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What fun this week to open my email to sentences from around the country, around the world, each one a gem of news and reflection. Thanks so much for sending them my way.

For many in our Day in a Sentence community on this side of the world, this week’s sentences reflect that wonderful summer shift, although most teachers can’t ever shift too far and that’s also clear in the nuggets below. Enjoy them all:

My buddy Lynn who is caught in the shift of digitized fusion of text and images you can find in her work on her blog and her shares on our Photo Fridays . She also reflects the messy ending of a school year, where as you finish at school you still have lots of loose ends to tie up back home.

The past many weeks have stacked up on one another,and on me to such a degree that today I couldn’t face going to my last day of work, so I put it off until tomorrow.

Like Lynn, Delanie also has been moving to the end of her school year, but first needed a breath of fresh air. There’s great photos back on her blog to document the thrilling road trip to the ocean. I’m sure we will hear more about her return to reality next week.

For a few brief days, my girlfriends and I hit the road and headed for cooler temps by the ocean, leaving behind a slew of responsibilities that today I must return and face.

Connie also ends school this year considering what she can expect in September. Let’s hope that political change may find its way into the educational world that might free us from the chain and ball of standardization. What might help is to join Connie’s ning network and sit the her virtual circle around a good ol fire.

School’s done, reports written, and I say goodbye to my old self-designed forms which were all about the processes of learning, say hello to standardization which means (next fall) just a simple checklist of what the kids “can do”; will I be leaving talk about the essence of learning behind?

Carla has just joined us at Photo Fridays, Welcome Carla!

Bonnie. Fun as taking photos is my hobby!

Mary is also remembering TIm Russert as I am and as she closes her classroom door, she ends another school year. I so remember my last day closing room 310 with bare walls. Good to be able to get out an cultivate a garden.

Wednesday afternoon meant a bittersweet ending to a productive yet difficult year at school. My students launched into 6th grade with enthusiasm for summer and confidence for the future. My desk is locked. The books are covered. The walls are bare. The fans unplugged. As I closed the door on my classroom I walked out into new adventures in my garden and here in the blogosphere. Tim Russert’s passing reminds us of our own vulnerabilities and what it means to live a vital life each day.
Thanks,
Mary Farrin

Elona has recently joined PF and it was wonderful to visit her blog and find the photo she is sharing on PF and our worlds are so nicely connected that by clicking here for A Day in a Sentence she found our Friday challenge. Don’t you just love the web? Nice to get a breath of fresh air as well from Elona’s focus.

I think I can sum up this week at our house -Euro soccer 2008.

My Hudson Valley Writing Project buddy Tom, loves words and shares the current suffering of many in America.

Why in the northeast do innocent clouds waft warmly and the rain steer clear while midwesterners grip sandbags and wish away disaster?

Jo, ends school and gets charged immediately by the excitement of sharing her work on the web 2.0. Isn’t what it’s all about for us, that excitement?

My first workshop of the summer left my mind aswirl with possibilities; “Teaching in a Web 2.0 World” is most certainly where I want to be.

It’s been exciting following Matt here and on his blog. His passion for movies and digital work is fantastic. Good luck Matt in the fall. Can’t wait to hear about your new school challenges.

I’m excited to complete another school year and begin new adventures at my new school in the fall.

Gail shares her good summer feelings with all of us and offers lots of her edublogger expertise for the new updates. Thanks Gail

On the eve of the solstice, I wish the Day/Week in a Sentence community a bountiful summer of collegiality, relaxation, renewal, joy.

Sara shares a bit of her reality-based advice about relationships. My niece is just about to get married in July and I think she is overwhelmed with realityl No more twinkies in her diet.

The sticky-sweet advice tidbits you get at the bridal shower (”never go to bed angry,” “say ‘i love you’ every day”) are the equivalent of eating twinkies, pixie stix, and ring-dings and calling it dinner - my god, but matrimony, for better or worse, is more complex than that.

Nina sounds like she’s trying to enter vacation mode, but it’s an uphill battle for a dedicated teacher and one totally dug into the blogosphere. Bravo!

On vacation this month, but apparently unable to turn off the teaching mode, today I invited a former student to visit and spent a couple of hours showing her the possibilities of blogging.

Cynthia, say it isn’t so! All ready for vacation and look what happened? I do know a great plumber but I don’t think he makes house calls out-of-state. Keep us posted and get into that deserving vacation, will you?

I had planned to write a nice, normal sentence about a nice,normal Saturday, but when I heard hissing and saw a puddle of water under the closet door, I knew our hot water heater had sprung a leak; Larry and I spent a couple of hours moving our Christmas village and other keepsakes out of the downstairs closet. Does anyone know a good plumber?

Anne so good you could get a sentence in today, given all that you are doing. Enjoy London. What a great place to visit with family.

My busy week of finalizing the writing of student reports ended in flying out to London to visit our two sons who live there and a weekend of visiting some wonderful historic sights in this amazing city.

So sorry that you are sending us a sentence and a poem from your summer memories, Ken. But we always appreciate you way with words. Our summer can be spectacular but it comes and goes quickly. Thinking our you with warm thoughts.

Tēnā koe Bonnie!

It’s winter here in Middle-earth. I like the summer. So I always think of summer days during the winter - even when it’s cold - and hug the thoughts.

Today wasn’t bad - 13 degrees - and sunny. So it wasn’t too difficult for me to think of a summer day.

Here’s my (summer)day in a sentence:

The hazy balmy days have come in fast,
a garden-loose late-blooming tulip yawns,
limp petals soft from drooping roses cast,
and daisies flourish on the feathered lawns.

Ka kite ano

Kevin comes to us at the end of his school year with mixed emotions and inspiration. I’m sure your kids won’t be leaving you easily.

As the end of the school year brings both a sense of sadness and elation, I put forth the best present that I could give to my sixth graders at their Recognition Night this week — the gift of words in the form of a haiku to move them forward into the future:

Be true to your heart;

Desire to help others –

Change the world, always

(note: listen to the podcast of my sentence:http://www.box.net/shared/static/t9pe6tgcg0.mp3)

– Kevin

Tuvia and I just watched the Kennedy Center tribute to Tim this afternoon. Second time for me and I still cried. A true loss.

As I write this invitation I’m listening to Bruce “the Boss” Springsteen, singing to TIm Russert at his memorial service. I’ve been touched and saddened by his sudden death and the more I watch others talk and share bits of his life with the television audience, the more I respect him, beyond Meet the Press

Bonnie

And what’s a Friday without sharing a photo and some words on our new community creation, PHOTO FRIDAYS! (http://www.flickr.com/groups/photofridays/)

Feel free to click on our link above and share something and join some great photo discussions.

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