Amazing

God amazes me in all things.  How we can take this:

And grow this:

Truly, He is amazing!

A Howlin' Great Weekend

This past weekend we dropped everything and headed out of town (but not too far out) for a family getaway to Great Wolf Lodge.  We even left computers and iPads at home!  I know!  It's shocking! 

Our goal during this trip was to spend time together as a family and have a well-rounded Great Wolf Lodge experience.  I am happy to report that we were able to do both!

We arrived in the early afternoon yesterday to a complete sea of people checking in.  I will say it was very busy, but not so much that it was unpleasant.  They have their check in process down to a science for sure!  After checking in and getting settled in our room, we headed to the water park, full of water slides, a lazy river, huge play structure, and a wave pool.  Aaron, the girls, and I tried it all out for several hours.  There were lines for the water slides, but nothing too terrible. 

The girls after the Canyon River Run water slide

Following dinner (burritos in our room - yes, it was "camping at GWL"), we decided to try our hands at MagiQuesting.  The girls purchased wands in the MagiQuest store, and then we spent several hours on different quests to find enchanted objects in the hotel.  After about four quests, we called it a night.

Fast forward through the snoring, pillow fighting, etc to this morning.  We had breakfast in our room, then the girls and I headed out to do some more MagiQuesting.  Let me tell you, this is a workout!  I climbed 20 flights of stairs in an hour, and at 18 steps per flight, that's 360 steps total!  I'd call that a pretty good start to the day.  Aaron and I traded spots so I could finish packing up and get us checked out by 11am.  The girls continued on their quests and became Master Magis.  They also completed one adventure (the slaying of the dragon), before we had lunch and spent a little more time in the water park. 

This afternoon in the water park was much less crowded, so the girls got to go on water slides multiple times.  It was so much fun to watch them enjoy spending time together.  They truly enjoy each other's company, and will go out of the way to compromise so they are all happy. 

All in all, this was a terrific weekend.  Aaron and I got to spend the time watching our kids have so much fun.  We left the work at home, and got to spend time with our girls.  I've been thinking a lot about time, and the hurried lifestyle so many of us lead.  In fast paced America, I think the best gift we can give the people we love is time.  It doesn't cost a thing, but is truly priceless!

Funky Chords, Family time, and Growing Together

I love spending time with my kids.  I think one of the neatest parts of being a parent is when you recognize that you are growing right along side of them.  When you become a parent, you think you know everything (because you read a book or three), but really you know absolutely nothing.  So, from day one, you are growing.  Just as they are changing from a newborn baby into an amazing person, you too become an experienced parent.  And, it's all based on the relationship you have with your kiddos.  My kids have grown me in so many ways, I cannot measure them.  They've grown my faith, for sure, and tonight they grew a very personal part of me.  It's definitely not the most important part of me, but it's part of my core person, and that's my musicality. 

I started playing the piano when I was five, and had umpteen squat years of lessons.  At nine, when I started the flute, I really became less interested in the piano (as practice time was limited by all the other extra curricular stuff going on in my life).  So, all I ever really learned to do was play classical music well.  Pretty much now, the last thing I want to do is play classical music.  Hand me a hymnal, or a classical piece that's written out and I'll play it for you (it may take a few tries, but I'll get it).  What interests me, though, is playing with my kids.  Grace likes contemporary Christian music, so that's what I want to play.  When Elissa's playing the drums, that's the kind of music she wants to play as well.  So....that leaves me needing to grow! 

Tonight, Grace brought me some sheet music that was quite complicated, with all sorts of ledger lines and funky stuff, with a quick beat.  Let me just say, it was not a piece I could sight read on the spot and make sound at all like the actual song.  So, I said what I've never said before.  "Go print the guitar chords."  So, she did.  And they weren't easy.  Eb, Ebsus4, Eb7, Cm, Abm, C#7, Fm, yikes!!!!!!!  Let me just say, that wasn't easy for me either, but at least it sounded a little bit more like the real song, and I could play it closer to tempo with something that resembled the melody.  Yep, she grew me!  And I'm loving it! 

Let me just say, if you've never spent time like that with your kids, please do.  You'll all grow, and it will be a wonderful experience.

Why I Love Guided Reading

Reason #1 Why I love guided reading:  You meet your students right where they are and they immediately learn something new that they can use.

Today I pulled two of my groups to the teacher table for guided reading.  It was the first day to read the book, so with one of my groups we talked about the purpose of the Table of Contents, the Glossary and the Index.  This was such a great lesson, and I didn't even know how great it would be!  It was the first time to discuss the differences between a glossary and an index, and it was also the first time for us to discuss the purpose of them as well.  They really had no idea why a reader would want to use either, but they were excited to try it out after we had discussed it. 

Reason # 2 Why I love guided reading:  It gives students an opportunity to take a risk they might not take in front of the whole class.

A small group setting is an ideal place for students who are not confident in their reading abilities.  Because they are working with students that are on or near their same level, they are more willing to suggest an answer, or try a reading strategy that they would not do in a whole group setting.  Today one of my students volunteered to read out loud.  That has not happened in a whole group setting.

Reason # 3 Why I love guided reading:  It gives students an opportunity to discuss what they are reading in an intimate setting.

When you only have five or six people discussing a book, you can share more ideas.  'Nuff said.

Reason # 4 Why I love guided reading:  They come back from the library and say "Mrs. Miller, look!  My book has both a glossary and an index!"  and they are excited about it! 

That was definitely a highlight today!

Building Each Other Up

After much anticipation, Elissa's drum set finally arrived!  She has been waiting for what seems like forever to her (about a week and a half), and yesterday her instructor brought it over and set it up.  Let me tell you, that was the best money ever spent!  There are a lot of parts, and no doubt I would not have done it correctly.  He also took the time to explain to her everything he was doing, and showed her how to tune it and adjust it when the time comes.  She is one very happy girl!

The best part, though, is not about Elissa, but about how her sisters are reacting to this whole new adventure in our house.  Instead of jealousy or complaint about the noise, Grace and Kaitlin are excited for Elissa.  We have already had several concerts, and the girls are eager to encourage Elissa and give her positive feedback.  Grace asked Elissa to come and show her what she had learned as soon as we returned home from lessons today.  Then she videoed it and posted it to Facebook with some really nice comments. 

The Bible says we are supposed to encourage one another and build each other up in 1 Thessalonians 5:11.  While I take this verse to be talking about our faith, so often we can transfer what we learn about our faith into our actions in every day life.  That's what Grace and Kaitlin are doing for Elissa, and that makes me one proud Mama!

Cultivating Talent

My ten year old daughter Elissa began taking drum lessons five weeks ago. She loves it! She practices faithfully every day, uses the metronome, and pays attention to what she is doing so she can make improvements. A week ago her instructor told her she would be finishing the first book within a week or two, provided sho could perform the "test" to him and then to an audience (me) at the studio. Well, she was determined to graduate from the book yesterday. So, she practiced extra hard, working on one line at a time, then putting them together until she got it right. On a side note here, she does not have her drum set in my house yet - it's ordered, but has not come in yet, so she's practicing on a phone book and various stacks of boxes, making it even more challenging. Well, Elissa is one determined girl! She did it, and she did it well. She had a little glitch when playing for me at the studio, but she just kept on going, recovered, and finished strong. It was a proud moment for both of us.

Watching her go through this process has really made me think about talent lately. Of course, I think she's extremely talented (I may be a little biased here), but she also works hard to grow her skills. Everyone starts out with the potential to be great at something, but if they don't make an effort to be great, it'll never happen. I can just imagine that there is so much untapped potential in our world - musicians, inventors, and all sorts of geniuses that will never reach greatness because they aren't working on their talent. I had a friend tell me a story yesterday that really touched my heart. His brother was always talking about playing the lottery, and finally his dad said to him, "Why waste your money on the lottery. You have a million dollars sitting in your guitar case if you would just open it." So, the brother did, and now has a CD out there for everyone to enjoy. What a bold statement for a parent to make, especially to their grown child!

So, back to cultivating talent. Teachers, parents, and mentors are a little bit like gardeners. We start with a child, just a seed. Have you ever noticed that it's hard to tell what kind of plant you'll have if you have a bag of mixed seeds? We don't know what kind of flower will bud, but it's still our job to nurture the child, providing them with experiences and opportunities to grow their talent into a masterpiece. Kids need to have lots of different opportunities to experience a variety of things. What you originally think may be their talent could be something they are good at, but not necessarily their passion. So, let them try ice skating, even if you groan about it. If that's where their talent lies, it will grow. If not, they'll be excited to try something new, but they'll get to walk away from ice skating knowing they had the opportunity to try. And if you are a teacher, remember you could be teaching the next Einstein. So, grow their talents and, more importantly, ignite the passion within your students to pursue their dreams. That will make an impact on your student that will reach far beyond the year you teach them.

Speeding into reading

We are almost finished with our second full week of school, and things sure are in full swing! I'm loving my new classroom, and all the space I have. This is the first time I've ever had the space to pull a group of students to the carpet for Read Aloud! Over the summer I spent some time reading several children's novels, and I found four that I really like. I'm reading my favorite right now, Silverwing, by Kenneth Oppel. The main character is a bat who is the runt of his colony. He goes on a journey, meets other characters, and during the adventure makes friends and learns about himself. We are still at the beginning of the book, and tomorrow the students are going to discover the reason why the bats have to obey a law that allows them out only at night. They were really sad when school ended today and we had to stop reading! Ok, enough about the book already. I thought I'd take a moment to write a little bit about why this type of reading is so important for student learning. So, here goes....

1. It's important for students to hear what good readers sound like when they read. We, as readers, did not just come by inflection and intonation naturally. We read with expression because we heard someone read that way to us. So many students are not read to at home, so how are they supposed to learn how to read expressively? From someone who loves to read.

2. Reading to students exposes them to new vocabulary. When we read aloud to students, we have the opportunity to read books that are above their independent reading level. Many of them contain new words for students. If you take the time to explain the words to the students, they have instantly increased their vocabulary, and they don't even realize they've learned something new!

3. Reading unlocks creativity. Books leave so much to the imagination. How many times have you been to the movies after reading a story, and thought, "Wow, that character doesn't look anything like I imagined?". After school, our students head home, quickly complete their homework, then plop in front of the tv or a video game and watch. While it took creativity to make the tv show or game, it does not take creativity to watch it. Reading aloud gives students the chance to use their imagination.

4. Reading aloud gives students the chance to think at a higher level. When students are actively engaged in read aloud, they don't even realize that you are growing their brains when you ask questions like, "How is the character feeling?" or "How has the character changed from the beginning of the story," or even "What do you think the character is going to do next?"

5. Reading to students instills a love of reading in them. I always say that reading takes you places. It takes you to places literally, like where the story takes place, and it also takes you places figuratively, like to the next level of book to read, or to the next grade level, or in the case of our students eventually to higher education and a successful career. Students who are read to are more likely to enjoy reading later, and that will take them farther than they ever dream!

So, bottom line, read to your students, read to your kids, read to your neighbors, just read!