Slice of Life

Welcome, Slice of Life! It's high past time I dusted off this blog and started writing again.

Today, I just want to begin by introducing myself. My name is Krista and I am a Literacy Collaborative Intermediate Coach. I work with students and teachers in grades 3-5. I really do love what I do. I still get to teach and I get to work alongside some wonderful teachers and leaders.

I try to read as much as I can. Currently I'm reading Me and Marvin Gardens by A. S. King. For me it's always fun to see if I can predict the Newbery winners. And it's even better if I have read all the winners. I'm not sure I have accomplished that yet.

I love to get outdoors. I have flowers and a garden in the summer. I also like to go for an occasional run. Zeus, my black lab, enjoys a neighborhood walk with me.

I will be married for 15 years this year and we have an amazing son. We love spending time together and visiting different places. My husband is also a teacher and girls basketball coach.

I am looking forward to writing this month and learning about and from the other Slicers.
Happy Writing!

Must Read in 2016

Recently, I have really thought about my reading life. I somewhat feel as if I have been in a reading slump. I still read, but haven't been as good about it as I have in the past. It just seems as if I am letting little things get in the way.

This is all about to change. I was disappointed when looking at my reading on Goodreads. I know part of that is because I have been terrible about updating my reading on the site. This past year, I didn't set a reading goal for myself on Goodreads. Part of me wonders if maybe the lack of a goal is part of the reason for the slump. So for 2016 I have set a goal on Goodreads to read 250 books. I've surpassed that in the past, so I know it's a manageable goal.

But I'm going to take it a step further. I am coming up with a list of Must-Reads in 2016. I have seen other people do this in the past and enjoy reading about their progress. I am also hoping, by creating this list, I have a go-to place when I get in another slump. Most of these books I have wanted to read for quite some time. Others haven't been published yet. Some are professional books that I have started and haven't finished.

Without further ado, here is my list of Must-Read in 2016 (in no particular order):

Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer Holm
Drowned City by Don Brown
The Notorious Benedict Arnold by Steve Sheinkin
Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin
Echo Echo by Marilyn Singer
The Nest by Kenneth Oppel
Paper Things by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
Swan: the Life and Dance of Anna Pavlov by Laurel Snyder
The Marvels by Brian Selznick
The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann
Greenglass House by Kate Milford
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos
Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier
Moo by Sharon Creech
Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo
Full of Beans by Jennifer Holm
59 Reasons to Write by Kate Messner
Drive by Daniel Pink
7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey
What Great Teachers Do Differently by Todd Whitaker
In Defense of Read Aloud by Steven Layne
The Unstoppable Writing Teacher by M. Colleen Cruz
Raising Kids Who Read by Daniel T. Willingham

So there it is, my Must-Reads in 2016. What will you read?

One Little Word

For the last few days, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what my One Little Word for 2016 would be. No matter what I thought of, none felt right. If it doesn't feel right, I know I will have a hard time living it this year. I really needed to find a word that "spoke" to me.

As I was straightening things up in my kitchen, my eyes fell upon this plaque one of my students gave me for Christmas.

That's when it hit me; THIS is my word. I've read this plaque several times over break. I've really thought about what it means for me and for people around me. I've thought about how sometimes I need to inspire myself. I've thought about how I want to inspire my students. I've thought about how, as a literacy coach, I want to inspire my peers.

So this is it. The word I will live by this year. The word I will think about when doing things for myself or my family. The word I will hold close to my heart when thinking about my students and colleagues. How can I encourage someone, myself included, to be their best? How can I awaken those good, positive feelings in myself and those around me?

I don't really have the answers right now, but I know I will enjoy the journey finding the answers. Inspire.

Poetry Friday- Snow Day

Join Tabatha for this week's round-up of Poetry Friday!

SNOW DAY

Outside we have
     white-topped roads,
     boughs heavy with snow,
     a smooth sea of whiteness
     in our yard,
     wind blowing waves
     in the vast white sea.

Inside we have
     warm, cozy pajamas,
     fuzzy slippers,
     hot cocoa with marshmallows,
     a good book to read.
     Gazing out the window
     so glad for the comfort of home.

Krista Dendinger, 2015

Let's Celebrate! 1/3/15

I'm joining Ruth Ayres to celebrate some things from the past week.  Please visit her blog to read other celebrations.

Sometimes it's hard to take a look back at your week to find things to celebrate when only a few exciting things happened.  My first celebration is a huge one though!!!

1. Ohio State beating Alabama to go to the National Championship!!!  Wow! What a game! I am still somewhat in shock that we are going to the National Championship. This team has faced much adversity this season. It is evident they have worked real hard as a team to get where they are. Congrats to them! No matter the outcome of the game, I will be proud of them!

2. Ringing in the New Year with my little family. In the past, we usually go to a friend's house to ring in the New Year. This year we just stayed home. It was actually very nice to be snuggled on the couch together as the ball dropped.

3. Much needed rest. This past week I have gotten some much needed rest. It is nice to clear my head over Christmas break so I can come back to school with a fresh perspective and a relaxed mental state. I have been able to get some much needed organizing done and I am feeling good about going back to school next week.

Hopefully, you can look back at your week and find some things to celebrate as well! Happy New Year!

#nerdlution15

This year I am going to participate in Nerdlution. Last year was the first year for it and I watched from afar on Twitter. Nerdlution is 50 days long and each person sets his/her own goal/s. My goals for #nerdlution15 are the following:

1. Drink more water. I am terrible about consuming liquids. I can go a whole meal without drinking anything. I need to be much better about this, especially with working out like I do. My goal is to get in 4 big glasses a day. 

2. Run 3 days a week. I have been slacking with my running and I need to pick up the pace. I'm not going to worry about distance right now.  I just want to get back in the habit of running multiple times a week. Distance can come later. 

3. Read my devotions at least 5 days a week. I would love to say I am going to do this every day, but I am afraid I would fail. 

4. Read at least one chapter book every week. I have been in training to be a Literacy Collaborative intermediate coach and my reading has taken a hit with all I have to do. I think one chapter book a week can be manageable with all the other demands. 

Hopefully, on February 19, the last of the 50 days, I can say I was successful with all of these goals! Good luck with your goals!

2015-Looking Forward

I was going to look back at my goals for 2014 to see how I fared, but realized if I have to look back at them to refresh my memory on what they were, I probably didn't fare as well as I would have liked. So rather than looking back, I'm going to look forward. The only reflection I am going to have is that I know I need to do better.

Thinking about the new year, my goals for 2015 will be centered around faith, personal, and professional. 

Faith

I enjoy going to church but too often see Sunday spent in my classroom. My goal is to get to church at least two times a month. This will take some better organizing and time management on my part so school doesn't get in the way. 

I also want to be better about reading my devotional. It doesn't take more than a few minutes to read, but somehow it always gets pushed off to the side. I need to do it first thing in the morning or put it on my bedside table to read it before I go to bed. 

Personal

Health is always a big thing with me. I did better about getting to the gym last year, despite a setback in February with a stress fracture. I did well with getting in a workout before school. I like working out at this time because I am not taking away from family time in the evening. 

My goal is to get to the gym at least 4 days a week.  I am also setting a running goal with this. I will run three times a week and will participate in 5 races this year. One of those races must be longer than a 5k. 

My eating habits also need an adjustment. I have found myself snacking more on things that I shouldn't be snacking on. I am going to start the year with a cleanse and continue with cleaner eating. I need to get back into juicing. I need healthier snacks. I need to drink more water. I need to commit two days a week to meatless eating. 

Professional

This year brought many changes for me professionally. I am currently going through training at OSU to be a Literacy Collaborative intermediate literacy coach. This has been quite a busy journey for me. It's all good, but so time consuming! Because of all the time spent with this program, my reading has not been up to par this year. So my first goal is to read six professional books this year. I usually strive for one a month, but this just hasn't been manageable throughout the training. I also want to read at least one chapter book a week. If I get in more great, if it's only one, that's fine, too. 

I need to get back into blogging more consistently! My goal is to blog once a week. I am hoping this becomes more than once a week, but I also need to be realistic. I often think, "I should blog about that!" but it rarely becomes a reality. 

Well, it seems as if I have a lot of goals for myself. Hopefully I will be better about follow-through since none of them are unrealistic. Here's to a New Year!!!