Settle into sofa, blankets and pillows adjusted just so

Cat hops on lap, kerplops on side and gazes into your eyes

Pet cat. Cat lulled to sleep.

Notice the quiet and stillness of home, refrigerator gently humming in the background

Birds chirping outside the windows

Voices of people conversing down the street

Crack open a book, relishing the time to finish reading the final chapters

Nod off. Nap.

Wake refreshed.

A Sunday afternoon well spent.

Now I can grab a cup of coffee on almost any street corner: Starbucks is ubiquitous & McDonalds carries McCafé

Then I’d have to find a café

Now I can watch TV on demand

Then I’d have to rewind and fast forward my VCR

Now I have a Smartphone

Then I’d have to find a pay phone

Now I have Google to search for content

Then I’d have to rifle through a card catalogue

Now when I want to read a book, I merely have to open the Overdrive App on my tablet & borrow a digital copy from my public library

Then I’d have to trek to the nearest public library branch, not knowing if the title I wanted was available

Now I have Pinterest to search for teaching ideas & inspiration

Then I was provided with textbooks and resources for teaching

All those nows and thens roll together

Twenty five years have gone by in the blink of an eye.

How has the world changed since you started teaching?

I’m floundering for a Slice today . . .

So I’ll talk about my outing to Starbucks

A friend texted me asking if I wanted to go for a walk to Starbucks, as she received a promotional email from them. I didn’t get one, but sure why not.

A Starbucks opened in our neighborhood not too long ago. We took the scenic route there, by walking along the river and then looping back.

Arriving at the coffee shop I dithered over my choice. Warmed by the walk I decided upon a medium iced Passion tea, half sweet. (I can never bring myself to refer to the sizing as venti or grande because it just sounds too pretentious.)

My friend decides to treat me to the drink as she has the promotional coupon. She selects a Rose Tea latté, a fine choice – it is one of my favorite hot drinks.

We sip away talking about life and work.

As we leave we notice a dog tied up outside the entrance. Both animal lovers we stop to admire it, but this pooch was definitely not fond of strangers. The owners arrive and we find out that it is an 8 month old mini Australian Shepard. My friend is enthralled with the pup, querying it’s origin – a breeder near Sherward Park Alberta. So if I’m ever asked to go on a road trip this summer – you know why!

The simple things in life are most precious. They bring us quiet moments of joy.

The wagging of a dog’s tail and its unbridled enthusiasm to greet you.

A contented cat purring on your lap

A coffee or tea, made just the way you like it

Belly laughs with friends

Music to suit your mood.

These simple things bring me joy. What would you add to the list?

Today is World Poetry Day. As such, today’s Slice in the form of a Haiku

Frenetic pace halts

Time to recharge and reset

Sleep, socialize, sit.

Steam room exhales

billows

of eucalyptus scented

m  i  s  t

Enrobing my body

Tension melts

Next

Pine oil infused mud

slathered round my limbs and torso

wrapped and tightly cocooned

Scented lotions caress my face

I emerge

light,

calm,

and renewed.

 

 

Those of you with pets, do you have one toy that your critter is ABSOLUTELY obsessed with?

My two year old cat is fanatical about ‘Da Bird’ so much so that I need to keep it locked in my laundry room.

Anytime I walk by the laundry room he assumes it’s an imminent invitation to play.

Today was no different

Opening the door

He hops

deftly in

Dragging out with pride

Da Bird

Attached to a string and slender rod

Easily five times his length

I pause my chores

to PLAY

Tail kept high

he leaps, swerves, and contorts his body

to catch that swooping Bird

Feathers caught

he refuses to release his prey

I attempt to pry Da Bird from his mouth

In response he growls

MINE

I seize the moment to load the laundry machine

Task completed I turn my back

to find

Feathers

askew

on

the floor

Cat perplexed

unable to reanimate game.

Da Bird is dead!

He proceeds to hassle his older brofur

Then flops

staring at me with discontent

I remind him that this is all his doing

but a cat obsessed with his toy

Can’t be cajoled

Until I make a trip to the pet store

And buy another Da Bird

And it starts

All

over

again

Today’s Slice is inspired by a quote within On A Thought’s blog post about hearing Jason Reynolds speak.

 

I’ve been thinking about books lately – specifically the type of books within my classroom and my school.

 

Never mind that we have books within our school library and book rooms that are

literally

held

together

by

tape

 

At the end of the last school year the VP and a couple of staff members, including me, culled the intermediate book room

Ancient dusty tomes

Yellowed weathered pages

racist and sexist editions that was ‘acceptable’ many years ago

All sent to the dust bin

 

We sorely need books reflective of our school community – ethnically diverse.

 

Underscored by Jason Reynolds

“Why would I want to have a relationship with literature if these books don’t want to have a relationship with me?”

Tammy shared this format on her Slice https://tammysreadinglife.wordpress.com/2019/03/04/what-i-am-grateful-for-at-work-solc-day-4/

and it inspired me to write mine.

I appreciate the thundering of footsteps down the hall to give me a hug

I appreciate unbridled laughter escaping from my room

I appreciate the shrieks “Nooo Keep Reading ” when I close the cover of a chapter book read-a-loud.

I appreciate the rays of sun gently beaming through my courtyard facing windows

I appreciate my colleague who packed up and moved to a different wing, so I could have this room.

I appreciate that I’ve cultivated my room to be a calming and welcoming space for all.

#Incubator-of-Book-Dragons  

Immerse 8 year olds in a cauldron of literature.  Throw in content areas to spice.  Simmer for the course of a school year.  Result – a bevy of young Book Dragons.

 

 

Notes:

• I teach in Vancouver, British Columbia where I have professional autonomy on how to teach curricular competencies.  I choose to teach them, wherever possible, through the lens of literature – my passion and strength.
• I purloined the term Book Dragon from Kathie MacIsaac, co-founder of MG Book Village

 

If you needed to compose a tweet length summary of your job description, what would it be?