Last Saturday I had the pleasure of spending the day with seven dedicated teachers at Longwood Gardens as part of a course on using children’s literature related to nature in the classroom. The day focused on developing and sustaining that natural curiosity of children to discover more about their world. We practiced looking closely at objects, shapes, and spaces using books such as Georgia’s Bones and A River of Words by Jen Bryant, Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman, and Rachel by Amy Erhlich as mentor texts.

As I was preparing for the class, I found a Stenhouse blog post from 2012 written by poet and author Shirley McPhillips. In it she talked about the importance of looking a long time at something and working things out in your notebook. She included this quote by John Berger: “Look long enough so that the thing gazes back.” I remember writing that down in my notebook and returning to it sometime later to practice the art of looking closely at something, in this case the large cherry tree in my backyard, and letting feelings in to help shape the writing from it.

At first I just spent some quiet time looking at the tree. I don’t know if it gazed back at me, but I remember being flooded by memories – the kids naming it the bat-tree, hanging wreaths and feeders for the birds, watching baby robins hatch.  After all, the tree was there the day we moved in, and had stood in our yard for the thirty-four years we lived in the house. I started by simply writing descriptive phrases: gnarled bark, like a hand reaching up, bruises where old, dead limbs have been removed, clusters of oval, deep-green leaves, rough, offering shelter and shade, stalwart and sturdy. Then I concentrated on the feelings: an old friend who has remained constant, new life, beauty as each spring it erupts into a bouquet of blossoms, protecting.

After jotting down some ideas and moving things around, I came up with this:

Ode to a Cherry Tree

Rough and gnarled
Mottled
Scarred from a lifetime 
     of protecting.
Offering shelter, shade,
And hope…
A constant companion.

Try looking long and closely at something in nature and let your thoughts be your guide. You may discover something new about yourself.

Last week Lynne Dorfman and I presented at the Carroll County Reading Council in Westminster, MD. As we talked with the leaders, it soon became clear that we shared many of the same passions as well as many of the same concerns. We are passionate about our local and state councils and recognize the role these organizations have played in shaping curriculum and advancing literacy. But membership is dwindling. For whatever reasons, teachers are finding new ways to learn and share ideas about literacy, as have I. By taking the plunge into Twitter, I have been able to connect with teachers across the country in ways I never imagined. I learn something new or get insight into a new way of thinking every day just by reading a few blogs. But, I still feel that membership in a group brings its own kind of reward. The feeling of belonging to something larger and concentrating efforts toward a common goal is powerful.

A few years ago I wrote an article for our state council’s newsletter. In it I outlined the reasons why I belong to the Keystone State Reading Organization.  I talked about originally joining because I felt it was something that I should do as reading specialist and have on my resume, but how I quickly came to understand that it was so much more. Mostly,I talked about the influence of people: 
                Over the years I have met so many wonderful individuals who have guided me to new thinking and 
                challenged me to learn more. Teachers, authors, nationally known researchers, publishers, and 
                book sellers have all been a part of my professional and personal growth. 
                …I have learned that with KSRA, membership in a professional organization is so much more than
                something to put on a resume. It is a place where passions, friendships, and ideals are born and 
                continue to grow.

I’m still passionate about literacy, I’m still growing and learning, and I guess that’s why I still belong.