RApp

Teacher's College Reading and Writing Project 

Reading Workshop June 2015

Hi everyone! I've been meaning to get over here to document my Teachers College visit since last summer! I got to experience it all again this summer and needed a place where I could document all the wonderful things I learned, so I decided to do it here, in order to share it with you! 

Monday, June 22, 2015 was the first day! We met at the gorgeous Riverside Church, which is adjacent to the Columbia Teachers College. In the above picture, you can see Lucy Calkins giving her welcoming speech. One of the quotes I took away from her speech was "what did you learn today? NOT what did you teach today?" Just think about that one for a few minutes! Then Lucy posed the question, "How do we get kids to 'read up a storm?" That is exactly what this reading workshop week is about. Getting kids to read and love it! Lucy studied teachers as readers and she wants to invite children into those habits.

Quotes and Ideas~

• "When you are on fire to teach, things change!"
• "You have to be open... most of us are fearful and/or anxious".
• Must watch Brene Brown's Ted Talk called "Daring Greatly to Be Creative" 
• "When there is 'fear-based' leadership, you go through a physical change and you lack peripheral vision. You are less able to be intuitive".
• "If you're not failing, you're not aiming high enough!"
• Lucy discussed teaching details through current events and theme. Very cool! 
• "During Independent Reading, we think 'reading' is the keyword, but nothing is as important as 'independence." 
• At the end, Lucy sang "This Little Light of Mine" and urged us to "take the light, and pass it on!"