Let me help you plan a writing celebration!

Are you looking for a fast way to plan a formal writing celebration?

Sometimes at the end of the year, it can feel overwhelming to plan one more thing. The truth of the matter is you have time to make a plan for a meaningful writing celebration.

I know because I've helped lots of teachers make quick plans for powerful writing celebrations.

Last weekend I found myself with a little extra time, so I began imagining ways I could help more teachers plan an end of the year writing celebration.

By the end of the weekend, I created a new mini-course. It's designed to be a fast guide to help you plan a writing celebration. I pretended that we had time to grab a cup of coffee and chat through a celebration for your classroom. I created a few videos inspired by the conversations I've been having with teachers in my neck of the woods.

Then I thought about the things I would offer to print for your students. I created a handful of PDFs and added them to the mini-course.

In just an hour or two, you'll have a meaningful writing celebration planned for your students.

Check out the Fast Guide to Writing Celebrations. Because I'm trained in education and not in business, there's an insane early bird price for the mini-course.

For just a few dollars, you'll learn:

• Celebration messages to anchor your celebration
• The three components to a genuine celebration -- 
  • Response
  • Reflection
  • Rejoicing
• A process for planning a meaningful writing celebration

And you'll get:

• 5 video lessons (each around 5 minutes)
• A printable PDF of the Celebration Messages
• A Response Sheet for primary grades
• A Comment Sheet for upper grades
• A list of Interview Questions for Writers to use as a reflection
• A template to guide you in planning a formal celebration

Leave a comment and let me know about your plans to celebrate your students as writers. Happy teaching, everyone!

Throw Caution to the Wind. CHOOSE JOY.

My friend, Jasmine, and I threw caution to the wind and went for a walk despite the sky threatening a storm. 

About halfway through our walk, on the far side of town, the sky cracked and drops drained down. Fortunately we found cover under an old oak tree. We remained dry.

The rain stopped and our walk continued. 

We met some friends and visited until the sky turned night. Leaving, the rain started again. It was just some drops, and we were only a few blocks from our cars.

"Don't you have an umbrella?" 
"Where are your umbrellas?"
"Didn't you bring an umbrella?"

Our three friends were clearly more put together than we were. Jas and I looked at each other and shrugged. "We can walk between the drops," I joked.

We declined their offers to borrow umbrellas or catch a ride to our cars. The rain turned from drops to pelts to buckets.

Jas and I giggled and ran and wiped the water from our faces. The sky boomed. The rain unleashed, and we were drenched.

We laughed more and jumped into our cars.

Water dripped from the brim of my hat. My feet squished in my shoes. My hands were impossible to dry, making the steering wheel slick. 

I started my car and giggled more.

Sometimes we go to great efforts to avoid the storms. Jas and I stood under the oak tree, and the storm passed. We remained dry and unchanged.

Yet, when we kept going despite the storm, good things happened. Jas and I chose joy in the middle of the rain. We're closer friends from weathering the storm.

Storms will come. Let's go through them and become better people despite the grey and rain around us. Trust me, this is the choice I'm making right now -- I'm weathering the storm by choosing joy. I hope you'll leave a comment and let me know that you're choosing joy too!

Start Planning for an End-of-the-Year Writing Celebration

(Note: This is similar to a previous note that went out to my Email Pals.)

It's not too soon to begin planning for your final writing celebration of the school year. Writing celebrations offer positive energy for student writers, so it is worthwhile to end the year with one. This way students will carry self-confidence and good memories of writing with them throughout the summer and into the following school year.

Primary Writing Celebrations

For the youngest writers, I prefer to have a BEST BOOK EVER celebration! It just so happens that I enjoy launching writing workshop with an invitation to write the BEST BOOK EVER. Check it out...I'm sure you can use it as a springboard for planning an end-of-the-year BEST BOOK EVER celebration. 

If you would like a Celebration Prep Guide, click here to receive a lesson list and timeline to prepare for a Best Book Ever celebration or complete the form below.

Intermediate Writing Celebrations

For older writers, I invite them to complete an end of the year writing reflection and create an anthology.  Students consider four categories and select a project from the school year that meets the following categories.

• My Favorite...
• I Learned the Most by Writing...
• Most Meaningful...
• I Wish I Had More Time...

Students may select a different piece for each category, or the same piece might fit more than one category. For example, "My Favorite" and "Most Meaningful" might be the same writing project.

If you would like the Year-End Reflection, just complete the form below.

Students can collect their final projects (or print fresh copies if they have their work on a device) to compile an anthology. The reflection will serve as the opening pages to the anthology.

This isn't a project to rush. Plan to spend 5-7 days for students to complete a thoughtful reflection and a meaningful anthology. Depending on time and the students, you may invite them to add different parts to make their anthologies complete. Consider including:

• A fancy cover
• Table of Contents
• Dedication
• Introduction
• Back cover with an author bio

The Formal Celebration

During the formal celebration, I prefer to give students an opportunity to share what they have learned as writers throughout the year. Primary students share the BEST BOOK EVER. Older students share the title of the project they selected for one category, their rationale for selection, and the writing project.

With a little forethought, you will put together a stellar final writing celebration. As always, I love to hear from you. Leave a comment and let me know:

• When will you start preparing for your end of the year writing celebration?
• What questions or thoughts do you have about an end of the year writing celebration?

Please share pics and comments from your writing celebrations with me on Twitter. Just tag @ruth_ayres.

Hello 100! CELEBRATE This Week {C}

I'm glad you are here to celebrate! Share a link to your blog post below and/or use #celebratelu to share celebrations on Twitter. Check out the details here. Celebrate This Week goes live on Friday night around 10(ish). Consider it as a weekend celebration. Whenever it fits in your life, add your link. Please leave a little comment love for the person who links before you.

******

Hello 100! I think of Franki Sibberson every single week when I claim celebration. She nudged me into offering a place to share celebrations. Franki is a mentor to me in so many different areas of life -- writer, teacher, momma, friend. I've started thinking of her as the big sister I never had. It seems appropriate that she begins my list of reasons to celebrate.

1. Celebration lightens the load.
2. Celebration allows me to find the simplicity in life.
3. Celebration gives me the chance to unwind.
4. Celebration forces me to live unhurried in a hurry-up world.
5. Celebration turns my story from hard to good.
6. Celebration rewrites the story I'm living.
7. Celebration offers hope.
8. Celebration connects us to one another.
9. Celebration saves me from darkness.
10. Celebration makes a difference.

This week, a first grade teacher lost her battle to cancer. It wasn't the way we thought the story was going to go when the school year opened and the entire staff wore yellow on the first day of school to support and encourage her.

It's a gut-wrenching story, yet the principal led with compassion. The mantra this week became be gentle with yourself and others.

Sometimes celebration quietly claims space in our hearts. When there's nothing to celebrate, it's a brave choice to be gentle with yourself. Being gentle is a celebration.

Too many times I've wondered if CELEBRATE This Week is worthwhile.

You don't do something 100 times if it's not worthwhile.

There's no fanfare this week. This seems ironic. Shouldn't a celebration link-up have a big shindig for 100? On second thought, perhaps it is just perfect this way. When you learn to celebrate every week, you learn to find the quiet, but mighty celebrations. This is grit. Finding something to celebrate, even when it seems impossible. Celebration is sometimes quiet, like the whisper of a butterfly.

Thanks for joining me. You remind me that celebration is a very worthwhile practice. You give me permission to be myself, even when it's in a quiet sort of way.

Hugs, Ruth

CELEBRATE This Week LXXXV (85)

I'm glad you are here to celebrate! Share a link to your blog post below and/or use #celebratelu to share celebrations on Twitter. Check out the details here. Celebrate This Week goes live on Friday night around 10(ish). Consider it as a weekend celebration. Whenever it fits in your life, add your link. Please leave a little comment love for the person who links before you.

*****

I turned my Instagram account public. I've been using it to collect & document celebrations. I love it. Please follow me there: @ruth_ayres to find celebrations throughout the week.

*****

Not everybody gets to be an aunt. Long before I wanted to be a momma, I wanted to be the best aunt in the universe. I got to be an aunt to these two before I was even officially married into the family.
 

Their mommy let me be their aunt. It's not something I take lightly. You have to be allowed to be involved in lives. Being an aunt soothed my soul when I didn't get to be a momma.

At age two, they were the world's cutest ring bearer and flower girl. (Andy and his sister, Abbie, are in the photo too...not that you really notice them for all the cuteness of Madison and Cole. Note the bag of Cheerios in Cole's hand. Madison was more discreet with her flower girl basket full of Cheerios.)

 

Of course, the fun was just beginning. 

 

 

A couple of blinks and a handful of ballgames and parties and holidays and recitals and suddenly they are all grown up, dressed in caps and gowns. You know it's going to happen, but when it does, when it really happens, you can't help but catch your breath by the sheer awe of it all.

One moment you're there --

Then the next you're here --

And I find myself completely overwhelmed by all of the emotions. No one ever told me that being the best aunt in the universe means they grow up faster than you expect and they'll tower over you and then they go on to live these beautiful imperfect lives that just make you love them more.

No one ever told me that their hugs get better the older they get. They don't just hug you just because you're the best aunt in the universe, but because they love you back.

Cole and Maddie, your resilience amazes me.

Share your celebrations!

CELEBRATE This Week: LXXXIII (83)

I'm glad you are here to celebrate! Share a link to your blog post below and/or use #celebratelu to share celebrations on Twitter. Check out the details here. Celebrate This Week goes live on Friday night around 10(ish). Consider it as a weekend celebration. Whenever it fits in your life, add your link. Please leave a little comment love for the person who links before you.

*****

I turned my Instagram account public. I've been using it to collect & document celebrations. I love it. Please follow me there: @ruth_ayres to find celebrations throughout the week.

***** 

Oh my goodness -- those comments you left me last week? Thank you!

There is magic in the muddle. This week the muddle is thick. We are days away from summer break. This is hard. Never again will life be just as it is right now. When kids return to school in August, everything is different. Different teacher. Different room. Different classmates. 

This causes anxiety. It especially causes anxiety for a 10 year old boy who has never returned to the same school. Never. 

Before Jay came home to us he started each grade in a new school. When he joined our forever family, he was in second grade and went to school in the district I work.

Third grade and he went to school at the district in our hometown.

Fourth grade and he moved to the intermediate school in our hometown. The afternoon after his first day of school in fourth grade, he greeted me at the door when I came home. Bouncing upanddownandupanddown he announced, “You were right, Mom! I did know all of the kids in my class! They all came back from last year! I can’t believe it.”

It was a whole new paradigm, much like life for a caterpillar that comes out of his cocoon as a butterfly. Same eyes, but a whole new perspective.

Early in the week, Jay was nearly impossible to please, and difficult to get along with. He was a ball of fury and there didn’t seem to be any reason why.

The truth tickled my ears: All behavior is a result of a feeling. Our thoughts influence our feelings and our feelings influence our actions.

After a rocky bedtime routine and a spat that landed Jay in his bed, cocooned inside his thick quilt, and the rest of us perplexed, I stood beside his top bunk and wondered what to do.

I hoisted myself up into the bunk and curled up beside him. He inched away from me and pasted himself to the wall. I left the space between us. If a butterfly is going to thrive, the cocoon must be left alone.

Quietly I asked, “What grade will you be in next year?”

His voice gravely, it seemed like he spit rocks with his answer. “Fifth grade.” Then he rolled over peeked out of a tiny space at the top of his quilt and raised his voice. “Gosh! I don’t know! Who knows what grade I’ll be in! Just leave me alone!”

Only he didn’t move away from me, he moved closer, rolling to close the gap between us and resting his head on my outstretched arm.

Still quiet, I said, “You’ll be in fifth grade, buddy. Kids with all A’s and B’s go to fifth grade. Kids who get along with others and do their best to follow the rules go to fifth grade. You’re going to fifth grade.”

“Whatever. Gosh.” He spit more stones.

“You’ll still have the guys too. Chris and Liam and Gavin will all be your friends when you go to fifth grade. You’ll still be "the guys" in fifth grade.”

Unexpectedly, his little arms shot right out of the quilt and hugged me tight around the waist. I pulled him close and said, “You don’t need to worry about next year. You’ll still be an Ayres. You’ll still be at your school. You’ll still have your friends. There’s no reason to worry.”

His eyes met mine and he smiled. “Okay.”

“Okay,” I said back, but it meant so much more than one little word can hold. It meant this family is forever and you are forever loved.

I climbed down from the top bunk.

“Mom?” his question stopped me and I turned back. Maybe we weren’t okay after all.

“What Jay?”

“I wondered why I was being such a jerk to everyone. I didn’t know I was worried. I’m glad you know about that stuff because I don’t like being a jerk and I guess worrying does weird stuff to you.”

“I love you, Jay.” I clicked off the light. Someday I'll have to tell him I have no idea about stuff, I just listen and love.

Worrying does weird stuff to you. Isn’t that the truth? The magic is right here in the middle of the muddle. We don’t have to worry. Instead, we take the time to listen and love and break into a new perspective. I’m grateful as chains of insecurity and anxiety and anger are loosened from Jay’s heart. We keep catching glimpses of the beauty beneath the cocoon of his heart. Someday it will soar. 

This is most definitely the magic in the muddle.

CELEBRATE This Week: LXXXII (82)

I'm glad you are here to celebrate! Share a link to your blog post below and/or use #celebratelu to share celebrations on Twitter. Check out the details here. Celebrate This Week goes live on Friday night around 10(ish). Consider it as a weekend celebration. Whenever it fits in your life, add your link. Please leave a little comment love for the person who links before you.

*****

I turned my Instagram account public. I've been using it to collect & document celebrations. I love it. Please follow me there: @ruth_ayres to find celebrations throughout the week.

*****

I'm pretending we're having a chat over a warm cup of something. I sit across from you in a comfy seat and listen. I like to listen. I like to listen especially when I'm exhausted. I hope you'll share your celebrations today and imagine me on the other side of the screen with a cup of something warm being inspired by your stories of celebration.

At some point, you might ask ask me about celebration, I'd take a deep breath and a long sip. I'd smile at you and then maybe say something like this...

Recently I read a quote from Arianna Huffington and she said, "Failure is not the opposite of success; it's part of success." It's been tumbling around in my mind, redefining failure, accepting that if there's success, then there's also failure.

I've made no secret that I'm having a hard time finding my footing as a writer. I keep trying to make space....make space...make space. I miss blogging. I miss writing 1000 words each morning. I miss the easy way words lined up when I draft articles or chapters about teaching writing. I miss writing slices from my family life. I miss jotting wisps of stories in my notebooks scattered around my daily life -- in the laundry room and the car and my nightstand.

I miss these things. And yet, no matter how hard I try to make space, my brain is still muddled. I sit in front of a blank page and I don't even know how to begin. I write anyway and am left with a jumbled mess and too much frustration.

It feels like failure.

My editor said, "You did become a mother to four active kids quite quickly."

Yes, this is very true.

That's part of the story, though. Those four active kids teach me about young writers and storytelling and faith. Those four active kids teach me grit and compassion and grace. Those four active kids teach me about culture and overcoming stereotypes and mercy. Those four active kids teach me about using technology for creation and the power of video and mixing medias. 

It feels like failure that I'm not filling pages with these stories and reflections and teachings.

The celebration is this: Just because it feels like failure doesn't mean it is. Rather, it might just be one step on the road to success. I'm going to fight to stay on this road. Fight to keep believing that I am a writer. Fight to ignore the world's definition of success. Fight to hold on to this piece of me being a writer because I know it is who I'm made to be.

I'm glad you're here -- joining me in the good fight. Each of us, no matter our corner of the world -- are fighting to hold on to the pieces of us that we were made to be. Failure is part of the journey to success. I'm choosing to believe this and hope that you will too.