Starting school - at a snail's pace

It is the beginning of a new school year - that second moment during the calendar year for new beginnings and fresh horizons. 

But, this year I am trying to constantly remind myself to go slow - to take our time in developing our routines and patterns so that they are clear and easy for everyone to follow.  

It is so tempting to rush into getting started with all the great new lessons, curriculum and notebooks.  But, the extra time at the beginning of the year spent making sure that everyone knows each other and knows the class routines makes everything else go so much better in the following months.

Last week as I was setting up the room one of the African Snails pushed off the lid to their container and went for a wander.  The first time it was out roaming around over night and it left this trail….

So, it was easy to find in the morning.   The second time it got out was during the day and I turned around and saw this……

Which I thought was a great "Getting ready for school" picture to share with the students.    But, watching the snail make its leisurely pace around the table and over the pencils reminded me of a wonderful book.    

Sound of a Wild Snail Eating – by Elisabeth Bailey

Here is the blurb about the book

"While an illness keeps her bedridden, Elisabeth Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence in a terrarium alongside her bed. She enters the rhythm of life of this mysterious creature, and comes to a greater understanding of her own confined place in the world. In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, she shares the inspiring and intimate story of her close encounter with Neohelix albolabris a common woodland snail. Intrigued by the snail's world from its strange anatomy to its mysterious courtship activities she becomes a fascinated and amused observer of the snail's curious life. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is an affirmation of the healing power of nature, revealing how much of the world we miss in our busy daily lives, and how truly magical it is. A remarkable journey of survival and resilience, The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating shows how a small part of the natural world can illuminate our own human existence and deepen our appreciation of what it means to be fully alive.

Elisabeth Tova Bailey's essays and short stories have been published in the Missouri Review, Northwest Review, and the Sycamore Review. Her work has received several Pushcart Prize nominations, and the essay on which this book is based received a notable essay listing in Best American Essays. She lives in Maine in the United States."

If you go to her website 

you will find a video - watch it when you need to take a break, pause for a moment and remember to breath.  Or if you just want to hear what it sounds like when a wild snail is eating.