Conferring

Rereading Allen's, Conferring The Keystone to Reader's Workshop, I am reminded of Patrick's 'early' days. The days of just beginning to think about the teacher-student relationship. Do you remember when you first became a teacher? You might have been a five year old teaching your younger sibling your new understanding of how to tie a shoe. Or maybe you just graduated from college holding your Education degree tight in your hand, finally able to breathe, thinking,'now' I am a teacher. Go back, do you remember your beginning reading conferences? I remember mine and Allen's. He sat behind his half table with his group of students, and I worked with another group out in the hall. Students read, we asked questions, i.e.; who is the main charactor, where does the story take place? This process of a conferencing didn't last very long! The conference was missing something, like missing the vanilla in a favorite cake recipe. The conferences were dry, no life, no breath. Patrick began to grow. He studied others, he practiced, he reflected upon his practice and he brought me along with him on this journey. Then we talked kids and now we continue to talk kids. One thing I know of Patrick is Patrick really wants to know what his students are thinking and to get at thinking Patrick waits for thinking. Patrick teaches like he fathers his four children and like his parenting has grown so has his teaching. Visitors come and the say, "I can't do this, and Patrick says,"Just begin." Allen teaches us the difference between conference and conferring. He teaches us about the power of mentorship. He teaches us to think deeply, which in today's educational climate, is not of great import from the beliefs of the powers that be. Patrick confers shoulder to shoulder to collect data, assess the data, and teach, over and over and over! Patrick respects every child as if he/she is his own. Student's can't escape his presence-students don't 'play' school in Patrick's room. Together students and teacher set the tone and expectation. Each student knows they are valued, knows that their thinking is the thinking that will change the world and often times one of the students is the teacher and Patrick is the student. As a teacher Patrick shares the stage with all learners. Patrick and I have traveled many miles through our careers together-from his humble half table conferences to his shoulder to shoulder conferring and all the 'ways' in between, Patrick is a mentor-model for me to continue to never stagnate, to hone my practice through talk with mentors, to continue to practice with students always in my forefront, and to have the confidence to stand up for my beliefs in all aspects of life-

Reflections

March 22, 1993-A Life Circle

3-22-1993
Dear Blab,
Only Cynthia can say, "The whale emptied her songs into her baby." Only Cynthia can make me retrace my steps back twenty-one years ago. Back to the moments that were left behind in my forgotten places. To the moment of the first movement of life within me, back to the time when she, my first child, burst out of my body in a flood and into my arms. And now I am feeling the life of my first grandchild. I watch my child's body change and shift to accommodate her child. I sneak peeks at her in between my knitting and purling as she rubs her billowing belly making contact with her unborn as she sits watching nothing on T.V.. Her hands caress her bulging abdomen. Sometimes she giggles when her baby makes contact from the inside out. She'll call, "Mom, Dad, feel this." My daughter never knows I've been spying on her, watching her as she bonds and loves her unknown. The purity of the love between mother and unborn child. Oneness.
Thanks Cynthia,
love,
Randi

3-22-2011
Our 5th grandchild is now growing in my son's wife. Eighteen years later I am blessed to watch my son and daughter grow, caress, and bond with their 2nd child. I love that I have kept a Living Book for 20 years! Today revisiting my 2nd Living Book, February 16, 1993-June 17, 1993, I am able to connect a straight line and turn it into a life circle.

"My writing today is someone's reading for tomorrow, my reading today is someone's writing from yesterday."

For 19 years I often wonder why I write in a 200 page, no lines, artist tablet almost daily. Today I called my first granddaughter, Jordan, age 17 1/2 to share what I wrote 17 1/2 years ago when she was an embryo of 22 weeks swimming in her mother's womb. She cried and then thanked me for writing my feelings for her before she was born.

2-14-1993
Living Book #1
12:30 p.m.

Jenn went and visited Stuart today. She had a 15 minute ultrasound. She just called to tell me her baby has everything-good lungs, a heartbeat of 150 BPM [good range is between 130-160] I remember reading somewhere that a fast heartbeat could be a girl. I know that's what Jenn wants. I think she will be happy with whatever she gets.

It's a Miracle
I see
the baby's foot,
heart,
tummy,
femur,
spine,
brain
and all four quadrants.

It's a miracle
I see three sneezes
and
one thumb suck.

It's a miracle
a wiggly little person
swimming around inside
my baby,
swimming here
and
swimming there,
twisting here
and
turning there.

Today,
I saw a miracle!
2-14-93

Do you think you can use your Living Book to make the commonplace seem marvelous?

2010
Jordan has been accepted to University of Arizona
She is waiting to hear from nine more Universities from around the country!

"My writing today is someone's reading for tomorrow, my reading today is someone's writing from yesterday."
Randi Allison

A good place to begin is at the beginning...

A good place for me to begin would be my beginning, which I suppose the beginning is a good place for most anyone to begin...

July 8,1992
Dear Living Book #1,

Welcome #1! I'm not sure welcome to what, but together you and I will figure it out. Don at the summer institute said, "If it's not for us, it's not for them." I knew I wanted a place to house my thinking. I do know one thing though and that is I don't want you to be my journal-I've kept tons of journals and they don't sound like my living. Rereading the journals I've kept, I noticed that I write about waking up, what I did that day, and going to bed! BORING- My intent is for you to help me see my living through my writing, and not report my living, and hopefully, I will be able to tell the difference!

Love,
Randi

Today, February 7, 2011, almost 20 years later I have filled 43 Living Books-Yes 43! Today I unpacked all 43 from my file cabinets and surrounded myself in my life of the last 19 1/2 years. My writing has captured love, birth, death, friendship, poetry, thinking, learning, process, understanding...

Life,
my life,
welcome to it!