Possible Teacher Walk-out

This Thursday there is a possibility that teachers will stage a walk-out to protest education funding in Arizona. This post is not intended to condemn anyone, no matter where you fall on this issue. I simply want to give voice to a group of teachers that are not being heard at this time.

If this walk-out occurs and schools close, PLEASE do not assume your child's teacher supports this action. While it is true that a majority of teachers voted to take this step, there are teachers who voted "no" on the walk-out. Teachers who are equally concerned about children and the funding issues that exist in Arizona, but who do not believe a walk-out is the way to address these concerns. If the walk-out occurs and schools are closed, these teachers are forced to stay home even though they did not support the walk-out.

There are people of good faith on both sides of this issue, who merely disagree about what action needs to be taken. My fervent prayer is that this walk-out will not occur, and that if it does the bond of trust between the community and its teachers and the bond between colleagues who voted on opposite sides over this action will not be damaged. I pray for the children, parents, and support staff who will be affected by a walk-out. Above all I pray for wisdom for those engaged in negotiations to resolve this issue.

Let us never forget that wherever you fall on this issue those who disagree are not enemies and they love their students every bit as much as those on the other side.

May God grant us mercy, wisdom, and peace in these stressful times.

I've Finished My Book...Now What?

Voracious readers, reluctant readers, and readers in general have the same problem. "I've just finished my book, what in the heck do I read next?" An age old problem indeed. Most avid readers keep a TBR (to be read) list, my own only has 2,983 books on it (as of today) and it continues to grow - yeesh! I have decided the only way I will even get close to reading the unread books I already own is to become a vampire - yeah cause that's so gonna happen!

Some readers, especially new or reluctant readers, truly have no idea what to do after finishing a book. I watch my students every year finish a book, turn it in to me, and then go stand in front of the bookshelves of the classroom library and promptly slip into a book induced coma. They literally have no clue how to decide what to read next. I have taken to doing book talks at least once a week and now require my students to keep a TBR list, but what happens when they leave my class? Or what if you are not one of my students?

Personally, I am a bookclubaholic; as of today, I have whittled the number of book clubs I belong to down to four. I also subscribe to various magazines (The New York Review of Books and Poets & Writers), as well as peruse a variety of websites on a regular basis. I have also become addicted to various book podcasts, which I find to be a never ending source of books to add to my TBR list.

In an effort to be helpful I am including below a list of websites and podcast titles I have found useful in helping me, and my students, discover what to read next. Please feel free to comment and add your own discoveries to my list.

Some of the websites I have found to be useful include: Readers Corner (a shameless plug for my own blog - sorry); Teenreads; YA Books Central; YALSA; Young Adult Book Reviews; Kirkus Reviews; Booklist Online; Nerdy Book Club; The Booklist Reader; Read It Forward; BookRiot; and Goodreads.

Here is a list of podcasts you might try, all of them are free on Itunes (some on other platforms as well). Some of the podcasters can occasionally have potty mouths and these podcasts are marked explicit (E). The list includes: Adventures with Books (E); All the Books; The Avid Reader; Book Club Appetizer; Book Club Girl; Book Fight (E); Booked (E); Get Booked; KCRW Bookworm; Literary Disco; MashReads; Overdue; Reading Envy; The Readers; So Many Damn Books (E); That Stack of Books; Vintage Podcast; and (my personal favorite) What Should I Read Next.

I always recommend joining a book club as well, although perhaps not four at a time. A book club forces you to pick up books that you would never choose if left to your own devices. I can't tell you how many of my now favorite books, I would never have picked up without book club assistance. It is just a fact that sometimes covers and blurbs on jackets just don't do a book justice. A great way to find a book club near you is Meetup. Most of the groups are free to join and there are so many you shouldn't have trouble finding one that suits your area and tastes; this is where I found three of the four clubs I belong to at present. Book clubs are also a great way to meet other readers.

I hope you have found this post helpful. Please feel free to comment and let me know what you do to decide what to read next.

An Amazing New Journal for Students and Teachers, and Everyone Else Really

If you have not seen Ember: a journal of luminous things yet, you should order a copy or peruse their website immediately. This amazing work of art is administered and published by the Empire & Great Jones Creative Arts Foundation, which is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation. Brian Lewis is the editor-in-chief.

Ember is published semiannually with a primary focus on writing for and by readers aged 10 to 18. Fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction can be submitted by authors aged ten and above. I have both the issues that have currently been published, and absolutely can't wait for more. I devoured both issues in less than two hours. I simply could not put them down. The journal is divided into two sections: one for younger readers and one for young adult readers, but every piece of writing will be thoroughly enjoyed by readers of all ages. If you are running out of material for story time with your children, grab this publication at once. It would also make wonderful reading for a classroom at any grade level. The illustrations are beautiful pieces of art and make the stories and poems even more pleasurable to read. Certain pieces are also available for purchase.

I find the writing creative, beautiful, inspiring, and surprising. The stories range from amusing to poignant to enthralling. The spectrum of writing I have seen in the two issues I have received has been exceptional. Truly, there is something in this journal for everyone of any age, probably more than one something.

I am always searching for material that can be placed in my classroom library, but the wonderful thing about Ember is that I can also use it to encourage the writers among my students. Since Ember accepts submissions from anyone aged ten and above, it is my hope that some of my more talented authors/students will be enticed to submit their finished pieces for publication. Ember pays authors for submissions they publish, another enticement. I will also be contacting our school librarian to see about purchasing a subscription for the school library.

Information on submission guidelines and procedures can be found on the website or in the back of the journal. Empire & Great Jones Creative Arts Foundation also sponsors a scholarship for high-school-aged writers to allow them to improve their craft. It is a full annual scholarship to the California State Summer School for the Arts Creative Writing Program.

If you love Ember as much as I do, and you will, please consider supporting their mission. Their website lists several ways to do this, including crowdfunding, patreon, and one-time donations, which you can ear-mark for author payment, the scholarship fund, or as needed.

I don't normally use my blog to advertise, but this journal is truly an exceptional piece of art and deserves to be supported, subscribed to, and read by everyone. It is truly a place where "luminous things" can be found, and those places are becoming increasingly hard to locate. I will be telling everyone I know about Ember, and hope you will all do the same.

The Two Weeks of Christmas Come to an End...

I spent Christmas break visiting with fellow educators; some former teachers, some current teachers, and a former principal it has been my great honor to have taught under. Surprisingly, try not to be shocked, our conversation always managed to meander around to education.

Some of us have experienced education abroad; some have been educated in America alone; some were educated privately, some publically. All of us worry. We spoke of the lack of rigor in many classrooms today; the idea that “content-free” time was something to aspire to; that whether a child was having fun was more important than if they were leaning; the view that students shouldn’t be pushed, challenged, or held accountable - can't damage their self esteem, sarcasm intended. We debated the pros and cons of Common Core; “no homework” policies; “grade free” or “no zero” policies; parent involvement and/or the lack thereof; the politics so prevalent in many districts that handcuff teachers who want desperately to do what’s best for kids; the way a few “nutters” give the rest of us a bad name; the way parents, legislators, and alas, some administrators, have no clue what really goes on every day in classrooms across this country. We discussed “teaching to the test” and how this causes American education to be, in large part, a million miles wide, but only a quarter of an inch deep. We discussed the growth of the charter school movement and what that meant for the future of public schools. We solved all of the problems with education at least three or four times; then had another cookie, a glass of eggnog, and played another hand of Rummikub.

As I think back on the hours of conversations had over a two week period, I realize that salaries, or the lack of, was never mentioned. The focus of every conversation was kids, what was best for kids, what they needed to be successful in school and life, and what we could do to make that happen. I was reminded of why teaching is a calling, not a job, and why I became a teacher to begin with. It was good to remember that there are many fantastic teachers who love kids and want them to learn, grow, and be successful. In short, it was good to remember that I am not alone. Teaching, for all that you are surrounded by kids, can be a lonely profession. For those of us struggling daily to do what’s best for kids, sometimes against insurmountable odds, it can be overwhelming, depressing, and thankless.

I will return to the classroom on Monday refreshed; with a renewed sense of purpose and desire to fight for my kids and their right to an excellent education that will help them be all I know they can become. I return with the knowledge that one teacher can change a child’s world, and that love is an amazingly powerful thing. And isn’t that really what this season is about: refreshing, renewal, reflection, and most of all, love.

To Read or to be a Reader, That is the Question...

...and far too many of my students are content just to read. While I am very happy to see the number of books my students are reading, I am disheartened at the level of books they consistently choose. It is always my hope that as students read more voraciously their appetite for challenging and thought provoking literature will increase. Indeed, I have seen this happen over and over again in past years. It does not, however, seem to be happening this school year.

In past years, the freedom of choice in self-selecting their reading has given students "permission" to try books that are outside their reading comfort zones, and they have risen to the challenge. I have seen students in past years, with great resolve and determination, maneuver through The Iliad and The Odyssey, Wuthering Heights, Bleak House, The Brothers Karamazov, The Three Musketeers, Jane Eyre, Don Quixote, and even Anna Karenina. They have tried out books of short stories, plays, and poetry, and tackled non-fiction books like The Federalist Papers. They have perused authors from Dante Alighieri to Alexis de Tocqueville, from Chaucer to Tolstoy, from Maya Angelou to Sylvia Plath - but not this year.

This year they seem perfectly content to devour series like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, The Maze Runner, and The Hunger Games, and authors like Rick Riordan, Ally Condie, and Lauren Oliver. Not that there is anything wrong with these authors or their books! Actually, I have read all of these series, and books by all of these authors myself. I have purchased them for my classroom library. I have recommended them to reluctant readers. In the past however, these books and authors have been stepping stones to more challenging and difficult literature. They have given students the confidence they needed as readers to attempt something more complex. Reading poetry by Shel Silverstein and Edward Lear gave them the confidence to attempt Keats, Coleridge, and Langston Hughes.

Now, anything challenging is deemed "too hard" (insert whiny kid voice here), and the idea that a book may take longer than two days to complete or more than one reading to understand is unacceptable. If you can't comprehend the book you are reading while watching television, playing a video game, and listening to your IPod at the same time; well, the idea is simply unthinkable.

Hmmm, now I sound like my old English teacher, never thought that would happen. Next I'll be reminiscing about walking four miles barefoot through the snow to school. I refuse to believe that the great literature of the past, or the present for that matter, is unapproachable to students today. I believe Shakespeare, Bronte, Homer, and Dickens are still around for a reason. These authors, and others like them, still touch something deep in the human experience that will resonate as much with today's generation as it did with my generation, and the generations before mine. The challenge is convincing my students, and sometimes their parents, of this fact.

One of the most gratifying experiences in life is completing a challenging book and discovering you learned something about yourself, human nature, and the world we live in. Personally, some of the books that have influenced my life the most were the most challenging and difficult to read and understand, but it was well worth the effort. I am convinced my students will feel the same.

So, the struggle continues. It is far better to be a reader than just to read. I didn't come to this conclusion when I was thirteen and my kids won't either, but they will have a passionate advocate of reading urging them on, just as I did, just as all true readers did.

A New Year Begins...

I approach each new school year with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. On that first day I will be confronted with 150 or so young human beings who are being entrusted to my care for the next 180 days. It is my responsibility to teach them English, that’s a given, but also to model for them responsibility, accountability, respect, interpersonal skills, a strong work ethic, a desire to achieve more than seems possible at the moment, and the belief that they can do so. That’s a hefty load!

Now that my room is ready; books are inventoried and on the shelf; bulletin boards await student work samples; my teacher page is set up and ready to go; my first week’s lesson plans are completed; and most of the copies needed for the first day are made, I have time to sit and worry about whether or not I am ready. Have I prepared enough over the summer? Are the professional materials I read enough to re-stock my “teacher toolbox” for this year? Are there materials I should have gotten to and didn’t? Should my department have met more over the summer than we did? Did I take enough classes and attend enough trainings over the summer? How can I incorporate the new ideas I have gleaned from professional resources and other teachers into my classroom? Will I be able to challenge my gifted students and have time to care for the needs of the students who need a little extra help in a class of 35+ in a 50 minute period? How can I infect all of my students with a love of reading and a desire to become and remain voracious readers? Will I be able to instill in them a love of learning for the sake of learning? Will I be able to make a personal connection with every student, a connection which is so vital to helping them learn and become the best they can be?

Whew! Now my head hurts and I want to curl up under my desk, suck my thumb, and hide. Perhaps no one will notice.

Okay, not an option. I have to trust in my experience, my training, my love of each and every one of those kidlets I haven’t met yet, put on my big girl pants, and crawl out from under the desk. I have done my best to prepare and I am ready to meet another year’s challenges. There will be ups and downs. Words I will wish I had said and words I will wish I hadn’t. Students I will feel I reached and some I may never know I impacted in any way.

This year will pass like the twelve before and another group of kids will worm their way into my heart just like the ones before them did. I’ll cry a little at the end of the year, take a deep breath, and prepare to do it all over again the next year; because that’s what makes teaching a truly special calling, grueling and for the most part thankless, but special nonetheless.

2014-2015 Fiction Section (Beginning of the Year)