“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
~Mark Twain
And so I sailed away…from my safe position in my safe district of 20 years, from my safe colleagues and safe peers, from my safe students and safe families. I threw off the bowlines that kept me tied to my safe harbor and this summer I began a new adventure, in a new district, with new colleagues and peers, new students and families, new administration, and a new community. The trade winds are beginning to pick up speed and fill my sails with opportunistic trade winds. Here I go…to explore, dream, discover.
This year, I look forward to getting to know your children, your families, the community, and my new digs here in Hartland. My hope is to instill a relationship with literacy, not only with your children, but with you as well. When kids see us valuing literacy, we model for them authentic ways in which to interact with the world in a literate manner. This is a partnership. We will work together to establish relationships with literacy that are authentic, purposeful, and meaningful and that will further and enrich our lives now and in the future.
We will use this blog throughout the year so please favorite it or do whatever you need to do to remember to check back here at least once a week. I will send a reminder at the end of the week so that you can begin to make checking in a habit.
lifeliteracydotorg 
Thank you to the LIFE Charter staff for opening the school to parents on curriculum night. It is great to know that our children are in a positive learning environment.
A question and a few thoughts …
Is it possible to set up some sort of “history club” (formal or informal) as part of the literacy experience — where children can read and write about historical events and figures?
In a related manner, as part of the entrepreneurship learning there may be an opportunity for some students to read stories/biographies of historical figures who created new inventions/businesses.
Every manufactured object around us first originated as an idea in someone’s mind. And then that person or others put forth the effort to transform the idea into an object/product.
Every object/product has its story.