SOLSC #17: Love that!

WRITE. Every day in March write a slice of life story on your own blog.

SHARE. Link your post in the comments on each daily call for a slice of life stories TWT.

GIVE. Comment on at least three other slice of life stories.

Was home from work today around 4:30, went running, and was watching the dishes when the phone rang. It was Cierra...one of my former students.

I'd been ignoring her calls for awhile - not that I didn't want to talk, but I've been super busy. Since I was just doing chores around the house I decided this was a great time to talk.

She's a junior this year, and so we were talking about her future. She's so grown up! And....she wants to be a teacher! She said, "Ms. Brezek, I've always wanted to teach!"

She's going on campus visits and trying to nail down her future. She wants to teach, but she wants to do journalism, and likes photography, too. Her pastor tells her that she's "vacillating between too many ideas," but I think she just has lots of interests. It's so amazing to me how similar we are - I am interested in all the same things she is, but I didn't know that until my 30's! Talk about a kid who can see big pictures way sooner than other kids her age! (Myself included!)

Cierra is a really special kid. She was a pain in the butt in middle school, but luckily we found some common ground and built a solid foundation to work on. I love that no matter how many times I ignore her calls, she still calls again. And then she gives me a hard time, like she did today: "Wait, what? Who is this? Someone owns this line? Is this really Ms. Brezek?"

We made plans for a lunch date on Saturday. She asked to go to this burger place we went to over a year ago, but I said there are many more to try! Very excited to see her, and I'll be sure to update you all later this weekend!

My favorite part of teaching? Building relationships that can last a lifetime with kids. There are some who will always call again...no matter if it's months or years that separate us. Can't imagine doing anything else with this life I have in front of me!

What brightened your day today? Please share!

SOLSC #16: You know you're a coach when...

WRITE. Every day in March write a slice of life story on your own blog.

SHARE. Link your post in the comments on each daily call for a slice of life stories TWT.

GIVE. Comment on at least three other slice of life stories.

So there we were, Courtney and I, in our room on Friday night, about to go to sleep. Courtney is another Literacy Coach in my district and we split a room to save some dough. We really got to know each other and had a fun time, too!

It was about 1:30 in the morning - felt like a middle school sleepover! I had come home after dinner and fell asleep around 8. Courtney went back out with a few of the other coaches, but then by the time she came home, I was wide awake again.

We stayed up talking for a few hours. By 1:30, we were both getting kind of tired, but do you know what we were talking about? Fluency. I mean, come on...here I am asking her for advice for one of my kiddos who reads kinda choppy. You know you're a Literacy Coach when you're talking about fluency in the middle of the night!

Before I go:
I had a lot of ideas swirling around in my head today about what I could write about, but I just really didn't want to do it, which is why I'm only leaving you with just this short piece. Do other writers have that? Where you're just not in the mood? I'm not sure what is up with me, but I'm not in the mood to do much of anything today. Lazy Sunday at it's finest, I guess!

Hoping it'll be better tomorrow!
Night!

SOLSC #2: Mixed Feelings

Each day this month, I'll be writing with Two Writing Teachers for their Slice of Life Story Challenge.

Yesterday I ran to the mall real quick. The one closest to my house is just north of Chicago, and it's an outdoor mall. First - I don't understand outdoor malls in Chicago. It's cold here - especially during this endless winter we seem to be having! Thinking back to Arizona, I can't remember one mall that was outside, and it's so much more temperate there!

So there I was, walking out of Nordstrom and on my way to Pandora, and on my way I see this woman smiling, looking up at the snow as it's coming down. She's walking behind whomever she was with and I heard it say, "Look, it's so beautiful! It's a winter wonderland!" Our eyes met, she smiled, and we both continued on our way.

And it was. I wish I would have snapped a picture, but as I walked under the awnings, the snow coming down was sparkling under the lights of the shops and falling softly to ground, and twinkling up from under our feet. It really is a sight as it descends to the ground, creating quite the ambiance at Soldier Field as the Chicago Blackhawks took on the Penguins, and as it gave the lake a little something extra for this morning's Polar Plunge.

But, it isn't Christmastime and I, like many others, have had more than enough of winter. So, as the snow falls, and I revel in it's beauty, it isn't too long before my thoughts turn to this:

Happy Sunday!