Last year, I did a camera roll random scroll to let an old photo inspire the topic for that day’s slice. This morning, I feel like doing the same while Elena oversleeps (for real!)
My thumb and index fingers pinch the screen to shrink the photo gallery. I scroll freely, watching the tiny squares fly as the years go back. I stop on 2022 and expand the gallery to pick one.
Ah, I remember that morning. Here we go.
I finish rearranging the last few chairs and sit in the back of this modern classroom. I give myself a few seconds to let my thoughts land. They’ve been on a high for a month, preparing for this week.
Large windows let in plenty of natural light, creating an open and refreshing mood. I’ve arranged the furniture several times, trying to find the best flow for small groups. I know I mentally rehearse my movements around the space to ensure I connect with every teacher sitting here.
A large screen at the front sets the stage for a week of professional learning that has elevated my expectations, like the foam on a boiling pot of pasta. Overflowing in an instant.
Sticky notes, blank posters with inviting intentions, and a whiteboard with an agenda hinting at meaningful conversations and shared understandings. I’m hoping the small touches, like plants and woven baskets, add warmth, making the space feel inviting. I hope my interpretation of the content I’m about to present is just as inviting.
When I reflect on that week in June 2022, a dual feeling takes over: I long for another institute like the one we had—a week of participation, endless notes, brave questions, and so much laughter. But I also remember the challenges of it being right before Summer started, and I let that fact vacuum the mountain of exciting ideas for what a second institute could be.
So many learning conversations I have with teachers at our school, forced into a 40ish-minute-block could get the time they deserve at an institute. I long for the no-rush, for the let’s pause and think, check in with our understanding before jumping to conclusions and hesitation. I long for a moment when no one has to leave in a rush to get the kids from PE. I know some of them do, too.
I hope I’m not admiring a “once we held this institute…” moment inside this photo.
Start with a Story 
It’s been a long time since our district supported an institute, but I remember the power, not just to learn about content but also about others we went with. Those were the days for us. On another note, I would say more than half of my slices this year came from my camera role- findng a story there to tell.
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Congratulations on the spotlight “be inspired” from two writing teachers. You have a gift for storytelling. I love the idea of scrolling through phone and finding a memory. We do a similar thing with students…they have to search their camera roll outside of class but then they write about an important person in a photo. Your slice is a terrific mentor text. I might try my own. Thanks for sharing!
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I’m making it my trimester 3 goal to plan for another June institution because I would LOVE to have you there ❤️
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These preceded me. But, I got a ‘taste’ when you shared your very own “how to launch writer’s workshop”. Like Gi, this was unfamiliar to me, but the passion from you and everyone who was part of the institute drew me in, I could feel the magic and couldn’t wait to be a part of it! Thank you Ana and Amy — watching young writer’s blossom is the fulfillment I sought and got in spades, thanks to your collective genius!
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This is too kind, Gi. Your genuine drive for learning new ways is always inspiring!
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Thanks, Melanie!
This institute was such a big moment in my life; it may sound selfish but I just really enjoy sharing everything I’ve learned from others. I kept repeating to myself, “Offer the PD you wish you could have received.”
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Absolutely! Count on me.
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I actually started working on possible dates in June🤓
Any chance you’d join me in doing some sessions?♥️
That’d be the perfect thing for us to do together before you take a break.
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Any chance we can have another this June? That’d be the perfect thing to send me off before I take a break. There’s nothing quite like a literacy PD from you, especially in institute form.
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Oh wow, Ana! The power of an institute! I hope it’s not a thing of the past, and, for me, with all the initiatives and curricular promiscuity of education, it does seem to be. You inspire me to rethink the possibility. Thank you.
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I remember this time so vividly! Still uncertain about how things worked, unfamiliar with the name Writer’s Workshop, and still settling into Miami, the school, and the people.
But after this beautifully designed PD, everything changed. I found myself calling friends as well as my mum, sharing how innovative and creative this curriculum was. I wanted to sell it! To convince teachers that this was the key to unlocking writers potential.
And it was all because of YOU! Your guidance, your teaching, and the way you showed us the path. ❤️ I will always be grateful for having crossed paths
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