An Unexpected Surprise {SOL 7.25.17}

My husband is out of town which, of course, is prime time for everything in the house to misbehave.

On Monday of last week, our septic pump broke, bringing water into our finished basement. Luckily, we have good friends in town who were able to help me out. John came over on Monday night, pulled out the pump, diagnosed it as broken, went to the store and got me a new one and even installed it for me. (Isn't he AWESOME??!!)

As I wrote John a check for the cost of the pump, I was immensely thankful that he saved me a large expense from a plumber. However, the $246  was not in our budget we had planned for the month. I thought to myself: It is what it is. We will figure it out later.

On Thursday, I picked up the mail and noticed an envelope from my daughter's oral surgeon who recently removed her wisdom teeth. I opened the letter and almost fell over:

This unexpected check would almost completely cover the cost of the pump!

Woohoo!!!

The Law of Attraction worked hard for me last week!

Let's Talk About Writing!: #TeachWrite Twitter Chat

If you are a teacher who writes, I'm pretty sure you know its benefits when it comes to your teaching of writers. 

Teachers who write....

...Know the messiness of the writing process from the inside out.

...Are better at conferring and talking one-on-one with their student writers. 

...Understand that writing is hard work, but so, so worth it.

...See the value in writing and the depth and clarification it adds to our thinking.

...Have a stronger connection with their students as they can empathize with the writer's journey.

...Are awesome!

Becoming a writing teacher who writes has truly changed my instruction....and my life. I have come to enjoy teaching writing (enough so that it is the focus of my new business, Teach Write LLC) and have met so many amazing teacher-writers from around the world that have brought so much friendship to my life.

It is with all of this in mind that three of these such friends and I have decided to start a new Twitter chat dedicated to teachers who write and to help others see the benefit of this rewarding habit.

Join us the first Monday of every month for #TeachWrite, a new Twitter chat dedicated to growing teachers as writers and teachers of writers.

Do you….

Believe that teaching writing is easier when teachers are writers themselves?

Believe that our own writing lives deserve to be nurtured?

Believe that all writers grow through dedicated writing time?

Believe that all writers need support and encouragement?

Believe that writing is a messy process and the best way to learn this is through our own practice?

Believe that when teachers write, they make writing a priority in their classrooms?

Our chat will support teachers not only in their quest to become better teachers of writers but to become better writers ourselves.

In addition, each chat will end with an invitation to write!

Please join us!

Our first chat is Monday, August 7th at 7:30 PM EST with the topic of  “Writing for the JOY of It!”

You can sign up to receive a monthly reminder of our #TeachWrite chat by signing up for a Remind: remind.com/join/teachwri 

Hope to see you August 7th at 7:30 pm EST! (Don't forget to sign up for the Remind: remind.com/join/teachwri)

The Power of the Phone {SOL 7.11.17}

If you are like me, you carry your cell phone with you everywhere. To be without it is to feel like I've lost my right arm. I constantly check to make sure I have it: in my pocket, in my purse, on my coffee table. 

My cell phone is not just my phone, it is also my watch, my alarm, my camera, my to-do list, my notepad, my weatherman, my entertainment center, my map and probably a million other things.

So on Friday, when I went to Six Flags Great America with my family, I panicked a bit when I realized I had left my phone at home. (How that happened, I can't quite figure out.)

At first, I considered going home to get it. But then I thought...seriously?? 

Nope, I would make-do all day without it.

And you know what?  It felt weird, but it was actually kind of nice.

I didn't feel the draw to check it every hour (or sooner, given a state of inactivity).

I could enjoy moments with my family instead of trying to see them through the camera's viewfinder.

It even felt a bit devious to be disconnected from text messages...What would people think if they texted me and I didn't get back to them right away??? (Oh, the horror!! :)

I didn't have those up-to-the-minute updates of who was doing what and where from Facebook.

The only bad part about not having my phone was that I also didn't have a watch on so figuring out what time it was became a bit of a challenge.

What began as a day of panic, actually turned out to be very nice. It also made me realize how much my phone controls me. (Which is actually a pretty scary thought!)

I plan to have more phoneless days in the future. I think the more I do it, the easier it will become. I won't feel like I'm missing a body part.

And maybe I'll take back some of that power I've given away to this inanimate object.  

She's Baaaack! {SOL 6.27.17}

We waited at the end of aisle outside the doors in the international terminal at O'Hare Airport marked Exit A. There were lots of others waiting there with us, stretching tall up on their tippy toes every time the doors to Exit A opened to see if their loved one was on their way out.

Behind those doors, I imagined long lines of passengers waiting to claim their luggage and pass through the customs screening. I'm sure many were weary from hours of travel but also excited to walk through the doors to see their dear ones waiting on the other side.

People from all different worlds streamed past us. Many stopped to hug a friend or family member waiting in the crowd. Then there were also others who simply walked out, pulling their suitcase, trying to find the most unobstructed route to the exit doors because they did not have anyone waiting in the crowd.

We continued to watch the doors of Exit A flap open and shut.

Open and shut. Open and shut.

I kept glancing at the clock.

Waiting. Waiting......

Open and shut. Open and shut.

Then we saw her....our Hannah was back.

{Thing 1 is Hannah, our German daughter. She stayed with us for the 2015-2016 school year. Thing 2 is our American daughter, Kara. She stays with us all the time. Hannah is back to visit for the month of July unless we can talk her into moving here permanently. We just love her!}

Making Connections {SOL 6.20.17}

It's almost here....!!!

Tomorrow, I will pack up the car and head four hours east toward Warsaw, IN for the ALL WRITE conference.

This year is my 4th year attending and I couldn't be more excited!

When I went to my first All Write conference four years ago, I went completely alone. I did not know a single person. (And, I might add, I was pretty darn proud of myself for being so brave to go it alone!)

My bravery paid off. I was quickly swooped up by a group of amazing ladies -- Linda Baie, Mary Helen Gensch, Ruth Ayres, LeAnn Carpenter, Leigh Ann Eck, Christy Rush-Levine, Kim Barrett, and others that I'm sure I am unintentionally forgetting -- and welcomed into their group.

Looking back, I think my professional life really started to change when I went to my first All Write conference. I feel like I found my tribe. I connected with other educators who believe in the same things I do -- the power of writing and leading a literate life.

Tomorrow I will see many of these ladies again in real life (versus on blogs, Twitter chats, etc.). I am so looking forward to it.

But I wanted to tell you.....

If you are going to All Write, especially if you are going alone, let's connect! I'd love to meet you and welcome you into our tribe. Look for my "Teach Write" shirt. Send me a tweet (@laffinteach) or stop by my session on Friday and say "Hey!".  I'm presenting on "The Cartonera Project: Every Student an Author" during the final session on Friday.

Safe travels!

The Door {SOL 6.06.17}

This is the door to the classroom where I have taught for the past nine years.

Beyond this door is the classroom where I learned along with 208 fourth- and fifth-grade students.


We wrote magical stories in this room.

We learned how to divide fractions in this room.

We pursued passion projects in this room.

We went on adventures with Pax, Edward, Ally, Ada, Bud, Melody and Auggie in the books we read together in this room.

We held family meetings in this room.

We learned about explorers, space, Native Americans, the Revolutionary War, the human body systems, the Ice Age, energy and good nutrition in this room.

We learned how to solve problems, how to help each other, and the power of the word 'yet' in this room.

We made cards for sick friends and celebrated birthdays in this room.


Last week Friday, I walked through this door into this room for the final time.

I had made the decision to leave the classroom and teaching to start and grow my new business, Teach Write, last November. I had plenty of time to prepare for this day -- the last time I would walk through this door into the room that held so many good memories of the past nine years.

The last nine years have been simply amazing. I wouldn't have changed a thing.

At the end of the day, I walked back through that door and headed out, never to return.

I'm not sure what the future holds, but nine years ago when I first walked through that door into my new classroom, I didn't know either.

And it all turned out okay.

Squawky Momma Bird {SOL 5.23.17}

I heard her before I saw her.

The telltale "yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip, yip" I have heard many, many times.

Up the road from where I was walking last night, I saw her -- long twiggy legs carrying her swiftly away from the shoulder of the road across to the other side. Once there, she sat down on in the gravel, fanned her tail, stuck her right wing out at an awkward angle and began to shake. As I approached, she got up, ran about 20 feet up the road and repeated her broken wing act.

The "her," in this case, is a bird called a Kildeer. Kildeer are known for protecting their nests (which they build on the ground in grass or gravel) by distracting a predator with a high pitched yip and pretending to be injured. Their goal in this act is to draw a predator away from the nest, thinking the adult bird is an easy target instead.

I had no intention of harming the nest, yet the momma bird insisted in yipping at me until I moved way past them and up the hill.

When my daughter was younger, she rightfully called this bird the Squawky Momma Bird. The sound the Kildeer makes is rather obnoxious and persistent. The name has stuck after all these years.

She is one determined momma. Very protective. Very smart. Very clever.

But then again, most of the moms I know are.