Welcome to May and welcome back to the
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| My 80th and current notebook. |
Notebooks are a place to breathe, to live, to untangle, to explore, to play, and to notice. The pages of my notebooks always bring me peace. They are a safe place where I can release the day and be present and be myself. That’s the gift of the notebook. Let me give you an example…
Monday was a bad day for me. It was more Monday-ish than normal. The day began with spilled coffee after a distracted driver almost drove me off the road. As Monday continued, it felt like one thing after another was going wrong and I felt overwhelmed, frustrated, and helpless. When I got home, I pulled out my notebook and I decided to write about what worked in my day and focus on the positive. I wrote out a gratitude list and by the time I was finished , I decided that it hadn’t been a bad day at all, I was only focusing on the bad experiences and ignoring the joy and success of the day.
If I hadn’t stopped and notebooked (Yes, I’m making notebook into a verb too!) I would have gone to bed annoyed. Instead, I was able to refocus myself and feel much better about my day. There is power in the notebook and in using it to notice the world around you!
Consider this post an invitation... I hope you open your notebook (or begin a notebook practice) today. Use the pages to notice and to live. Don’t fall into the trap of comparing... these pages, these words, these noticings are only for you. You have a story to tell... why don’t you begin your story in the pages of your notebook.
Michelle Haseltine spends her days with middle schoolers in Loudoun County, VA. Together they write, read, create, collaborate, and every single day. Michelle is a co-facilitator of our #TeachWrite twitter chat and a Teacher Consultant with the Northern Virginia Writing Project. She blogs regularly at One Grateful Teacher . Instagrams at @Mhaselti
I just want to say here publicly how much your workshop at NCTE meant to me and the practice of writing in notebooks in my classroom. Unfortunately, with the distraction of testing, we have let it go. In honor of notebook month, notebooking will be back in the plans on Monday!
ReplyDeleteMargaret, Thank you so much! These words mean a lot. I'm glad notebooks are coming back out. Happy Notebooking to you all!
DeleteThrilled you and the Teach Write Chat Blog are back, Michelle! I am looking forward to spending lots of quality time with my notebook this month and beyond. I find, as you say, it is a wonderful way to capture the highs and lows of a day and work through them. Releasing thoughts, feelings, and ideas onto the pages of my current notebook gives me a sense of peace. Thank for your sharing your thoughts with us here! -- Christie
ReplyDeleteI love the verb "notebooked"! "Notebooking" or journaling has been my go-to form of writing these days. I'm on notebook #11. Thanks for inspiring!!!
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