Read. Reflect. Repeat.

Sunday, October 25, 2020

#MustReadin2020 Fall Update

#MustReadin2020

Hello, fellow book lovers! 📚💗

While I know that some people found reading extremely difficult during the pandemic, for me, the ability to totally lose myself in a book was an incredible gift. I also consider this professional development (although I will never receive any points) because these are all books that I will share with students whether we are together virtually or in-person. Sadly, now that the new school year is in full swing, my reading time has drastically diminished. I'm so glad that I was able to complete my list before the year's end. I don't post about every excellent book that I finish, so please follow my Twitter feed for additional book recommendations.

Count Me In

Finished reading May 10, 2020

This story is told in alternating chapters by two middle school students, Karina Chopra and Chris Daniels. While walking home from school one afternoon, Chris, Karina, and Karina's grandfather are assaulted by a complete stranger. Papa is badly injured. Usually quiet, Karina begins posting about their experience on social media and becomes an "accidental activist".

Takeaway quote: "With patience, Papa reminds me that evil exists everywhere, in every corner of every country on Earth--but so does good" (150).

Maybe He Just Likes You

Finished reading May 12, 2020

This story resonated with me specifically because, like Mila, I too spent a huge amount of time in band rooms during my school years. This story is mainly about Mila receiving unwanted attention from some boys in her class. Even when she tells them to stop, their behavior continues, and then escalates. Everyone tries to convince Mila that the boys are just flirting with her, but it feels much more sinister to her. Mila learns that in order to finally be heard, she really has to make some noise! This is such an important book!

Black Brother, Black Brother

Finished reading May 17, 2020

"Bullies, prejudiced, ignorant people make life hard."

Jewell Parker-Rhodes has become one of my favorite middle grade authors of all time. She is able to make heavy topics accessible for young readers. Donte and Trey are multiracial brothers who attend Middlefield Prep. Donte is relentlessly bullied by Alan and others for being the "Black brother". One day in a moment of extreme frustration, Donte slams his backpack on the floor in the school office and is removed by police. During his week-long suspension, Donte goes to the Boys and Girls Club to seek out Coach Arden Jones, because he has decided that the best way to deal with Alan is to beat him at his own game...fencing. I knew next to nothing about this sport before I started reading this book, but found that I really like the metaphor of life being a fencing bout: "Focus, fence fair, and you're a success."

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Finished reading May 28,2020

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes takes place ten years after the great uprising, at the start of the 10th Annual Hunger Games. Coriolanus Snow is an 18-year-old academy student, who is chosen along with 23 of his classmates to be mentors to this year's tributes. He is assigned to the girl from District 12, Lucy Gray. The Games are at their early stages, and much less of a spectacle than we saw in their 74th year. As a fan of The Hunger Games trilogy, I quite enjoyed reading how Snow's circumstances as a child growing up in the years following the uprising shaped the person whom he would become. I paid particular attention during the conversations that Snow has with Dr. Gaul, the Head Gamemaker, about the nature of humanity. It was also interesting to hear (read) discussions like this one about Capitol people vs. district people. "'One look tells you ours are a superior breed.' 'One look tells you ours have had more food, nicer clothing, and better dental care,' said Dean Highbottom. 'Assuming anything more, a physical, mental, or especially a moral superiority, would be a mistake'" (199).

What Lane?

Finished reading July 29, 2020

"Maybe if she doesn't see race, that's why she doesn't see racism. Like, she wishes we had no problems so there's no problems to fix (92)?"

Now that Stephen is in sixth grade, he has begun to notice that people treat him differently than his friends...his building super, store employees, kids at school, and people in the neighborhood. His mom wants to protect his sense of imagination and innocent childhood. His dad is trying to prepare him to live in the world where prejudice and racism are everywhere. And then something happens that really opens up Stephen's eyes....

Torrey Maldonado is outstanding! His books are must-haves for your classroom library!

Allies

Finished reading August 3, 2020

What I love most about Alan Gratz's books (aside from the enormous amounts of research that he does) is how he weaves the characters in his stories together. Allies takes place beginning in the early hours of June 6, 1944. Dee Carpenter, age 16, is a US soldier who wants nothing more than to do some serious damage to Hitler and the Nazis. But, Dee also has a secret. Samira Zidane, age 11, ends up working with the French Resistance when Nazi soldiers detain her mother. Lance Corporal James McKay, age 19, is with the 1st Canadian Parachute Battalion, and just keeps asking himself, "What the hell am I doing here?" And Corporal Henry Allen, age 20, is a US Army medic who sets up an aid station on Omaha Beach. This book is intense and action-packed. I have not read an Alan Gratz book that I didn't enjoy immensely.

Yes No Maybe So

Finished reading September 20, 2020

"'No one person can fix it all,' my father says. 'All our actions are little drops that collect into a groundswell for change. It's the only way most change happens. Ordinary people doing everything they can.'"

Jamie, who has difficulty speaking to just one or two people, is tasked with delivering a toast at his sister's Bat Mitzvah. Maya, who was supposed to be leaving for Italy two days after Eid, finds out the trip has been canceled because her parents' marriage may be over. At a campaign event at Maya's mosque, Jamie and Maya's moms volunteer them to spend an afternoon canvassing neighborhoods for a state senate candidate. At first neither is thrilled with the idea, but as one afternoon becomes another and another, the teens not only develop a relationship, but realize firsthand how important local activism is. I found the authors' note to be just as compelling as the book itself. This is an important read!

The Boy at the Back of the Class

Finished reading October 22, 2020

"The entire world is full of hearts searching for a place to call home. But, refugees are different because they don't just look for a home. They look for peace, too. And because of that, they possess the most special hearts that anyone could ever have" (250).

One day at a school in London, a new boy named Amhet arrives. At first, a small group of students just try to become Ahmet's friend, giving him small gifts and inviting him to play at recess. After a while, he shares his story of leaving Syria with his class, and his new friends decide to take some major steps to try and help Ahmet reunite with his family. This story reminds us that while there are ALWAYS bullies, small acts of kindness go a very long way.

Wishing you all hope and peace!

Happy Reading! 📚

Monday, April 13, 2020

#MustReadin2020 Spring Update

#MustReadin2020

Hello, readers!

Reading in the time of social distancing has made me realize how much I miss talking with my students face to face about books! Luckily, I finished several of these while we were still in school, so parts were read aloud. I'm really sad that our students don't have access to our classroom library at this time.

I'd also like to add how wonderful it has been that so many authors have been willing to share virtually with our students and families!

Thank you! 📚 💖

Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds
Finished reading: January 21, 2020

I have reached that critical point in my fangirling of Jason Reynolds where I can proudly say, “Frankly…I’d read your grocery lists” (Thank you SO much for that quote, John Green!). I have seen students who have never finished a book in their entire school career finish Long Way Down and Ghost. I have used parts of pretty much every Jason Reynolds book as a read-aloud. Most recently, that book was Look Both Ways—Chapter 1, Water Booger Bears (disclaimer: it’s a bad idea to eat while you’re reading this chapter). I love this book for so many reasons. It is 10 short stories about students from Latimer Middle School. As a teacher, it’s a wonderful reminder of what our students deal with outside of our walls. My personal favorite chapters were “The Low Cuts Strike Again”, “Call of Duty”, and “Five Things Easier To Do Than Simeon’s and Kenzi’s Secret Handshake”. They each warmed my heart immensely because of the relationships between the kids and the adults in their lives. I believe this book should be required reading for anyone who works with young people.

Side note: The story “How a Boy Can Become a Grease Fire” is an outstanding read aloud option as well!

Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

Finished reading February 6, 2020

In the first book, Children of Blood and Bone, magic has been stolen violently from Orisha. The maji were rounded up and killed by the monarchy because they were seen as a threat. Maji were made to feel less than and were referred to as maggots. Zelie has the opportunity to participate in a ritual to bring magic back, but at great personal danger. As Children of Virtue and Vengeance begins, the results of the ritual are more powerful than anyone could have imagined. "Roughly 1/8 of the population has magic now. Of those, about a third have the magic of titans." Because of the ritual, titans appeared in the nobility and the military. Unlike the maji, they do not require incantations to perform magic, and their abilities are unbelievably strong. So now the nobility has the same (or even stronger) powers. And yet, they continue to hurt the maji. As Zelie notes, "The monarchy has magic now and they still hate us. It was never about magic at all!" Ms. Adeyemi's books are epic, and there is SO much more to this story than what I have outlined here. The writing is incredible, and the plot pulls you in immediately. Do yourself a favor and check out these books!

For Black Girls Like Me by Mariama J. Lockington

Finished reading February 11, 2020

"People ask me where I’m from, but I know they really mean, ‘Who do you belong to?’” (3)

As I tweeted, I cannot overstate how important this book is! Makeda June Kirkland (Keda) is an eleven-year-old black girl who was adopted by a white family. They are moving from Baltimore to Albuquerque. So, Keda is dealing with moving, leaving behind her best friend, starting a new school, and stress in her family. The first thing Keda comes up against are the new kids at school. In my journal I wrote, “I will never know what it feels like to have random strangers walk up to me and ask me where I’m from or why I’m with the people I’m with. I really wish people would be better about NOT saying every thought that enters their minds.” And it got so much worse AFTER 20 questions! Mariama Lockington is herself a transracial adoptee, according to her Twitter bio. As I read, I wondered a lot about her experience growing up. I learned that even well-meaning people don’t always say or do the right things, and that I really need to do better than the PE teacher in this book!

An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States For Young People

by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz; Adapted by Jean Mendoza and Debbie Reese
Finished reading March 7, 2020

"From the first moment Europeans stepped onto what came to be known as North America, they left bloody footprints wherever they went seeking land and resources" (87).

During the recent #LeadingEquitySummit, Dr. Sawsan Jaber said, "The people who hold the power have shaped the history that we study and how we learn it." An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States exemplifies that sentiment perfectly. I continue to be astounded by what we are NOT taught in history and social studies classes. In the introduction to this book, the authors define the basic components of American settler colonialism: white supremacy, African American slavery, and a policy of genocide and land theft. And they remind us that in 1492 when the "New World" was "discovered", "many conditions that were useful to (the settlers) were the result of Indigenous peoples' stewardship of the land" (29). The Europeans did not "settle a virgin land. They invaded and displaced a resident population" (50). And they (we) did this over and over and over again. "Native historian Jack Forbes argues that while living persons are not responsible for what their ancestors did, they are responsible for the society they live in, which is a product of that past" (226). I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE. I hope that you learn as much from it as I did.

Stamped by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Finished reading March 16, 2020

Here's what you need to know...

"A racist idea is any idea that suggests something is wrong or right, superior or inferior, better or worse about a racial group."

"An antiracist idea is any idea that suggests that racial groups are equals."

"There are lazy, hardworking, wise, unwise, harmless, and harmful individuals of every race, but no racial group is better or worse than another racial group in any way."

The rest of the book goes on to show how racist ideas have been embedded into the systems of our country from the very beginning. This will certainly require more than one reading. Also, I'm very inspired to go back into history from when I was in high school and college and do some additional research on my own. Stamped was chosen as the Global Read Aloud choice for Young Adults for 2020, and I'm absolutely thrilled that more people are going to be exposed to it!

Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Finished reading March 28, 2020

In a world where mortality no longer exists, scythes are required to keep the population from becoming too large. Scythes are the elite, "acknowledged as the very best of humanity". At one point they were almost referred to as reapers, but "the founders saw fit to call us scythes-because we are the weapons in mankind's immortal hands". Citra and Rowan are chosen to become apprentices of Scythe Faraday. It is unprecedented for a scythe to take on more than one apprentice at a time, so right from the start you know there is going to be some drama. I was a holdout on this book for a long time because I wasn't sure it would be my kind of thing, but I ended up enjoying it very much!

Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Finished reading April 10, 2020

Let me start by saying that because of reading this book, I have never wanted a Gatorade so badly in my whole life (it's not even something that I usually buy). And because I read it during a global pandemic, I couldn't just run out and get one. I definitely think that added something to the reading experience! Dry takes place in California during a major drought, referred to as the Tap-Out. Some people have seen the warning signs coming and have gotten prepared, while others are more or less waiting to see what happens and trusting that they will be taken care of. When Alyssa's parents make a run for water and don't return home, she, her little brother Garrett, and their next-door neighbor, Kelton, set out to try and find them. And so the adventure begins....

Monday, April 6, 2020

Highlights from VSRA 2020

I was so looking forward to meeting these people in person this year, but I am beyond grateful that they were willing to share virtual sessions. As always, I took a ton of notes, and have taken time to reflect on my learning. Thank you SO much to the VSRA for making this happen, and to all of the presenters who shared their time and expertise with us from home! You are all very much appreciated!

When Books Become Best Friends

Lester Laminack

Mr. Laminack believes in the importance of a small collection of mentor texts (5 fiction, 5 nonfiction) that you refer back to throughout the year. He asked us to consider, “What if our students knew a small collection of books as well you know your best friends?”

I really loved his description of the “Movie Read”! Sometimes we need to read aloud a book in its entirety without interruptions for the sheer enjoyment that the book offers. (Imagine being in a movie theater and having them stop every 15 minutes so you can turn and talk. 😱)

Students NEED time to think about and reflect on the book before jumping into “activities”. A lot of our students think once the book has been read and we’ve talked about it or drawn a picture, we’re DONE. This does not allow for rich, thoughtful discussion.

In this session, Mr. Laminack used the book Peter’s Chair by Ezra Jack Keats to do a character study using the phrases, “Peter is the kind of boy who…” and “I know this because….” This allows students to consider HOW an author presents information about a character. Student responses can be written on a T-chart and they can use these ideas in their own writing. So instead of “The boy was tired”, a student might write, “The boy fell face-first onto his bed and fell fast asleep.”

Keep in mind when I say this that I’ve been teaching middle school for 20 years, but I was so impressed that Mr. Laminack was using this lesson with 5-year-olds. I thought, “Wow! If we already have them looking for and thinking about character development in kindergarten, imagine how deep their thinking would be by high school! We can’t achieve all of this goodness when our main concern is prepping students for standardized tests.

Making a Case for Reading Joy

Donalyn Miller

Toward the beginning of her talk, Ms. Miller reminded us that “Independent reading does NOT mean reading the whole-class novel independently.” THANK YOU!

Our time together was mainly focused on the importance of book access, which is a HUGE equity issue. Ms. Miller recommends that students have access to books in the classroom, books in the school library, books at home, and meaningful access to books at the public library. These books need to be "as current, diverse, and nourishing as possible". To me, this was certainly already an issue, but with the closure of our schools, it became even more apparent. I am proud of my classroom library, and we are blessed with a beautiful school library. But when we got the announcement that we would be closed, there was no time to make sure that all of our students went home with books.

Ms. Miller talked about a child in one of her classes who wouldn’t go into the library on a class visit. When she asked him about it, he said he had lost a book in elementary school and was no longer allowed to check out books. “We have to stop being caretakers of the books at the expense of being caretakers of the children.” BOOM! 🎆

She recommended the book No More Summer Reading Loss (from the Not This, But That series). Third through twelfth graders should be reading 4-5 books over the summer. And she said this, “If students are receiving services for reading intervention, and we’re not probing at-home book access, we’re missing the mark!”

She also recommended Grace Lin’s TED Talk, The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child's Bookshelf.

The Power of Poetry

Nikki Grimes

What a blessing it is to hear Ms. Grimes read her poetry aloud! Her session made me miss all of my beautiful titles that are just sitting trapped in our classroom library while we’re closed.

These were some of her books that I noted during this session:

Ordinary Hazards (I was REALLY looking forward to getting an autographed copy at the conference!)

Garvey’s Choice (one of my absolute favorites!)

Chasing Freedom

Words With Wings

The Watcher

Poems in the Attic

Danitra Brown books

Poetry is powerful because “it can whet a child’s appetite for literature”! Ms. Grimes recommends pairing textbook readings with poems on the same subject.

Ms. Grimes discussed book access as well. All children should be able to read all books. “Would we tell children that only white people living on farms should read Charlotte’s Web?” She reminded us that children are often much more complex than we give them credit for, and that we need to encourage them to share their memories and experiences through writing.

Social Justice Does Not Just Live in Our Content; It Lives in Our Methods

Cornelius Minor

It has been enormously difficult to try to fit this session into a blog post. I hope that one day I can learn from Mr. Minor in a full-day or multi-day workshop. If I could summarize my learning in one quote it would be this:

“Covid-19 has just brought out in the open the inequities already present in our system.”

He explained that we need to spend some time looking at our school-based outcomes, as well as to be attentive to the systems we have in place...systems that create inequitable outcomes for a specific group of people.

A perfect example is what is currently happening with distance learning. Our school norms actively include kids with internet access, but disengage students without it. For me personally, I thought about the 15 minutes of daily independent reading that my students had in our classroom. How do I keep that going, especially for our students that don’t have access to digital materials, or books in their homes?

But even when we are physically in the classroom, think about what is going on with the students we teach. Mr. Minor reminded us that “The ‘normal’ that we had 2 weeks ago was already broken." He went on to explain that “We privilege the kids who show up and get it on the first try” (which means that they didn’t learn it from us anyway...they already knew it). Learning is iterative; what leads to mastery is repeated practice. There is no such thing as “I taught it and the kids mastered it.” Now imagine you’re the kid that didn’t master it on the first try. Are you afraid this is going to affect your social status? Wouldn’t you opt out of an activity if you felt it would damage your status in the eyes of your peers? Our students are no different. They just might “opt out” by throwing paper across the room and getting thrown out of class.

Right now we have a perfect opportunity to look at what is not working and change our pedagogy. One example that he gave was a principal who had recently suspended 12 students for fighting. It seemed to be happening in one particular class, which was basically set up as a 50-minute lecture. So they decided to change from a predominantly lecture format to include more engaging activities, which ended up cutting down the number of suspensions.

The final thought that I want to share is, “Doing things as they’ve always been done has left out far too many kids.”

Saturday, February 29, 2020

When READ is a Four-Letter Word

Imagine for just a second that you HATE reading. You see it only as something required for school, instead of an enjoyable activity that brings you knowledge, escape, freedom, entertainment, or examples of gorgeous writing. Chances are this negativity toward reading has been affecting your grades, and probably your behavior, since elementary school. Because when other students are working on assignments independently, you can’t do it, get frustrated, and become gifted at using avoidance techniques. Then adding insult to injury, when you advance to middle school you have an elective taken away…a fun class like art, teen living, tech ed, or coding…so that you can spend 50 minutes of your day being forced to do something that you hate. Needless to say, at the beginning of the year, there are some VERY hostile feelings when students are placed in a reading intervention class.

So, I think it is extremely important to combat some of that negativity starting on Day 1. I spend a lot of time at the beginning of the year getting to know my students. We complete surveys about our lives, our attitudes about reading and writing, and our reading preferences. We also complete identity webs (Check out Being the Change by Sara K. Ahmed). I say we, because anything I ask the students to complete, I do myself. I believe that relationships are key in our classroom. The students need to know that they can trust me, especially when they are likely coming at reading from a vulnerable standpoint.

Another important key to my students’ success is that I am a self-proclaimed, proud book nerd. There is no way that I could serve as a reading teacher without being a reader myself. As Carol Jago stated in a recent article, “When teachers tell stories from their own reading lives about books they have read again and again, about books they have abandoned, about books that made them cry, students will wonder if there might be something between those pages for them.”

We have a classroom library of over 500 titles at different reading levels, including picture books, graphic novels, story anthologies, novels in verse, fiction and nonfiction. Students have time every single day to read a book that THEY choose. If our classroom library doesn’t have what they need, we are blessed with a beautiful, functional, fully staffed school library. We participate in book passes, book talks, read-alouds, and book trailers. We watch YouTube videos of authors reading chapters from their own books. And this year for the first time, thanks to #kidsneedmentors, we had an author visit our classroom!

It's not always as simple as giving a child a book and saying, "Here...read this." I ease the students into a reading routine starting the first day of school. After a book pass, we read for five minutes to see if the book is a good fit for them. Then we work up to 10 minutes. It is possible to have classes read for up to 20 minutes, but after an extended break, we usually need to start building up reading stamina all over again.

Every day, students enter our room and read the agenda posted on the board. There is a reminder at the top that for the first 15 minutes, the classroom is device-free. This is dedicated daily independent reading time. Sometimes students read books independently, sometimes with a partner or small group. We have tried many different strategies to keep track of our reading, but what works the best for us is Status of the Class. (Check out The Reading Zone by Nancie Atwell and Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller). Basically, I keep a list for each class of the book titles each student is reading and their page numbers. This cuts down on the time it takes for students to figure out what page they left off on and allows me to quickly see how long it takes them to get through their books.

A few years ago, I started using Donalyn Miller’s 40 Book Challenge. This is a way for students to examine different genres and find out what they like/dislike. I have adapted the genre choices a little each year, based on what is popular with our classes. It’s also super important to have books of varying lengths because the majority of my kiddos are overwhelmed by chapter books at first. Even when I’ve read aloud from novels in verse like Swing by Kwame Alexander and show them how much white space there is on each page, I am met with, “That’s too LONG!”

I would LOVE to be able to tell you that with all of these strategies firmly in place in our room starting on Day 1, all of our students find a book they are interested in and jump right in and read. But, this is not always the case. We’re trying to overcome what could potentially be YEARS of negative feelings about reading. It's hard work. And here’s a little something I've learned…you can force students into intervention, but you can’t make them read. They legitimately have to WANT to. Sometimes a victory is a student who has never before read a book on his/her/their own finishing one book in a school year.

Our students deserve the gift of daily reading time with access to books that they choose for themselves, because it is absolutely the best practice for helping our young people become self-sufficient readers.

Saturday, February 22, 2020

We Really Need a Strong Foundation

In a recent leadership meeting, we participated in the Spaghetti Marshmallow Tower Challenge. The winning team had to construct the highest free-standing tower that could support a marshmallow sitting on top, using only spaghetti and masking tape. We had 15 minutes to complete the task. Our team completely agreed that the base needed to be strong in order to support the weight. The height of the tower depended on the strength of the foundation. As far as the actual structure, well…. Let’s just say that we did not win. I’m going to be totally honest with you…I lost interest in the task pretty quickly. It was challenging, and I really didn’t have any interest in struggling with it. At one point I actually said, “I’m sorry. I stopped caring a couple minutes ago.”

The week prior to the marshmallow challenge, we were asked to complete a walk-through of a colleague’s classroom. I visited a social studies class. The students were reviewing for their upcoming unit test. The teacher had divided the class into groups, using data acquired from previous classwork. The directions for each task were on the board for reference. The teacher specified directions before students rotated to the next activity. It was a beautifully planned and executed lesson.

It just so happened that one of my reading intervention students was in this class. His first activity was working on a computer program (read an article, answer some questions). He raised his hand because he was having trouble with a multiple-choice question that was asking for a synonym of the word “decision”. He couldn’t read the word. I read the question aloud to him, and he immediately clicked “choice”. His next activity was an independent walkabout that matched people and terms to their correct descriptions. Students were to read clues posted at different spots in the room, then walk to the correct answer in order to receive their next clue. The rest of his group chose a clue and took off in different directions. My student just kind of stood there. He was looking at the clues and glancing down at his notes. By all appearances, he was fully engaged in the task. But in reality, he was at a complete standstill.

So, what did I take away?

Just like the height of that spaghetti tower, our students’ learning is solely dependent on what kind of foundation is in place. My student did not have the necessary foundation to be successful in that classroom on his own. That thoughtfully planned, beautifully constructed, and well-executed lesson was inaccessible to him. And the truth that no one seems to want to talk about is that this problem is not just isolated to one or two kids in a class. A strong literacy foundation is missing for SO many of our students. Imagine for a moment trying to make it through a school day when you are unable to read or write about the materials being presented. What I see happening on a daily basis is the students’ response becoming, “I’m sorry. I stopped caring a couple minutes (or months or years) ago.”

We need to do better.

Saturday, February 1, 2020

My Journey as a Literacy Teacher

My career began in January 1998 when I was a student teacher. I graduated in May and worked as a substitute teacher and private reading tutor. My first full-time position was as a Title 1 assistant in a first-grade classroom. The next year when the Title funds shifted, I was moved to the middle school. And I have been there ever since! So although my undergrad degree was Elementary K-6, and I intended to be an elementary school teacher, I have spent pretty much the entirety of my career with middle school kiddos.

While working as an assistant, I began a Master’s program in reading. I obtained certification as a reading specialist, and a Master’s Degree in Reading K-12. I taught 6^thgrade reading in a middle school where reading and English were taught as two separate subjects—I focused on reading comprehension and vocabulary while my teaching partner focused on grammar and writing. In 2005 I relocated to Virginia when I accepted a position as a middle school reading specialist. I co-taught English with special education teachers in grades 6-8. In 2007 I began my new assignment as a reading intervention teacher in grades 6-8. I have been working predominantly with students who have difficulty with/have no interest in/would rather be doing anything BUT reading for 20 years. So, this is the lens from which I view the educational system.

I don't just say this to impress my students...I also really do love to learn. I read professional books each year because I didn’t want to fall out of the loop once I finished grad school. Below are books that have greatly impacted my classroom practice and beliefs.

If you ask people who have worked with me, they will tell you how dedicated I am to literacy instruction. I am an avid reader myself, and I want nothing more than for my students to love reading as much as I do. I have also formed some strong opinions about the best practices for our students. At a recent conference, I was reminded that if we are brave enough to state things in private conversations in the hallway or workroom, we need to be brave enough to say them out loud in public. So before I begin to do just that, I wanted to give you a brief glimpse into how my ideas have been shaped.

Monday, January 13, 2020

#MustReadin2020

Hello, readers!

We have a brand new decade of reading to look forward to! 📚

I’ve committed to the following titles in my super-official Pic Collage graphic. But as usual, once I published my goals, I decided that there were other books that I want to include.

So, just like with #MustReadin2019, I will also be writing about additional titles that I read and want to recommend.