"We're having a Chamber of Commerce day here," Joan Moser told me on the phone a couple days ago - and even though I'd never heard the phrase before, I knew exactly what she was talking about. We were 3,000 miles apart, but the weather in Maine (clear blue skies, low humidity, temps in the high 70s) was the same at her home in Tacoma, Washington. It's the sort of gorgeous day any community would use to advertise their town as the perfect place to live.

After I hung up the phone, I began to think about what a "Chamber of Commerce" day might look like for me professionally. I know it would include at least a little time talking with teachers about the newest books and activities they were trying in their classrooms. A really great day would have some time behind the cameras with the video crew, capturing some of those new practices. And it wouldn't be complete without cracking open some new office supply or piece of equipment, since I love trying out new tools.

We spend so much time talking about efficiency, productivity, and outcomes in schools...and too little time talking about what makes our work joyful. A clinical discussion of temperature, humidity, and cloud cover doesn't begin to capture how wonderful a perfect summer day can make you feel.

What does your perfect day look like in your school or classroom? Is it about books or breakthroughs with kids? Quiet reflection alone, or great conversations with colleagues? Maybe all of the above? Most important - how can you get more of those moments in every day, and less of the ones that wear you down?

This week we've got some writing from the archives to help you think through reallocating and reorganizing time professionally, in hopes small changes can help you get back to more of the joy that brought you to the profession in the first place (and keeps us all here year after year).

If you're having some of the Chamber of Commerce weather days yourself this month, you might want to grab a tall glass of iced tea, a notebook, and take a little time to daydream about practical ways to make your daily routines more fulfilling. Plus we've posted a new take on student home reading logs, and more from our two ongoing video series. Enjoy!

Brenda Power

Editor, Choice Literacy
www.choiceliteracy.com

Free for All

From the Choice Literacy Archives, one of my favorite articles for rethinking how we use our time professionally. Jennifer Jones creates the "Planbook Scavenger Hunt" to analyze what took up too much time the previous year, and uses the activity as a springboard for determining priorities in the new year:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/355.cfm

Finding a good system for helping students track their reading at home (and involving parents in the process) is a challenge for many teachers. Mandy Robek discovers moving from home reading logs to a calendar format helps students and their parents get more from the activity - the format feels less like homework for parents, and the coding system helps families see the value of a variety of genres. Mandy's article includes templates:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/646.cfm

We all know change is hard, especially in professional communities. Change guru Michael Fullan in this brief article from the National Staff Development Council explains the 10 most most important assumptions about change. It's a terrific quick read for an administrative meeting where a new program is being considered:

http://www.nsdc.org/library/publications/principal/lp11-05fullan.cfm

Thanks to all the participants in this year's summer workshops for making them such fun. Registration for our Fall Workshops on October 18-20 in Rockland, Maine is now open. We hold these events at the beautiful Samoset Resort, right on the ocean. Featured presenters include Jennifer Allen (Literacy Coaching), Aimee Buckner (Mentor Texts), The Sisters (Daily 5 and CAFE Assessment), Franki Sibberson (Struggling Readers), and Karen Szymusiak (Literacy Principal). All events are small, with limited enrollments to allow participants plenty of time to question and chat with the presenters:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/department22.cfm

For Members Only

Joan Moser (of "The Sisters") continues her month-long video series on organizing and using individual book boxes with children. In this week's installment, Joan talks through the value of book boxes, and some of the practical details to consider as you set them up early in the year:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/648.cfm

Aimee Buckner shares the conclusion of her three-part video series on using poetry to teach observation skills with the mentor text Old Elm Speaks. In this final installment, students share their writing inspired by the book:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/647.cfm

Finally, from the Archives, Jan Miller Burkins and her colleagues developed an interview rubric for literacy coaches as a tool for analyzing whether or not a coaching position would be a dream job or a nightmare. The rubric is also useful for anyone currently in a literacy leadership position, because if things aren't going well, it can help you determine where relationships, communication, or commitments might be breaking down:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/376.cfm

That's all for this week!