Last week I was on the road with a video crew, spending lots of time stuck in airports waiting for weather to clear. During one delay I stopped at the newsstand to get something to read, and noticed a paper Starbucks coffee cup left on top of a vending machine.

As I reached to swipe the cup and throw it in the trash, I realized it hadn't been left by a litterbug. Someone had placed the cup carefully so that anyone purchasing a newspaper couldn't help but notice the quote printed on the back of it, from the 1998 Teacher of the Year:

A child's mind isn't a blank slate; it's more of a jungle. Each time a parent helps a toddler read, the child is walked through this jungle from one side to the other. Trip after trip, a seemingly impossible passage becomes a well-worn path. Children sent to kindergarten skipping merrily along this path to literacy fare far better than those sent to school with machetes.

Keith Mastrion, "Reading Man" and 1998 National Teacher of the Year

Let the politicians have their splashy reading reform initiatives; or the new superintendents their flashy powerpoint presentations on how they will move schools farther and faster than ever before. Real change happens one teacher, one student, one coffee cup at a time. We see words that matter, and we find a way to pass them on. And slowly, what we all believe about kids, literacy, and learning changes. Literacy activism and good coffee - now there's a combination worth savoring.

This week we've got more great quotes about literacy, learning, and change in a new site feature, Quote Collections. Plus video of a lesson on revision tools, last call for our Chocolate Leadership contest, and more. Enjoy!

Brenda Power

Editor, Choice Literacy

www.choiceliteracy.com

***Free for All***

Our new feature, Quote Collections, is a series of one-page compilations of thoughtful, provocative, and funny quotes around a literacy-related topic. We started with the collections from our Opinion Exchange eGuide on writing, leadership, punctuation, content literacy, and commitment to teaching, and then added two more on mentoring and solving problems. These quotes can be used to launch or close a study group, as part of a workshop activity, or to frame examination of a theme throughout the year.

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/department65.cfm

There are many wonderful sources for quotes on the web. One of the oldest and most comprehensive free sources is The Quotations Page, which can be accessed here:

http://www.quotationspage.com/

Only a few days left to enter our "Why My Literacy Leader is Better Than Chocolate" contest. No purchase necessary, not even a stamp. We've said it before, but it bears repeating: Choice Literacy is tiny. If you've got a great story about a colleague and a half hour to zip it off to us on email, you've got a terrific shot at winning the $1000 prize package:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/department64.cfm

***For Members Only***

How can you get young writers to buy into the revision process? By providing them with new tools linked to different revision strategies. In this short video, Franki Sibberson introduces her students to a dozen revision tools. Some are old friends (like highlighters) and some are new (like kangaroo bags). We've also provided a print list of the tools if you are unable to access video on the web. This week Franki introduces the tools; next week we'll share video of students describing how they tested out new revision strategies with the tools.

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/258.cfm

In Part II of our interview with Linda Christensen, the topic is high school literacy coaching. Linda talks about how she defined her role as one of providing resources and bringing out the expertise of colleagues. This is an audio interview with a transcript for dial-up users:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/254.cfm

Rina Moog escapes to the local bookstore to find a quiet spot for grading, and instead finds herself reflecting on our teaching anxieties as she observes children browsing books. "The Stories Inside Us" is terrific short essay for considering larger truths about literacy teaching:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/259.cfm

That's all for this week!