Sunday, August 28, 2011

Sunday Blatherings: Back to School

What a great week!  Seriously.  The school I teach at started back up on Tuesday and I think I had one of the all-time best weeks ever.  All week my classes worked together like clockwork and we had a good time together.  It was so great!  I know that issues will pop up, because they always do, but this is going to be a good year.  I'm really excited to be back in the classroom, and that feels great.

Before I get too far into my post today, I wanted to take just a second to say something about education.  This is my 11th year of teaching.  When I started back in 2000, teaching and teachers were really respected. The tide has changed a bit and it makes me sad.  I understand that it's in reaction to falling test scores and achievement, but an article I ran into on Yahoo News  this past week had me frustrated, "7 Ways to Get Your Kid's Teacher to Like You."  Really? I get that they were trying to be an advocate and suggest respectful ways to interact with teachers, but the assumption from that title is that we DON'T like you or your child before we like them.  That's just silly!  I just wish that the media would think about the way they write their articles or report on things so that they can be part of the solution and not part of the problem.  Trust me when I say that we're geared up to work hard this year.

Okay.  That's just a bit about school and that whole side of things.  As everyone knows, work and other things that dominate your life impact what and how much you're reading. Now that I'm getting back into a normal routine again, I can see that the reading slump is about over.  Yay!  My friend Heidenkind, over at Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books pointed out to me one day that my reading slump was probably just because it's something I use for escape.  Now that school is back in session, I'd much rather shut off the television and extra noise and escape into a book.  Finally. 

Here's what I'm just finishing:



And here's what I'll be reading more of this week:


What are you reading this week?

In conclusion, I wanted to send all my best wishes to those who were impacted by Hurricane Irene.  All my best to everyone!  Have a great week.

8 comments:

  1. Glad to hear your school year's starting out great and that it's knocked you out of your reading slump, too. I'm trying to get out of a reading (not mention blogging) slump at the moment, too. This weekend I finally feel like I'm making some headway.

    7 Ways to Get Your Kid's Teacher to Like You? Makes it sound almost like life is just one big popularity contest, too. Oh wait, it is? Crap. ;-) Seriously, though, that is kind of a dumb headline that propagates dumb assumptions.

    Anyhow - hope this week is as good for you as last!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm glad your year started off so well! I agree, about teaching not having the respect it once did. So sad...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good luck with the school year--for the record, I have a great deal of respect for my kids's teachers. You guys are awesome!

    Frankenstein is getting higher on my tar list--really want to read it soon!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Glad you had a great first week of school. I hope you enjoyed Frankenstein. It is not my favorite, but I enjoyed the story.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Megan -- I hear you on the blogging slump. I've been that way too, mainly because I wasn't reading like I normally do. Thanks!

    Allie--Thanks so much. Hopefully we can change the negative perceptions out there.

    Jane--I'm sure your kid's teachers feel your respect and connection and appreciate it so much! Thanks for being such an awesome parent. :)

    celawerdblog--I like Frankenstein, even though it has its moments. It has amazing messages that I can teach, so it should be great fun!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Just started reading The Irresistable Henry House by Lisa Grunwald. It is hard to believe that this story is based on fact and that babies were really used by students to learn how to mother!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I'm excited to see what you think of Fitzwilliam Darcy: Rock Star. I should soooo order that at the library. Did you ever read Jane?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Elisabeth--Now I'm intrigued! I'll have to check that one out.

    Heidenkind--No, I didn't ever read Jane, but it's still on my wishlist. I have to say that Mr. Darcy, Rock Star is pretty interesting. It's so risque that who would have thought??? It's interesting though, and I can't decide how I feel just yet.

    ReplyDelete