Teaching is Messy when You're on a Quest

My one little word continues to grab me and won't let me go. Just once I wish I could scream, "Leave me alone."  I am not ready for another quest.  But then there is life and life gets messy as my friend Ruth Ayres writes about so many times,  I appreciate her honesty especially with those posts.  My messiness is in my classroom this year.  It's with an amazing group of 27 learners. It's really my messiness that I haven't wrapped my thinking even after seven weeks and 1/2 way through our first trimester.

My quest has been for flexible seating, workshop model in all subject areas and most of all visible student learning.  Lyndsey, our literacy coach, saved the day a week ago. I don't even know if she knows this.  But I was totally overwhelmed, and I asked her for more advice. I don't remember anything  except, "You jumped in with both feet in all subject areas."  I didn't even consider that affect on my overwhelming feeling of being lost several times in my quest.  

Fast forward to moments of pure joy... there have been several of them this year.  I believe they are breadcrumbs that help keep me moving forward on my quest.

There two girls are reading The War that Saved my Life.
They started before recess reading in the hallway.
Almost 100 students went to lunch walking by them.
I walked into the hall five minutes into recess, and they were still reading.
"We can't go to recess."  Can we please finish the book?
YES you can :)