In Search of Light: SOLC Day 3

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I heard the warning on the morning news show, yesterday’s rains caused urban runoff and increased bacteria count in our ocean waters.  Stay out of the water.  We still headed off to the beach for a low tide walk…in our tennies.

The clouds were heavier than I expected with no rain in today’s forecast–and much darker too.  We actually felt misty drizzle as we first got into the car.  But the beach was beautiful: low tides, gentle breezes, and yes, some people in the water!  Beach people are interesting and they come in all forms.  There are walkers and beach combers like Geoff, scanning the shore for bits of glass and interesting marine tidbits and picking up the many plastics that litter the beach.  There are surfers who seem to never heed warnings about the water.  And there are swimmers and waders, teenaged football throwers, the guy with the metal detector, the fishers knee deep in the waves as they cast.  But for me, my eyes search the beach for that perfect picture.

Gray skies make photo taking more challenging.  Colors fade away, making things look flat.  I’m no expert with camera settings, so I depend on my own framing and the serendipity of light and shadow to create interesting images.  I try to pay attention to changes in light…and always find myself drawn to shore birds.

As I wandered down the beach,  I spied a whimbrel (I think) out for a snack.  I crept close, snapping photos as I went.  But I also took a few long shots, noticing a break in the clouds and the white of the foamy wave tops creating a bright spot as a backdrop for the bird. Experts might call my photo overexposed, but there is something I like about this burst of light and the tiny bird visible in the expanse of the wide open beach.

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Gray skies and high bacteria count didn’t keep me home and it certainly didn’t keep this little guy out of the water!  I got to stretch my legs and my camera skills to snap at least a few photos that were interesting.  And I got to enjoy the beach along with all the other beach people today.

What to do on a Rainy Day?: SOLC 2019 Day 2

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What to do on a rainy day?  If I’d had my druthers, as I woke I would have snuggled back down into my covers and listened to the melodic drip drop pattering of raindrops on the roof until I was lulled back into a decadent lazy rainy day sleep.

Instead, when my alarm went off at 5:30 am, I got out of bed, heard the rain–with a bit of dread–and got myself ready to head out.  This is the day of the San Diego Area Writing Project annual Spring Conference!  We don’t do rain well in San Diego, so when my husband said my phone was buzzing as I emerged from the shower, I worried that people were contacted me to let me know that they wouldn’t be attending.  (That wasn’t the case.)  I made my way through the raindrops and occasional imprudent rainy day drivers to the university.

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And as is always the case…there is amazing energy in teachers coming together to learn on a Saturday morning!  Close to 150 educators dodged the raindrops for continental breakfast, coffee, and comradery…along with opportunities to learn together.  And we were in for a treat!  The hardest part of the morning was choosing which sessions to sit in, there were so many good choices!

Storytelling strategies, using mentor text to improve student writing, inserting craft in non fiction writing, amplifying student voice (with students sharing their process and outcomes), harnessing the power of technology to support young writers, and employing thinking routines for social justice in the classroom were all options this morning.  And thirty years into my teaching career and with almost as many years with the writing project I continue to learn and be inspired in this community of educators.

As always, Christine inspired the audience in her opening, reminding us that it is wholehearted connections that make the biggest difference in learning.  I am grateful for the opportunity to spend a rainy Saturday morning in the company of dedicated professionals.

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I didn’t get to sleep in this morning, but I am refreshed and inspired by a morning spent learning with colleagues.

Walking Toward the Storm: SOLC 2019 Day 1 and Skinny Poem

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Influenced by some blogging colleagues and my desire to get back to my writing life, I’ve decided to participate in Two Writing Teachers Slice of Life Challenge.

I’m choosing to ease into the writing challenge and try on a poetry type I saw described by Margaret Simon on her blog not too long ago.  She describes the process here.  I don’t happen to have any metaphor dice (although they are now on my wish list!), so I came up with my own first line based on today’s beach walk.  We’ve been having a very rainy winter and while today is not rainy, it’s clear that rain is coming.  (The forecast is for rain all day tomorrow.)  The clouds are hunched up low along the horizon, giving the beach a moody feel as I walked at low tide.  I love the way walking into the sea breeze seems to blow the clouds out of my mind, clearing the way for fresh ideas and improving my mood.  My feet find their own rhythm, accompanied by the constant backbeat of the waves ebbing and flowing.  This is my definition of exercise, adding squatting low to pick up bits of sea glass or examine an interesting rock or piece of driftwood and balancing atop rocks to frame a photo to round out my workout.  Mostly, though, the beach is an endless source of inspiration for my photography and for my writing.

Here’s my first attempt at a skinny poem (something I will be trying with my students one day soon!).

Clearing the Clouds

 

Walking toward the storm

alone

briny

billowing

breezes

alone

thoughts

twisting

turning

alone

clearing the clouds in my head

© Kim Douillard

into the storm

One Little Word 2019

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Like so many others, I gave up New Year’s resolutions years ago.  I know myself well enough to know that good intentions will likely not change my behavior over the long haul.  Of course I want to eat better, exercise more, and be a kinder, more thoughtful person.  But resolutions have never gotten me there.

I few years back I became intrigued with the idea of a word guiding my year.  Choosing that word can be challenging.  I ponder a variety of ideas, trying hard not to pick a word just because others are choosing it.  I often read an array of blog posts, paying close attention to the rationale guiding the word choice, at the same time thinking about my personal goals and intentions for the new calendar year.

Here are my past words:

2014: Play

2015: Explore

2016: Expand

2017: Possibility

2018: Stretch

I notice that I seldom select my word as the year turns.  I seem to need time to mull it over–to come off the whirl of the holidays before deciding on my direction for the new year.  And this year is no different.  I’ve tried on some different words, considered revisiting some from previous years, but it wasn’t until today that I felt the pull of a word for this year.

I know myself well enough to know that I need a word that not only guides but also inspires, one that pushes me beyond what I would do without a muse word.  When I look over the past 5 years of word selections, it was my first word: play, that moved my life forward.  Play reminded me to step beyond my work responsibilities and take time out to enjoy life.  It reminded me to dig in the sand, to laugh with my family, to try things I’d never done before.

So for 2019 I’m asking make to guide me.  As I walked along the beach today, make kept finding a place in my mind.  Make time for exploration and play.  Make minutes count, appreciate all that comes my way.  Be creative, make writing, make art, make a difference. Make healthy choices and make the most of possibilities that present themselves.

I’ll be making an effort to be present and enjoy all that comes my way.

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What One Little Word will guide you this year?