Another March

31 of 31 at Two Writing Teachers!

The first year I did the Slice of Life Challenge, I was ecstatic at the end: just completely filled with pride that I had accomplished such a monumental task.

Last year was my first as an ELL teacher and my first challenge writing alongside my students. Thus, my feelings at the end of the month were more along the lines of being relieved that I survived my part of the challenge. Thus, my reflections and pride were all about bringing the challenge to them.

This year, my head is swirling with mixed feelings. Lots of last year's exhaustion and relief are definitely prominent, but I'm also even more proud of my students and even more excited about what slicing has done for our classroom community, since I learned from last year and improved the way I implemented the classroom challenge with my students. Moreover, I brought several of my colleagues and friends into the challenge, which added another dimension of joy and pride this year.

Since swirling emotions are perfect for poetry, it seems that the ideal way to wrap up March 2014 is with a poem:

Another March

Another March,
another month of writing.

A month of thinking

of playing

of stretching.

A month of pushing

of nudging

of encouraging.

A month of connecting

 of understanding

of growing.

Another March,
another challenge vanquished.

A month of excitement,

delight,

inspiration.

A month of frustration, 

exhaustion,

persistence.

A month of courage,

appreciation,

pride.

Another March,

another month of writing                              
together.