Until January

Now that I have been back to school after spending the weekend reflecting on the amazing thinking of Cris Tovani, I was able to envision making the tweaks to my workshop model teaching that I know will bring my students' learning to the next level.

I am one that has to reflect on my learning when I attend professional development sessions...and I have to do it almost immediately or I tend to get wrapped up in my present world and before I know it- I have lost the great ideas that were fostered by the PD session itself.

I am looking at the three weeks between now and winter break as my "trial period" as I experiment with various thoughts and ideas that came from the session last Friday.  My hope is that I am refreshed, and my students are back to the learning mode...I can make magic happen.

Yes, my students are in what I call their "Lame Duck" session.  In other words, taken from the time period between when members of our government are voted out of office and waiting to be replaced in January, they sit and coast in neutral.  I have historically watched 8th graders fall into this session.  I will try daily to move them out and motivate them, but it still feels like I am pushing a mountain up a rock...yes, you read that correctly.

So...

I have a special gift waiting for me when we return from break.  I get to put the new ideas I got from Cris into place with a renewed bunch of students.  We start a new semester.  New grades.  New thinking.  New things to look forward to...

Until January...

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites