Posts Tagged ‘motivation’
Friday, February 28th, 2014
Head & Heart to Hand & Page:
Inspiring Kids to Write
By W.O.R.D. Ink Founder & Executive Director, Vanessa Ziff Lasdon
There’s a writer in all of us because there’s language in each of us.
Have we not all shared the same spark of joy in first learning to write our very own name?
Writing is self-discovery and self-expression.
We begin with a spark.
To inspire a child to write we must reignite that very first wonder and delight, and we must hold the spark steadfast with the intention of kindling a long lasting love of language within the child.
Tags: advice, course catalog, inspiration, motivation, parents, practice, self-expression, technique, workshops
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Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013
Guest post co-written by W.O.R.D. Ink team members, Jaya Mukherjee & Vanessa Ziff Lasdon
I love the revision process because in writing and life, to revise our process can signify more about us than the art we create. The challenge we must pose to ourselves is to revisit something familiar with completely new eyes. Whether it’s an essay, a facet of our own identity, or our perspective on the world, if we approach revision with an open mind, the process can be an opportunity of discovery and exploration. I find this notion of revision to be particularly pertinent during the holiday season.
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Tags: advice, advocacy, celebrate, challenges, DISCOVER, holiday, inspiration, life, literature, motivation, parents, practice, process, purpose, responsibility, REVISE, self-expression, storytelling, strategy, students
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Friday, September 27th, 2013
Guest post written by W.O.R.D. Ink team member, Dr. Susan Kawell
“Let’s start with my newest story,” suggests Tasha. “The second one I wrote.”
So I begin to read her story –-
“No, no, I’ll read it.” And she does – perfectly. Why?
Because it is her story, and Tasha is becoming a better reader by learning to read her own words. That’s what LEA does – LEA, Language Experience Approach, teaches young children or reluctant readers, whatever their age, to read.
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Tags: activities, advice, language, learning styles, motivation, OBSERVE, parents, process, reading, self-expression, storytelling, students, success, teachers, technique
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Wednesday, July 31st, 2013
Co-written by W.O.R.D. Ink Team Member, Becky French & Founder, Vanessa Ziff Lasdon
Watching Students Learn
As I scatter the puzzle pieces on the teaching table in front of my fourth and fifth graders, I expect them to dive right in, strategy in mind, and finish by the end of the hour. Instead, most just stare, as though a puzzle is a foreign object, and for many I soon realize, it is. Those with some experience approach first, while the others observe. By the end of half an hour, all hands are on deck and, working together, they solve the puzzle by the end of the period.
I’ve never learned more about the way my students think than I did while observing them put this puzzle together. Two years later, I find myself watching with the same fascination as my infant daughter begins to explore the world around her, with no prior notions about how anything works, no system or rules, just curious hands and a mind to match.
At the risk of sounding cliché, I’ve truly always found students to be puzzles. Some have all the pieces and know exactly how to place them, while others have either misplaced a few or had theirs depreciated or taken away. It’s my job as a teacher and specialist in learning disabilities to help these students relocate and utilize their missing pieces, and then determine what strategies helped the most. The only way I can effectively do my job is through observation and connection. I must watch my students read, write, grapple with math problems, and interact with others. To truly help students learn and grow, I have to know them, understand them for where and who they are, and ensure that they trust in me.
Why Connect?
The Internet is bursting with research illustrating the value of connecting with students and strategies for building and sustaining those connections. Connection nurtures success on all levels, from classroom management to grades, but how does connection help a tutor? (more…)
Tags: advocacy, communication, inspiration, learning styles, motivation, OBSERVE, parents, practice, process, self-expression, students, success, teachers, technique
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Friday, May 3rd, 2013
It’s an exciting and busy time for W.O.R.D. Ink. We are in the midst of expanding our company services, employee base, and client reach. Amidst the buzz, Team Ink needs to honor personal, familial, and additional career commitments. For that reason, we’ve decided to scale back our W.O.R.D. of the Week blog from weekly to biweekly posts for the time being, so that we can maintain a steady stream of useful content while simultaneously focusing on other aspects of professional and personal growth.
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Tags: Build It Yourself Workshops, college readiness, creativity, DISCOVER, free time, inspiration, marketing, mixed media art & design, motivation, parents, practice, self-expression, students, summer, technique, test prep, tutoring, W.O.R.D. of the Week, WRITE
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Wednesday, April 10th, 2013
Ongoing Observations on Progressive 21st Century Educational Philosophy & Practice
I had planned to hit the hiking trail yesterday as my reward for teaching two weeks of intensive writing workshops over spring break. Both workshops are still in their infancy. Before this spring, I’d taught the Writing Skills Intensive only once last summer and the Tabletop Moviemaking course twice previously. But I’m a fanatic about research, revision, and reflection. Throughout the workshop weeks I’d constantly tinkered with my curriculum, adjusting its scope, sequence and delivery into the wee hours of the morning, making note of future changes like a mad scientist on the brink of a breakthrough.
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So like I was saying…hiking. That was the plan on a glorious Monday morning. Coffee in hand, sneakers tied, I rifled through a few emails, browsed my favorite blog feeds, and well…one thing led to another (damn you, Internet Rabbit Hole.) Anyway, I found myself –- by way of the righteous GOOD.is – first at the articles written by, then at the personal website of, my friend and ex-colleague, Chris Thinnes.
A.) Wow. Chris never disappoints. He’s one of the most articulate, intelligent and exciting guys I’ve ever met.
B.) Serendipity? Chris’ recent guest post on GOOD, (“Stop Exploring ‘Innovative Education Models’: We Need Action Now”) made me jump on the couch in bounce position. Forget the hike. I was already headed to church.
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Tags: advocacy, collaboration, communication, community, creativity, education, educators, inspiration, motivation, OBSERVE, parents, practice, principles, process, project-based learning, purpose, reflection, reform, responsibility, students, success, teachers, values
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Tuesday, February 12th, 2013
This Saturday, 2/16: March As One
For this week’s OBSERVE post, W.O.R.D Ink implores Angelenos to March As One this Saturday, February 16, 2013! Stand by educators, families, and public education advocates participating in a crucial community march and rally to drive voter registration and turn out for our March 5th school board and mayoral elections, to raise awareness about unequal access to high quality education, and to ask our candidates to listen to the community and commit to strengthening our public education system.
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Tags: advocacy, educators, life, motivation, OBSERVE, parents, purpose, responsibility, self-expression, students, teachers
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Tuesday, January 29th, 2013
Keep Calm and Read On. That’s the theme for this year’s California Association of Teachers of English (CATE) Convention, taking place February 8 – 10 in Santa Clara. W.O.R.D. Ink is devoting our week’s blog post to considering this theme, with a slight variation extended to all learning:
Why is it important for a teacher to keep calm and teach on?
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Tags: advice, DISCOVER, educators, inspiration, literature, motivation, OBSERVE, parents, practice, reading, reflection, responsibility, REVISE, success, teachers, technique, W.O.R.D. of the Week, word lovers, WRITE, writers, writing process
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Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013
W.O.R.D. Ink is taking a short break from full-post blogging this week, but we still want to leave you with nine outstanding learning resources. Our discovery dump today is brought to you by one of our favorite learning resources, Edutopia.org. Edutopia, part of the George Lucas Educational Foundation, empowers and connects teachers, administrators, and parents with innovative solutions and resources to better K-12 education. We hope the links you explore inspire you to share with others!
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Tags: DISCOVER, educators, inspiration, learning styles, motivation, parents, practice, resources, self-expression, students, teachers, technique
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Tuesday, January 8th, 2013
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Last week I made a plan to write and I did not stick to it. At least, not the way I’d intended.
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Life got in the way again, and I just let it barge right through my carefully carved-out quiet time. Then I spent the rest of the week feeling terrible about not having kept the promise to myself. Well, today, I’ve decided to shorten my post in OBSERVANCE of the writing I must complete.
You will find Silas House’s observations on The Art of Being Still quite apropos for creators of all kinds. Please take a look, if only to press the “reconnect” button within yourself as an artist. The essence of House’s reflection boils down to this:
Stop talking about writing or not writing, and Just Do It already.
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Tags: advice, commitment, creativity, imagine, inspiration, life, listen, live like a writer, motivation, OBSERVE, parents, practice, process, responsibility, sensory details, serendipity, stillness, success, technique, wonder, WRITE, writers, writing process
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Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
Hello, 2013! Year of the Snake! Let’s make this year a time of steady progress and attention to detail, of focus and discipline in achieving what we set out to create.
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Tags: artwork, community, conversation, creativity, educators, inspiration, kids, life, literature, motivation, parents, practice, publish, safe, self-expression, storytelling, students, success, teachers, teens, tweens, voice, word lovers, WRITE, writing process
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Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
Amidst sensory overload, the holidays provide valuable details for authentic storytelling. Have a journal handy, because proof of holiday writing inspiration is in the Figgy Pudding!
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Tags: advice, authenticity, creativity, details, holiday, inspiration, life, motivation, sensory details, storytelling, WRITE
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Tuesday, November 6th, 2012
Today is a WRITE post, and that means providing you with the encouragement and opportunity to get your thoughts down on the blank page. Consider this Dear Luck post a spiritual pick-me-up quick-write that you’ll want to revisit time and again.
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Tags: accountability, advice, challenges, creativity, deadline, drafting, dreams, effort, goals, guidance, inspiration, inspire, journal, life, mentor, motivation, persistence, practice, process, publish, purpose, quick write, reflection, responsibility, self-expression, success, technique, vision, WRITE
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Tuesday, October 23rd, 2012
This week on DISCOVER:
I am SO excited to share with you Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun, which hit bookshelves and online stores on October 16th.
Unbored, written and edited by Joshua Glenn of HiLoBrow and Elizabeth Foy Larsen, and illustrated by Tony Leone, is a 350-page DIY “activity guide and curiosity-sparker” for all things fun. The book is geared toward ages 8-14, but many activities involve adult participation, and you’re definitely going to want to play!
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Tags: activities, adventure, challenge, confidence, creativity, DISCOVER, DIY, educators, explore, free time, Freeskool, fun, games, gift, innovation, inspiration, kids, librarians, life, motivation, parents, projects, self-expression, sharing, social media, teachers, Unbored
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Tuesday, October 2nd, 2012
This is Grumble.
Grumble’s my Writer’s Block beast, and boy, he’s a moody one. A real monster of a problem, especially when the delicate creation stage of a project begins. Grumble can smell the sweet scent of hope and acrid stench of fear from a mile off. He squares off with The Muse on my left shoulder, perching on the right, just inches from my ear, and an arm’s length away from the DELETE button. There’s no finer victory for Grumble than a day without a word on the page. He delights in looming over me with his hairy eyeballs and doomsday expression, squashing seed ideas and spitting on sparks before either can lift off.
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Tags: advice, creativity, criticism, drafting, inspiration, motivation, muse, practice, revising, self-expression, technique, writer's block, writers, writing
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Tuesday, September 18th, 2012
W.O.R.D. of the Week is a blog and virtual writer’s notebook that explores the power of words in four fundamental ways: through writing practice, observations, re“vision” techniques, and discoveries. This is a place for writers and word lovers, parents and professionals, students and educators to share in the essential ingredients of becoming a wordsmith. Two elements concern the CRAFT (writing and revising) and two focus on the JOY (observing and discovering). Believe that you can accomplish all four, that you possess a unique voice, and that what you have to say matters.
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Tags: creativity, DISCOVER, educators, inspiration, motivation, OBSERVE, parents, practice, professionals, reflection, REVISE, self-expression, sensory details, students, technique, W.O.R.D. of the Week, word lovers, WRITE, writers
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