May 5 Day 78

 Happy C​inco de Mayo! How are your keeping muscles?  Do you feel you're running up Heartbreak Hill?  You are not alone!  This last stretch can be difficult but can also reveal so much about our notebook practice and our students'.  I have (re) learned that I have to make my notebook commitment very specific  and simple as general ideas mean more decisions in my day which usually means not making an entry.  A habitual time and place also make showing up more likely. Choosing the right materials matters; one keeper this week realized that the quality of her notebook paper was putting her off.  (been there!)  It's all good to know.  It all helps us in the classroom.  This week also held May Day.  I was distracted by all the notebooks  I am not paying attention to right now by a wee Tussie-Mussie. Nature Notebook of course, Book of Firsts...the history of May Day in the Book of Centuries,  How to make one in Enquire Within... Poetry Notebook, Commonplace...?  Maybe you are distracted by grief or fatigue - the Pandemic is still making it  hard to concentrate and messing with our routines.  Whatever the  challenges, facing the notebook each day is formative.  What do you think?