First Day of School--Book Talk Day!

Tomorrow is the first day of school and I'm doing something I've never really done before--I'm pretty much doing "Book Talk" in two of my three courses.  I thought long and hard about it, and decided that I'm going to come out of the gates swinging.  I've been teaching now for 14 years (*silent scream*--No, I can't believe it!), and the kids know what I'm about and I don't often have to set the stage.  Why spend the first day reading my disclosure document, handing out rule books, and explaining school policies?  I want to get them excited about reading and use that to set the stage for our year.  I hope it works!

One of the things I've noticed that gets my students interested in reading is a continued enthusiasm on my part for all things book related.  The more often I can share what I'm reading, let them share what they're reading, or share what they could be reading--the better!  So, tomorrow I'm going to do this cool little book talk activity to introduce two of my classes.  (AP Lit. gets to dive in on a discussion of Frankenstein, so it's a different type of "Book Talk," I suppose.)

We'll see how it goes, but I have a feeling that it's going to be a lot better than some of my normal methods.  Besides, it's all about books.  How can you go wrong with awesome books?!?  

End of Term

I've been grading most of the last two days (and last week), so reading has gone to the back burner for the moment.  I am, however, still catching all the March Madness news so I can dive in later this coming week.  Let's just hope that I get these essays and all my grades in with plenty of time to spare so I can enjoy!  I'm at about 20 minutes a paper, with 14 left to go.  That should take me, what, another 4 1/2 to 5 hours? 

I'll be back once the papers (not dust) settle!  Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you.

Finishing a School Year & Fan-Girling

Today I have to give a huge shout out and thank you to author Brodi Ashton for coming to our high school to speak to some students about publishing and her great new book, Everneath.  She did an amazing job and the students loved it.  These were a great group of students who had read 20 or more books this last semester (four months).  We had a really good turn out, lots of success with the reading challenge, and Brodi was a great reward!  If I can get my hands on some of the pictures from the event today, I'll be sure to share.

Now to the finish line!  It's the end of the school year and I'm trying to muscle through that last stack of projects and late, later, and mega-later work that keeps trickling in.  Every year I feel like I have to kick in the turbo boosters to fuel through these last few days.  This year is no different.  It's all good though.

And on one final note.  My fan-girl moment came to an end tonight on Dancing With the Stars and the finale.  Yep.  I'll own it.  I don't even watch the show that often, but I did this season thanks to hottie William Levy.  I'll always have his Argentine Tango...

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.

Thank You Matt Damon

I know this clip has been circulating around the web and on the news like crazy, but I had to post it with a big thank you to Matt Damon.   It was so nice to hear someone stand up for teachers!  I think my previous crush on him has been rekindled.

How Do I Love Thee?

Here I am looking at Valentine's Day and seeing how differently we all approach love.  Love is not an easily described emotion and can range from the sweetest friendship to the most passionate love affair.  Love can point to love for self, but is best expressed in love for others on a day like today. 

Realizing that Valentine's is usually a day for candy and flowers to reign supreme in the high school I teach at, I prepared to teach sonnets.  Here's a quick reminder about sonnets:

• Sonnets are 14 lines of poetry
• Written in iambic pentameter (stressed syllable followed by an unstressed)  
• There are two main types of sonnets, the Italian (or the Petrarchan) and the Shakespearean (or English).  
• Sonnets tend to be about themes like love, religion, or politics. 

Together, we read Elizabeth Barrett Browning's famous "How Do I Love Thee?"--Sonnet 43, addressing things like tone, literary devices, etc.  We then followed it with Shakespeare's beautiful Sonnet 116 that has been immortalized in the 1995 film adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. In searching out the clip on YouTube, I also ran across a beautiful montage that has been adapted from this same sonnet.  Both are beautiful and now have me thinking more about types of love.  While most expressions of love seem to be aimed at "romance," I do think that both of these sonnets speak about lovely ideals that make love lasting, to endure the challenges life bears.

The first clip is the scene from Sense and Sensibility, and the second is that lovely montage that includes Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and North and South.  Enjoy!

This was actually a very nice Valentine's Day.  How was your day?

Sunday Blatherings: 1/2 Way Through 2010-2011 School Year!

Friday wrapped up Term Two at the high school where I teach.  I also finished my contract work with my online job and finals week in the online class I'm teaching came to an end.  That was a lot of extraneous stuff that kept me running like a hamster in a wheel for far too long.  Needless to say, I haven't left my house these past two days as a reaction to the past two weeks.  It's been REALLY nice!  My library account is maxed out and I was given a bunch of books for Christmas, so I have plenty to read without leaving the house.  In reality, I just need to find time to write reviews.

On a super bright note, all of this work was really in preparation for a trip to London and Paris (and a few other stops in between).  I just purchased my tickets on Wednesday, so I'm pretty excited, as you might guess.  Sure I have to wait until June, but if an upcoming vacation isn't something to put your head down and work for, then I don't know what is.

First Day of School

Whew!  The first day of school went off without a hitch.  In all three classes that I teach (Popular Fiction, World Literature, and AP Literature), students were talking about Mockingjay, which was killing me since my book was delivered today after school.  I love hearing students talk about books without me being the one to egg on the conversation.  In fact, a couple of students plugged their ears and said, "Don't say anything!  I haven't read it yet!"  I loved it.  It was also interesting to see them create interest in the students who weren't familiar with the books.  I have a feeling that our librarians will have to get a few extra copies of the series!

Although I'm always a bit anxious to meet my new students and praying that I can weather the early morning schedule again, the day was a good one.  I have high hopes for the coming school year.  Tomorrow I teach the second day of students (we're on an A/B schedule), so I'm hoping it goes as well as today.  My feet are sore tonight and I'm excited to go to bed, but that's a good feeling after a successful day.  Now, off to bed to read a tantalizingly small portion of Mockingjay before I have to go to sleep!

AP Conference Break

This week I'm attending an Advanced Placement Conference, which has left me with very little time.  I actually wasn't 100% sure if I was enrolled to attend, as I hadn't heard anything from them, but SURPRISE!  I was enrolled.  The conference is about an hour and a half drive, so I'm listening to an audiobook as I drive, and then enjoying a really great conference.  I really don't like meetings, but this is a great conference so far.  Once again, I'm reminded why I absolutely love teaching English.  Language Arts really do rock. 

Anyway, this conference threw me off a bit.  I have to say though that I really enjoy the people who are attending this conference.  Everyone in my group is from one of the islands, so it has been fun to "talk story" and get to know one another better.  Also, can I say how much I love their idea on how to dress for a conference?  Most everyone is in t-shirts, shorts, and slippers (island name for sandals, or as we call them, "flip-flops").  Talk about a dream come true!  If only I could attend every meeting in a t-shirt, shorts, and a pair of slippers!

Mahalo, and I'll be back!

Graduations, Hair Cuts, & Summer Vacations

I'm done!!! Can you hear me scream?!? Please indulge me while I squeal over the upcoming break, and reflect on the past school year.

Today we had graduation, and it is always so moving, and such a nice, positive cap on the year. Although I'm always tired beyond words, and literally feel myself deflating in my chair, I'm also really moved by the entire educational process culminating before us. Some of the student who graduated today drove me NUTS, whether I had them as sophomores two years ago when I taught American Literature, or whether I had them this past year in World Literature or AP Literature. Of course I had many hugs to dish out today, and students that I loved, but it's always interesting how even the most jaded student, the one who hates to read, and who I fought tooth and nail to care about their education, approaches that diploma with a sense of pride. Now I realize they probably are not as philosophical as I am, but I find it pretty inspiring that this rite of passage is centered around education and learning. For all of our jaded views of education, teachers and students still work really hard to try to reach standards of excellence. Seriously, I can say that we really WANT to see these students turned on to learning, and with a sense of pride in their education. Yes, as Dr. Seuss says, "Oh, the places you'll go!" It's cheesy, but that's what we all hope for in our society, right?


On a completely personal note, I'm preparing to leave for "home" in exactly one week, to head to Hawaii to see my mother and all our friends and neighbors there. Having spent a couple of summers there already, I'm fretting over the stacks of books I want to take versus what I can realistically pack over. PLEASE HELP! Someone talk me out of packing a small suitcase filled with books! I get myself into so much trouble with all the books I take...and yes, I do have a Kindle, which still doesn't eliminate my need to still surround myself with actual, physical books. Sad, but true.

Also in preparation for my summer break, I cut over eight inches off of my hair last night. Talk about freeing! I absolutely love the new lease on life it's given me, and I'm excited to take it out for a spin this summer. People were so gracious today, and more than a few students squealed over the new cut. It's always nice to get good feedback on a drastic new look! Now it's time to look towards great things. Here are a few goals I would like to accomplish...and books make up a portion of the list.

• Walk 10,000 steps a day, six days a week. Once I'm up to that, I'll increase it to 12,000 three times a week.
• Switch out Diet Coke & sugary drinks like hot chocolate in the morning for Green Tea. I know that sounds weird, but it was recommended to me for health reasons, and I will say that it does make me feel better.
• Work on my new Popular Fiction class that I'll be teaching in the fall. For this class, I'll be reading: The Help, Saving CeeCee HoneyCut, revisiting Harry Potter, and Hunger Games. (Yes, can you believe I held out this long on Hunger Games? I can't wait to read it.)
• Finish several series I've been reading: the Blue Bloods series, the final in the Luxe series, hopefully the book to follow up Pillars of the Earth (which I could hardly put down!), Dead Tossed Waves, and pick up where I left off in the Sookie Stackhouse series. It should be a great, fun summer of series!
• Finally, I want to read a few books that either come out on film soon, that I've yet to read, or classics I've never read and still feel embarrassed about! We'll see how that goes.

Do you have any great plans for the summer? What are you most looking forward to? Any interest in joining me in walking 10,000 steps a day? Just a thought. Hope you're having a GREAT week and would love to hear what you're all reading.

Review: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

I debated reviewing this amazing dystopian novel or not, but determined that I HAD to give it a plug on my blog. This last month, in preparation for the AP Literature exam for my students, we read Brave New World. I distinctly remember reading it when I was in high school, and what a breath of fresh air (strangely enough) that it was after all of the classic "oldies but goodies" we had been reading. I think this might have also been the case for many of my students, as they really seemed to "dig" it, with it's in-your-face sort of satire. So, why not review it? It's been awhile since I had read it, and I have to say that I really enjoyed revisiting it with my classes.

Synopsis: Deemed a science fiction original, Aldous Huxley sets forth a future society in which happiness is the key. Humans are scientifically engineered, both genetically and psychologically, to be a part of a certain "caste" in society. Those who are set apart to work, are conditioned from their pre-natal state, through maturation, to seemingly enjoy their status, and not desire more. Alphas are the highest caste possible, and only remotely are these upper echelons allowed the opportunity to think and create in their society. Otherwise, all members of this society take Soma tablets to escape reality and be happy, listen to hypnopaedia as they sleep to condition them to not question or think, and use sex and erotic play as a normal behavior to be shared freely. In this society, humans are not to "bond" with one another, nor do they have children. Into this mix of conditioned humans are our main characters. Bernard likes to think and consider why he's different, so he avoids Soma pills, and wants to pair off with Lenina (who is a very typical female, and is therefore freaked out by Bernard's strange need to be with her, but not have sex with her). Then there is John, considered a native, and a young man who was born of a woman and raised outside of the community on a "reservation." John is obviously not like the others, and when introduced into their society, we find that this can be a volatile mix.

Our essential question then becomes, how important is it to be comfortable and happy at all times? What must be sacrificed so that all people can be happy? Do we really have to sacrifice passion and individual thought to achieve peace and balance? And...who decides what is peace and balance?

Synopsis: I forgot how much I loved this book. Just about every page of my copy of the novel was marked up with my thoughts and connections. Everything from the names used in the book (which all tie to famous communists or free-thinkers of the time), to the casual way in which sex was treated (since all passions lead to crime and unhappiness), were really interesting to think about and consider. From the beginning, I told my students that this book was not about glamorizing immorality, nor degrading reason, and that they should be looking for the satire. Luckily, they found it! The satire in the novel is embedded in the absurdities behind erotic play being encouraged for children, avoiding family connections at all costs, and packing Soma pills around so that an escape from reality was just around the corner. It is obvious that Huxley is pointing out more about how pain, love, fear, joy, hate, and happiness all go together; that essentially, we as humans have to have structure and control, to understand and enjoy beauty. Essentially, without pain, chaos, and restraint, we would be like infants, who are unable to comprehend creation in any sense.

It seems obvious that Huxley's novel is a reaction to the many political powers threatening societies across the globe. While we see the way forcing others to behave in certain ways can backfire, we also see Huxley pointing a finger at us as individuals, asking us to examine our own beliefs that affect our daily lives. Religion seems to come directly under fire in the novel, not for its ability to inspire, but for its power to direct the way people think, almost mindlessly. In essence, we can see that thought, feeling, and believing are encouraged on an individual basis, and in a way that unites us as human beings. Huxley definitely seems to be encouraging a certain morality that I find refreshing, and a message that can only be reached with an open mind and a little reason. Overall, I think this was a great text to end my school year with, and I loved the discussions we had. From my own point of view, it was a great experience re-reading this as an adult, as I found so much more to connect to than before. If you want a lot of discussion, this is the book to pick up!

If you've read Brave New World, what did you think? Do you enjoy reading dystopian novels, and why? I'd really love to hear what you think.

Test Time...Again!

Tomorrow is the big day for my AP Literature students to take their exam. I have several book reviews to write, and even several good books I'd simply like to read, but can't. I'll settle for some time watching a good movie! I'm so nervous, yet feel good about what my students and I have studied together over this past year. We'll see how it goes, but I'm ready to get this whole thing over with so I can breathe again!

A Shakespeare Sunday

Where did my week go? That's what I've been asking myself for the past couple of days. Our school district had Friday off, but I had signed up to attend a Shakespeare conference all day. At first, I really just wanted to back out on the conference and stay home to get a few things done, but now I'm pretty glad I went. The conference turned out to be a great choice, and really inspiring.

I don't know how many of you might agree, but I've never been a terribly huge fan of Shakespeare. I know...gasp. How could it be? Truth be told, I always saw Shakespeare as something that was so high brow that I needed to be ready to engage my brain, to read with a pen, and to be ready to cross reference. I don't know that I've read Shakespeare in any other way!

At this conference, the professors there taught us new things to do in the teaching of Shakespeare that I found really exciting. Here are the things I learned:

• We can use Shakespeare's plays to do "Table Talks" where students read a scene and determine what is meant in the scene, and ways they might deliver it to the rest of the class.
• That students should be like the "groundlings" of Shakespeare's original plays by being an active part in the reading and acting of the play, that actors CAN and should include the audience.
• Students should get on their feet and read lines out loud, to feel the way the words sound in their mouths. (Most fun was when we were asked to use insults Shakespeare included in his plays and to roam around and sling them at someone. How fun to call someone a maggot pie!)
• Props should be used as a way of determining emotions and ideas not expressed through the words.
  

In short, I learned that Shakespeare can be best enjoyed through active engagement with it. I don't know that I can do that when I need to just read a play, but I'll definitely address more of these as I teach his work in the future.

As for this Sunday, I'll be trying to get through some of my library books, as I have six new books waiting for me, and I'm at my limit for number to be checked out!

Review: Children of the Dust Bowl by Jerry Stanley

I know I've complained way too often about how busy I am, and I really am pretty busy; however, this last week I had to quickly read a book that was required for a teacher development class I am attending once a month. Considering my schedule, Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp was a delight, that I was forced to carve out time for.

Synopsis: As a mix between a history book and picture book, this rather short piece looks at the lives of "Okie" children who lived in California during the Great Dustbowl. As a haunting time in U.S. history, the dustbowl centered in the midwest, over states such as Kansas, northern Texas, and Oklahoma. After several years of drought in these farm-heavy states, the winds of the 1930s caused places in the midwest to become unliveable, forcing people to migrate to other states for work and mere survival. Word spread that California was a great vineyard, full of beautiful fruit and fields ready to harvest, with jobs for all. People by the thousands arrived in California, only to find that there were too many people for one job, ending up in the hands of only the most desperate.

Because many Californians grew tired of the influx of immigrants, they named them "Okies," and held hard feelings against many of them for draining their state of resources and jobs. In response, one educator found a way to pull together materials and funds to build a school next to one of the government relief camps, using the students themselves to build the school. Since the school WAS the students', they felt pride in what they had put together. The teachers were pulled from the surrounding area for their interest and belief in the school's objectives, and worked for next to nothing. The students grew gardens and raised livestock, which then became their school lunches, and they were provided classes in subjects that most applied to their survival at the time. As the school grew, so did the curriculum Over time, the school became synonymous with excellence, and parents from the outside community began to want their children to attend this "Okie" school. In time, this "emergency" school was disbanded, but the futures of the children who attended that school were far-reaching, as they went on to become teachers, doctors, engineers, etc.

Review: As an educator, I found this book to be inspiring. Even if, however, I was not an educator, the history and information about this little school would still strike a chord in me. This book really does speak to the heart of all learning, that when you can spark in someone the essential kernel of what one needs, you can bring about great personal development. I realized that with cooperation between students and teachers, each student could begin to feel ownership of his or her own education. In much simpler terms, the book showed me how important it is to not think that any one student or group is "unteachable" because of their culture or background. When any one student can be reached through what is important to them, you unlock the box that contains their motivation and joy in their own achievement.

I rarely review educational books that I read for work, but felt that this little book was such a great resource for any family or child, that I wanted to share it here on my blog. Whether you are an educator, parent, or individual, this book contains wonderful motivation to be a better person in your community, and if nothing else, is a wonderful resource for history! I would even recommend this for children needing more information about this time period. For more information, see: Children of the Dust Bowl.

*This was my own personal copy.