As far as I can tell, 236 writers finished the March Slice of Life Challenge. That’s a lot of blog posts! I commented on 20+ posts a day but still didn’t come close to visiting each Slicer (a goal for next year’s challenge–visit every Slicer at least once.) Still, I read and loved a lot of Slices this month, and I wanted to do my part to amplify those voices and offer a little extra gratitude to the wonderful teacher-writers whose words have stuck with me all month. I tried to limit myself to just one post per Slicer. Here are 31 favorites (and please consider leaving a comment on the posts you read and enjoy!):
Caoimhe’s slice about her name was one of the very first slices I read in March and I knew then that I was in for a month of great reading. This is a mentor text strong enough to pair with Sandra Cisneros’s “My Name.”
Q&I wrote some crazy gorgeous pieces this month–lush, descriptive, eloquent. Her slices often explored motherhood, and this piece on being still and present as we hold a sleeping child beautifully captures the doing nothing and doing everything of parenting.
Amanda at Lessons Planned, Lessons Learned wrote so many pieces that stuck with me this month, but I especially loved her poem about a moment of failed compassion. She left me thinking about moments in my own life when I could have reached out and tried to connect with someone struggling–but didn’t.
The Apples in My Orchard spotted a cougar in the coulee–or did she? Hilarious post (with photos!) of the “cougar” roaming through the coulee.
Clare’s slices delved deeply into teaching, writing, motherhood, and reading and usually left me pondering for the rest of the day. The one about the boy who asks her Why would a mom leave? hit especially close to home for me.
Amy at The Way I See It writes a poem about a canine hot spot that you won’t forget. Such a funny glimpse into the mind of a dog!
Mrs Bruno Writes collects several memories of her love of books in this prose poem in praise of reading.
Pencil on my Back Porch wrote a provocative short poem about whether our writing can be truly honest when there is so much we choose not to write about: I Am Not Honest When I Write.
I tried so many times to write a poem or a letter in praise of my sweet old dog, Roxy, and I just couldn’t finish it. Tamara’s bittersweet piece about the high maintenance of old dogs expresses much of what I wanted to say. (Tamara also has so many amazing pieces about teaching and writing; just read them all!)
Writing Me Home wrote a gorgeous and kind letter to her reader, hoping for their comfort and expressing appreciation at their presence and attention.
Kathleen Sokolowski’s poem about how she became a reader got me thinking about how ardent readers are made and what applications our personal stories of becoming readers may have in our classrooms as we try to encourage and grow readers.
D at Nothing to See Here writes a powerful short poem about one of the most challenging things about writing: the attempt to capture a living moment in words.
I was so moved by this incredible piece on Depression by Art Teachers Do It for the Monet (hilarious blog title!) that I could not even find words to comment, but the piece has lived with me every day since I first read it.
ReadingTeachSu muses on why she became a teacher when that was never the career path she imagined for herself and how she will advise young people who ask if they should become teachers.
Elsie Tries Writing wrote several funny pieces this month (humor is so hard!), and I think the one on spam is my favorite. Just what treasures might await if we would only click and open those spam emails?
You will enjoy every post at Sherri’s Slice of Life Project, but I’m especially fond of her Go Outside! poem that expresses the beauty and wonder every parent hopes their child will experience outside in nature.
Teaching from an Empty Nest shared some amazing slices written by her second-graders. How I love those ducklings who are either excited or exiting!
There were many memorable slices about student protests this month, but Hearing the Feet at the Pavement at Slowing Down the Moments was my favorite.
Michelle at Literacy Learning Zone reminded me early in the month of the power of noticing and walking, preferably with a puppy at your side.
I’m warning you now: have the tissues handy for tendingbulbs’ gorgeous and heartbreaking poem about grief and loss, told through the stories of the birthday cards her grandmother sent her. (There are many more equally gorgeous pieces to discover at this blog, so consider reading around during your visit.)
Fran Haley’s How Do I Inspire Them? reminds us that we inspire our students when we lead with our own energy and passion for reading, writing, learning.
Mets Diaspora knocked my socks off with this pantoum (yes, PANTOUM!) written about his cat’s irritating and very catlike habit of waking him up at 2:00 a.m. Seriously. A pantoum!
I have loved and felt enriched by every post at TrinaNarrative this month, so it was hard to choose just one, but I find I have a soft spot for the lovely Writing Wellspring piece that poetically charts all of the different places writing hides.
I read several terrific letters to inanimate objects this month. One Word at a Time’s letter to yoga was one of the most heartfelt and memorable.
Ms Chiubooka Writes muses on how just the right cozy atmosphere, symbolized for her by Matcha Tea and Irish Soda Bread, her own favorite reading snacks, can inspire and motivate our students to read.
Amanda at Persistence and Pedagogy wrote so many pieces that dazzled me with their craft and seriously pushed my thinking as a teacher (and also really, really made me want to write!), but one that keeps sticking with me is her beautiful poem about dyslexia that tries to capture how hard reading is for her son.
Glenda explores some of the challenges of writing poetry and finding courage to write and then shares an incredibly powerful poem about her father.
There were many delightful reflections on slicing written throughout the month. I’m especially fond of Five Hundred a Day’s list of 20 observations.
I found Margaret’s blog so inspiring and sustaining this month. Really, all of her pieces have followed me through March. But I am especially fond of Word Collector.
Carol is one of my very favorite teacher bloggers, and she wrote so many rich and provocative pieces this year, as she does every year. It was hard to choose just one, but I think Bricks and Grout, about the little moments of relationship throughout the day that help us move our students to be readers (and writers and learners), is one of the most important this month.
Wonders All Around penned one of my favorite reflections on what can be discovered through a month of slicing.
the dirigible plum 
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