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I've been doing tons of thinking lately, but very little meaningful writing. It's a bit maddening because I haven't found a way to capture my thoughts. My best thinking takes place during my planning period at school, in the car, in the shower, or when I'm laying in bed. For two reasons I lose out: immediate needs (food, something on the agenda) take precedence, or my short term memory doesn't hang on long enough (everything is lost by the time I sit down at the computer). I feel like I'm missing out on opportunities.

1. At soccer practice this week, I overheard two girls talking about what they call Macaroni and Cheese. One said, "I like saying Mac and Cheese, but my dad doesn't like it. He says it's not proper." The other responded, "Yeah, Mac and Cheese, like to those big trucks." All as they continued to pass the ball around. This made me think: The adolescent mind is absolutely amazing. These are the things kids need to do; they need to be allowed to talk and share and navigate the predicaments of life, and when necessary, adults can jump in to help and support where necessary. But really, let them go and learn through the experience. It makes life as an onlooker so much fun.

2. More and more I'm having to explain the Ozarks Writing Project to people, and I don't always feel like I do a very good job. It is difficult for me to explain because it's hard to put a name on it. The experience (there's that word again) is so important for understanding, that words always fail me.

3. Those that I follow on Twitter and Google Reader have been wonderful to me lately. I've been learning so much and been exposed to so many ideas and concepts that I otherwise would not have, that I feel like I am thinking more and changing as I think because of these two services which make it easy for me to learn. I think about how I can use these things in my classroom. I think about the responsibility and safety issues I would have to address. I think about how I would cover my butt when parents came asking why. I think about why people would ask why in the first place, but mostly I think I know that answer. I think that I need to be more brave and more resolute and decide that the time has come to take the steps that will change the learning experience in my classroom, while also having a clearly defined purpose and goal in mind that we can each work toward. I want to set up class accounts for Twitter next year, and I want to find a program that will allow my students to blog, and follow RSS feeds on their own, and create opportunities for their own learning and composing. I don't know if it is possible with 120 students, but I guess I want to try.

4. I'm going to begin using Flickr instead of Picassa, and I want to make more videos to put up on Youtube. I want to be creative. I want to produce rather than consume. I'm resuming my 365 project tomorrow. I needed some time off. I know that makes no sense, but I couldn't approach it as a job. It needed to be fun for me. So I'm going to try to go in and organize things there, and then utilize it to a greater potential than I am right now. Consistency is what I'm shooting for. I hope I stick with it.

5. Right now, I'm slowly reading a few books: Drive by Daniel Pink (just the appendices), The Book Thief by Markus Zuzak (it's been on my nightstand for months), Adolescent Literary by Kylene Beers (just here and there), Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith (at school with my kids), and looking back through Faster by James Gleick. Brain overload. This summer, I want to read one book at a time, and read and read and write and write.