Wednesday Wisdom: Pro+Verb

Pro+Verbs

By Erika Dyk

“By learning the old, we learn the new.” –Chinese Proverb

Wisdom in a sentence or two, a proverb wraps time-tested advice in a neat package to be applied to the messiness of life.

In my completely “unscientific” word dissection, I noticed something about that word, that proverb word.

Pro + Verb = Proverb

Pro = expert

Pro = for

Verb = linking (denoting being)

Verb = action

Using this “word dissection” logic, proverbs are expert ways of being and acting that are for our good.

Returning to time-tested proverbs gives us a wise framework to structure our teaching and learning. 

In my learning/teaching journey, I find myself returning to the following two proverbs often. 

 “Teachers open the door, but you must enter yourself.” {Chinese Proverb}

Wednesday Wisdom: Blog as a Classroom Resource

Greetings Reader on the Other Side of the Screen,

Perhaps you are a first time reader of this blog. Perhaps you are an occasional reader. Perhaps you are a daily reader. Whatever your readership status is, today I invite you to explore the RRVWP blog as a resource for your classroom. 

AuTHor Thursday: Many Thursdays, a local author is featured. These authors share insights into their writing process and world.  Here are a few authors who have been featured:

Denise Lajimodiere
Jill Kandel
Heidi Czerwiec
Ryan Christiansen

Consider sharing these posts with your student writers to help not only inspire them to write and to gain insights into the writing world, but also to show them the local writing community that they could be a part of some day.

Wednesday Wisdom: Tips to Have a Great NCTE

This week (and weekend) the NCTE conference is happening in Minneapolis, and a group of teacher consultants from the Red River Valley Writing Project is going to join in the conversation about Responsibility, Creativity and the Arts of Language.

In preparation for the conference, Sarah, the Vocab Gal, has some tips for making the conference a great one. Head over to her site to learn more.

Have a great Wednesday!

Wednesday Wisdom: Hit "Reset"

Brian Sztabnik, an AP Literature teacher, shares a strategy to help him connect with his students: "hitting reset."  In his article "Hitting Reset to Empathize with Student Experience," he asks some pertinent questions:

Do you remember your first experience [with Shakespeare]? Mine was terrible. Romeo and Juliet in ninth grade. We had to perform a scene in front of the class. It was all big words and puzzling syntax. 

Yet once teachers become comfortable with the material, do they lose sight of how daunting it can be for a student? Do they fail to remember the struggles and frustrations that come with challenging work?

"Hitting reset" means clearing your mind to listen to your students and to be willing to change accordingly.

Read the full post here to learn more about what "reset" means to Sztabnik.