If Not For Franki Celebration!!

It has been nearly seven months since I last wrote on my blog, that I said I was going to start writing on regularly through this year. So, today on Franki's birthday I will be returning to the blogging world and retry what I started oh so many months ago.

So, in honor of Franki for all that she is and all the she has accomplished, here are my top five If not for Frankism.

5. If not for Franki I would not be the teacher I am today. Through reading her books, our conversations, and professional conferences  I have grown so much as a educator.

4. If not for Franki I would not laugh as much as I do when I see her at monthly meetings. She truly makes me laugh whenever I see her.

3. If not for Franki I would not have enjoyed my birthday as much as I did last year, as she brought me her delicious homemade cookies to a google training we were in all day.

2. If not for Franki I would not be as okay with Katie leaving to go work at another building. Knowing the two of you will finally get to work together makes me very happy for you and the kids you will inspire,  learn, and grow.

1. If not for Franki I would not be chair of the Literacy Conference this coming year. I am truly excited about this adventure and am so humbled her trust and faith in me.

Thank you Franki for being you. You truly have touched so many lives. I am so grateful to have you in mine. Happy 50th Birthday Franki!!!!

Trying Once Again

I have decided to start out on a new/old adventure-blogging on my own. When I was a first year teacher, I was asked by a colleague to join her blog. I was very honored and of course, said yes. What I realized over the past few years was that I wasn't ready. I wasn't ready to make time in my life to blog and share my thinking. Partly because I really didn't feel I had much to contribute and because I didn't think my voice was important. While that is still a hurdle of mine that I am dealing with, I know now that I am more ready and willing to make the time and try. This revelation was partly inspired today by Ruth Ayres, as she shared with many other teachers regarding how to celebrate the writers in our classrooms. So, as I tell me first graders on a regular basis to be brave and try, I am taking my own advice and jumping in. I don't have a plan laid out as to what my post will or could be, but I am finally okay with that. I am hoping through coming back to blogging, I can share and reflect on life and teaching. So here I go...