Word Dancer: Literature, the Arts, & Education – Page 2 – Exploring Curiosity, Imagination, and Wonder
September 27, 2021 ~ wordancerblog	~ 5 Comments	
In schools across the country and probably across the world, September means assessments. We give all kinds of assessments to get to know our students, or should I say to get to know their academic strengths and weaknesses. I don’t think assessments have anything to do with getting to know our students. We determine who is high, medium, and low; who succumbed to “The Summer Slide,” and who excelled without our teaching. We do this in the grand name of progress. We pore over every score. Who is proficient and fluent? Who is struggling and not retaining the concepts and skills we’ve taught? But what do those numbers and labels that we diligently collect really tell us? What do we truly understand about the information we gathered? And how does that data affect our instruction?
As an elementary school learning specialist, I am keenly aware of these questions because I am not sure that copious amounts of data are changing or improving our teaching. I think the majority of teachers – whether in public, charter, or private schools – revert to the mean. By which I mean, they revert to what they know: they teach to the middle, often leaving behind the students with weaker skills and also boring to tears the students who have surpassed their grade-level standards.
I am sure teachers mean no harm. They just lack the awareness and knowledge of how to reach all students no matter their skill level. Many think you need specialized training and yes, that might be very beneficial, but what teachers really need to reach students is simple: the ability to be present and listen – the ability to tune out the educational jargon and tune into the little scholars in front of them. All they have do is ask…
What is she telling me?
What can I do to build her knowledge, her confidence, her motivation, and her curiosity?
How can I create a classroom experience that will connect my students to each other and to big ideas too?
This past week, I came across a common assessment dilemma. A new teacher came to me with a problem. One of her young students did poorly on a sight-word spelling assessment, scoring 2 out of 27. I asked to see the assessment.
The teacher responded, “You want to see the hard copy?” And I wondered about her hesitancy until she handed me the student’s paper. Then my suspicions were confirmed. The student had left almost all of the test blank.
I asked the teacher, “What happened here? Why did she leave all these answers blank?”
The teacher replied, “I don’t know. It looked like she was writing?”
“Didn’t you walk around the room and check to see if everyone was following along?” I thought to myself, knowing full-well the answer.
The teacher responded, “I don’t think it’s my job to constantly watch over them. I can’t stand over all of them all the time!”
I took a deep breath and calmly said, “That’s not what I am suggesting. When I had my own classroom, I would walk around the classroom, so I could assess in the moment what each student was doing and what they may need assistance with.”
She was silent. Then I quietly asked to reassess the student the following day.
The teacher asked me if that was fair.
I asked her, “What is the point of the assessment?”
She answered, “To find out if they know how to spell grade-level sight words.”
I nodded, “Right, so do we understand what this student knows?”
The teacher shook her head.
Then I smiled and said, “Then I will need to reassess her.”
The next morning, I sat in our sun-filled school library in the presence of a little girl with dark braids and big brown eyes. She was eager and happy to sit with me. I explained that I would be giving her the spelling assessment again. Her bright eyes grew even larger. I told her that she should sound out the words even if she was unsure how to spell them. I told her to think carefully, go slowly, and try her best to show me what she knows about all the words I was going to read. She took up her pencil and began. I started to see what she knew. Not all the words were correct, but she spelled out each word carefully. Then I asked her why she had left so many blanks on the original assessment.
She said wisely, “I don’t like competitions.” I tried hard not to laugh.
“I don’t like to spell in front of people.” she added.
I asked her, “Were you nervous about getting the words wrong?”
“Yes,” she nodded vigorously.
When she was done, I showed her all the words she knew, and we looked at the ones she did not yet know how to spell. Many of the ones she missed, she was able to correct on her own. I gave her a lot of praise and commended her for trying and really thinking about how each word was spelled. This first grader, who originally scored 2/27, had now scored 21/27, given a second chance.
Now, why is that? Did she suddenly remember the sight words? Or is it more about confidence and performance? Does this student need more sight word drills, or does she need more encouragement? I guess it is obvious where I am going with this line of questioning. I know that assessments are useful, but if teachers are not present to their students, then the assessments can become meaningless. I humbly suggest five meaningful and mindful ways teachers can approach assessing their students:
Remain present and open to possibility.
Listen with intensity.
Give specific and positive feedback.
Find time throughout the day to encourage and motivate.
Keep yourself and your students curious.
September 18, 2021 September 18, 2021 ~ wordancerblog	~ 4 Comments	
We are entering the second half of September. School has started. My busy life has begun. I reluctantly shift away from summer – the beach, the mountains, my independent reading time, the sun. And slowly I enter September already weary from thoughts of all I have to do, all I must do, all the little things that await me.
Get the Dresses
Buy the notebooks,
New pens, paperclips,
Get the class lists,
Start putting names
With eager faces,
Put dates on calendar:
Division Meetings,
Department Meetings,
Student Support Meetings,
Set the kettle on the stove,
Brew a steaming
Cup of vanilla chai.
Breathe in the spice,
Of my own choosing:
Big road trips,
Morning commutes,
Crisp pages,
On old walls,
This past week, I have been thinking of ways to energize myself for my school year. I have been going to school for sixty-two years. I have been teaching school for forty-three years. This year will be the twentieth anniversary of working at my present school. All of these years could feel like a very heavy weight, if I let them. School could finally become monotonous instead of fresh. School could become just another long and tedious “TO DO” list. Maybe instead of looking at all I have to do; I reframe my thoughts as all the wonderful thing I get to do. One day I won’t be able to do these things; one day soon I will be retired; one day soon I will not be on this marvelous blue planet. So, in this moment, why not appreciate all the things I get to do at school, at home, in my daily life.
To green out my window 
And blue, blue sky.
Canada Geese on the field,
The verdant woods beyond.
Crack open a brown 
egg for breakfast, sunny-side -
Multigrain toast, fig jam,
Strong Irish tea.
Set this day before me
With a devotion to the real,
With a disposition, sunny-side.
Create space and opportunity:
Laughing with loved ones,
With words and brushes.
Choose the day I make,
Gratefully given to me,
The one I am blessed with.
Some Websites on the Power of “I Get to…”
From “Have to” to “Get to”
I Have To vs. I Get To: How to Change Your Mindset from Obligation to Opportunity
Improve Your Mood by Replacing “I Have to” with “I Get To”
Life is Good Founder: John Jacobs – Keynote
September 13, 2021 ~ wordancerblog	~ 1 Comment	
September 5, 2021 ~ wordancerblog	~ 5 Comments	
August 22, 2021 August 25, 2021 ~ wordancerblog	~ 4 Comments	
This week, I cannot write about education, travel, or art. This week I have to address world events. The disaster that is Afghanistan has weighed heavily on my mind and heart. When disturbed and rattled, I usually turn to poetry to make sense of my feelings. I thought and thought about how I could express the immense sadness I feel about our great country, our amazing America. Not our perfect America, but our promising, hopeful America.
Walt Whitman’s “I Hear America Singing” and Langston Hughes’ poem “I, Too!” reverberated in my head this week. Written in 1867, Whitman’s poem celebrated America’s work ethic. Then in 1926, Hughes’ demanded that Blacks be recognized as an essential part of America. With COVID, racial unrest, discrimination, limited rights and freedoms, rising inflation, the Afghan crisis – America is not singing now. Never, in my lifetime have I felt so frightened and so worried that our country is slipping away. But my strong belief is that America is worth saving, and we must find a way to heal and regain our strength and standing.
I  Hear America Weeping
I hear America weeping,
No longer brave,
No longer united.
Land of industrious immigrants,
Once strong and diligent,
Now at odds with each other:
Masked, unmasked;
Vaccinated, not vaccinated;
Black brown, red, yellow, white.
Great cities burning,
Flooded by drugs and violence,
Open to looting, and shootings.
America, I hang my head
Sorrowful and ashamed,
No longer noble,
No longer resolute,
No longer the shining city
Once the world leader,
Once the honorable democracy,
Now disgraced and embarrassed,
Open to terror, disorder, and chaos,
We have lost the world’s trust,
Abandoned our citizens and our allies.
We no longer stand for freedom.
America, I’m weeping,
The eyes of all people
Are truly upon us.
August 14, 2021 ~ wordancerblog	~ 2 Comments	
We are coming upon the last days of summer. For me, there is something bittersweet about that. I find myself holding on to the warm golden promise of summer. I don’t want it to end. No matter, how much I enjoy the fall, summer is a time that signals renewal and hope. There is so much I wanted to accomplish, so much joy I wanted to breathe in and make last. I don’t want that feeling to end. I need to find a way to sustain summer’s promise. I find it in the fields of wildflowers that I’ve encountered. I remember a poem I wrote many years ago. I keep reflecting on the power of that wild beauty. Something colorful and unexpected, something to surprise and comfort the faithful.
I come upon a field of wildflowers -
Poppies, cornflowers, Queen Anne’s Lace -
I walk across the field
Almost on tiptoe so as not to 
Disturb a single petal.
I capture with my camera
Oranges and yellows,
The surprise of blue, the blush of pink.
As I travel the meadow.
I find a bunch of wild daisies -
I say to myself and shrug.
I wonder where that game began.
Each daisy petal holds a fortune,
I take hold of its bright face,
Count each white petal,
Lucky 13 – I take a chance.
He loves me, he loves me not -
Until the last petal is plucked:
I look down at the sad yellow center,
The white petals, like torn paper
Fall from my hand.
I came across a wonderful graphic book for young readers by Ricardo Liniers Siri called Wildflowers. It is an imaginative journey through island jungle by three heroic sisters. Liniers based the story on his three daughters’ creative play. It is a pure celebration of how creativity and sisterhood can save the day! Liniers notes that Tom Petty’s song, “Wildflowers,” served as an inspiration. I had not heard of Petty’s song before, so I took a listen and began to weep. What simple beauty!
What a powerful message for young readers! Historically, I have not been a huge fan of graphic books/novels, but that it not to say that I have not found pure genius in some of them. Graphic books for young readers seem to be a perfect way to motivate and engage children. The combination of picture and text support fluency and comprehension. I know our young K-3 readers gravitate to graphic books, as do our older elementary readers. The vivid descriptions that I enjoy as I read are encoded in a different way in graphic books. Here, the pictures serve as description and the readers must use their growing inferring skills. The rich visuals beckon children to question, wonder, and explore. Thank you, Liniers and Toon Books, for making me a fan!
More by Liniers
The Big Wet Balloons
Classic Graphic Books for Young Readers
Baby Mouse by Jennifer L. Holm
Owly by Andy Runyon
August 7, 2021 ~ wordancerblog	~ 2 Comments	
This summer, I have been concentrating on healing my body and spirit, which has entailed a lot of physical therapy and many walks in gardens and parks. Usually, I read a lot during the summer but this summer I have only read a couple of books so far. I decided to jump-start my reading by turning to a classic, The Once and Future King by T.H. White. I knew of the legend of King Arthur mainly from the Disney animated film, The Sword in the Stone. I loved that story because it was filled with hope, faith, and possibility. It helped me to become braver and more courageous. It gave me hope that even a small person could grow into someone who could right wrongs and defeat evil. As an anxious, insecure child, this legend especially appealed to me.
In early June, I was asked to find a quote about learning as part of a farewell gift for a retiring colleague. I did what many people do these days, I Googled it. And that’s when I came across T.H. White’s insightful observation about learning via Merlin’s advice to young Arthur, who was upset that his foster brother, Kay, was becoming a knight and he would only be allowed to be Kay’s squire. Merlin offers this sage advice:
The best thing for being sad,” replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, “is to learn something. That is the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honor trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then – to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things where are to learn.”
T.H. White, The Once and Future King, Chapter 21.
Throughout my life, I have found this advice to ring true. Whenever I faced challenges or needed to overcome obstacles, learning something, was the thing that pulled me through and made me feel confident. I gained knowledge, and I felt like I had changed for the better somehow. The Once and Future King is a very long story, six hundred thirty-nine pages, to be exact. It is not exactly easy reading, so I decided to listen to an audio version. Over and over again, I was amazed by White’s writing skill and keen insights. I find myself asking, “ How did he do that? How does he know all that in-depth information about falconry and trees; badgers and hedgehogs; snakes and giants? He makes writing seem so effortless, and he has so much to say that could guide adolescents and adults. He, indeed, is Merlyn, and we can learn so much from his words.
In the Book of Merlyn, White explains, “Nobody can be saved from anything, unless they save themselves. It is hopeless doing things for people – it is often very dangerous to do things at all – and the only thing worth doing for the race is to increase its stock of ideas. Then, if you make available a larger stock, people are at liberty to help themselves from out of it. By this process the means of improvement is offered, to be accepted or rejected freely, and there is a faint hope of progress in the course of millennia. Such is the business of the philosopher, to open new ideas. It is not his business to impose them on people” I connect strongly with this view: ideas are what make us human and seeking new ideas make us stronger and make our journey in this world interesting and worthwhile.
Throughout my many years of teaching, I made sure that I found new things to learn so that I would never forget the feelings my novice students experienced. Adopting the mindset of a beginner helped me truly understand the struggles my students encountered. I believe that made me better able to connect with them and teach them effectively. When I was teaching 2nd grade, I decided to take a drawing class at the Parson’s School of Design in New York City. It was a big leap for me, but I wanted to learn how to draw realistically, and I wanted to face a challenge. The classes were three hours long. Three hours of sitting, observing, and drawing. It entailed a tremendous amount of concentration. After my first forty-five minutes of sitting, I began to look around the room, I stared out the window, I fidgeted in my seat, I got up to go to the ladies room. I took my time. I wandered. I smiled to myself. “This is what my students’ feel. What can I do to make them be able to concentrate longer and learn more deeply?”
When I taught 3rd grade, I learned Krav Maga, an Israeli Martial Arts. I am not naturally athletic, and this class called for great physical exertion. I did not back down. I studied for three years and was preparing for my brown belt test before a back injury put me on the sidelines. Throughout my martial arts training, ,y students loved to see me demonstrate self-defense techniques and cheered me on. I think they felt more empowered my seeing their teacher take greater and greater risks. I hope I demonstrated to them that learning is hard and that is good – it makes you strong it helps to persevere.
As a learning specialist, who has supported students with multiple learning differences, I know that motivating them to keep learning is key. No matter how daunting the task of learning is, it is the only remedy for sadness, ignorance, and a multitude of what ails the world. And of course, books provide the source of much learning. Through books we can have a wide array of experiences. Through books, we can be exposed to all kinds of ideas. Through books, we can become who we want to be.
Poetry Found!
July 25, 2021 ~ wordancerblog	~ 2 Comments	
I have regularly used found poetry to introduce children to the wonders of verse. Using printed text from which to construct a poem gives the young poet a firm foundation on which to build. It eliminates the fearful and daunting blank page. Found poetry is created by selecting and arranging words in order from previously constructed text. The texts can be taken from a variety of sources: ones’ own writing; favorite poems; literacy passages; non-fiction essays; environmental texts. This variety allows for a wide-range of experimentation.
Found poem from Stuart Little by E.B. White, page 41
Sometimes, found poems can be created by taking words and phrases from two different poems. Working in pairs, students read and critique two poems written about the same subject. Then they play with the lines of the two poems to create a new poem. I encourage the students to play with both poems. Eventually, they cut and paste lines from each poem to make their own poem. They do not need to use all the lines of poetry in their new poems and they may add their own words to enhance meaning. Their new poems, if presented in any form, must acknowledge the fact that it is a creation made from the work of the original poets.
Poems arranged on a staircase is another adaptation of found poetry, which I believe to be very effective in having students play and experiment with words. In this activity, students find a phrase of group of words that are personally important to them. They can also write their own phrase to express their feelings. These phrases are then written on sentence strips and gathered together. The whole group decides how to construct the phrases to make a meaningful poem. Then the found poem is either posted on the hall for all to see or each line is mounted to the back of each step on a hallway staircase. I love this presentation because as students walk into school, they are greeted by their class found poem. What an inspiring way to start the day!
Poetry Assemblages, using found words and objects, are also an effective way to stimulate creativity. I ask students to bring in ten small objects or pictures of objects and ten words that are personally important to them. These objects need to be things that can be used in a collage or assemblage so they cannot be of great monetary value. I introduce the students to the work of artist, Robert Rauschenberg, and then ask them to use their objects and words to create a work of art.
Rauschenberg Poetry Assemblages, Grade 4
For older elementary and middle school students, blackout poems extend the experience of constructing found poems. Blackout poems are created when the poet uses a black marker to ink out words of selected text, which then form a new message in verse. Many blackout poems create actual images on the printed page of text blending the notion of art and poetry. The poems can be linked to literature or poetry that the student are currently studying, which give them a deeper understanding of how authors construct meaning.
This week, I came across a beautiful little book of found poems called This Poem is a Nest by Irene Latham. These found poems, which Latham calls “nestlings,” all come from her original prose poems. Latham introduces her method of found poetry sayings: “One day when I was watching robins build a nest, it occurred to me that poems are nests – and we poets spend much of our time nest-building. We gather words, ideas, and dreams, and then we set about weaving, arranging, and structuring.”
I love this description of her poetic process. To me, it is the perfect definition of what poets do. I too am partial to bird watching. I love to linger by my window and watch as cardinals and blue jays gather seeds, and sparrows and chickadees bob up and down selecting reeds, stick, and grasses for their nests. I am heartened by the metaphor of a poem as a nest – a soft, warm, safe place to rest my words.
I believe there are places on this beautiful planet that are meant to heal, that are God-given. They bring wonder and awe. They summon peace and calm. I am fortunate throughout my life to have experienced many of these places. The natural world has always given me solace.
During COVID, it was near-impossible to travel far from home. Last spring, I found myself driving out into the countryside near my home, taking in the rolling hills, passing herds of grazing cows, horses, goats, sheep, llamas, and the occasional donkey. The animals had no idea of the death and stress that the human population was facing. They just left the warm comfort of their barns and sauntered out onto the sunny fields to feast. How I longed to have their innocence. Watching them and being in the greening world helped me to focus on what is important in my life.
Finally, this summer we can travel again. As we planned our first trip, my mood shifted, and I noticed my husband’s mood also became more hopeful. It was evident that both of our spirits needed to roam. Our first journey took us to Stowe, Vermont. Something about the Green Mountains makes me all at once calm and joyful. The rolling valleys dotted with farms and the graceful sloping mountains in the distance give me space for my soul to soar.
When we visit Vermont, we go to Stowe for much needed rest and relaxation. This trip, I vowed not to turn on my laptop and to only check my phone twice a day. I wanted to be completely present to the river, mountains, trails, and blue sky above me. Even better, I wanted to take in the afternoon mountain rain without distraction. I wanted it all to soak in and restore my body and mind.
Stowe is the perfect place for photography and poetry, so I indulged. I noticed and wondered, and made myself available to the nature all around me. These happy surroundings made it easy to create. I placed no judgement on myself. I just looked around me and recorded what I saw and how I felt. These excursions helped me to regroup and refuel. I am ever grateful.
Laced with wildflowers,
Gently sloping along
The quiet ridge,
A play of light and shadow,
Silver clouds drift
Swiftly north
Dusting the mountaintops,
Dark Daubs of clouds
Paint the early evening sky
Above the green mountains,
Which rise like enormous waves.
Silent and still in the distance,
A sliver of moon appears
A flute plays lilting
My feet find the gravel path,
I begin to wind around
The plants and flowers:
Day lilies, raspberry thickets, 
Slowly stepping,
Feeling the pebbles
Breathing in the flowers’
Lavish Fragrance,
Listening as the chickadees
Compete with the flute music.
My shoulders relax,
 Feel my way round and 
round the circle to its center.
I do not fall,
In the calm.