Want to be a better writer? Read more!! Advice from Stephen King, who knows a little bit about the craft. This is the same advice I give to my student writers every semester. Reading and writing are connected. So, read, write, and repeat.
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Find your Summer
“A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing and the lawn mower is broken.” ~James Dent
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My 35 Biggest Tips for Those Entering or Still in College | Booming Twenties
Authenticity and Art
Consider this:
Thoreauvian Thursday: Friendships of True Knowledge
Thoreau said it best:
11 Bits of Writing Advice for My Younger Self
This is some good advice my writer friends.
Well, not much younger… Maybe three years ago; the about to graduate “me.”
I would have told him these things: (These aren’t really in any order of importance, just what comes to mind. )
1. Take a marketing class. You’re an idiot. You don’t know how to sell anything. It doesn’t matter how good you are at writing if you don’t know how to describe your work in terms that a possible publisher/distributor can understand and relate to. Arm yourself with information. You are about to walk into the world completely blind. You are a level one spell-caster with no armor. Start memorizing your spells now.
2. Write everyday. If you want to improve in writing, then you have to accept the fact that there will come a point in the future where you will look back at the things you’re doing today and recoil in horror at…
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My Walden Pond…my writer’s view
This is where I did a mini writing retreat last week. I call this lake “My Walden,” because I feel inspired here. My soul drinks in the quiet, the peace, the beauty, like medicine for all the ills of life. Troubles float away and I can find the place within to be still, to listen, to observe and to write.
I hope you find your Walden, too. If not today, then soon. A room of one’s own, no matter where.
Happy Monday my loves~Lisa 💗
Let Freedom Ring
Happy Birthday America–land of the free & home of the brave! 
Why I Will Be Going Device Free in My BYOD School
I work in a fantastic district that believes wholeheartedly in the power of BYOD or Bring Your Own Device. All year, we have harnessed the power of especially cell phones as we have taken pictures, recorded video, searched for facts, and used them in ways that made what we were already more meaningful, easier, and more efficient. I believe in the power of great BYOD. I believe in the power of teaching students how to use the devices they have in a meaningful way. I believe that all schools should allow students to use the devices they already have so they can work with what they have access to, not what we decide they need.
And yet, my students are distracted. They are often on their phones checking the time, checking their notifications, moving it, taking one from a friend, or wondering where they put it. And so am I…
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3 Simple Ways to Cultivate Kindness in the Classroom This Thanksgiving & Why It Matters
During this time of year, many lessons naturally tend to focus on the first Thanksgiving, what students have to be thankful for, and how we might give back to others in need. Thanksgiving is the perfect time to cultivate kindness in the classroom. Here’s why:
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“Kindness is best learned by feeling it.” Cultivate kindness in your classroom and watch the ripples grow & spread. It’s an amazing thing to watch kindness catch on, AND studies prove that students learn better when they feel supported, appreciated, and safe.
Be a Role Model: I am a big believer in the need for teachers to show kindness to their students. Heck, what does a smile cost us? Not one thing!! And you never know when that smile you give to a student might just be the only one he or she receives all day.
Get Involved: Many teachers have started random acts of kindness projects in their classrooms. Others get the students involved by holding a food drive, a sock drive, or a diaper drive to support community organizations such as food banks and homeless shelters. There are so many little things that even our youngest students can participate in. Being directly involved and taking a hands-on approach to helping others will in-turn help foster kindness, gratitude and empathy in our students.
Strengthen Bonds, Build Community: When our students feel loved (or at least liked) in our classrooms, they feel comfortable and capable. Resilience is strengthened. They can take risks. That hard to reach or “tough” student can let down some barriers and even show kindness and caring to others. Students feel responsible for their classroom and larger community and engage in building it up rather than tearing each other down. I like to think of it like a wave of kindness that starts when one person reaches out to another. Start that ripple and watch it grow.
There you have it. Three simple ways to build a culture of KINDNESS in the classroom. If you have ideas and suggestions that have worked for you, please leave them in the comments. I would absolutely LOVE to hear how you help foster community and kindness with your students. 🙂
Happy November everyone. May this season of thanks and giving be a healthy & happy one for you.
xo, Lisa (aka, The Happy Teacher)
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