Fresh energy. That’s what we needed. Fresh eyes. Fresh ideas.

It’s only October, but we’ve hit that part of the school year where the newness has worn off. The demands have begun, along with the assessments. I watched the high the school year started on, sucked right out of the building one chilly fall morning. What settled was, the routine of the year.

So today, when our TCRWP staff developer walked in, her energy was just what we needed. She reminded us of the work we began together in September, already feeling so long ago. Then she modeled a new structure for small groups before teachers pulled their own groups.

The hard parts we were experiencing, were reimagined with fresh solutions. We watched students’ writing grow within minutes, right in front of our eyes…and it felt manageable. We could do that too.

With very little support, students were coaching each other, asking meaningful questions and offering suggestions. Their energy also soared.

As I walked a small group of kids back to the gym, after their small group, they trailed behind me…talking about writing. “I can’t wait for writing tomorrow. I already have so much to write about. I know I won’t be stuck.”

I won’t be stuck either. I saw the energy float back in today. That happens in a school, ebbs and flows. Sometimes, it takes an outsider, coming in…to remind of us what we can do…who we can be.