May 15

What Brings Me Joy?

This question was posed to me by a friend. I decided to sit and think about it and make a list. Here’s what I came up with…

After I wrote, I decided to flip back to the past week or two in my notebook to see if I’d done this recently. Look what I found…

It’s a collection of posts that focus on the joy in life and the funny moments during the day.

If I were forced to pick just one thing that brings me joy, satisfaction, and engagement…it all leads back to the notebook!

May 1

May is Notebook Month

I am declaring May to be Notebook Month. 


The month when we reconnect with the pages of our notebooks. That’s a primary goal for me this month. Get back to the notebook!

My students are reflecting and writing about themselves as notebook-ers this month because of an amazing opportunity! We…they…the sixth-graders are TAKING OVER Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s blog Sharing Our Notebooks


They have signed up voluntarily to write a blog post for every single day in May. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Today I conferenced with every single writer (again) and checked their progress.

The excitement is contagious! They can’t wait! I love reading their thoughts on creating their notebook pages and their advice. My favorite part may be their author bios. These students are writers. They see themselves that way…they call themselves writers. We are all writers.  My notebook is going to be busy this month…

March 5

Coming to the Final Page

If you are new to reading my blog, you may not know about my passion for my notebooks. I’ve been writing in notebooks for more than thirty years and I have all of them. Currently, I’m writing in notebook number seventy-five. I started this notebook on January 1, 2018. It’s served me well these past few months. 

I name my notebooks. This name is my One Little Word for 2018, MOXIE. My 74th notebook was much smaller and the pages had lines. 

I’m usually against lines, but I loved the size of the notebook, so I tried it. When I finished and moved onto this next notebook, I hadn’t realized how constraining those lines and the small size had been for me.

I turned to a larger notebook with a spiral at the top. This was another unusual choice for me, but I needed it to follow the last notebook. In this notebook, What’s next?

I don’t know.

Starting a new notebook is both exciting and worrisome. I worry that I won’t pick just the right one. I am sad that my last notebook is almost full and it won’t accompany me everywhere. Instead, it will find a home in my bookcase of notebooks. It feels like a friend that’s moving away. 

I’m preparing. Thinking about which notebook will be next. Filling these last pages with words and doodles and love. Once I come to the final page, a new journey will begin.