Ideal Summer Writing Days by Ona Feinberg

Ideal summer writing days. . .

Summer
I want
Of course
I remember
I won’t
But, I will

Summer.
I want to wake up early, take my coffee, notebook, and laptop to the deck.
Of course, it will probably have rained. I’ll have forgotten to take the cushions in, so maybe I’ll have to go to the porch.
I remember the deck at the beach one cold North Carolina spring break. I went on the deck every day, notebook in hand. Even in the spitting rain, I wrote.
I won’t have the sounds of the ocean on my deck this summer,
but I will plug in the fountain.

Summer.
I want to do all the lessons that Kate Messner posts in her Teachers Write summer camp.
Of course, I’ll probably have too much work to do. I’ll be driving kids to and from their camps, so maybe I’ll have to do just some of the lessons.
I remember the summer I did so many of the lessons. I took a notebook full of great writing ideas to my classroom that fall.
I won’t have a classroom of my own this fall,
but I will have 2 schools full of classrooms.

Summer.
I want to read all the mentor texts, taking notes of things to try.
Of course, I have grad school reading that seems to take every waking minute, so maybe I’ll have to sneak in break reads.
I remember sneaking in reading extra picture books in college while making Literacy block lists of picture books. I sat at the bookstore and the library with piles of books at the kids' table.
I won’t be alone at the bookstore this summer, or the library,
but, I will have my kids to read to.

Summer
I want
Of course
I remember
I won’t
But, I will

Ona Feinberg is a K-5 Instructional Coach in Central Pennsylvania. She began her teaching career in second grade and started teaching 6th grade in 2001. She is passionate about teaching, reading, writing, authenticity, kindness, and her 3 children. When she isn’t at school you might find her writing, reading, or walking her dog, Finnegan Foxy Feinberg. You can follow her on her blog onathought.com, or on twitter @OnaFeinberg.