Brenda Power must serve as the Queen of all editors. She believed in this project from the start and she shepherded us through the process from proposal to finished product. Through gifts, notes, and classroom visits, Brenda’s incredible spirit of encouragement invigorated us. We are grateful for her talent at reading our work and helping us craft our message. We know she spent more hours than we can imagine helping us reorganize, shape, and revise the book. Her vision helped us imagine our audi-ence, and gave us the direction we needed. Namaste.
We love our Courage to Teach community. We know we are better teachers and listeners because of the wise facilitators we stand beside as well as our local Courage groups. They are an ever-present Circle of Trust for us. We particularly thank Virginia Shorey, Caryl Casbon, Greg Smith, Matt Lyon, Marcy Jackson, and Rick Jackson. Namaste to all.
T
hough we have been one in the writing of this book, we wish to extend our individual thanks.I send a world of thanks to my family who are spread across the United States. Mary and David both wondered what their sister was attempting. They and my Dad supported me amidst my confusion and celebration. I can hear their laughter from here.
Mom, I think you gave me the writing gene. Thanks for reading drafts and offering encouragement from the very beginning.
Jim, thank you for all of those hours you spent—with Ruth and without—taking stills, perfecting photographs, and creating CDs for this book. You make the difficult world of computers look easy.
Ruth, your wisdom first guided me years ago in your Language Acquisition class. With that crafty grin on your face, you invited me to look deeply into the lives of my students, and you gently encouraged me to peer into the world of my own inner teacher. For all of the moments we have shared in my classroom, in the Courage to Teach work, at Lewis & Clark College, and with our families together, for all the words written and shared, both here on these pages and in our own silences, I am deeply grateful.
The experience of writing this book with you has proved to me what amazing gifts and miraculous messages true community offers: communal knowing.
Laurie and Alysa, thank you for patiently witnessing the writ-ing of this book. Alysa, you served brilliantly as kindergarten test
monkey while also being daughter incredible in moments beyond counting. Will you please keep coming to my class and continue to help me see my friends more clearly? Laurie, my soul’s mate, throughout this project your support and words and actions amazed and encouraged me, buoyed and supported me, in the moments where I was sure of my truths and in the minutes when I wasn’t. I appreciate your quiet encouragement and joy as I con-tinue to plant myself in environments that I deeply love. Thank you for walking this life journey with me, side by side, helping me see what is truly most important: living each moment in the light of love.
Namaste, Andie
A
ndie, I am grateful beyond words for all you have taught me. (But I’ll try anyway!) You ask me the tough questions and work with me to answer them. I appreciate your way with words, courage with ideas, and compassion for all your stu-dents. Thanks for your weekly memos, poems about the classroom, and willingness to craft our prose together. I look forward to our writing and teaching partnership continuing to grow. I thank you and Laurie for sharing your time with Alysa. She brings me back into the world of childhood through her joy in our tea parties, in art projects, and in conversations as we swing together. Alysa, thanks for all you teach me, too.My colleagues at Lewis & Clark are always ready to hear me go on and on about the wonders of kindergarten literacy. I especially appreciate the patience and listening ear of Kimberly Campbell, who read drafts of this book, Jessie Singer, who was a cheerleader through the process exclaiming over every photo and fieldnote I showed her, and Jill Ostrow, who helped me extend expert tea par-ties to the world of my graduate students.
Andie and I both thank Brenda as the best editor in the world.
But I am even more grateful than that for her solid friendship.
When I lose faith in myself or my ideas, I know I can turn to Brenda, my best friend for twenty years.
Jim Whitney’s artist eye and technical genius guided us through many challenges as we gathered data and wrote. He spent countless weekends and work nights taking professional photos of student work, and correcting our classroom photos. He served as
computer guru and sounding board, serving up equal helpings of support and off-beat humor. You give me laughter, and inspiration, and love. A thousand thanks.
Namaste, Ruth