Tag: home visits

Today’s Moment of Zen

Ms. Willard* and I spent quite a while roaming the streets of Laurelwood Gardens making home visits yesterday. We were excited to talk with a few more families, and honestly, we were both really impressed by the design of the complex. It was welcoming and bright, and we enjoyed walking around.

One of the neatest sights we saw was actually at a house where no one was home.

What an excellent use of limited space! Maybe they were out at the library getting more rad books when we stopped by! (you can see my welcome letter, gift book, and contact info magnet on the ground in front of the door)

This honestly made my day. I’m so tickled when we find families who ardently support reading.

*Ms. Willard just got married this summer and she will still be Ms. and she will still be Willard! She is my kindred spirit!

Disappointing Correspondence

We’ve been really fortunate as a class to have encountered many kind folks who answer our questions. From the Lobster Center in Maine debunking the 20-foot lobster myth to the unsolicited contact and treats from Bill Thomson, busy people still have the capacity to be pretty amazing and generous with their time.

Some busy people.

In an effort to make sure I have all my bases covered before the school year begins, I sent this message to the folks at American Public Media.

—–Original Message—–
From: Shannon-Houghton -WIL [mailto:shoughto@fwps.org] 
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2011 10:28 PM
To: twa@mpr.org
Subject: Your catchphrase… 

Hi there,

My name is Shannon, and I’m an elementary school teacher at Wildwood Elementary, just south of Seattle.

Last year, at about this time, I was pondering a routine I could develop with my students at the end of the day that would send them out into the world energetically ready to tackle all the crazy things they’d encounter. Many of their lives are heartbreakingly chaotic, and I strive to give them joy in class and equip them for a life doing what they love. I had just gotten off I-5 at my exit and caught the tail end end of The Writer’s Almanac.

“Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.”

That was it. I explained my discovery to my class at our morning meeting, and we agreed it was a positive way to end our day. Every afternoon from then on, my students left our door with a hug or handshake, and a chorus of “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” 

I plan on continuing the tradition this year, but I figured I should drop you a line and let you know that I’m hoping to include the statement on magnets my students keep with my contact information on them. They’re obviously not going into large scale distribution, but I wanted to make sure I had all my bases covered, and I wanted to thank you for your influence on me, my students, and our classroom community! Thanks for the inspiration.

Enjoy the rest of summer, and have a fantastic autumn!

Cheers,
Shannon 

——————————————————-
Shannon Houghton
2nd/3rd Grade GATE Teacher
http://www.mshoughtonsclass.com
Classroom: 253-945-4416 // Cell: 206-849-8906
“There’s so much left to know, and I’m on the road to find out.”
——————————————————-

This is the reply I received. Straight-up copy and pasted, no salutation. I understand that famous folks and programs are insanely busy, but seriously? Most annoyingly, it doesn’t even really answer my question:

 

Legal Stuff
Garrison Keillor sure owns a lot of words! 

Registered Trademarks and Service Marks

——————————————————————————–

The following are registered trademarks and service marks of Garrison Keillor: A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION®; BE WELL. DO GOOD WORK AND KEEP IN TOUCH®; CAFÉ BOEUF®; CATCHUP ADVISORY BOARD®; COMEDY COLLEGE®; GUY NOIR®; GUY’S SHOES®; LAKE WOBEGON®; LAKE WOBEGON MINNESOTA GATEWAY TO CENTRAL MINNESOTA®; LAKE WOBEGON WHIPPETS®; NEWS FROM LAKE WOBEGON®; PHC®; POWDERMILK BISCUITS®; THE COFFEE CLUB ORCHESTRA®; THE WRITER’S ALMANAC®; WHERE THE WOMEN ARE STRONG, THE MEN ARE GOOD LOOKING, AND ALL OF THE CHILDREN ARE ABOVE AVERAGE®. 

The following are trademarks and service marks of Garrison Keillor: AMERICAN DUCT TAPE COUNCILT; AMERICAN RADIO COMPANYT; AMERICAN RADIO COMPANY OF THE AIRT; BEBOP-A-REEBOP RHUBARB PIET; BERTHA’S KITTY BOUTIQUET; CHATTERBOX CAFET; FEARMONGER’S SHOPPET; FISHER’S COFFEET; GARRISON KEILLOR’S AMERICAN RADIO COMPANYT; IT’S BEEN A QUIET WEEK IN LAKE WOBEGONT; LAKE WOBEGON JACK SUMUS QUID SUMUST; L’UNIVERSITE DE LAC WOBEGONT; OUR LADY OF PERPETUAL RESPONSIBILITYT; PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATION OF ENGLISH MAJORST; SIDETRACK TAPT; WHIPPETST.

Thank you for your interest in Garrison Keillor and A Prairie Home Companion.  Please direct any requests to our permissions manager, Kay Gornick, at:

A Prairie Home Companion
611 Frontenac Place
St. Paul, MN 55104-4947 

Or you can fax your request to 651-999.1090
kgornick@mpr.org

Thanks and keep listening!
A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor
phc@mpr.org
www.http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/

This makes no sense. So I won’t reply. *sigh*

 

Information Magnets

When I make my August home visits, I like to arrive with some information and goodies in hand. It gives me something to hold onto to prevent my arms from flailing about like they usually do, and it also feels good to arrive bearing gifts.

I’m giving my families a magnet with all the necessary contact information they’ll need this year. I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out!

I got the template from the greatly talented Jessica of How About Orange.

The tagline is what we say every day before we leave the classroom to go home. I learned it from Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac.