Thursday, August 23, 2007

Rereading the old but true

So yesterday I got my Debbie Miller Reading with Meaning book back from someone who borrowed it and I thought, "I should read this again." I read it in June but I love this book! I really want to read it while in the moment of teaching and feel its magnitude in the moment. Anyhoo, here is a piece of text that really struck me last night while reading:

"There are many effective ways to teach children and live our lives. No one has a patent on the truth. Find yours. Read. Reflect. Think about what you already know about good teaching and how it fits with the new learning. Read some more. Think about the implications for your classroom. Collaborate with colleagues. Try new things and spend time defining your beliefs and aligning your practices. Once you've found what's true for you, stand up for what you know is right. Live it every day and be confident and clear about why you believe as you do. People will listen!"
I see what I have done this summer in this quote.
Reading: I have read so much about things that I want to be better at, reader's and writer's workshop.
Thinking: I have done a lot of thinking about my classroom and the upcoming school year.
Collaborate: I have several friends that I have collaborated this summer with, Kirsten, Kathy, Jen, Ruth, Cathy from becoming..., Karen, and Sondra. We have discussed and pondered our learning. It has been collaboration at its finest!
Living it: I am doing this right now. My colleagues and I are putting our talk into action. I see my fellow colleagues and their confidence. I feel my own confidence. I see the positive results in my 25 treasures.
This is what I believe in, and I can prove why I believe!

2 comments:

Katie Dicesare said...

Isn't Debbie Miller awesome? She challenges me to think too. She wrote a great article about releasing responsibility in the classroom this summer at a site called Choice Literacy. I am always checking in on what she has to say!

Ruth Ayres said...

love, love, love the quote. thanks for pulling it out!