Category Archives: Slice of Life

A Day for the Unexpected

I started my morning with an unexpected email from a former student…checking in, updating us on the new school year, and letting us know that she misses us. And she reminded me that she had a couple of blog posts pending and would I please publish them. (Her blog is still connected to my class since we haven’t started blogging yet this year in our class and her class hasn’t started blogging yet either.)

Last month she started celebrating a “person of the month”…her aunt was her person of the month for August. Imagine my surprise when I found this afternoon that I was featured on Mallory’s blog as her September Person of the Month. Here is a glimpse of the post:

Mrs. Douillard was very supportive of my writing career, yes I am very interested in being an author, she encouraged creative thinking and when someone said they were “done” she said you could always make things better! She taught me many different writing styles, and introduced me to blogging.

It is amazing to be celebrated publicly by a student for inspiring and encouraging her as a writer. This unexpected honor touches my heart and reminds me that the work of teachers is often not realized in the moment, it unfolds over time, often in unexpected ways.

The end of the post celebrates teachers and urges teachers to “take a day off and relax at the beach…” By coincidence, I did stop by the beach after work today. It’s been oppressively hot here in normally moderate San Diego, and with no air conditioning in my classroom, sweat has become part of my fashion statement! So to cool off, I headed to the beach to dip my toes in the waves. When I pulled up I noticed the large waves caused by the hurricane off the coast of Mexico and the towering white clouds in the sky…not just over the mountains, but more to the west and north than usual. Of course I had to capture some pictures of the waves…although they don’t begin to capture the size and power I watched.

As I cooled my feet along the edge of the water with my sandals in my hand, still dressed in my work clothes (a skirt and top), a rogue wave surged and drenched me nearly to the waist! (Definitely cooled me off!) I chuckled to myself as I walked back to my car and searched for a grocery bag to sit on as I drove home!

Thanks Mallory, for the honor of being named Person of the Month for September…and for encouraging teachers to “take a day off and relax at the beach.” You definitely made my day today!

Beach Humanity

1 Reply

There is something magical about the beach. Ears filled with the roar of waves, the backbeat of rocks rattling as they tumble against each other in the surf, the distinctive whistles of the sandpipers, and the urgent calls of the seagulls as they oversee the beach. Blues, greens, turquoise, and greys fill my eyes as they mix with the bright white of the foamy waves crashing. And there is the pervasive energy of play…beachside games of catch, pickup jumprope with kelp as the rope, surfers and boogie boarders, swimmers and waders, sand castle builders, mud throwers, walkers, runners, bike riders–I could go on forever!

Summer on the southern California coast teems with humanity. Every square inch of sand seems to be claimed by an umbrella, beach chair, towel or shovel. But I’m reminded that as September arrived, the mornings and nights belong to the locals.

Last night we made an impromptu trip to the beach, arriving in the afterglow of the sunset. The tide was low, bonfires already glowing, exercisers still working up a sweat in the cooler (but not yet chilly) evening temperatures. A light mist had rolled in along the shore, a relief to the record-setting highs we have been experiencing.

I was playing with angles with my camera last night. And noticed this child dragging kelp…I love the way that the beach provides its own toy chest.

You can see the emptiness…and the beauty of the evening beach in this shot of my hubby walking on the slant and reflected in the wet sand.

As we walked back up toward the parking lot, this little girl was attracting a crowd as she lifted bubbles from her bucket. In spite of the darkness, you can still see the colors in the bubble…and the littler children mesmerized as they watched the giant bubble float.

This morning, with forecasted hot weather–even on the coast–and a busy schedule for the day, we headed back to the beach early…arriving shortly after 7am. While the crowds hadn’t arrived yet, there were plenty of people enjoying the beach.

I noticed this man playing with his dog in the surf. The dog joyfully chased the disk and returned it to the man each time he threw it, asking for one more time.

I was even able to catch the dog in action as he ran in my direction, seeming to show me the great catch he had just made!

I noticed this mom playing with her baby in the surf. The baby would kick his feet each time the mom lifted him up and then tipped his toes into the water.

As I walked on I noticed this little boy with two surfboards. As I looked out into the waves I noticed a man (his dad) heading in to collect his board so they could head back out into the waves. The beach is definitely a place for families.

Towards the end of my walk I saw this guy fishing. The water was warm this morning (more than 70 degrees) so the fisherman was comfortable in trunks as he cast his line.

There were others I wasn’t able to document with my lens, but noticed as I walked. Couples walking with their coffee, the cute older couple with matching sun hats, exercise walkers with earbuds, runners staying above the waterline to keep their shoes dry, a father and daughter stretching before heading out with their boards, the older woman in her bikini, tennis shoes, and sun hat out for a walk, someone meditating with crossed legs and fingers touching…

One of my favorites things about the beach and the humanity that inhabits it, is that each person finds his or her own way of interacting with it. You can wear a bathing suit, a wetsuit, shorts, jeans…or even a wedding dress. Shoes are optional and are often seen in pockets, hanging over shoulders, or held in the hand. You can sit, stand, lay, run, walk, jump, dance, catch, throw, search, dig, build, chase…the options are endless.

I have quite a collection of images of #beachpeople this summer as I’ve noticed and studied the humanity I find on the beach. And what I know for sure is that most of them seem to come to the beach for fun, for pleasure, to escape the heat, the stresses of work…it is a place filled with play and playfulness. Adults playing with children, adults playing with other adults…enjoying the water and sand with the joy many often leave behind with childhood.

The beach is a magical place.

Food Truck Adventure

3 Replies

I’m not much of a foodie…and that certainly won’t surprise anyone who knows me. But tonight we decided to have an adventure of sorts…and chase down a food truck. My husband has been following the Pierogi Truck on Twitter, desperately wanting to relive a childhood taste memory of eating pierogis–a Polish dish that his mom made when he was a kid. These dumpling-like creations are not easy to find…and honestly, I haven’t expressed much interest in eating them.

So tonight, with the Pierogi Truck not too far from our neighborhood, we decided to take this taste adventure. Parked in a business park near a brewery, the purple truck was waiting. We walked up and were greeted by the two women who worked the truck and Geoff immediately engaged in a conversation about the Polish foods of his childhood.

So I had my first taste of pierogis tonight, a potato and cheese dumpling served with a sour cream or yogurt sauce on the side. They were pretty tasty…with a beer from from Iron Fist brewery on the side.

Geoff went for the sampler plate with an assortment of Polish delicacies…pierogis and Polish sausage and more.

The food was good and the adventure was better. It was fun to go out and do something out of the ordinary, to wander into a warehouse and sip a cold beer, watch some arm wrestling, pet some dogs, and do a bit of people watching.

And even though pierogis will not likely ever be my favorite food, it was fun to taste them, and to watch my husband savor the flavors he’d been remembering and imagining for so long. It was quite an adventure to head out on a Friday evening in search of a food truck. We’re already talking about other food truck possibilities… Who knows where our next adventure will take us!

Things Not Photographed

4 Replies

I’ve written frequently about the ways that photography helps me see what I would not ordinarily notice. Today’s post is about all those things that I notice when I am taking photos that I simply cannot capture or do justice to in a photo.

It was just a few days ago that I came across this quote from Dorothea Lange:

A camera is a tool for learning how to see without a camera.

And that has been true for me. Yesterday I was out taking photos with my youngest son. We explored the Huntington gardens and museums and old Pasadena…and I took some nice photos. But there were so many things I saw that I simply was unable to photograph. The Japanese gardens were extensive and gorgeous! The harshness of the midday sun was a challenge for photography.

And while I love this shot of the bridge, I wasn’t able to do justice to the vibrance of the koi swimming below the bridge or capture the beautiful blossoms of the lily pads floating in the water.

As we moved from the Japanese gardens to the Australian outback and into the desert, I was captivated by the hummingbirds. There were the usual Anna’s hummingbirds…the larger variety common to my area. But there were also these tiny hummingbirds, flitting and swooping from blossom to blossom…moving almost before you could see them, much less frame a photo. I did capture these beautiful cactus blossoms though.

To cool off, we headed inside to the art gallery and the library. Even though this space feels unfamiliar, I am sure I visited this place as a teenager on a field trip. The only thing I can remember about the visit is seeing the paintings of Blue Boy and Pinkie. But walking into the gallery reminded me immediately of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland!

I found myself thinking about curation and exhibition as I walked through the library…noticing the stories told and the ways the displays invited visitors to experience historical events. I also watched my son–as an adult–drawn to interactive displays, things that can be manipulated, looked though, turned, opened… I found myself drawn to this display of lightbulbs, showing how they have changed over time.

And while this photo looks flat…like a poster, this is actually a display of the original lightbulbs. You can see the markers where someone has removed a couple of bulbs for study of some sort. I didn’t notice those until after I had taken the photo. I wonder what kind of study you do with old light bulbs.

The conservatory is a big greenhouse filled with plants. And as we headed towards it, I was fascinated by the light blue and white of the building and light blue and white of the sky.

And what I didn’t capture was the interesting ways that plants are adapted to their surroundings. The tiny fibers of the carnivorous plants, the special adaptations of seeds, and even the special slime of the slug we found slithering down the wall.

With his fancy camera, Nick was able to capture this grasshopper I noticed as we walked through the children’s garden. (Photo credit to Nick)

Old town Pasadena also offered an interesting view of the world. Pasadena conjures images of the Rose Bowl parade…streets lined with people. Streets with iconic names, like Colorado Boulevard. We decided on lunch at Russell’s…an establishment that advertises existence since 1930. (They definitely make a great California BLT!)

And what I didn’t capture was the stiff and proper waiter and the bright red interior…including the velvet curtain that separates the hallway where the bathrooms are located from the rest of the diner.

I noticed a clock tower as we drove to find parking. So once parked, we spent a bit of time exploring on foot…and found the tower. What isn’t captured is the way that downtown areas are an interesting intersection of poverty and affluence, those with no permanent place intermingling with those exploring that same place.

After dark, as I drove home, the large orangish harvest moon lit the way. As I drove I thought about the beauty of the moon…and how hard it is to capture it in a photograph (at least with my equipment). When I pulled into my driveway after a long and wonderful day, I did take out my phone a take a couple of shots anyway.

And all day today I’ve been thinking about how much I see when I set out to take photos–more than I ever capture through my camera lens. For me, my camera has truly become a tool that helps me see far beyond the lens. I pay more attention to the world around me, even those things that I haven’t been able to capture in a photographic image. I’m still hoping to catch that insect in flight, the landing of a raindrop, the surprised expression of a loved one, light that caresses an image perfectly… But even more importantly, I am seeing those things even when I don’t get the photographic image…and that is priceless!

A Bear and a Bridge

3 Replies

This really is a month for the unexpected! On our last day at Yellowstone, we set off early knowing we were heading toward the other side of the park and hoping that an early start would bring more opportunities to see wildlife.

As we sipped our coffee and drove down the road, we suddenly saw a bear ambling across the road. You might remember from yesterday’s post that Geoff had his heart set on seeing a bear during our visit…so imagine our excitement and the jolt of adrenaline when we spied the bear ahead of us on the road! I grabbed my phone as the bear looked up and headed off to the side of the road. I started taking pictures as it headed off, stopping and looking back at us then continuing into the trees.

I was excited that the photos captured the bear…and with some editing, showed some of what we saw. After consulting with some folks at an information center, we think this is a grizzly based on the hump on the back and the fact that it is collared. (They said they believed only the grizzlies are collared in the park…not the black bears.)

This bear sighting was truly the cherry on the top of this trip to Yellowstone! Even the rainy day couldn’t dampen our spirits or spoil our adventures.

As a lark, later in the day we decided to take what we thought was a quarter mile hike to a natural bridge in the rain. Donning our rain jackets with hoods on, we headed down the path through the woods. That quarter mile turned out to be at least a three-mile round trip in a steady downpour…and totally worth it! The natural bridge was spectacular!

We ended our day with dinner at the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel, a delicious and relaxing ending to three days in the park. The rain stopped and the sky brightened. As we drove out of the park towards our hotel, the sun and clouds gathered to create a gorgeous skyscape. We stopped not far from the arch to take this final photo at Yellowstone.

Our time in Yellowstone has been amazing, filled with the unexpected. We’ve enjoyed exploring the natural beauty, spending lots of time outdoors, and piquing our interests to learn more about the natural world.

There is so much more to say…and so many more photos I’ve taken on this trip. I’m sure you will be hearing more about my adventures in Montana and Wyoming!

Beyond Old Faithful

1 Reply

Today’s Yellowstone adventures took us well beyond Old Faithful and the thermal features that marked our first day in the park. Today we set out in search of wildlife and waterfalls and found so much more.

Geoff loves bears…and has his heart set on seeing a bear in the park, so we headed toward the northwest entrance and the Lamar Valley where folks at the Yellowstone Association recommended for possible wildlife viewing. And while we didn’t see bears, we did see some other wildlife.

We followed a road we didn’t travel yesterday, and not far into our drive Geoff saw this amazing bird of prey. He quickly turned the car around and passed by it again…as it sat and posed while I took its photo through the open car window. A bit of research has us believing it is a golden eagle.

After such a great beginning we were optimistic as we headed off the beaten path and followed a dirt road for 6 miles in search of other animals. We saw beautiful meadows and listened to the songs of birds as we drove the bumpy, dusty path at about 10 miles per hour with the windows open…but nothing beyond birds and squirrels showed themselves. As we headed into the Lamar Valley we were feeling much less optimistic when we noticed cars pulling off the side of the road. In Yellowstone, that is a signal that someone has spotted something of interest. And sure enough, there were buffalo…a lot of them in the distance. Over a stretch of about 10 miles we saw several herds and some big bull buffalo right up close to the edge of road. We watched them wallow in the mud and listened to them grunt. The calves frolicked as the adults ate and rested. This guy was pretty uninterested in the traffic, people with cameras, and even noisy motorcycles going by. And he made a great photo opportunity for me. If you look closely, you can see the rest of the herd in the distance.

Later in the day, with the help of a photographer with a huge telescopic lens, we located an osprey in a nest with chicks out on a rock formation in the canyon. If you know what you are looking for, it is barely visible in this shot. Geoff was able to get a shot where you can see the birds using a camera with a more powerful zoom than my iPhone.

Toward the end of our day, we also caught a glimpse of some elk and some mule deer…but not close enough for photos.

In addition to wildlife, we also saw amazing waterfalls and canyons today…and spent some time at over 8800 feet! There is still evidence of the devastation of wildfires in some areas, but there are also spectacular forests and green meadows. Here’s a view across the meadow at well over 8800 feet.

I was surprised to learn that Yellowstone has its own version of the Grand Canyon. As we headed out to Artist Point, we saw both the spectacular Canyon Falls and canyon views to take your breath away! I was lucky and glimpsed a raptor in flight, catching the dark wings and white head. I think it may have been an osprey in flight. Catching the just right light to bring the colors to life in a photograph is challenging, but I think this one begins to catch the beauty. This particular spot makes it clear why the park is called Yellowstone.

And a little unexpected treat…way up high on an overlook above Canyon Falls a couple asked me to take their photo. And after I did and handed them back their camera, as I was about to walk away without taking a photo of my own…I was feeling uncomfortable way up high and feeling like I had taken photo after photo of these falls, I noticed a rainbow!

These few pictures are only a scratch on the surface of today’s adventures. It was another day filled with the unexpected and the wonder, beauty and majesty of our natural world. We have another adventure planned for tomorrow…what more will we find in this amazing place?

This and That: Consider the Microclimates

7 Replies

I live in a place filled with contrasts. There is the breezy casual of the beach to the west and less than a thirty minute drive away you can be hiking into dry, hot hillsides, exploring vineyards or admiring the abundance of avocado groves. Our weather reporters call them microclimates…and we tend to be adapted to the microclimate where we spend most of our time. But what I love most about this place that I call home is that it is not either/or, it is this and that.

Just this weekend I spent time in two of these contrasting spaces…equally beautiful, equally interesting, but entirely different from each other. I loved exploring the old oak forest as I walked in the dappled sunshine…and looking up in surprise as I watched a mule deer leap across the path I was walking. It was hot early as I hiked uphill and I could see evidence of wildfires past and the dry brush that continues to be a threat for future fires.

And the beach is always a source of inspiration. The holiday weekend prompted us to get up early and walk the beach before the crowds arrived. It was sunny and warm and the water was unusually clear. We noticed sand sharks and stingrays swimming a few yards from us as the waves crashed. The water was warm by our standards…up to 70 degrees, perfect for barefoot walking.

I’m so happy that I don’t have to chose to love and visit only one part of my place. I’m feeling like there is such a push to simplify our choices, to turn every decision and discussion to the binary choice. Right or wrong, left or right, boxers or briefs, apples or oranges. In my experience, those binaries just don’t represent the rich complexities of everyday life. Just this morning a friend sent an article about “balanced literacy” where the author lamented the kind of “conventionally rigorous” instruction he had received as a young English learner. The article implied that “balanced literacy” was essentially an absence of teaching compared to the experience with the effort-full teaching he had received in his childhood.

I’m reminded of the reading wars in the not too distant past. The phonics versus whole language debate that implied an either/or approach to teaching. These arguments miss the subtleties and complexities of teaching and learning. This “all teacher” or “all student” approach ignores the body of student-centered teaching that effective teachers practice every day. It dismisses the diversity of the needs and interests of students as irrelevant and assumes that if the teacher simply transmits enough information, students will learn what they need to learn.

Let’s start a new conversation. One that is about learners: teacher learners and student learners. Let’s bring their microclimates into the conversation.

A Closer Look at the Ordinary

6 Replies

Sometimes we take things for granted. Especially those ordinary things that we are so accustomed to that we almost don’t even notice their usefulness or necessity. I’ve been reminded to pay attention to the ordinary in a couple of ways lately.

A blogger I follow (who takes some spectacular photos!) mentioned in a post recently that she was participating in a macro photo challenge…and was reminded that macro is not all about flowers and bugs. That prompted me to put the macro lens on my phone/camera this morning and to snap some macro shots of ordinary things around my house.

The zipper on my sweatshirt immediately attracted my attention, I like seeing how the teeth interconnect.

I noticed the banana…and focused my lens on the dark end. It is definitely more interesting than I originally thought!

And then since I wrote about being more playful about ordinary things like brushing my teeth in my Summer Manifesto yesterday, I couldn’t resist a quick shot of the bristles…and the toothpaste tube!

Later today while I was outside on a long walk–of the exercise persuasion–I found myself thinking about the NWP radio show I taped today. The show focused on formative assessment and a resource, an e-book, that NWP colleagues, Beth Rimer from Ohio and Terri McAvoy from Missouri, have put together to help their writing project colleagues and other educators understand and use formative assessment effectively…in classrooms and in professional development. (The e-book will be available on the NWP website on June 26th…and you can hear the radio show that same evening!)

I realized in my work with Terri and Beth (I acted as their coach and editor…and cheerleader!) that formative assessment is one of the taken for granted, ordinary practices that becomes nearly invisible–even to those who use it well–and totally unacknowledged and often dismissed by those who aren’t familiar with its powerful outcomes. What I love most about the new e-book, Formative Assessment as a Compass: Looking at Student Work as an Intentional Part of Ongoing Professional Development, is that it shines a light on all the reasons this is an essential practice for educators–in classrooms and in professional development. Like my zipper and my toothbrush, it’s easy to overlook formative assessment. It’s not flashy and doesn’t get much press, but effective educators understand that paying attention to learners–what they “get” and what they don’t–is essential to planning for effective teaching and requires a willingness to abandon the carefully created lesson plans and attend to the learners in the moment.

Since working with Beth and Terri, I have been more aware of the use of formative assessment in my classroom and I can’t wait to use this resource in my work with my SDAWP colleagues. Like a macro lens, this e-book will help people look more closely, examining the details that are often overlooked and considering intentional and systematic practices that support learners (and teachers too!).

What of the ordinary are you overlooking or taking for granted? How will you take a closer look and consider the consequences of doing without this thing? I’m glad for reminders to pay attention in different ways…to make the familiar new, allowing me to appreciate what I might otherwise dismiss as ordinary.

Appreciating Difference

4 Replies

I love my macro lens! What I like best about it is that it makes me slow down, breathe deeply, and pay attention to the smallest of details…things that I didn’t even realize I couldn’t see.

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to spend some time at our local botanic gardens, offering a wide variety of plants in different ecosystems from deserts to rain forests to native plants of our area. They also had a section of the gardens that was all fruit trees…a variety of citrus, figs, persimmons, guava, and more.

When I saw this delicate guava blossom, I had to stop and take out my macro. I just knew that it would take a close look to really see and appreciate the beauty of this ethereal bloom.

And once I got started, I couldn’t stop myself. Each variety offered its own unique beauty. Here’s one variety of fig.

This is a different variety of fig…and perhaps at a different stage of development.

I was surprised by the center of this lime blossom. I knew it was a white flower, but I hadn’t noticed the center before taking this photo.

And this lemonade lemon tree had the prettiest pink blossoms getting ready to open.

I’m not sure which fruit tree this blossom came from, but I love its crazy red fringe!

As I looked closely at these fruit blossoms I found myself thinking about how much diversity there is among them. Even varieties that are closely related are different from one another. Which got me thinking about my students…and students in general. As teachers (and parents too), we need to slow down, look and listen closely, and pay attention to the diversity among our students. Even when students are all the same age, they have vastly different personalities, learning strengths, and interests. I often have the privilege of teaching siblings…sometimes even twins and triplets…and what I know is, despite having the same parents and living in the same environment, each child in the family is different from the other(s), highlighting the complexities of DNA, personality, behavior, and more.

And in spite of these differences, we all have so much in common: the need to be loved and valued, to be nurtured and supported, to have others assume the best and help us learn from the inevitable mistakes we will make.

That macro lens offers insight as I look closely at the world of plants, noticing features and details I might have missed without it. I don’t have a macro lens to use with my students, instead I have to use the lens of mindfulness to keep myself attuned to the individuality of my students and take the time to notice and learn from them and about them. I don’t just teach a group of children, I teach a classroom full of diverse individuals and to teach them well it’s important for me to know that and take their differences into account. And for me, that’s the beauty of the classroom, it’s a room full of teaching and learning opportunities as we all bring who we are into the mix. Our differences are the best part of our learning community as we help each other slow down and see the world in new and different ways.