Challenge Completed!

I have been following Two Writing Teachers for awhile now and thought it would be a good experience to participate in Slice of Life Tuesdays, but I just hadn't yet.  When I read about the month-long challenge, I thought it would be a good time to jump in and give it a try.  Writing is one of those things I have enjoyed since I was a child, but sometimes it goes by the wayside.  The great thing about writing, though, is that you can pick back up any time.  It is always somethings you can work on, work towards and improve.  And here I am, 31 days later, reflecting on this journey.  Some days I wrote with gusto; I knew exactly what I wanted to write about and the words came easily.  Some days I had no idea what to write. I found following formats from other writers like I Believe and Today's Recap helped tremendously. Some days finding time to write was difficult.  Many nights I was posting pretty close to the end of the 24 hour period.  But I did it.  I completed the challenge!

It meant a lot to me to reconnect with a part of myself (writing) that many times gets neglected.  I used to teach Language Arts and Reading to middle school students, so I had many more opportunities to write and share my writing with my students.  Now, I am working with students on reading and math interventions and I do not have the same opportunities to teach, model and share creative writing.  It felt good to try different formats, be creative and practice my craft.

Being a part of a writing community was a new experience for me. I was inspired by reading what others wrote.  I gleaned ideas from my fellow Slicers, I gained perspective from their experiences and I enjoyed reading their stories.  It felt like checking in with friends.

As I wrap up this challenge, I am hopeful I will continue Slicing on Tuesdays.  I am anxious to share this challenge with my colleagues and I really want to introduce the Classroom Slice of Life Challenge to students. It is very inspiring to see the long list of (31!!) writing pieces I have completed this month, and I think that can be very motivating to students.  Writing will continue to be a part of my life.

And so for now, I sign off...until next Tuesday.  :-)