Let's Celebrate!

It's time to CELEBRATE This Week with Ruth Ayres from Discover. Play. Build.  Every week Ruth invites us to share our celebrations from the week and link up at her blog. What a fun way to reflect on everything there is to be thankful for. 

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This week I'm celebrating writing!

*throws confetti*

I'm so proud to be a writer! When I think about my life, it's pretty cool to see where I am with my writing. Writing is kind of like reading. We read so much during the day and we write so much during the day yet not everyone considers him or herself a reader or a writer. 

There's seems to be a time when something finally clicked and I really felt like a writer. It started to sink in for me as I participated in Teachers Write. I was conversing with other writers, sharing ups and downs and experiencing exultations and turmoil similar to real authors. It was then that it really started to feel like I was a writer. Over the summer I attended the Choice Literacy retreat and that's when it absolutely clicked. It was such an amazing experience to be surrounded by other writers and truly engage in the writing process. I thrived in Writing Workshop when I was in high school and it was an opportunity to be engaged in a similar community where we focused on our writing and on developing our craft. Being part of a community of writers has undoubtedly helped me feel like all the writing I do makes me a writer. Engaging with others around the writing process is a great experience. 

I'm fortunate enough to be part of Teachers Write and Choice Literacy and look forward to presenting about the awesome-ness of Teachers Write and to visiting with Choice Literacy colleagues. I'll be sharing my experiences with the 8th graders I'm working with this year as I work with their teacher to integrate technology and to share what I learned from Teachers Write. It's been amazing!

1. To the 8th graders I'm working with this year to celebrate writing, huzzah! I'm so glad I have been able to be part of your class and to share writing with you! And to their teacher Mrs. Ocampo for collaborating with me!
2. To Kate Messner, Gae Polisner, Jo Knowles and other authors who support Teachers Write. Thank you for sharing your expertise with us teacher writers! It means so much that you let us into your world as a writer as well as give us advice and encouragement!
3. To Brian Wyzlic and all the other educators who participated in Teachers Write. Brian has been a great supporter of my writing but everyone who shares their experience and is a cheerleader to me is awesome!
4. To Brenda Power and my Choice Literacy colleagues. I'm so proud to be part of a group of dedicated educators who are passionate about teaching and sharing their practice. 
5. To Ruth Ayres for making Saturdays a day of Celebration but also for the kind words and inspiration that have given me motivation to write more and to be more reflective in my writing. 
6. To Ruth's newest book, Celebrating Writers! I'm so excited to dig into this book!

What are you celebrating this week?
Do you have an writing celebrations week? 
Thanks for sharing!