Yesterday Lisa Keeler at Reading, Writing and Learning introduced herself with a 31 Things About Me post. I found it fascinating to read and learn about her. I don't know if I've ever introduced myself and wished I had yesterday. Yesterday can be today - there's no hard and fast rules with slices.
31 Things About Me
1. I have one teaching hero I have not heard in person - Marilyn Burns math guru and founder of Math Solutions.
2. My writing methods course text book was Donald Graves Writing - Teachers and Children at Work right when it came out AND I got to see him speak for a full day early in my career.
3. One podcast I'd recommend to anyone living with teenagers would be Light the Fight with David Kozlowski and Heidi Swapp. It's insightful, funny, and guiding.
4. I miss the snow in Upstate New York and just painted my living room the color Snowbound.
5. I've listened to Marie Kondo's book about Tidying Up and watched her show on Netflix in hopes of attacking my closet very soon. I did a trial run on my teenager and it really worked with intentional downsizing.
6. I think my classroom closets could use a bit of Marie Kondo-ing!
7. Too many days of gray sky and no snow are not good for me.
8. Sunshine brings a skip to my step and a smile to my soul.
9. I can never turn down a reason or date for ice cream; even after scooping ice cream seven years.
10. Tea and never coffee.
11. Having students have choice for writing topics has been my mojo forever - two decades plus.
12. I like writing when I have choice in topics too.
13. Friday night pizza - best combination is mushrooms, onion, and yellow banana peppers!
14. Chicken wings always with blue cheese, ranch is just not right and wings must be Buffalo Chicken wings not ever fried.
15. Green is my favorite color except the green shade of my grandmother's Volkswagen Rabbit in the mid 80s.
16. My classroom has live plants on every table. I just enjoy the sight of fresh live plants and they offer us something to care about and for.
17. You might ask where are my supplies for students - they are community supplies on shelves - and I believe community supplies make life easier and teach life lessons.
18. As much as a I love the noise and joy students bring I savor the moments of quiet in my teaching space when I'm alone to think and rest.
19. I can ride my bike to school in 15 minutes.
20. I like to walk a lot and I dabble with running each year starting over with my "training" with no aspirations to runner than an hour ever.
21. I love my Cuddle Dud shirts for layering and staying warm all winter.
22. I work on balancing things and accepting maybe balance is really about the seasons of things.
23. My classroom has a few pets for children to observe and care for; a guinea pig, guppy fish, a turtle, and fire belly toads.
24. My home has two dogs - a one year old and a twelve year old.
25. One of my favorite moments during the school day is reading aloud and thinking together about books. Total engagement each time.
26. I don't like making pie crusts and I've tried a few recipes. It's frustrating because I can make anything else in reason. Any suggestions for me?
27. I used an airplane bathroom for the first time this year at five decades old. It was landed on the runway and loading passengers. I never leave my seat once I sit down.
28. I'm planning for an empty nest in two years and will start volunteering at our local zoo this spring.
29. I wish I took more time for the things I like to do or projects I have collected and picked up.
30. I carry a metal straw and bamboo silverware in my purse, trying to make a difference one bite at a time.
31. Cilantro for me too and never enough avocados!
Thank you Two Writing Teachers for fostering this writing community.
Love this .... I learned so much about you! I will also be an empty nester in a year and a half --let's plan something fun!! You are posting earlier than me ... what is happening to the world!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! I cannot imagine how long it took for you to write the 31! That is impressive. I may steal the idea for a post of my own.
ReplyDeleteLove learning all these about you. Great idea for a post! I'm going to try that podcast... and I wish I had a pie crust recipe for yours.. mine is: Ask my mom to make a pie. :-) She makes really good pie... and I am a terrible baker!
ReplyDeleteAlso loved the one about running... I restart running a lot too...and this spring I hope to restart again... as long as I can get my asthma a little better!
Mandy, it was fun getting to know you better with your penchant for animals, avocados, and Cuddle Duds.
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting list of you! Here are a few thoughts that popped into my mind on a couple of your items:
ReplyDelete#27 Apparently, you have never had to endure a 14+ hour flight. You have to get up just to keep the blood from pooling. #26 I too, am not a pie crust maker, but Ruth is. Perhaps she could give us a lesson some day. #19 How awesome that you can ride your bike to school (weather permitting). # 13 I won't be sharing a pizza with you, the mushrooms killed it for me. I tend to favor meats and black olives on my pizza. #9 There is always ice cream involved when I go to Warsaw for the conference. Hint, hint. :-)
Love learning about your 31 things. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your list! I am so enjoying this format (and will definitely be trying it myself soon).
ReplyDeleteThis is a great way to introduce yourself! Even though we've met several times, I didn't know all these things about you. :-) Let's see - I can connect to #7, #18, #22, #25, #29, and #31. :-) I love that you're planning to volunteer at the zoo as an empty nester. I've been an empty nester for a while now and love it. It's weird at first, but then wonderful! Ha. Thanks for this great list!
ReplyDeleteLove this glimpse of you. #1 made me think of my hero I've never met - Ralph Fletcher. I still hope to hear him someday. #25 Sigh! My favorite time of the day with my students. And #26? I don't do pies either, but my daughter and son-in-law both do. So no guilt!
ReplyDeleteLove your list! I would also LOVE to volunteer at a zoo, and sunny days make me happy. I successfully made a pie crust from the Test Kitchen cookbook that used vodka as the liquid. Here's the link:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2007/11/cooks-illustrated-foolproof-pie-dough-recipe.html
Best wishes!
Working at the zoo sounds fun! Our last daughter just turned 21, so we are headed for the empty nest, too. Always coffee, but tea is good. I cannot make pie crust either. Nice to meet you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun list! I love #30 and might have to invest in those myself!
ReplyDelete