Rather than flood my colleagues’ email boxes with links for them to check out, I thought I could at least point to things here that I would spend more time sharing if I had a ‘mo…as it were.

I just ran into David Truss, who was referred to on Twitter (that exploration has proved worthwhile to me) whose wonderful post about the two wolves works wonderfully with our “social studies” theme in the K-2, about emotions, feelings, and self-control. Plus, it just works!

The person who brought my attn to David, also brought to my attention this diverse (and certainly not the current popular media vision), andcertainly mind-ful look at autism –thank you, Dave MacLean, truly worth your viewing. (So glad you followed me on twitter, so I checked out what you shared there, and found this video!) I have had the amazing privilege of meeting Ari, and Amanda, and many others on that video. My son Alex introduced me to these peoples’ point of view (in order to help me understand him, and advocate for his needs).

Two videos and this story were relatively new to me, perhaps not to you… about the power of music to make change

Now, to gather info about paper airplanes, to enrich my aeronautical 2nd grader and help him prepare a presentation for his classmates.

This year, I’m pleased to drop the administrative hat and concentrate on teaching. Catching up will take a little bit.  I’ve hundreds of blog posts to read waiting in my RSS feeder, and new (to me) products and services to evaluate (for instance, what are the latest options for student blogging? It’s been a year since I checked that out!).  I’ll be checking back in with the people and blogs who were so inspiring to me to start with–everyone from Will Richardson to Rick Biche.  I have a new colleague or two who I expect will be leading me into new, cool tools and effective practices, too.  I want to read about what has been going on with gaming and online collaboration. I want to experiment with “wow” services like Twitter and see if they’ll really be useful and who they will be useful to. I’m really looking forward to resuming reflective practice.

I hope things will settle down and my schedule will become more rational by March. I still value the reflections about my own practice, and the connections with others and what they do, that preparing to post entails for me. I’ll still participate in the online world by reading others’ blogs, checking in to classroom2.0, and mining others’ writings for inspiration in my teaching!

Until March, then. In the meantime, why not check out some of my first posts, they still speak to me!

So, where have I been existing (a la STNG’s Sisko or Monk and the Captain’s wife–props if you get the references)?

Lately, I’ve been attempting to keep up with a spate of “shifts.” Life hasn’t had it’s normal ebb and flow of movement, reformation, and movement, like the progress of the tides. It hasn’t even had the long-heralded, suddenly breaking, deafening collapse followed by echoing silence in which to take stock, as an avalanche might. Concurrent, juxtaposed, opposed, unexpected, and unprecedented changes have made living through this past summer more like riding a wild bull during an earthquake, in a streambed as the dam breaks and the world’s most spectacular Aurora Borealis carries on overhead. It had to be endured, held onto, ridden out, swum with, and appreciated. I have been in the nexus of so much movement.

Things aren’t ever going to get back to normal. That normal is gone. But, I’m finally getting some breathing room. For now, a few things have been temporarily shored up. The school opened for a new year with a new Head of School (Interim), a newly-developed (by volunteer talent) school webpage to coordinate, expanded classroom time (yes!) with several of my groupings–and, on a personal front, new gray hair, new urgency to getting my parenting affairs in order (for example, everyone in my family here except for my autistic son will fly to Scotland on a plane this November–I really need to set up some provisions for him before we go, just in case something happens to the rest of us; my youngest son is bright and working way above his grade level, and I need to find a place for him to continue his education when he moves beyond this current school and its flexible groupings–that time is coming faster than it seems it should), my eldest boy has become a “joint author” and game designer before finishing college, even; and I’ve become a grandmother thanks to a new grandson in Scotland!

So, I am glad to finally say: I’ve got my curriculum organized, my tickets to fly to the UK and an apartment rented in Edinburgh for November break, and I’ve caught up reading the hundreds of posts waiting for me in my daily reading aggregator. Yes! I think, barring more unusual developments, I will be reflecting and blogging once again. At least, until progress reports are due…

Sigh. ;^)

Hope your summer life has proceeded more in a tidal rhythm, rather than in my epic adventure fashion.

Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/zieak/508973242/

(personal post) I got the news when I was approaching the baggage check-in in Portland, Maine. I’m standing there, with my oldest son, who is going to Gen Con Indianapolis where he will help premiere some newly published role playing games (that he wrote game design chapters for), on his way to heading back to college for his senior year. My cell phone rings. It’s a call from Nick, in Edinburgh, Scotland, who tells me that he has a newborn son! My daughter and he have changed our reality–and therefore everyone’s reality–by having little Adam.

I have become a grand-mom (I will let daughter Cam decide on whichever diminutive form of grandmother she wants to use for me). My husband has become a grand-father. My sons are now uncles. Our world is fuller.

What a good, positive, hopeful, brave thing that Cam and Nick have done. As soon as I get pics, I’m sure I’ll post here.

(For anyone wondering why I have a personal post on a blog I’m trying to use for my reflections on teaching, I am sure that Adam will be a very important motivator for me as I reflect on the state of little Adam’s educational world, among other things!)

(Anyone with good ideas for some wonderful baby gifts, please suggest them to me. It is hard to be so far away–we’ve identified some books we can send via Amazon.uk from this side of the puddle (”Where’s my cow?” is a must) but would love to know other good web sites we can access!)

Picture used with permission, all copyright reserved.

We’ve managed to cope, what with wonderful scenery, week-long visits from grandparents, daytrips to shopping meccas (the Maine Mall in Portland), the release of the Harry Potter movie and book, bringing home fish for a sushi-making session which everyone partook in…

But still, we did find that we needed to feed the internet demon (it was the only way to book airline flights, and other necessities–the phone line just wasn’t cutting it, honest!) and took a trip into Boothbay Harbor. There, the public library has a T1 line and wireless access 24/7, even when they are not open! Plus, the nearby wireless Cafe really knows how to create a fine cup of brew! Here I am, flanked by Nathan and Corwin (he’s got his dad’s laptop), at the counter of the Moose Head Cafe.

I’ll drop back off the network in a little while. Honest. We’ll go mackeral fishing off the pier. Just let the tide come in a little bit more…