Slice of Life, Chapter 31 (the final call)

(This is the last segment of the Slice of Life Project)

Today ends the Slice of Life Challenge that began way back on March 1 and it seems an opportune time to reflect on what I have been doing.

I am both saddened and a bit relieved, too, as once I started writing about some aspect of my day, I felt some internal motivation to keep it up and not miss a day. In that vein of daily writing, I was successful, although the quality of the composition ebbed and flowed. I have loved the concept of slicing into a day and then bringing the focus from a singular event into something more global, more wide in view.

I think, at times, I may have brought that focus too close into my family life and I worried about it at times. I do try to protect the privacy of my family. This is the Internet, after all, and the audience is not just the participants of Slice of Life. My wife was a little uncomfortable with some things and she had some valid points. I guess I felt, as a writer, my family is the most important thing to me and the biggest part of my life, and so my Slice of Life had to reflect on those things. I did notice that I was paying attention to the small events going on around me. But I may have been writing, and not talking, about those things in my quest to write for reflection. That creates imbalance in life.

One thing I did enjoy was connecting with other writers and teachers who were outside of my normal network. It was intriguing to read and react to the slices of the other handful of writers. There were many truths about life being written on their posts — so many insights that were valuable. Some slicers were going through the death of a family member. Some were planning weddings. Some were dealing with sick and sad, or healthy and energetic children. Some examined friendships. Some were struggling or celebrating the communities of their classrooms. I felt honored to be part of their conversations. It did feel a bit strange that I was the only man writing in Slice of Life. I tried to get others involved, but I had no luck. In the end, it was not a big deal, just sort of odd. It makes me wonder about gender and writing, and what it all means.

I discovered the Slice of Life through my RSS feed (from A Year in Reading blog) and then, as I began to take part, some of the readers of my blog began writing their own slices. Some (like Bonnie and Nancy) added their links to the Two Writing Teachers blog. Others (like Karen) did not, but still kept writing.

I hope to use some aspects of Slice of Life for the Day in the Sentence (for example, I liked the Mr. Linky widget that was used so that people wrote on their own blogs but were all linked together at a single point). I hope that some of the Slice of Life writers will continue to join us in Day in a Sentence. Stacey and Ruth, at Two Writing Teachers, are going to continue to offer a weekly version of Slice of Life, so if you are interested, you should check it out. (I will pass for tomorrow, just for a breather).

Peace to all of you who followed me here and keep on writing and reflecting!

Kevin

9 Comments
  1. Cool to read your reflection before I wrote mine.
    I thought about the issue of privacy especially as I shared so much about Tuvia. But I’ve always written about him. My digital pieces tend to be very personal so I just went with it and shared them with him and he seemed complimented but he’s not a kid.
    I actually loved getting to know your family.

    So what about using edublogs instead of Ning?
    Bonnie

  2. Kevin – I have enjoyed reading your slices and hearing about your classroom. I haven’t tried A Day in a Sentence yet but I might one day. By the way, “fish what you wish” is a phrase linked to playing Go Fish with small children who wish out loud for the card they hope to get. Not sure when it began but I have been hearing it for years. Happy April.

  3. Kevin,

    I always appreciated reading you Slice of Life posts. Congratulations on accomplishing the task of making a post everyday for the month. I love your idea of a “Day in a Sentence.” Not sure if I’m ready to take on another challenge at this time. I do plan to check back and continue reading how other people are able to accomplish that feat! Thank you again for continuing the challenge even though you were the only man.

  4. Kevin,
    The best part of slice of life was getting to “know” you and the other fellow bloggers. You are going to laugh but it never even occured to me that you were the only “guy”. I was just focused on the stories and how I was changed by reading them. I know what you mean about sharing too much via the internet. My blog is fairly new and I am still wondering how much to share. Thank you for all your insights. I hope to keep up with Day in a Sentence and the weekly Slices in order to keep learning.
    ~jane

  5. Kevin-have enjoyed all your writing and admired you could write daily. The personal/ professional balance is such a part of our day as educators I don’t know how we can totally minimize one over the other. SOL was a nice way for me to add a little more about the personal side. A few “blink” take aways for me from your blog- get your kids to think they can affect a global issue, try some fiction, don’t forget to have music, explore technology that uses sound, remember the democratic process with students. Thanks. See you in a week.

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