CELEBRATING TEACHING, DAY TWO: Lessons For My EYT

(This week, as many of us are in the midst of "beginning of the school year" stuff, we thought we'd spend the week celebrating teaching and teachers in different ways. Each day this week (through Friday), we'll have a post related to teachers--book reviews, reflections, etc.)

I am mentoring an entry year teacher (EYT) this year. We never seem to have time to sit down and talk about who we are and where we've come from. This post is for my EYT.

When I started teaching, there was no formal mentorship program. I went straight from a private university in Denver to a federally listed low-income school in Dallas. Fireplace to fire kind of experience. I remember standing with my across-the-hall neighbor, Jim, looking out at the students walking up to the school on the first day, and saying, "I have no idea what I'm doing." To which Jim replied, "Yes, you do. Just wait and see. You'll be brilliant." Jim became my informal mentor for the first two years of my career. He believed in me. He taught me the importance of caring for each child, meeting the students where they are, and saving time for myself. EYT, I hope to pass these lessons on to you. (Jim also tried to teach me to appreciate a well-made martini. I never got past the olives, so this will be one lesson I won't be passing on!)

In my first year of teaching in Dallas, the Dallas Museum of Art opened its new building, which included an entire wing devoted to educational programming. I asked my grade level team how to go about taking my students on a field trip, and they told me it wasn't done. Luckily, I bypassed them and asked the principal about field trips. He bent over backwards to help me arrange a trip with my students to the new Dallas Museum of Art. EYT, you already know you're not working with that kind of grade level team. What I want you to learn is to take risks. Also, try to connect student learning to local current events and to your passions. Bring yourself and the world into your classroom. Last of all, bask in your ignorance and self-confidence -- when I look back on taking a busload of inner city kids to the Art Museum BY MYSELF (no parent volunteers) I can't believe that nothing went wrong. But what made it a success was that the same was true at the time: I didn't believe that anything would go wrong...and nothing did. Believe in yourself. You'll make great things happen.

After two years teaching in Dallas, I came to OSU and got a Master's Degree in Children's Literature. I was lucky enough to be invited to join a group who reviewed and wrote about children's books for a now-defunct publication called The W.E.B. Sitting around a table month after month, year after year, listening to them talk about books and authors (and eventually being able to join in) was an amazing mentorship. It started me on my mission of reading 52 children's books every year. EYT, I encourage you to read, read, read. There is almost no better way to prepare yourself to teach a reading workshop where the students' independent reading is the key ingredient: know books.

When I started teaching in Dublin, my grade level team, and one key person in particular, Karen, of Literate Lives, mentored me. Actually, we mentored each other. We learned together. We bounced lesson and unit ideas off each other in the morning and got back together after school to see what worked and didn't work. We were a PLC before the term had been coined. I look forward to doing this kind of work with you, EYT. Right now I know it seems like all we're doing is putting out fires, but we'll get to the point where we we share ideas. I may have an overwhelming number of years of experience, but you are the one who is most likely to have really fresh new ideas. (Just for instance, your choice of first read aloud was BRILLIANT! If I had known, I would have so copied you!)

Another landmark mentor for me was a passionate first grade teacher. I would wander down to her room many afternoons at (or after) 5:00 and find her still working there, sorting through student work and happy for someone who would listen to her talk about the amazing thinking that her students were doing, or the amazing writing they were doing, or the amazing conversation they had during read aloud. If there's absolutely nothing else I hope that you will learn, EYT, it is to celebrate your students. Try to remember to be amazed by them every day. And tell them about it. And then come down to my room and let's tell each other about our amazing students.

CELEBRATING TEACHING, DAY ONE: IT'S NOT ALL FLOWERS AND SAUSAGES by Mrs. Mimi

(This week, as many of us are in the midst of "beginning of the school year" stuff, we thought we'd spend the week celebrating teaching and teachers in different ways. Each day this week (through Friday), we'll have a post related to teachers--book reviews, reflections, etc. To kick off the series, we want to share a new book by Teacher Jennifer Scoggin that celebrates the joys and challenges of teaching today.)



A while back, I somehow came across the blog IT'S NOT ALL FLOWERS AND SAUSAGES. I don't quite remember which post I first discovered but I became quite hooked on reading this blog. I was a little surprised at myself. Mrs. Mimi's tagline for her blog is, "This is a blog for TEACHERS WHO ROCK and are frustrated by the day to day drama that gets in the way of our interactions with children. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but sometimes a girl has gotta vent..." Mrs. Mimi certainly knows how to vent and she is HYSTERICAL when she is venting. And she has an avatar that moves--which I find fascinating on every visit. So, I read the blog for a while. It was my guilty pleasure--not really admitting to anyone that I was reading it. Then I became curious--how does she get away with saying some of the things she says? Come to find out that she is very sneaky about her anonymity. There was no way I could figure out who she was or where she taught. Brilliant girl. I ended up sharing blog posts with lots of friends and everyone who reads her seems to become a fan. So, when I found out that she had a new book coming out (titled IT'S NOT ALL FLOWERS AND SAUSAGES: MY ADVENTURES IN SECOND GRADE), I pre-ordered it right away! My book arrived last week and I finished it on Thursday.

Here's the thing--I usually stay away from negativity and venting. It brings me down. But Mrs. Mimi's venting is often right on--venting about things that are unfair to children and teachers. She manages to stay focused on what is important in teaching and vents about those things that get in the way. She believes that the classroom and the classroom teacher are key and that too many things get in the way of that. She cares deeply about her students and works hard to do the right thing for them, regardless of what gets in the way. She isn't one of those lazy teachers who whines and complains. She is honest about the frustrations of being a teacher and how she deals with the frustrations--how she manages to remember what is important.

I love this book. If you like her blog, you will love this book too, I think. The book is a kind of extension of the blog. In it, Mrs. Mimi (whose name we learn is Jennifer Scoggin who teaches in New York) takes us through a year in second grade. She is honest at the beginning to tell us that names have been changed, characters collapsed and stories have been dramatized. And she is clear that she is not attacking the place that she works. She loves her work and her school but wants to share the frustrations that she deals with. And how it is her students, "her little friends", who are often the ones who save her in the day-to-day of teaching.

You can tell right away what kind of book this will be because the first chapter is called, "Holy Crap, It's August!". (See how hysterical she is!) This is how the book begins. Right away, she dismisses the teacher stereotypes--teachers with theme sweaters who sit around and do nothing all summer. "Well, first we have the stereotypical image of an elementary school teacher who loves terrible thematic sweaters, sensible shoes, and necklaces made exclusively from dried pasta products and Tempera paint. This teacher may be sporting some sort of dangly thematic earring that may or may not blink. Perhaps she is brandishing a pointer as well. I think this teacher's soundtrack might include hits from artists such as Raffi. Fortunately, she exists mainly in the cloudy, and very delusional, childhood memories of the classroom held by many who seem to think they went to school in a Norman Rockwell painting or something." She puts it all right up front when she shares how much work she does to prepare for a new school year. She then continues through the year, sharing the joys and challenges of spending the year as a classroom teacher. The stories of her children are great--all of us who work with children have these stories. The small moments that happen in a classroom that remind us of how lucky we are to do the work we do. Mrs. Mimi shares lots of these. Each one made me smile.

Mrs. Mimi continues to take us through the school year-sharing the struggles she has with balancing home and work, dealing with crazy interruptions to her teaching, paperwork and data overload, and the difficult colleague. She shares the highlights too--"An unsung bonus of the teaching profession is the ability to rationalize the need for back-to-school clothes." She shares those moments when something makes sense to a child--those moments that can keep us energized for months. And she shares this importance of her "Super Colleagues".

This is more than a book about a teacher---it is a book about a teacher in this era of teaching. She says, "Right now, however, it feels like I get paid to be a human shield to protect my friends from all the chaos and drama that happen outside the walls of the classroom." Mrs. Mimi is a teacher who is trying to do all that is being asked of us and to still be the best teacher possible for her students. A teacher who knows that scripted curriculum and crazy mandates make our work so much harder and less effective. Mrs. Mimi understands and celebrates the fact that classroom teachers all have their own ways of doing things--and that there are many ways to be FABULOUS and to meet the needs of your children. She talks about every day stresses (field trips gone wrong, fire drills in the middle of great lessons) and the bigger frustrations that sap our energies.

I imagine this book will offend some people. She is honest and sometimes negative. She complains about some of the people she works with. And she swears a bit. But it didn't offend me. For many reasons. First of all, Mrs. Mimi works hard. She puts her all into the work with her kids and believes in every one of them. She is a champion for teachers and can't understand why the needs of the classroom aren't put first. Most importantly, Mrs. Mimi clearly believes in her kids and never says a negative thing about one of them. Mrs. Mimi is also a learner. Although she makes jokes throughout the book about how arrogant and fabulous she is, she is also the first to admit her weaknesses and to tell readers that she is a learner, trying to figure things out and doesn't have it all figured out. She is the kind of colleague that I love to work with. And, if I am honest with myself, I know that we all have stories like the ones she shares--the frustrating things that happen to us as we work to keep our students' needs first. And, we all (thankfully) have Super Colleagues who keep us energized and keep us focused on the things that are important. We all live similar joys and frustrations every day.

This book is definitely Fabulous. It was a reminder to me, that this work is hard. Really hard. So hard that it is often HYSTERICAL. But, in the end, we know that as teachers, we are lucky to be able to spend our days with children in elementary schools across the country. Love this new voice for teachers. I consider myself an official Mrs. Mimi fan.

THE RUNAWAY MUMMY: A PETRIFYING PARODY by Michael Rex

I just picked up the new book THE RUNAWAY MUMMY: A PETRIFYING PARODY. Last year, Michael Rex wrote another Petrifying Parody--GOODNIGHT GOON that has been quite popular in the library.

I always enjoy parodies that are done well and I love this one. In this parody of THE RUNAWAY BUNNY by Margaret Wise Brown, a little mummy wants to run away. But when he tells Mother Mummy, she says, "If you run away, I will get you! For you are my rotten little mummy!" The story continues with the little mummy telling his mother what he will do if she tries to get him. He threatens to become a gargoyle, a ravenous plant, and a humongous beast to name a few. Mother Mummy has a solution for each of these things. The illustrations are done in darker, frightening colors. Compared to the sweet, calm illustrations in THE RUNAWAY BUNNY, I found them quite amusing.

There are a few references to both GOODNIGHT MOON and THE RUNAWAY BUNNY in some of the final illustrations (when the little mummy threatens to turn into a "boy"). They amused me quite a bit too.

Actually, the whole book amused me. It is VERY well done-a great story to enjoy and also a great example of parody to share with students. I think kids will love this one and will see the humor if they know THE RUNAWAY BUNNY. I am excited to have both of these parodies in the library. Hoping that Rex has a 3rd one coming out next fall!

TRUCKERY RHYMES

I just picked up the newest book in Jon Scieszka's TRUCKTOWN series, TRUCKERY RHYMES. The inside flap tells it all:

"For generations, Trucks have been sharing these beloved tales, rowdy rhymes, and honk-along songs. Finally, these classics have been gathered into one big, noisy, high-octane collection!"

This book is filled with rhymes, poems and songs featuring some of our favorite Trucktown characters. Some of the titles include "Jack Be Nimble", "The Wheels on the Truck", and "Pop! Blows the Diesel". (You can see a short video of Jon Scieska reading some of the poems aloud.)

The rhymes are quite clever. The word play is quite fun! And the illustrations are as amazing as all of the others we've seen in the Trucktown series. I continue to be amazed that these illustrations are the result of a group effort by David Shannon, Loren Long, and David Gordon. How they went about the process to pull their artwork together is fascinating. And brilliant.

This is definitely going to be a favorite in the library. Not many poetry books about trucks and this is a fun one. I also think kids who love the Alan Katz books will love this one as well. I have been looking for great new books to use for shared reading and I think this one will be perfect for that. We will have a great time reading them together. I think kids of all ages will love this one!

The round up this week is at Kelly Herold's Crossover. She'll have the new schedule for us, too!

Roscoe Riley #7

Last year was a great year for new series book characters. When I read the first ROSCOE RILEY RULES, I knew this was going to be a hit series. I am thrilled that 2 more books in this series were released this summer. I have had lots of kids in the library asking for more Roscoe Riley.

Book #7 is called "Never Race a Runaway Pumpkin". As with all of the books, Roscoe tells us his side of the story from his time-out chair. Roscoe wants to win a contest at a local bookstore by estimating the weight of a giant pumpkin. But he has become very superstitious and superstitions cause a bit of trouble. Roscoe is as amusing as ever and you can certainly see how he means well. My favorite line from Roscoe in this book: "Big brothers should come with a set of earplugs." No one says it like Roscoe does!

I love the last two pages of this book--actually after the story has ended. Roscoe shares his list of "10 Useful Things I Learned at the Bookstore". It is a great list. My favorite is #7: "The bookstore manager cannot call your favorite author and ask why it is taking so long for her to write another book." Love this character's voice.

So, another great Roscoe book! I don't think I'll ever get tired of this character!

BINKY THE SPACE CAT by Ashley Spires

I think I may have found a character that I love as much as I love Scaredy Squirrel. Actually, I am thinking that Scaredy Squirrel and this new character could become great friends. The character I am writing about is Binky, the Space Cat. He stars in a brand new graphic novel, BINKY THE SPACE CAT, by Ashley Spires and he is one of the best characters ever! Binky is a pet cat who has an odd shape about him (he is shaped like a football.) Binky is introduced to us at the beginning of the book like this:

"Binky is a space cat.
Unlike your average cat,
HE has a purpose.
His mission is to one day blast off into outer space...
To explore unknown places...
and to battle alien criminals.
Actually, Binky hasn't ever been outside."

How can you not love him by page 10? Binky lives with "one big human and one small human" and he works hard to protect them. So hard that he has become an official "Space Cat". He spends his time protecting his humans from alien invasions. And he is busy preparing for his first trip to space.

The book is just too fun. The character is funny and one you will love right away. It is a great beginning graphic novel that even young children can enjoy.

August Mosaic

And so the wheel of the seasons continues turning...

This month, I captured some iconic late summer images. As much as I know that school will soon be out when the Chickory starts to bloom in late May, I know that school will soon start when the Tall Purple Ironweed blooms.

I was weeding in the landlab when I came eye to eye with Mrs. Mantis, and when I stood up, Mr. Mantis was on the next weed over. I took it as a sign to stop weeding.

The skies are spectacularly blue and clear again after a few weeks of wretched humidity, the buckeyes are ready for the squirrels and the football fan necklace makers to gather (yes, Ohio State's mascot is a nut...literally), and a few leaves have tentatively tried on their fall colors.

But fall also brings newness to a teacher. Not pictured here are my 19 new students. Standing in for them are the puppies (no, not this year) and the baby.

Here are all my mosaics so far.

HARRY AND HORSIE by Katie Van Camp

HARRY AND HORSIE by Katie Van Camp may end up being very well-worn by the end of this school year. I saw it on the shelf at Cover to Cover this week and was immediately drawn to it. The cover art and all of the art is amazing--it resembles old comic books/cartoons. You can tell from the cover that this will be a fun adventure story.

This is the story of Harry and Horsie. They sneak out of bed to play with Harry's "Super Duper Bubble Blooper" . They have great adventures until a giant bubble takes Horsie away. Luckily, Harry comes to the rescue for a happy ending! This is a great story that anyone who loves to imagine and play will love!

I love the story of the author and how the story came to be. I didn't realize it at first, but the author was David Letterman's son's nanny and this story was a gift to the family. (There is a small note from David Letterman in the front of the book.."A Note From Harry's Dad")

This is the author's first book and the illustrator's (Lincoln Agnew) first picture book. I don't know if it is eligible but it certainly looks like Caldecott material to me. It is currently on the Autumn 2009 Kids' Indie Next List. And the author/illustrator team are donating a portion of the proceeds to "Free the Children"

Poetry Friday

Poetry tastes like

chocolate.

--Ryan, age 8

photo by eszter

TASTES LIKE CHOCOLATE: Thoughts From Young People is a collection of poetry written by the students of teacher Randi Allison over the course of the past twenty+ years. "Tastes Like Chocolate is a collection filled with delectable moments of joyous wonder that melt and linger, dark musings of loss with a bitter aftertaste of longing, and simple insights filled with gooey luscious surprises." Here's a sample:

We are the children of

the world.

We have voices that

express,

ears that listen,

eyes that blaze.

We are the future.

You are the adults of

the world.

You pave the road of

life for us.

You are our view of the

world.

(the rest of the poem is here, when you click on "...a taste")

--Jennifer, age 12

The round up this week is at Book Aunt.

If you want to host the round up in the future, let Kelly know at Big A little a.

My Reflections of my Kindle Reading

I received a KINDLE as a gift several months ago. Over the summer, I have done more reading on my Kindle and less with "real" books. I have been thinking a lot about it--lots of people have been asking me which I prefer, etc. So, I thought I'd share my reflections.

There are times I LOVE my Kindle. I started out reading only nonfiction, starting with THE ELEMENT by Ken Robinson. I thought it would be hard to get into a novel. But then I read THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO and loved it. Once you get started, falling into a book is the same whether you are reading a "real" book or a book on the Kindle.

Some great features:

I think the highlighting and note taking features are the best thing. I am not sure what the possibilities are with these tools but these are actually the tools that sold me on the KINDLE. When I am reading a book, I can underline and take notes (right on the spot where the notes belong!) Then when I go to my clipping area, all of my notes for each book are compiled. I think the implications for book talks and book study are huge with this. For me, this feature made the KINDLE a different kind of reading for me. Knowing I could highlight and take notes and have those all in one spot, rather than flipping through the book and finding them all, is huge. I think this could really impact student and adult book talks--really allowing us to create new thinking off of a book and sharing it in ways that we really couldn't before.

I can read a sample of almost any Kindle book available for Free. Whenever I hear of a good title, I often order the free sample and read it--often about a first chapter. They send you a lot of text to preview. And then if you like it, you can order the book.

It is sooo easy to carry. That is obvious. But the fact that I can go somewhere and THEN decide if I want to read a novel, something professional, etc. is great. I have all of my reading with me. And if I don't, I can get it pretty quickly.

I can order a book and have it in 30 seconds. I didn't think I would care, but I recently read a sample chapter of THE SLIPPERY YEAR (a great read for anyone in their 40s:-) and loved the sample. I was laying in bed reading one night and decided I wanted to read that book. Even though it was midnight, I could order the book and have it in about 15 seconds. I didn't have to find time to get to the store, etc.

I can email myself PDF files and read those on my Kindle. I wasn't sure I would use this feature, but it has been great. First of all, I don't need printouts of Ali of the things I often print to read. By sending it to my Kindle, it doesn't become part of some huge pile. Instead it just becomes an option for my reading and it is much easier to read than reading it off of the computer.

The books are cheaper.

Some things I am not quite used to and not sure if I ever will be:

I can't loan my books out. When I decided to read THREE LITTLE WORDS, I knew I might want to pass it along. So, I purchased a real copy. It is a little frustrating to tell someone about a great book but not be able to share it with them. And I sometimes, when I find a book I love, I have the urge to carry it around and tell anyone about it who will listen. A Kindle makes this a bit difficult.

It takes a bit of time to get used to the idea of no page numbers. Instead of page numbers the Kindle tells gives you numbers and percentages to let you know how far along you are. For me, I need to know how long a book is and how many "pages" I read each sitting. To combat this, I often look up the page count, then figure out what 10% is, and go from there.

There are not "real" covers on the Kindle. It is a bit odd to walk into a bookstore and see a book you just read but not recognize it. To pick a book up to read every day and not see a cover. For me, covers and previewing are important. Covers tell something big, give us a clue into the theme. I miss that. I also haven't noticed many of the things I often find on the back cover. I miss that.

I LOVE bookstores. Love to shop, carry books, buy books. I have even been known to buy books that I already have because I love them so much. I am worried about bookstores with the increased popularity of the Kindle and other readers. I am having trouble not shopping for books, real books,in real bookstores, with real people. I am not sure anything can replace that experience.

I have a shelf of books that I have read but can't part with. Books that I LOVE. Books that I hope someone sees on the shelf and wants to read. Books I hope my daughters read when they are older. Books that have changed me. I can't really have that physical shelf on a Kindle.

Overall, I LOVE the Kindle. The more time I spend reading Kindle books, the less I find myself needing paper books. I remember a similar experience when I gave up the yellow legal pads for writing and moved to the computer. I wasn't sure I'd ever be able to give up the "real" paper. Now, that seems long ago and amusing. Composing on paper almost never happens for me.

And as a teacher, I think it has huge implications for our classrooms. When I think of the amazing book talks my 4th and 5th graders have had--studying a title, sharing notes, etc. I can see this as a way to add even more depth. The notes feature alone can be pretty interesting. There is also a great SEARCH feature. I remember one group that studied the way that the word "soof" was used in SO BE IT. A Kindle would allow them to search all of the places in the book that the author used that word. Can you imagine the conversations? Being able to search a word in fiction in order to think about theme, find evidence for thinking and working through clues can really add to deeper reading. I can only imagine what is possible.

I am pretty sure that soon, the Kindle will be my entire reading life. It will be good because I will have SOOO much extra room in my house. I can see myself falling more and more in love with it and relying on it more and more.