Board Message Book Review: The Miracle Forest Book Recommendations Educator Opportunities - MCELA Conference:
Cultivating Possibilities 3/21/25 in Portland, Maine. Tickets are still available!
- Preconference event:
3/20/25 Poetry Night at Portland Stage w/free play ticket
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Board Message Book Review: The Miracle Forest Book Recommendations Educator Opportunities - MCELA Conference:
Cultivating Possibilities 3/21/25 in Portland, Maine. Tickets are still available!
- Preconference event:
3/20/25 Poetry Night at Portland Stage w/free play ticket
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| - MCELA Webinar with UMaine Associate Professor of English/ Associate Director of College Composition, Ryan Dippre, 1/30
- Nominate a school Librarian for the MASL award
- Camden Poetry Festival
Student Opportunities - MCELA/MCSTOYA Student Writing Contest Survey
- Nominate a student poet for the Zimpritch Poet of Promise Award
- Student Poetry Contest for UMA's Terry Plunkett Maine Poetry Festival
MCELA Membership |
- MCELA Webinar with UMaine Associate Professor of English/ Associate Director of College Composition, Ryan Dippre, 1/30
- Nominate a school Librarian for the MASL award
- Camden Poetry Festival
Student Opportunities - MCELA/MCSTOYA Student Writing Contest Survey
- Nominate a student poet for the Zimpritch Poet of Promise Award
- Student Poetry Contest for UMA's Terry Plunkett Maine Poetry Festival
MCELA Membership |
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| MCELA Board Member Message |
MCELA Board Member Message |
Author: Kim Sellers, ksellers@kidsrsu.org, MCELA Executive Board Member, English Teacher Hall-Dale Middle and High School, Farmingdale |
Author: Kim Sellers, ksellers@kidsrsu.org, MCELA Executive Board Member, English Teacher Hall-Dale Middle and High School, Farmingdale |
Winter is here and the New Year has already begun. The winter solstice is the new year shift for me. Staying up late, I reveled with my aunt in Belfast. We sang, lit candles, made noise, and gave the dying year a prayer or two. It was in the morning after Longest Night that we began to set our intentions for the new year. Not right away though, because intentions and dreams take a little while to realize on paper, in language, in place of feeling. But we started with coffee and talking about what we wanted, and by the evening I had at least one or two intentions solidified. In class, I scaled back the spiritual aspects, and instead focused my teaching on cycles as a means to ground the turning into our everyday lives. I explored grief, death, and renewal with my AP Lit students in the days leading up to the winter solstice. John Donne’s “A Nocturnal Upon St. Lucy’s Day,” Naomi Shihab Nye’s “Burning the Old Year,” and Susan Cooper’s “The Shortest Day.” We made luminaries with cardstock, tracing paper, fussy-cut silhouettes, tea lights, and lots and lots of patience. This was the perfect opportunity to talk about the wheel of the year, and about how seasonal cycles, life cycles, cycles of time are all wrapped and intertwined with each other. I saw eyes around the room light up with connections made to this new entry point to archetypal symbolism. Despite my dislike of shortened days when younger, this transitional period of the year has become my favorite as it is full of releasing and reflecting on the old year and dreaming of the new. Sitting here on my couch tonight, I ask myself: What have I learned this year? How have I grown? It was my friend Mary, also a teacher, who asked me that last question a few years ago. She pushed me to think about why we stop asking certain questions of adults that are deemed perfectly acceptable to ask a child about their year: “How have you grown?” I want to ask that question three times just to let it roll around in my mouth and mind. One of my 2024 intentions tied directly to growing as a professional, as an educator. That is where I found myself reflecting as I got ready to head back into the classroom, hoping I would feel refreshed. My 2024 professional journey began where it starts for me every year, at the March MCELA conference in Portland. I have the chance to see the familiar faces that I love and to meet new people. The conference is usually the first opportunity to chat with teacher friends about how their year has shook out thus far, and ask what new things they are bringing into their classrooms. Each session is a new spark or seed for experiences in the classroom that I can change, revise, or create. The week before winter break this year, I laid out book choices for my “Maine Independent Book Unit” and realized that I have met nearly every one of those authors over the years through the MCELA conferences, and it made me smile. I share the stories of those meetings with my students as I go through the book choices with them. After the 2024 Conference, I came back raving about Maya Williams and her poetry, and about taking more time for creative writing having been inspired by a “Joyful Journaling” session run by Edith Berger. It was also at this conference that Kristina, a teacher bestie from another district, and I made a pact to go on this journey of growing our professional lives together. The first big step on the journey–at the end of the conference we both put in our names for joining the MCELA Executive Board. Both of us were ready to try leadership outside of our classrooms and districts. I have not missed an MCELA conference in years, nor have I missed an MCELA book club. This year, as new board members, Kristina and I got to be on the other side and facilitate parts of our fall read, The Art of Fiction by Kate Roberts. I cannot remember the last time I dove so deeply into a text, but I didn’t want to be unprepared knowing that I was leading parts of the conversation. This was an entirely new experience for me. I still think about how Kristina and I reviewed notes and gave one another pep talks. Growth of another kind began taking place–growth in professional leadership. The support and mentorship of other board members is what allowed me to take those steps. These are also the people who lifted me up and pushed me to attend NCTE in Boston this year and the following English Leadership convention. I will write my way into 2025 if I take time to write about all of the wonderful moments and experiences that came with both conventions, but I do want to add that I returned home with books for my classroom, for myself, incredible ideas to elevate my teaching, as well as new friendships. I’ve started correspondence with a professor in Michigan and am participating in a 30 Day Writing Habit challenge with an instructional coach in Canada. Closing out this newsletter piece, I realize it’s turned more into a reflection as I look back on the year with wonder. I can sense the ways I have grown in the way I pick up my pen, the way I carry my growing confidence, the way that I interact with my students, and the way that turning in to look at myself has become less hard. So, if you have managed to make it this far reading, ask yourself, “How have I grown?” Ask it three times out loud. What did you do in 2024 that fueled your growth? How do you intend to continue to grow in 2025?
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Winter is here and the New Year has already begun. The winter solstice is the new year shift for me. Staying up late, I reveled with my aunt in Belfast. We sang, lit candles, made noise, and gave the dying year a prayer or two. It was in the morning after Longest Night that we began to set our intentions for the new year. Not right away though, because intentions and dreams take a little while to realize on paper, in language, in place of feeling. But we started with coffee and talking about what we wanted, and by the evening I had at least one or two intentions solidified. In class, I scaled back the spiritual aspects, and instead focused my teaching on cycles as a means to ground the turning into our everyday lives. I explored grief, death, and renewal with my AP Lit students in the days leading up to the winter solstice. John Donne’s “A Nocturnal Upon St. Lucy’s Day,” Naomi Shihab Nye’s “Burning the Old Year,” and Susan Cooper’s “The Shortest Day.” We made luminaries with cardstock, tracing paper, fussy-cut silhouettes, tea lights, and lots and lots of patience. This was the perfect opportunity to talk about the wheel of the year, and about how seasonal cycles, life cycles, cycles of time are all wrapped and intertwined with each other. I saw eyes around the room light up with connections made to this new entry point to archetypal symbolism. Despite my dislike of shortened days when younger, this transitional period of the year has become my favorite as it is full of releasing and reflecting on the old year and dreaming of the new. Sitting here on my couch tonight, I ask myself: What have I learned this year? How have I grown? It was my friend Mary, also a teacher, who asked me that last question a few years ago. She pushed me to think about why we stop asking certain questions of adults that are deemed perfectly acceptable to ask a child about their year: “How have you grown?” I want to ask that question three times just to let it roll around in my mouth and mind. One of my 2024 intentions tied directly to growing as a professional, as an educator. That is where I found myself reflecting as I got ready to head back into the classroom, hoping I would feel refreshed. My 2024 professional journey began where it starts for me every year, at the March MCELA conference in Portland. I have the chance to see the familiar faces that I love and to meet new people. The conference is usually the first opportunity to chat with teacher friends about how their year has shook out thus far, and ask what new things they are bringing into their classrooms. Each session is a new spark or seed for experiences in the classroom that I can change, revise, or create. The week before winter break this year, I laid out book choices for my “Maine Independent Book Unit” and realized that I have met nearly every one of those authors over the years through the MCELA conferences, and it made me smile. I share the stories of those meetings with my students as I go through the book choices with them. After the 2024 Conference, I came back raving about Maya Williams and her poetry, and about taking more time for creative writing having been inspired by a “Joyful Journaling” session run by Edith Berger. It was also at this conference that Kristina, a teacher bestie from another district, and I made a pact to go on this journey of growing our professional lives together. The first big step on the journey–at the end of the conference we both put in our names for joining the MCELA Executive Board. Both of us were ready to try leadership outside of our classrooms and districts. I have not missed an MCELA conference in years, nor have I missed an MCELA book club. This year, as new board members, Kristina and I got to be on the other side and facilitate parts of our fall read, The Art of Fiction by Kate Roberts. I cannot remember the last time I dove so deeply into a text, but I didn’t want to be unprepared knowing that I was leading parts of the conversation. This was an entirely new experience for me. I still think about how Kristina and I reviewed notes and gave one another pep talks. Growth of another kind began taking place–growth in professional leadership. The support and mentorship of other board members is what allowed me to take those steps. These are also the people who lifted me up and pushed me to attend NCTE in Boston this year and the following English Leadership convention. I will write my way into 2025 if I take time to write about all of the wonderful moments and experiences that came with both conventions, but I do want to add that I returned home with books for my classroom, for myself, incredible ideas to elevate my teaching, as well as new friendships. I’ve started correspondence with a professor in Michigan and am participating in a 30 Day Writing Habit challenge with an instructional coach in Canada. Closing out this newsletter piece, I realize it’s turned more into a reflection as I look back on the year with wonder. I can sense the ways I have grown in the way I pick up my pen, the way I carry my growing confidence, the way that I interact with my students, and the way that turning in to look at myself has become less hard. So, if you have managed to make it this far reading, ask yourself, “How have I grown?” Ask it three times out loud. What did you do in 2024 that fueled your growth? How do you intend to continue to grow in 2025?
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| | Book Review: The Miracle Forest |
Book Review: The Miracle Forest |
The Miracle Forest Author Ellen Dee Davidson Illustrator Carolan Raleigh-Halsing softcover 978-1-961905-13-9 | e-book 978-1-961905-10-8 October 2024 | 52 pages | Nonfiction Age: 8-12 years In the heart of Colombia’s Llanos, Paolo Lugari envisioned a miracle—reviving a forest long lost to time and turning barren land into a thriving community. The Miracle Forest: A True Story / El Bosque Milagroso: Una Historia Real tells how this extraordinary man and his determined team of scientists, engineers, and residents worked tirelessly to bring life back to a desolate savanna. Their efforts reforested the land and fostered a sustainable, self-sufficient community, Gaviotas, which stands as a beacon of hope for environmental restoration worldwide. This bilingual book, in English and Spanish, captures the inspiring journey of Lugari and his team as they overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to create a flourishing ecosystem. Through engaging narratives and vivid illustrations, readers are invited to witness the transformation of Gaviotas from a dream into a living, breathing reality, showcasing the power of perseverance, innovation, and community spirit. https://12willowspress.com/miracle-forest-a-true-story/ |
The Miracle Forest Author Ellen Dee Davidson Illustrator Carolan Raleigh-Halsing softcover 978-1-961905-13-9 | e-book 978-1-961905-10-8 October 2024 | 52 pages | Nonfiction Age: 8-12 years In the heart of Colombia’s Llanos, Paolo Lugari envisioned a miracle—reviving a forest long lost to time and turning barren land into a thriving community. The Miracle Forest: A True Story / El Bosque Milagroso: Una Historia Real tells how this extraordinary man and his determined team of scientists, engineers, and residents worked tirelessly to bring life back to a desolate savanna. Their efforts reforested the land and fostered a sustainable, self-sufficient community, Gaviotas, which stands as a beacon of hope for environmental restoration worldwide. This bilingual book, in English and Spanish, captures the inspiring journey of Lugari and his team as they overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to create a flourishing ecosystem. Through engaging narratives and vivid illustrations, readers are invited to witness the transformation of Gaviotas from a dream into a living, breathing reality, showcasing the power of perseverance, innovation, and community spirit. https://12willowspress.com/miracle-forest-a-true-story/ |
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Will you join us this year at our annual state conference to cultivate possibilities with your professional growth? Contact Hours=7 Click here for conference workshops, preconference event, and hotel booking discount. Questions? Email us at maine.ela@gmail.com |
Will you join us this year at our annual state conference to cultivate possibilities with your professional growth? Contact Hours=7 Click here for conference workshops, preconference event, and hotel booking discount. Questions? Email us at maine.ela@gmail.com |
Interested in understanding how to help your high school students prepare for first-year college writing? Plenty of space in this webinar AND a recording will be available, plus 1 contact hour certificate. |
Interested in understanding how to help your high school students prepare for first-year college writing? Plenty of space in this webinar AND a recording will be available, plus 1 contact hour certificate. |
MASL Seeks Librarian Award Nominations from ELA Teachers The Maine Association of School Libraries awards a school librarian, school library support staff person, and a school administrator each year for excellence and support of school libraries in Maine. In addition to recognition and a plaque, winners receive a $500 check for their school library. The deadline for nominations is February 15th. For more information about each award and how to nominate someone, please visit maslibraries.org and click on the "Awards & Scholarship" tab.
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MASL Seeks Librarian Award Nominations from ELA Teachers The Maine Association of School Libraries awards a school librarian, school library support staff person, and a school administrator each year for excellence and support of school libraries in Maine. In addition to recognition and a plaque, winners receive a $500 check for their school library. The deadline for nominations is February 15th. For more information about each award and how to nominate someone, please visit maslibraries.org and click on the "Awards & Scholarship" tab.
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The MCELA and MCSTOYA Student Writing Contest Committee is interested in learning more about how our writing contest can best fit into your school year. In our inaugural year, when we pushed to make the contest happen on a quick timeline rather than waiting a whole year to debut it, we had 232 submissions. Last year, despite slightly more upfront time for teachers, we had 113 submissions. We understand that the drop in submissions could be caused by multiple factors, and we seek to understand more about that so that we can move forward with an annual contest that sparks interest and engagement from teachers and their students. To that end, could you please take the time to respond to this short survey. Regardless of the survey results regarding the best time of year for the contest to regularly be held, we do intend to move forward with offering the contest and prizes for the winners in the late winter/early spring of 2025! Thank you for your help and support, Heather Webster, Lincoln County 2020 Patti Forster, Knox County 2021, Maine Council for English Language Arts President |
The MCELA and MCSTOYA Student Writing Contest Committee is interested in learning more about how our writing contest can best fit into your school year. In our inaugural year, when we pushed to make the contest happen on a quick timeline rather than waiting a whole year to debut it, we had 232 submissions. Last year, despite slightly more upfront time for teachers, we had 113 submissions. We understand that the drop in submissions could be caused by multiple factors, and we seek to understand more about that so that we can move forward with an annual contest that sparks interest and engagement from teachers and their students. To that end, could you please take the time to respond to this short survey. Regardless of the survey results regarding the best time of year for the contest to regularly be held, we do intend to move forward with offering the contest and prizes for the winners in the late winter/early spring of 2025! Thank you for your help and support, Heather Webster, Lincoln County 2020 Patti Forster, Knox County 2021, Maine Council for English Language Arts President |
Zimpritch Poet of Promise Award |
Zimpritch Poet of Promise Award |
Good afternoon! I’m writing on behalf of the 2025 Camden Festival of Poetry to inquire if you know of any poetry-loving students who might be interested in submitting their work for consideration for this year’s Zimpritch Poet of Promise Award. Any high school student is eligible to apply; the submission would include 3-5 poems, as well as a short cover letter of introduction. The award comes with a cash prize of $250 and the writer selected will be invited to read at this year’s festival, which will feature renowned poet Jane Hirshfield. warmly, Maya . . . . . . . . . . . . Maya Stein writer & creative adventuress Poet Laureate of Belfast, Maine www.mayastein.com
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Good afternoon! I’m writing on behalf of the 2025 Camden Festival of Poetry to inquire if you know of any poetry-loving students who might be interested in submitting their work for consideration for this year’s Zimpritch Poet of Promise Award. Any high school student is eligible to apply; the submission would include 3-5 poems, as well as a short cover letter of introduction. The award comes with a cash prize of $250 and the writer selected will be invited to read at this year’s festival, which will feature renowned poet Jane Hirshfield. warmly, Maya . . . . . . . . . . . . Maya Stein writer & creative adventuress Poet Laureate of Belfast, Maine www.mayastein.com
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We invite all Maine high school students and University of Maine System students to submit their poems to our annual Poetry Contest. The guidelines and submission form are available on uma.edu/plunkett. Winners will be notified in late March. For more details, email Professor Noel Tague at noel.tague@maine.edu. |
We invite all Maine high school students and University of Maine System students to submit their poems to our annual Poetry Contest. The guidelines and submission form are available on uma.edu/plunkett. Winners will be notified in late March. For more details, email Professor Noel Tague at noel.tague@maine.edu. |
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MCELA is an affiliate of NCTE and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting educators and literacy education in the state of Maine |
MCELA is an affiliate of NCTE and 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to supporting educators and literacy education in the state of Maine |
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