Hair Color To Go! #SOLC20 #SOL20

Today I had a hair appointment. I know. I probably shouldn’t have gone. Lord knows my husband tried to talk me out of it. But I love my little salon and the people who work there.

They’ve been keeping me looking half-way presentable for almost 15 years. They’ve cut back their staff over the last week to a skeleton crew, and as of this afternoon at 5:00, they’ve all been “laid off.” Fortunately, they are employees and not “chair renters,” so they are able to file. Not all service providers are that lucky. But I couldn’t bear the thought of a.) not seeing the final three staffers to say see you soon, and b.) not being able to generously tip the young woman my appointment was with.

So I went. And it was OK, but it felt odd like we were doing something we shouldn’t be doing. Nearly empty parking lot, no receptionist, empty cutting stations, closed nail room, closed massage rooms. Nearly empty.

But here’s the good news. THEY ARE DOING HAIR COLOR TO GO! Until they reopen, you can call and say “HELP!” The manager will mix your color from your file on their system and will provide you with a take-out style hair color to-go kit. It comes complete with color, bowl, and brush. You drive up, grab the kit, and off you go. There’s even a YouTube video she created to walk you through the process safely. This might sound frivolous to some, but I think it’s a genius idea to help them keep a bit of revenue coming in. I am prepared to help this small business to survive. It’s going to be a while.

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Thanks for wondering and wandering a bit with me today. Many thanks to the crew at Two Writing Teachers, and the extended SOL community, for giving us the time, space, and encouragement to live the writerly life here every Tuesday throughout the year and daily during the month of March.

 

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Today I Took A Walk #SOLC20 #SOL20 #PoetryFriday

Happy third Friday of the 2020 Slice of Life Challenge at Two Writing Teachers AND Poetry Friday, all! Today I’m slicing up a bit of poetry. Poet and artist Michelle Kogan is hosting this week’s gathering on her blog.  Won’t you join us there? Slicing poetry on Fridays during the SOLC is a great way to flex those writing muscles. If you are ever wondering where to find the weekly host of Poetry Friday, you’ll find a list of hosts and their blog links here.

Anyone feeling cooped up yet? It wasn’t the nicest of weather here in New England yesterday, so we weren’t able to get out and move around as usual. But today is a new day with a promise of 70 degrees this afternoon.

A year ago, I wrote a poem for my Kindergarten students based on a very special small moment — a walk on a favorite trail on a gorgeous early spring day. Today seems like the right day to revisit it. Perhaps it will inspire you to get outside and take a walk. I’d give anything to be taking that walk with my current students today. We will, but just not today.

 

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Thanks for wondering and wandering a bit with me today. Many thanks to the crew at Two Writing Teachers, and the extended SOL community, for giving us the time, space, and encouragement to live the writerly life here each Tuesday and every day during the month of March. And thanks to Michelle for hosting this poetic side of this week’s double celebration! Happy Friday, all, and be well.

Exactly What I Needed #SOLC20 #SOL20

The message in this email that arrived not long ago was exactly what I needed to hear at the end of this terrible, horrible, no good, very bad first day of #schoolfromhome. It felt as if nothing went well. Parents couldn’t log on, hyperlinks weren’t live, some said it was too much, some said it was not enough.

Breathe.

Tomorrow will be so much better.

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Thanks for wondering and wandering a bit with me today. Many thanks to the crew at Two Writing Teachers, and the extended SOL community, for giving us the time, space, and encouragement to live the writerly life here every Tuesday throughout the year and daily during the month of March.

 

I Need More Yoga Pants! #SOLC20 #SOL20

I’ve been so focused on putting canned goods and cleaning supplies aside.

I’ve been so focused on making sure my family members have the groceries and supplies they need.

I’ve been so focused on writing lessons and learning to post on Seesaw.

I’ve been so focused on keeping track of all my Google Meet appointments with my team, my class, and other faculty and staff.

Now I’m folding laundry and realizing I NEED MORE YOGA PANTS!

I’ve been living in yoga pants non-stop. It’s my new normal. So today, we order yoga pants.

That is all.

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Thanks for wondering and wandering a bit with me today. Many thanks to the crew at Two Writing Teachers, and the extended SOL community, for giving us the time, space, and encouragement to live the writerly life here every Tuesday throughout the year and daily during the month of March.

 

Drowning #SOLC20 #SOL20

Drowning

Feels like I’m drowning

Drowning in lesson plans

Google Meets

Webinars

Emails

Drowning in conference calls

Seesaw training

Google Docs

Text messages

Drowning in fear

Anxiety

Frustration

Exhaustion

Feels like I’m drowning

Drowning

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Thanks for wondering and wandering a bit with me today. Many thanks to the crew at Two Writing Teachers, and the extended SOL community, for giving us the time, space, and encouragement to live the writerly life here every Tuesday throughout the year and daily during the month of March.

 

Virtual Class Playdate, Take 1! #SOLC20 #SOL20

 

I just attended a most unusual play date. One of my wonderful parents took the initiative to set up a daily 1:00 playdate via Zoom with my Kindergarten class. I am invited, but she’s going to take the lead. It was loud, chaotic, and I eventually muted everyone so I could read a book to them, but I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Today was the third school day we’ve been apart, but it feels like forever.

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Thanks for wondering and wandering a bit with me today. Many thanks to the crew at Two Writing Teachers, and the extended SOL community, for giving us the time, space, and encouragement to live the writerly life here every Tuesday throughout the year and daily during the month of March.

 

Nature’s Still Open: A Silver Lining Thought #SOLC20 #SOL20

Yesterday’s notebook scribblings for #100daysofnotebooking included pluses and minuses for COVID 19 closure. One of the pluses I noted was that with so many places closing, including libraries and museums, perhaps it would get more people outdoors.  People for whom walking and exploring outdoors might not be their first choice of activity. Nature thankfully is not going to close. It’s still open, thankfully. Open to all!

While walking on one of our favorite local trails yesterday afternoon — the Battle Road Trail, which is part of Minuteman National Park straddling Concord, Lincoln, and Lexington, Massachusetts — my husband and I encountered lots of bundled up walkers and bikers. This is a popular trail, but not typically until April when it’s warmed up a bit. It was a chilly New England afternoon here, and it struck both of us that perhaps some people might already be seeking solace. I can’t think of a better way to do just that. You know where to find me.

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Thanks for wondering and wandering a bit with me today. Many thanks to the crew at Two Writing Teachers, and the extended SOL community, for giving us the time, space, and encouragement to live the writerly life here every Tuesday throughout the year and daily during the month of March.

 

Thankful Part 2 #SOLC20 #SOL20

Yesterday I sliced about the many people I encountered that I am thankful for in my school-related life. We are all working collaboratively to do right by our students now that we are closed indefinitely.  (You may read that post here.) Today I continue the gratitude for the many folks I saw this morning working hard at their jobs to support everyone else during a very challenging time. I hope they feel supported, too. 

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Thanks for wondering and wandering a bit with me today. Many thanks to the crew at Two Writing Teachers, and the extended SOL community, for giving us the time, space, and encouragement to live the writerly life here every Tuesday throughout the year and daily during the month of March.

 

Thankful #SOLC20 #SOL20 #PoetryFriday

Happy second Friday of the 2020 Slice of Life Challenge at Two Writing Teachers AND Poetry Friday, all! Today I’m slicing up a bit of poetry. Children’s poet and author Matt Forrest Esenwine is hosting this week’s gathering on his blog, Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme.  Won’t you join us there? Slicing poetry on Fridays during the SOLC is a great way to flex those writing muscles. If you are ever wondering where to find the weekly host of Poetry Friday, you’ll find a list of hosts and their blog links here.

Today was our first of two professional development days dedicated to preparing for online learning which begins in our district next Thursday. We have been closed since dismissal on Wednesday, and we’ve been cashing in our snow days to see us through as we boldly go where few teachers have gone before. Today I find myself thankful.

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Thanks for wondering and wandering a bit with me today. Many thanks to the crew at Two Writing Teachers, and the extended SOL community, for giving us the time, space, and encouragement to live the writerly life here each Tuesday and every day during the month of March. And thanks to Matt for hosting this poetic side of this week’s double celebration! Happy Friday, all, and be well.

Dear Wonder Families #SOL20 #SOLSC20

Beth Moore has been slicing letters to her kids during the SOLSC. She inspired me to give this slicing form a try and I did last night slicing a fictitious letter to my Kindergarteners about our abrupt COVID 19-related closure late yesterday afternoon. Today I write (again fictitiously) to their families.

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Dear Wonder Families,

While I am certain it wasn’t completely unexpected, I know it was a surprise to learn late yesterday afternoon that we’d be closing for a week. Please know that this was an incredibly hard decision for the district to make. These are strange times and the situation, as many have said, is fluid. By the time Admin presents decisions made to faculty and staff, there is a good chance the circumstances have already changed. As a member of our Admin team put it yesterday, “This is like flying a plane and building it at the same time.” There is no precedent for what is taking place now in our district, the state of Massachusetts, the US, or the world.

As you know, all buildings and buses are being thoroughly cleaned again today. During our PD days tomorrow and Monday, faculty and curriculum specialists will be planning online learning should our closure extend past next Wednesday, when we will have expended all our “snow days” for the year. Suggested Kindergarten lessons and activities will be delivered to you and your child through Seesaw. In developing them, we are keeping in mind how hands-on and experiential Kindergarten is. Learning isn’t about staring at a screen or completing worksheets. Our ideas will be thoughtful and appropriate. No new content will be included as our focus will be on continued practice of skills and content already taught. Please continue to read to your child and encouraging them to read to you.

We also know having your children home on such short notice is a challenge. Many of you, I can well imagine, are trying to figure out how to handle child care while working. These are, indeed, challenging times and we all need to take care of ourselves and each other.

That’s all for now. You’ll hear more from me and the district soon. Until then, keep washing those hands and remember Country Cares!

Be well.

Mrs. Wyman

P.S. Take good care of my Wonders. I miss them already! 😦

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Thanks for wondering and wandering a bit with me today. Many thanks to the crew at Two Writing Teachers, and the extended SOL community, for giving us the time, space, and encouragement to live the writerly life here every Tuesday throughout the year and daily during the month of March.