The moment I woke up Sunday morning I knew the dreaded stomach virus had found me. My husband told the kids to stay out of the bedroom, so that I could rest quietly. I had just dozed off when I heard the bedroom door slowly squeak open. Assuming that it was just my husband I continued sleeping. Then I felt them, squishy fingers that smelled like a combination of Play-Doh and peanut butter and jelly, massaging my face so carefully.
"Shhhhh mommy. Don't tell daddy I here."
I just nodded and smiled at him.
"Drink all you juice and I bring more so you feel better."
"Okay honey, I can do that for you."
Next thing I knew those squishy fingers were gently rubbing my eyelids, just like I do to him when I rock him to sleep.
"You sleep mommy and I tell you a story."
I wish I could remember the story that my little man told me. However, I was so tired that I was already asleep before he started the story. My husband said he came into the room and Evan, my squishy fingered three year old, was sitting on the bed jabbering words he couldn't understand while holding my hand.
Last week I returned from four intense days of learning at
the NCTE Annual Convention in Boston, MA.
One of the many perks of attending was the amount of free books that I
received for my classroom library. I
brought back over 70 books for my students! In talking with colleagues, I decided that one
of the quickest ways to get the books into the hands of the students was to do
a book pass, or as I like to call it “Speed Dating with Books”. When I was sharing this idea with my husband,
he asked me how I’m going to make sure these books are appropriate for all of
my students. That’s an impossible
task. There is no way to make sure all
books are appropriate for all readers. However,
that doesn’t mean that I should prevent my students from reading some of the
books in this new collection for the classroom library.
Being that this is my first year teaching 7th
graders, I am finding that this is a pivotal year for them as readers. I have some readers who are devouring Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. I also have a group of readers who can’t get
enough of Bigger Than a Breadbox by Laurel Snyder, Rump by Liesl Shurtliff and The
False Prince by Jennifer Nielsen.
The students who are reading books in the first category came to me
reading those books. If I were to
“censor” their book selections or make recommendations avoiding books that have
young adult content including vulgar language, abuse or sexually active teens
they would ignore my suggestions and read them anyway.
Making assumptions about where students have been and lives
they have lived, even at the age of twelve, can be difficult. It saddens me to think about some of the
things my students have witnessed and experienced at such a young age. I know that many of their peers (or even
teachers) couldn’t even fathom going through such experiences. Therefore, many students feel alone in the
world believing that no one could possible understand what they are going
through. Reading books with similar
experiences can help student find a place in this world. These books might mean that there is actually
someone else out there struggling or overcoming similar issues as them.
As for students who have not experienced any of the abuse,
depression or sexually related content in young adult novels, these books can
still provide a sense of understanding and compassion. I remember some of the books that I read when
I was in middle school, and looking back I realize how much of the explicit
content I truly did not understand.
However, I still feel that I was able to have an emotional connection
with many of the characters. I learned
compassion and my eyes were opened to an entire world that I didn’t know
existed. I truly believe that these
books have made me a better person today because they first taught me how to be
compassionate and empathetic.
As a teacher, this doesn’t mean I will hand any book to just
any student without thoughtful conversations about the content. The majority of the books I received at NCTE
I have not yet read. However, many of my
friends that also teach middle school have read them. I will look at their reviews on Goodreads
before determining how to handle a book within my classroom. I have some books that I keep behind my desk,
and there are certain students that know they can check those books out at any
time. I determine who those students are
based on the books they have already shared and discussed with me. However, there are some books that I will
directly recommend to a particular student knowing that their peers respect
them as a reader. Once that student
finishes the book, the book popularity will spread like wildfire. As much as I like to think of myself as a
person that students will feel comfortable talking to about difficult content
in books, I know that isn’t a realistic expectation. Knowing that many peers in the classroom are
reading and sharing the same book opens the door for supportive conversations between
peers about difficult topics.
Always remember that parent preference about book content is
always first priority. If a parent does
not agree with a book that I have recommended or that their child has checked
out from my classroom library, I always respect that parent’s choice. This has only ever happened one time to me,
but I know it probably won’t be the last time.
In that situation I listened to the parent’s concerns and made sure that
any book I recommended in the future fit the parent’s expectations for their
student as reader.
Students want to read about stories that they can connect to
as readers. One student said to me, “I
don’t like reading books with characters younger than me.” I think this statement is true for the
majority of middle school readers. If
we want to help inspire our students as readers, we need to meet them where
they are, and be prepared for them to want to read books about drinking, drugs,
rape, sex and relationships. These books
can help open the doors to conversations and action involving compassion,
empathy and understanding.
I’ll leave you with some great thoughts about Jackson
Pearce’s perspective of the “F-Bomb” in books.
I hope everyone had a very safe and fun Halloween this past week! The weather had the potential for becoming dangerous on Trick or Treat night here, so the time was changed to ensure everyone remained safe. Despite the rain, my three children had a blast dressing up and collecting candy! This is the first year all three of my children really understood the concept of Trick or Treat. There was lots of strategizing and plotting that happened. It only took skipping one house without their lights off for my kids to scope out the houses with lights on, and plan that we would only be knocking on those doors. It makes my heart happy when I step back and watch my three children interact with each other. My daughter, Autumn, is the middle child, but she does not hesitate to become the ring leader of the crew. Gavin, my oldest, is very methodical and strategic and he will take her plans and find a focused, organized approach. Then there comes the youngest of the crew, Evan, who ignores the plan and charges in with his own ideas. Gavin and Autumn are always on the look out to protect Evan from doing something that would be dangerous, but are never far behind in joining in with his crazy ideas. Watching this process of interactions happen while collecting candy, dressed as Spiderman, a flower and Yoda, and playing in the rain is definitely a memory I will be celebrating for years to come.
This past week was a crazy whirlwind of events. However, I have several awesome celebrations to share!
1. On Wednesday, our 7th grade students had the opportunity to Skype with author Chris Grabenstein. This is the first author Skype visit I have ever attended or coordinated, so I was nervous to say the least. There were about 300 seventh graders in attendance for the session, and only half of them had the opportunity to read The Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library. All of the students had the chance to research him before the Skype, but I was still nervous that the students who had not read the book would not take the Skype session seriously. All of the students were AMAZING!! The questions that the students asked Chris Grabenstein were well thought out, and led to some very interesting and creative answers. He was entertaining and provided a wonderful first author Skype experience for the staff and students. I am so thankful that I work with a group of people who helped support this opportunity for the students. I am also celebrating the fact that I have my first Skype visit under my belt!
2. One of the 7th grade social studies teachers that I work with is in the process of teaching his students how to create a digital textbook. The students will be creating digital learning objects and putting them into the textbook for other students, current and future, to use to master understanding of content knowledge. In order to provide this opportunity to as many students as possible, on an individual basis, he is trying to get more iPads for his classroom. Therefore, he created a Donors Choose grant project to help with this goal. The funding for this project started on Wednesday (around $1,000) and he text me yesterday morning to let me know that the project was already fully funded. His determination and perseverance to do whatever needs to be done to help students learn, in a way that is beneficial for them, needs to be celebrated. I also want to celebrate those people who donated to this project. I am so impressed with people's willingness to help children learn and helping to provide them with a positive education experience by donating to classroom projects.
I have no doubt that this upcoming week will be full of more reasons to celebrate amazing things that are happening around me!
IT’S MONDAY! WHAT ARE YOU READING? FROM PICTURE BOOKS TO YA!
These memes were started by Teach Mentor Texts and Book Journeys, to inspire readers to share books they have read and will be reading. I have found many of my current reads by following bloggers participating in It’s Monday! What are you reading? Be sure to check out their sites for more information on what they are reading, and learn how to participate.
Books Read Last Week:
Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Title: A Long Walk to Water
Author: Linda Sue Park
Currently Reading:
Title: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe
Every Saturday share a celebration. It can be anything (or several things). A photo, a page from your writer's notebook, a favorite lesson, a success story, student writing, a recipe, a new book for your classroom library -- just find something to celebrate.
My oldest son is a kindergartener this year, and what a learning experience it has been. Not for him because he absolutely LOVES school. For me, because I have learned how to trust. His teacher is helping me learn how to trust. First, let me give a little background and share that she is a first year teacher. I remember my first year of teaching, and it's a year I would like to erase from my memory. When I found out that this was her first year of teaching, I panicked and could only think of my first year. I tried to quickly think positive and trust, but that was easier said than done. After some advice from other teacher friends I decided to make the best of this year (thank goodness!!). Here is a quick list of some things I love about Miss Achauer: 1. She emails the parents daily with a quick recap of the day, so that we can have meaningful conversations with our children about their day in school. (Her words) 2. She truly understands my son, and I couldn't ask for anything more. She understands that he is a hands-on learner and that paper/pencil tasks do not reveal his true potential. She also understands that he is caring and sensitive. 3. She differentiates based on student needs and abilities. When I think of teaching kindergarten, I picture trying to herd cats. There is such a wide variety of needs in a kindergarten classroom, and many kiddos still struggle to work independently. I am in awe when I see how successful she is at accomplishing this! 4. She puts my mind at ease. It is obvious that she has listened to my concerns about my sons communication and frustration issues. The information that she shares with me about him is beyond positive. This puts my mind at ease as a parent, more than she will ever know! 5. She CELEBRATES learning. One thing that she shared with me at parent/teacher conferences was that the class celebrates each other's writing through all parts of the writing process. I seriously wanted to jump across the table and hug her! Miss Achauer needs to be celebrated, not because she has helped me learn how to trust, but because she is delicately nurturing my son's love of learning. She is a natural teacher who truly understands that teaching is more than standardized tests, OTES and Resident Educator requirements, but it is about children. I am so thankful that my son has the opportunity of learning and growing with Miss Achauer during her first year of teaching.
There is nothing I love more than reading aloud to a group of students. My co-teachers are always offering to take over some of the reading, but my response is always NO (said with love, of course). Seeing the look of excitement and pure interest/focus on student's faces makes my day. Currently, we are reading The Escape From Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein. I knew the students would enjoy this story, so I was excited to be able to share it with them. Here are just some of my favorite things that have happened during or because of the story, which make me genuinely make me happy: 1. Talking while I am reading - this is on-task, interactive conversation about the story. Students are constantly trying to predict the next event, sharing their emotions about certain characters or commenting in agreement with decisions that are being made throughout the story. These are not disruptive comments for the entire class to hear, but soft chatter similar to what would be heard in a movie theater at exciting parts of a movie. 2. One student shared that she loved this book so much (we are only about 19 chapters into it) that she went out and bought her own copy. She is using the copy to read to a group of 4th and 5th graders at a neighboring elementary school during a reading group that she helps to host. 3. There are just some words that I struggle to pronounce correctly. Indubitably just happens to be one of those words, and it also happens to appear in the story. As I stumbled over the word, one of the students grabbed a dictionary to look up the word because he was curious about its meaning. He also taught me how to correctly pronounce indubitably. 4. There was second student who couldn't wait for the ending, so he bought a copy for himself. He was so excited after he finished that he couldn't wait to ask me 1,000 questions about the story. He shared that as I am reading the book (re-reading it to him) he is having all kinds of a-ha moments about important information the author shared, which he didn't realize was important the first time he read the story. 5. Yesterday morning, a student stopped me in the hallways and asked if I would be reading Lemoncello again. He was thrilled to find I that I would be, and he said to me, "I love when you read aloud. I feel like the book comes to life and that I'm living in an actual movie." This comment made my day, if not my entire year! I have had the dreaded head cold that has been going around, and my one motivation for coming to school has been so that I can see the student's reactions to Mr. Lemoncello! Reading aloud has always been something I love doing, but this book and these students have increased that love more than I ever imagined possible.
