Wonder Lead Ambassador

Carol Varsalona

Joined 5 years ago

I have been a lifelong learner and wonderer my entire life. As a child, curiosity allowed my mind to wander to imaginative places and seek answers. My mother and grandmother whose creative talents were boundless fostered my flights into the world of creativity. Appreciating the gifts of reading, writing, art, and learning at a very young age, led me to creative outlets and a long teaching and administrative career in the field of literacy. I continue to notice and wonder about life, learning, and literacy; write with passion and an observant eye; ardently champion voice as a means to be creatively expressive, and passionately promote positivity during my unretirement days as an ELA Consultant. Being one of Wonderopolis’ Wonder Lead Ambassadors is an honor and will provide the opportunity to continue to impact teaching and learning in a broader sense. Besides being an educator, I am: -Co-moderator of #NYEDChat, the voice of New York State educators and beyond where I continually invite educators and colleagues from across the globe to join in timely discussions -Writer/creator of the "Reflect With Me Galleries of Artistic Expressions" that connect literacy, the arts, and technology, bringing a sense of voice through poetry and photography to the public eye -Blogger and member of the following social media communities: Celebrate This Week, DigiLit Sunday, Poetry Friday, Slice of Life, Spiritual Journey Thursday -Presenter at local, regional, state, and national conferences -Executive Board Member and Editor of the Long Island Language Arts Council -Member of the following literary associations: International Literacy Council, Nassau Reading Council, National Council of Teachers of English, New York State English Council

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Did You Know?

Did you know the following? If you click on RSS at my Wonder Ground page, you can access all of the blog posts from my blog site, Beyond ...

Jul 18, 2018

Double Ouch!

"Bee stings can hurt a lot and turn an otherwise nice summer day into a day you won't soon forget for all the wrong reasons!" -Wonderopolis Wonder of ...

May 21, 2018

Wish Weeds of Springtime

When I was a child, the neighborhood children often engaged in imaginative play. Each spring, we gathered little whites globes found in our lawn to ...

Apr 15, 2018

Just One of Those Weeks

Have you ever experienced problems with your computer? You probably know the kind I am talking about, the ones that make you so FRUSTRATED? Well this ...

Mar 19, 2018

St. Patrick's Day Fun

In my village of Rockville Centre, St. Patrick's Day brings out the best in everyone, whether you are Irish or not. Sharing the love of St. Patrick's ...

Feb 16, 2018

Wondering is the First Step in Learning

Have you ever stopped to professionally wonder? When you are in the wondering zone do you become passionate about novel ideas that stir your ...

Jan 8, 2018

New Year Thoughts

Happy New Year to All. Twitter is lighting up with chats bringing in the new year. Tonight is the first #WonderChat and #NYEDChat of the new year. ...

Dec 13, 2017

Thoughts on the First Snow

As Long Island changed from late autumn to a winter-like scene and back to autumn this past weekend, I turned to Wonderopolis to continue wondering ...

Nov 1, 2017

Thoughts at the End of Halloween 2017

Halloween magic was evident in my neighborhood today. A parade of continuous costumed-characters made their way down the street from early afternoon ...

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Apr 9, 2021

Sometimes, nature takes an unexpected turn. We saw that many times this year. I decided to take two seasonal images and place them side by side to ...

Beyond LiteracyLink

Apr 6, 2021

Pre-Easter Fun I sit here at the end of another long day thankful for being able to celebrate Easter with my little granddaughters and family. In ...

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Apr 3, 2021

Today is Good Friday and I am reminded of the trials of the past year. Not just my long life move journey but the travails of so many others are ...

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Apr 2, 2021

There is a newness to life. I pause admiring the splendor of earth as I walk alongside my little granddaughters. There is much to be thankful for: a ...

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Apr 1, 2021

It is almost 11:00 PM. I hoped that I would be able to write in a quiet space but two different games are being watched in two separate rooms. The ...

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Mar 31, 2021

Where did the month go? Some days, I thought the month was lingering in slow motion. Other times there was so much to do for the moving out of Long ...

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Mar 30, 2021

To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow. -Audrey Hepburn New house, new garden: to plant a new life of blessed tomorrows. This is not ...

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Mar 29, 2021

“An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” -Henry David Thoreau Yesterday, the family met for a walk up Bull Run Mountain. Not ...

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Mar 28, 2021

She wakes with a smile on her face as bright as the sunshine outdoors. "Grandma, I love you." These words melt my heart. All the stress of our ...

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