Last summer I read extensively to plan for the school year. Since it was my first time teaching in a self-contained classroom, it was going to be a year unlike any of my other experiences. One of the areas that I read about most was reading and writing workshop, since literacy has always been my favorite academic area. As I was finishing up the school year I felt like I was not able to implement all the components as smoothly and consistently as I had envisioned when preparing over the summer.
Last week I was reading over the notes that I wrote for books that I checked out from the library, and I was encouraged by a comment from when I was reading In The Middle. Since I do not have a copy of the book, I am not sure exactly what Atwell said, but my note from when I was reading chapter one said, "Focus on always improving and don’t be too hard on myself as I start writer’s workshop." This helped me to step back and celebrate what I was able to implement this year, and how useful my experiences this year will be in informing my plans this summer.
Another thought that I had while reviewing my notes was that mid-year and toward the end of the year would have been a perfect opportunity to revisit the books; yet, in the school rush, I forgot to do this. I decided to order copies of the three most helpful books that I checked out from the library last summer: Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide by Ralph Fletcher and JoAnn Portalupi, In The Middle: New Understandings about Reading, Writing, and Learning by Nancie Atwell, and A Fresh Look at Writing by Donald Graves. All three of these books are relatively older than my other professional development books but still very relevant and useful.
This summer I will be reading new resources, as well as revisiting many of my treasured books. I cannot wait to implement my new structure next year. I am also looking forward to have all of my favorite books on hand to refer to throughout the year.
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