I've seen other Slicers use this format and I am a numbers gal, so I wanted to try it, too.
1. This is my FIRST year to do Slice of Life. 2. I've been to Paris TWO times, and would love to make it three, four, or even five! 3. I've taught in THREE states - TX, KY, and IN. 4. I've taught FOUR different grades - K, 2, 3, 4. 5. There are FIVE other gals (plus me) in my Book Group - and we've supported each other through many different phases and stages of life! 6. A family of SIX was a nice even number for my growing up years. 7. My darling husband and I dated for SEVEN years before marrying. 8. I have EIGHT nieces and nephews in NC, KY, and TX. Also, I love teaching EIGHT year olds! 9. I've been to NINE beaches in the U.S. - La Jolla, CA, Bald Head Island, NC, St. Simon Island, GA, Fort Meyers, FL, Rosemary Beach, FL and a few others along 30-A stretch, St. George Island, FL, Amelia Island, FL, Galveston, TX, and Atlantic Beach, NC. 10. I was a stay-at-home mom for TEN years and loved that time with our kids. I'd do it again in a heartbeat! That's it—the tally is in! Thanks for sticking with me until the very end!
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A few other slicers have used this format, so I thought it was time to try this, too.
Happy first day of spring! I mentioned yesterday on Day 18 that I was at a teacher-blogger retreat in French Lick, just up the road from my southern Indiana town. Yesterday was too phenomenal not to re-slice, so I'm including some pictures so you can get a visual of a few slices of our day...and "our" was more than 550 teachers from as far away as Colorado, California, and Canada.
Our day began with a keynote from Gerry Brooks, aka "Principal Gerry." One slice from this dynamic principal is to be sure to develop a positive plan of action for dealing with students, parents, and colleagues, and to LISTEN first, respond second. {There were MANY other take-aways, but what really stuck with me was this.} Teachers all have their favorite teacher tools, so bringing some sticky notes, liquid chalk markers, and Flair pens was a no-brainer for me. I walked out with a great basket of goodies (top right) to brighten my day! The entire event had a "Red Carpet" theme, and the evening event actually featured red carpet, photo ops, and even an "Oscar" statue for each teacher to take as a commemorative reminder that we are indeed stars in the eyes of many of our students! I'd be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to Holly Ehle and her team of planners! This event has grown by approximately 500 teachers since the first blogger-retreat in 2015! They've worked tirelessly for months to make this weekend about teachers who also work tirelessly each day to help students grow to meet their goals and achieve their dreams. I am slicing today from an incredible retreat designed for teacher bloggers! Can you imagine a day or two in a lovely hotel and resort only half an hour from your house? Well, if you live in a metropolitan area, this might not be outside of your norm, but for me—2-3 hours from any "city," this is not my norm.
The setting is French Lick Resort, which encompasses two lovely historic hotels: French Lick and West Baden. It's always a treat to come here! And to have a weekend that focuses on empowering teachers and bloggers—WOW! The theme is Hollywood and talk about stars—there are stars and edu-heroes here galore! Our keynote was the amazing Gerry Brooks from my old stomping ground, Lexington, KY! Gerry is a dynamic speaker who is also one of those principals who "gets it." He's renowned for his videos, so be sure to check him out! He truly had us in stitches as he challenged us to make sure our goal (growth for ALL students) is fostered by your climate and culture. Wow! Next up were two total edu-heroes, Hope and Wade King, from Ron Clark Academy. Their message encouraged teachers to focus on engagement, and to not be afraid of this term. Check out their hashtag, #setthestagetoengage -- and you will not be disappointed! We can't select what we teach because there are certain non-negotiables like assessment and standards, but we do have control over the HOW we teach. Many ways to engage were shared! Double wow! We had a "teacher-tool" exchange, and there are breakout sessions AND swag AND giveaways! I'd love for other SOL bloggers to experience this!! March 17th is an exciting day for us in Ireland, Indiana, as you might imagine! There is a huge celebration that lasts several days. There is a ceremonial mayor, a spud shoot, corn-hole tourney, a road rally, Irish road bowling, a Miss Ireland contest, a craft fair, a parade, and much more! As fun as all of this is, March 17th can also be a day of mixed emotions for me. This is my brother's birthday. Today he would have been 52. So, today's slice allows me to share seventeen things that make me smile as I remember my brother on his birthday: 1. his love for music and playing drums (you can see it in his face in a photo that hangs in The Bluebird Cafe in Bloomington, Indiana) 2. his love for striped shirts 3. the nickname his musician friends dubbed him with: "The Fabulous Marty Kerr" 4. his calm, easy-going nature, accepting of anyone and everyone 5. his ability to be satisfied with what he had (he didn't have much but always said he didn't need anything more) 6. his stick-to-it-ive-ness - when his car wasn't running and he couldn't afford to get it fixed, he rode his bike to and from work, even in the winter and even though he worked a night shift 7. the way he loved playing with his nieces and nephews when they were young 8. sock wars at Christmas 9. his ready smile and willingness to help out (especially with outdoor things) 10. him painting my mini-barn one Memorial Day weekend when it was 90 degrees outside, while listening to the Indy 500 race on a radio, happy as a lark 11. hunting for salamanders in the woods 12. his big closet in our house out behind IBM where we camped out often 13. how he made our family of three girls complete 14. how I called him to tell him to be careful every time I saw or heard of a motorcycle accident, and he always reassured me that he was careful 15. his love for watching Nascar races 16. how he finally decided he loved the logic of math after hating it in school 17. his huge smile in pictures of him with our dog first Duchess, and all the later dogs - he loved them all and they loved him. We lost you much too soon. I miss you, and think of you every day—but especially on this day! |
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