I’m tired of rain, I’m tired of the corona virus, I’m tired of endless breaking news with more stories of closures, infection, and dire economic consequences.
So…I’m making a list of those things I am appreciating today.
In no particular order:
I appreciate all the book suggestions from slicers in response to my blog yesterday. They have curated an awesome list for me to chose from…now I just need to pick one and get reading!
I’m thrilled that my mom has decided to stay with us for the time being. While my dad is in Yuma (really, a snowbird from San Diego?), it’s good to have her here rather than isolated 30 minutes away.
I’m lucky to teach in a place where parents are involved and care so much. I can see the evidence of parents following up with their children in response to the learning activities I post daily on Google Classroom during the school closures.
I’m grateful for Flipgrid. The daily prompts I’ve been giving my students lets me see their precious faces and hear their voices each day. And I’ve been enjoying making my own as an invitation to them. The challenge–a new prompt each day. We’ve shared favorite stuffies, how we stay active and healthy, our current book, and tomorrow…how we spend a rainy day. Anyone have ideas for additional prompts? I definitely need more–especially since our school closure just got extended by two weeks! (And that is likely optimistic)
And…I managed to squeeze in a between-the-raindrops beach walk with my husband! It was cool and breezy…and blissfully empty. I power walked my usual distance and still got back home in time for the scheduled Zoom call on my calendar.
Okay…I feel better already now that I spent some time thinking about the silver lining to today’s frustrations. And I’m looking forward to your Flipgrid prompt ideas for my students!
Thinking Through My Lens 
Thanks for the beach scene. I needed that.
Favourite food, what animal would they be, where would they most like to live, best superhero(ine), sing their favourite song to wash their hands to, draw a picture and show it to you, who would they invite to dinner, what would they do if they won the lottery.
Thanks Sarah! This is a amazing list! Just what I need to move forward… Glad this comment got through!
That photo is amazing! What a gift to have a place like that to walk! I googled “conversation starters for kids” and found several great lists online. My favorite question: “What color is the happiest color?”
Thanks! It hadn’t yet occurred to me to google! I love the color question!
So glad you are finding bursts of fuel on your beloved beach walks. The fact that we see your beach shots again and again, year after year, months after months, week after week, reminds me of the importance of finding the daily wonders we “normally” seek to keep our lives in balance. Yesterday was our first day back in a “virtual” classroom. We wrote under the influence of Angela Narciso Torres’s poem “What I Learned Last Week.” One student wrote, “ll I Can Do is just stare out my window, and count down the days until I can breathe the clean, disease free air.” LOVE the window. We all have windows. AND THEN, I listened to Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle’s daily talk (these are incredible!), and they spoke of windows and the possibility of having kids write what’s outside their window! I’ll be using that tomorrow as an entry point into class: Go to your favorite window. Sketch or write what you see. If you want, play with what it means and why it matters…
Love these ideas—and connecting with you. Thanks Stacey!