of writing.)  All of it was well received and it was very exciting to watch the enthusiasm for writing grow throughout the day.

On Tuesday, I attended an EdCamp in Oconomowoc, WI.  If you've never attended an EdCamp, I highly recommend it.  (You can find on in your area on this website.)
edcamp
While this EdCamp gave me lots of ideas to begin my year, the best part of my day was spending it going to and from Oconomowoc with my friend and fellow teacher, Heather.  Heather is one of those people that I feel very blessed to know.  In addition to being a wonderful friend, she pushes me and challenges me in ways that I don't even know I need.  Knowing her is a celebration.

After a busy two days, there was nothing...No place I had to be, nothing that had to be done.  I enjoyed the time just "being." I read a little, walked some, and spent a lot of time just sitting and being mindful of the beautiful summer days before they disappear.  This was the view from my patio last night.
I am going to soak up as much of this as I can before the busyness of life and work creeps back in.

One last celebration -- a beautiful sunrise this morning.
Thank you, Ruth, for hosting this weekly celebration party.  It is an important reminder to cherish the best in life!
Make it a great day!

~Jennifer

9 comments:

  1. Beautiful sunrise!
    Sounds like you had a wonderful week...teaching, spending time with a friend, just being....

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  2. What a gorgeous sunset!!! I love how you celebrate just BE-ing. I think that's so important. And I'd love to attend an EdCamp soon! It sounds like a great experience! :)

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  3. I had a little time to just "be" too, Jennifer, & I am savoring it. Soon enough we'll be back in full time! Your writing PD sounds great-good for you for sharing that teachers should be writing! And, love your backyard view. My old house was by a park & I miss those wide spaces, but the new one does have some green space, so I enjoy that. Have a great week!

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  4. Great pictures! I have not had any "just being" time :( I need to get some since school starts a week from Monday. I'm glad you had some of that time, it's so important to get in because most of life is not full of that!

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  5. I attended my first Edcamp this summer also. It is a very interesting concept, and I hope I get to attend others. I started school this week and still needed some "just being" time. Enjoy these last few days of summer!

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  6. So glad you had some time to just be and enjoy the beauty. Congrats on the PD and time to spend with a friend at EdCamp. The miles fly by when you have good complany.

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  7. Gorgeous photos! You must love spending time on that patio. What a space! Loved hearing about your teaching of teachers. If I could leave my pre-service teachers with just one understanding or belief about teaching, it would definitely be "The teacher writes." (Of course I hope they'll learn a lot more than just that, but that one is REALLY important!)

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  8. Jennifer, your week sounds as though there was much to celebrate. I liked your line, "No place I had to be, nothing that had to be done. I enjoyed the time just "being." There is nothing like that feeling of just being. By the way your photos are perfect examples of summer serenity. Would you care to place either one in the Summer Serenity Gallery I am unveiling at the end of August? If so go to the following link to read all about it: http://beyondliteracylink.blogspot.com/2014/07/souvenir-from-reflect-with-me-summer.html.

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  9. What a wonderful week. I especially liked the part where you had no where to be and nothing to get done. That sounds heavenly. Enjoy these last days of summer and take advantage of these days while you can.

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