SOLC-Right Now

Feel free to leave your own slice at two writing teachers

Right Now...

Right now I am thankful my girls are healthy.

Right now I am anxiously awaiting the new 5th graders to walk through my classroom door.

Right now I wish I could hold my parents in my arms and say all is well.

Right now I am happy that my parents are always near by and we will get through this trial.

Right now my family is remembering the life of my cousin as the one year anniversary of her death approaches.

Right now I am trying to be courageous and allow my children to leave the state with their dad without me.

Right now my body is healed.

Right now my heart has mixed emotions of happy, sadness, love, and excitement.

Right now I hope to live my life as if right now may end tomorrow.

Slice of Life 2/31 Dream Sweet

Baths are finished,
hair combed,
footy pajamas slipped on.

"Brush teeth," signs Emma,
running to the wash room,
standing on the stool.

Humming while they brush,
giggling as they watch each other,
sisterhood in action.

"Read book", cries Gracie,
hop on elmo,
blankets pulled high.

Pages wisping,
"again, again," they say,
echoing my words.

Tuck, tuck them in,
star song sung,
"Dream sweet, my mommy!"

Heart melts,
who knew love so strong,
God watch over them and
dream sweet.

~LYS~

Saying Good Byes

A simple call
leads to numbness.

Life changes in a moment,
never to be the same.

Memories of our childhood,
flash in my mind
as I drive to the hospital
to say my good byes.

The smells,
the sounds.

Those reminders
of my other memories here.

I see my aunt
your mother.
How do you say good bye
to your child?

My heart fills with sorrow,
it aches.

My sobs echo down the hall,
they do not heal you.

You are not aware.
You are not there.
I love you.
I will miss you.

How do you say good bye?

My silent prayers,
Trying to erase the sorrow here,
You are broken,
You are hurt.

Why must we say good bye?

Our childhoods together,
Our smiles in the pictures,
You hid your pain,
You carried it alone.

I'm sorry.

Watch over us,
Watch over my babies,
May you feel love,
May you no longer ache with sorrow,
Watch over your mother,
She is burdened with the loss,
Watch over you father,
Who fought to keep you here,
May happiness find you now.

Good bye, my cousin.

Poem A Day

Flashes of my Day

interruption,

phone calls,

knocks on the door,

7 minutes of uninterrupted time,

library,

books,

adults who roll their eyes

at students who are not

in a perfect line,

sighs from me,

interruptions,

sighs from my students,

writing,

conferring,

students teaching others,

interruption-developmental films,

giggles,

SHHHHHHH from the nurse,

giggles,

LUNCH

with a student,

questions,

answers,

the realization that

despite the day,

I wouldn't trade it

for the world.

Challenge #31~Today~

As I was getting my girls' dinner ready I saw a bird's nest and even though we had 8 inches of snow on Sat. and 60 degree weather on Sunday. I felt that Nature was speaking to me through this beautiful sight.

Today I am one step closer to being the teacher I always dreamed I would have.

Today I am reminded to pause and embrace the moment.

Today I believe my life journey is for a reason.

Today I hope I can make a difference in someone's life.

Today I can forgive myself for not being perfect.

Today ends.

Tomorrow begins.

A new to-day.

Inspired by Ruth's post on TWT.

Challenge #27~In Honor of My Class~

Journey of Writers
In honor of my class of 2008-9
LYS

The sea of faces,
Changes each year.
Each one unique.

I don’t know you yet,
But I will.
As we ride the journey together

You tentatively jump aboard.
This new day.
Days of writing, revising, and writing and revising.

Overcoming our fears,
Realizing we are all writers.
Growing one-by-one.

Fears abate,
Trust occurs,
Crafting our words.

This journey will take
a new shape at the end,
But do not fear,
For they will gently move you farther.

Celebrate with me
So we all can see
The journey of writers during a year.

Challenge #24~Spring Life~

Today as the weathermen prepares us for severe weather I wrote this concrete poem for my class. Sorry it's in Scridb, but it was the only way I could get it to look correct on the blog.

Concrete Poem

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Creative Writing love ebook

Challenge #22~Inspired by william carlos williams

morning arrives too soon

inspired by william carlos williams

written by: lys

so much depends
upon

a diet dr.
pepper

awakening my
mind

from the sandman's
dreams.

the red wheelbarrow

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens

by: william carlos williams

Challenge #13~A Break~

Supposed to be time to relax,
Perhaps I shouldn't have brought my book bag home,
Realizing I am thinking of what we are doing when we get back,
I wish I could just STOP and not think about the last nine weeks,
No one realizes my brain never stops thinking about school,
Guessing this is probably normal for teachers.

Bewildered that I can't just sit and not do anything,
Realizing that there is always something to do
Everyone has to feel this way too
Aren't we always feeling as if something is left undone?
Keeping ourselves busy instead of just taking a moment to ourselves.

Challenge #5~Who Am I?~

As I worked with my students on their "remembering who you are" poems. I realized mine needed some serious updating. I really had to start all over because my other Who Am I was written 8 years ago. My how life and dreams change over time.

Who Am I?
I am my big, pink cheeks and my boisterous laugh,
I am my “seriously” followed by a knowing and forgiving smile,
I am my small moments cherished in my heart,
I am filled with stories.

I have turned 30 and survived,
I have gone from manis and pedis to burp rags and poopy diapers,
I have achieved my greatest gift to the world~my children.

I am a real person who hides my sad times,
I am a person who celebrates the little things,
I am a person whose heart has cracks, but still believes time will heal.

I have traveled unexpected journeys,
I have conquered my fears,
I have accepted life’s path,

I am my own.

I am me.

~LYS~

Conversations With a Writing Partner

On Friday, my afternoon class and I were looking at Antwone Fischer's poems as mentor text to write a poem that day. We talked about the significance of the repetitive line in the poem. I hadn't written my poem yet and I brainstormed from my heart topics that we had done earlier that day. "Ms. Snow, I think you should write about being a mother. You talk alot about that," said D. He and I talked for a couple of more minutes about the "meaning" for my poem. The first repetitive line he gave me~"Who thought being a mother could be so hard." As a result of us conferring the poem below bloomed.

Motherhood

Mothers are fearless,
They never doubt,
What do I do for her?
Tiny hands, tiny feet,
Will I be a good mother?

Mothers know the answers,
They never doubt.
Will I know what to do when she is sick?
Wheezing, fevers at midnight,
Am I a good mother?

Mothers are all knowing,
They never doubt.
What will I say when she is asked out for her first date?
First kisses, first heartbreaks,
Am I a good mother?

Questions aren't always answered,
Mistakes are made,
Listening to your heart,
Trusting your child,

I am a mother.

~LYS~

Poetry

Poetry is one of my favorite genres to teach. I use poems all year long in my reading curriculum. We wrote "Where I'm From..." poems the week before George Ella Lyon visited. Today we studies Antwone Fisher's poems. Many of his poems repeat phrases or words. We talked about the significance in why writers choose to do this. Students then went to their map of their heart to pick out a topic that was meaningful to them that they knew they could write about. One student dictated to me and I am once again amazed at my writers. They do truly listen to their hearts.

After visiting with my writers as they began drafting their poems, I have my mini-lessons for next week: stanza form, use of white space, poem layout. I hoping to have these published by student led conferences.

Gearing Up for SOLC

Today was W-Day. The state mandated writing test for all 5th graders. Prompt was good. The kids wrote long and strong. Now we can all breathe. As the students opened their booklets this morning and then began to plan their essay it seemed as if they all let out a collective sigh about 3 minutes in~"We are writers" they seemed to say. This has been my mantra for them. So I wrote this..

Journey of a Writer

pencils scribbling
we are writers
eraser flecks
we are writers
pages rustling
we are writers
minds engaging
we are writers

dream
hope
believe
breathe

WE ARE WRITERS

~LYS~