The year was 2013 and our school was about to launch our first One Book, One School experience. I was in my classroom, The Reading Room, with my roommate, Tracey. Her stool was positioned at my desk, a familiar spot. Tracey always said, “You type. You’re faster.”
On this particular day, we were drafting our very first blog post. As part of our kickoff for One Book, One School, we wanted to communicate to parents about the importance of read aloud. We were using Jim Treleases’s The Read Aloud Handbook, for inspiration and would invite parents to learn with us.
Our writing sessions, usually involved the two of us writing in the air, testing things out, typing, rereading, and then deleting. I think our blog series was a series of five posts, but we spent hours and hours trying to make them just right. I think maybe we envisioned our blog being read by a large audience.
I remember arriving back at school, after a day when I thought we had finalized a post only to have Tracey say that she had shared it with her husband. There was more work to be done. Back to our positions at my desk to revise.
Tracey and I are no longer roommates. But early in January, she sent me something she wrote about her One Little Word for 2020. In the email, she mentioned maybe joining the Slice of Life Challenge in March. I responded with a “Hooray! Do it!”
This week, I sat at my desk, working, when my work phone rang. My phone doesn’t ring very often and I was surprised to see Tracey’s name on the screen. After saying hello, she said, “I need help with my blog.” I knew why and I was silently cheering as I talked her through the best I could over the phone. “Call me if you need more help or come over this weekend for a quick lesson,” I said before hanging up.
As I write this, I can picture Tracey, typing on her own this time and sharing her work with her family, nervous to hit publish…so different from my own entry into the Slice of Life family three years ago. Unlike Tracey, I had no idea what the challenge was until February 28th and I signed up and created a blog, kind of unsure of what I was signing up for. Some days, I hardly have time to reread a post before hitting publish. I often cringe at the typos I find and fix weeks, months, and years later.
Today, I’m entering my fourth Slice of Life Challenge and have faithfully posted every single Tuesday since my abrupt entry into this world. Since my first slice, I have made friends from this community, near and far. Some of my favorite people from my real life are “Slicers.” We’re all bonded through our stories, the feeling of sharing our words, making connections, and supporting one another.
Welcome to everyone who is joining for the first time. I can’t wait to hear the story that brought you here, the story of your writing process, the story that will bond us as a community of writers and a community of friends. I’m glad you are here.
Where There Is Joy 
“We’re all bonded through our stories, the feeling of sharing our words, making connections, and supporting one another.” Your words describe our special community so well. Hurray for another year of writing together and supporting each other.
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I loved hearing your story! Year 6 for me and I think a few friends are joining for the first time. It is a journey for sure.
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I love the genuine feel to this post!! And the visuals of you and Tracy really warm my heart 🙂 it brings me back to a friend and I in coffee shops blogging together! Hearing the sound of each of our keyboards typing away helped bring inspiration. This will be my 5th March slice and I’m so excited to start
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Thanks for the warm welcome, glad to be here!
“I think maybe we envisioned our blog being read by a large audience.” This resonated with me. Sometimes when I post I find myself wondering, ‘what if this goes viral?’ It never does (of course, lol) and that’s ok, but it adds a layer to my process.
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It’s a very worthwhile journey however it comes about! We learn so much…Thanks for sharing!
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There couldn’t be a lovelier welcome to the challenge than this post. The image of Tracey, so nervous to hit “publish” – how encouraging to new slicers and old. Writing isn’t the hard part, sharing is; writing is just so personal. But sharing is what develops writers and communities – so grateful for you, Jessica, and the way you reach out and uplift us all.
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Helping others to write (and blog) and share … that sounds like one of the pillars of Slice of Life to me ..
Kevin
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Bonded by the challenge… and so many shared experiences through our virtual bonds. Four years ago, caught in that comforting net by our generous welcome wagon mentor, we began an amazing friendship. Can’t imagine life without communicating with you at least this one day a week. Here we go!
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How lucky are we?!?
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Sometimes, we find courage in each other. It’s apparent in this slice from the moment, as roommates, you wrote together, Tracey sharing with her husband, and her call to you for help with her blog! Finally, the friends you’ve made near and far as a slicer – all evidence of finding courage in each other! Thanks for sharing!
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The challenge is less about perfection, polished pieces and difficulties, but rather about the stories, the process, the community and the joy it brings. I chuckled when I read that you still find typos. So do I. Ten years later.
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The community is powerful — difficult to understand if you have never done it and so important to experience it if you are trying to create it in a classroom. Here we go!
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I love how you wove this slice together to welcome Tracey and all the other new slicers. I’m also glad you started and pushed me to this challenge too. I might be calling you too for help fixing the look of my blog that seems to have lost its picture and prettiness.
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This post speaks to the power of partnerships, colleagues, and friends. You and Tracey were, and still are, a powerful duo. I’m glad you are together again on this site. I look forward to reading the work of all of our new writing colleagues. We have three new slicers from KHS!
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How exciting!!!
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This is year three for me, and you are my role model of good writing and “good writing habits” (can you tell it’s report card season?). I honestly do not know how you’ve kept up the Tuesday routine for four years. It’s somehow so much harder for me. Maybe that’s the sprinter vs. marathoner thing. The March Challenge is more like a sprint to me…and maybe I’m a little more like Tracey, too, nervous about pressing publish, imagining some giant audience, fussing a bit too much about getting it “just so.” I’d like to hear your coaching advice on how to get past those impediments.
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Just do it! I’m also, at this point, afraid to “fail” and end my streak. I’m weird that way. I could probably use a little coaching from you too…Also, when I read your posts, I feel like I should be more thoughtful and purposeful. Your craft always shines and I admire that. Luckily, we’re in it together and can learn from each other.
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I loved and miss our time together in the Reading Room. We did a lot of great team work and I was so fortunate to gain you as a friend for life. You may have forgot though- our blog did reach Italy! Thanks for the warm welcome. I am looking forward to this challenge and working together daily in some way again!
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Oh yes! Italy! Haha
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Love how you captured this experience of joining the Slice of Life Community and the valuable network that you will have throughout this month and throughout the year! Great way to welcome Tracey, too!
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Oh man, I’m reading this after posting & you know what? I joined on March 1st three years ago. I had *no idea* what I was doing & this has turned out to be such a wonderful part of my life. I need to reclaim the write, publish & fix the mistakes later attitude. (I remember the year I joined you were typing on your phone in the girls’ bed as they fell asleep – I thought you were both amazing and insane.) Here’s to writing in whatever way we can!
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I still do most of my writing on my phone from the girls’ rooms… three years later and still not sleeping through the night. It’s all insane but worth it!
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Your “slice” so well echoes my thoughts about making connections with others through writing.. As with those that have responded to my first blog attempt, thanks for the incredible welcome and inspiration.
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I’m so glad you’re here! We will have to have a Westport celebration at some point. So proud of our community representing here. Our students are so lucky to have teachers so committed to being writers themselves. We’re so lucky to have each other. ❤️
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