Reading the posts over the last week or so have completely filled my work cup. Shana is gifting, Amy is reminiscing, Katie is contemplating summer reads… I hadn’t realized how heavily I have come to rely on this blog. The advice, the ideas, the questions have given me a community that is excited about innovating the English Language Arts classroom. It is a place I can come and get lost in what others are doing to change how we ELAR.

Thank you! Thank you to everyone who has posted and to everyone who is reading the posts. Thank you for wanting more for our students.

I am 21 days (max) from giving birth to our first child, and I’ve found my thoughts wandering to what school will be like for him. Granted, I’m at least five years away from my first-born stepping into a classroom, but it doesn’t stop my hope for what those classrooms will look like. My husband and I are both in education and there is a lot of edu-speak in our house. We talk about where our son will go to school; my district, his district, our zoned district. We talk about involvement in his school community. We talk about who our favorite teachers have been and why. It makes me hope that our son is fortunate enough to get ELAR teachers like you. ELAR teachers who want to inspire reading and writing. Teachers who want to teach students to think and ask questions and know how to navigate the world after they leave us. And, maybe it’s the hormones that have me all sentimental, or that it’s the end of another school year, but the overwhelming feeling I just can’t kick is gratitude. I am BEYOND fortunate to work with teachers and administrators that have a common goal when it comes to teaching English, and for that my hope burns bright. My son will fall in love with reading and writing because of YOU.

I hope summer gives you what you need, so when August comes around you are ready to get back to the trenches. Our students need teachers like you.