Yesterday I posted about my leaning tower of books on Goodreads, and how I might need an intervention soon. Unfortunately, today I am facing another “problem.” It seems I have to reshuffle my books and put some on the IMMEDIATE to-be-read pile. On Fuse #8, Betsy Bird posted her mid-year predictions for the Newberry Award in June, and I have YET to get to any of her frontrunners. With just seven short weeks left of summer vacation, I simply must move her predictions to the top of my list. I have heard great buzz about One Crazy Summer, The Dreamer (wouldn’t that be awesome if a Hispanic won this coveted award?), and The Boneshaker. Although I’ve heard equally good buzz about Keeper, I am a little reticent to pick it up since I had a difficult time with Apelt’s The Underneath. Most of my students felt the same way about The Underneath, though one student (only one) marked it as her cornerstone book.

Have you read any of her predicted titles for the coveted Newbery? If you have, which book should I grab first? If you haven’t, what are you waiting for? Run to the nearest bookstore or library! Is there a title you have read that has not received the recognition it deserves? I absolutely fell in love with Sharon Draper’s Out of My Mind. I wonder if it will be considered?

Hello Kind Readers,

Please remember that my new blog, Recycle Your Reads ( http://www.recycleyourreads.com/) is up and running. Due to my edublog *disappearing* this week, I hope you will continue to read my musings over there!

I have written several posts about the wonderful tool called Goodreads. Words cannot express how much I enjoy this visual bookshelf, and how it has shifted my thinking and organized my reading. Last night, I was contacted via e-mail that several of my “friends” on Goodreads had recent updates. I look forward to these periodic updates like a child on Christmas Eve. Each friend’s updates list books added to shelves as well as books read and reviewed. I love scrolling through the various books, and often notice friends have similar texts added. This is in large part because those friends, like I do, add onto their TBR shelves after scrolling through the lengthy list.

As I read the updates, I consider adding books to my own shelves based on personal or professional interests. If I add a book (or two or ten…) then I have set up my Goodreads site to automatically update my Facebook and Twitter accounts. Many people who follow me may not be members of Goodreads, and might be curious about what to read next. Or I might indirectly influence a follower to join Goodreads (as has happened many times). It sometimes is a good conversational tool. After all, don’t YOU like to chat about what books you loved or had difficulty with?

After I had finished updating my shelves with another round of TBR books, I returned briefly to Twitter, only to be greeted by a tongue-in-cheek comment from a colleague: “Your reading list sounds like mine…full of the books in the to read pile (but few minutes in the time to read box).” She is exactly right. More and more titles are wafting under my nose like a scrumptious piece of pie. They seemingly taunt me.

Yes, I am a reader. But can I read the almost 900 titles on my leaning tower of books to read (virtual) shelves? When do I draw the line? Sadly, I believe I am in need of an intervention. Until I stumble innocently into a room full of my loved ones crying softly into their hankies, you can find me quietly reading and adding to my list of books. No, I don’t have a problem…

“All for one, and one for all.”

Yesterday I wrote about encouraging collegiality amongst teachers, and how I had lived both ends of the spectrum as far as teacher teamwork in my own career. I posted my thoughts on Facebook, looking for responses from my own current colleagues. Alas, no one commented. However, one person I wasn’t expecting contacted me on Facebook. One of my son’s former preschool teachers voiced her own thoughts about sharing:

“I’m all about sharing and borrowing ideas-get upset when someone passes my idea off as their own. But I am seeing the flip side in our district right now-too many shared ideas, making all grades in one school look like cookie cut-outs instead of individual teachers. “Team” lesson plans make life easier but don’t allow enough individualization for each class’s interests.”

Our conversation continued, but this first comment from her really struck a chord with me. She mentioned two very important thoughts in just a few sentences. First, the fact that she felt slighted when “someone passes (her) idea off as their own.”  I have been someone whose idea(s) were taken and run with. It used to really upset me. But now I really try (although I am by no means perfect at this) to let it roll off my back. I now see the bigger picture. “We is bigger than me” whispers in my ears. The second thing my preschool teacher friend mentioned that made me stop and think is the lack of individualization that can occur when teams do a good job of working together. In her words, “cookie cut outs instead of individual teachers” is happening in our district. And I could NOT agree with her more on this point.

In fact, my own school struggles with this very issue. Whether it is ease of planning (lesson plans can be tackled together, rather than separately), or to avoid parents voicing their concerns about “Johnny’s class” not doing the exact same thing as “Lydia’s class,” most lesson plans look exactly the same from teacher to teacher. Now I say most teachers, because not all teachers practice unilateral plans. There are teachers (myself included) who plan together, but then compose their own lesson plans ACCORDING TO THE NEEDS OF THEIR PARTICULAR STUDENTS. But there are plenty of teachers who do not. The educational ramifications of unilateral plans across the board can be just as damaging, if not more, as when no one shares their great knowledge and teachers plan and teach in near isolation. After all, how can one lesson plan address the needs of many classrooms and each unique student within those walls?

Perhaps even more damaging is the practice (again, in my own school, too), of teams separating the curriculum into planning teams. That is, for teams that are self-contained (teachers teach all of the subject areas and have the same group of kids all day), some might only plan math while others might only plan science. With this kind of planning in place, teachers are only knowledgeable about the upcoming lessons for which they directly shared ideas and wrote the lessons. If I am in charge of planning social studies, how am I to know about the plans (on an intimate level) for all of the other areas of the curriculum? And where might my great ideas be placed in the areas for which I am not planning?

This kind of planning has disastrous ramifications, while rooted in the best of intentions. Plans on my own campus are underway for this practice to discontinue as soon as possible. But change can be slow. Teachers can be resistant. It is my opinion that our literacy coach, aware of this practice and vehemently opposed to it as I am, will have her work cut out for her. Putting one’s ideas into all areas of the curriculum, writing each and every lesson to clearly show individualization, and teaching lessons that one had a DIRECT hand in planning and writing is absolutely more work than relying on a co-worker to do 80% of YOUR job. But best practices and the 22 smiling INDIVIDUAL students in each classroom demand it.

What is your opinion? How do YOU plan?

      “Individually, we are one drop. Together, we are an ocean.” -Ryunosuke Satoro

When I was beginning my teaching career, I noticed a trend among my teacher colleagues that I found to be very challenging. Many, if not most, teachers claimed a stake on “their” ideas. That is, if I dared  to use a teaching technique, book, or lesson idea in my own classroom, I seriously overstepped my bounds. Teachers would become indignant and I tottered precariously towards being ostracized from the team as a whole. It was almost as if it was a competition, and sharing any “secrets” just wasn’t done. The first few years of my teaching career were arduous. The culture (at the time) was simple: your ideas are yours, and mine are mine. Never the two met.

Fast forward twenty years (has it really been that long since I was a first year teacher?), and the climate in schools is thankfully much different. Gone are the virtual walls and doors. Collaboration and teamwork are now commonplace among teams, across grade levels, amongst colleagues in different levels of the school system, and even across national boundaries-thanks to the proliferation of social networking sites. Shared knowledge and an increase in student growth and productivity are natural offshoots of this more global thinking. Why were  all the cards held in one or two expert’s hands “back in the day?”

I count myself lucky. My particular grade level is close-knit, our language arts team shares resources and duties, our school is continually looking to improve what is already a fantastic school-wide community approached educational focus, I have forged a new friendship and working relationship with a respected junior high teacher, and I  tap a wealth of information on a daily basis thanks to my PLN on twitter.

Unfortunately, all is not rosy on campuses throughout my district, our nation, or across the globe. A friend of mine who teaches in the same district I teach still suffers from the “closed door syndrome.” If she feels like an island unto herself, how many more teachers are wallowing in the dark, too? Remembering that there is no “i” in “teamwork,” we must work together for the benefit of our students. In this global day and age, the alternative is not an option.

What have been your experiences in your school community? Are you a part of the learning network, or do you work against it? Have you ventured further out in your learning network to social networking sites like Twitter? Please share your thoughts!

In April during our state mandated rush of testing, I saw how beleaguered and exhausted our school counselor was. April was official testing season, and in addition to the three state tests for my particular grade (Reading, Math, Science), there were also two tests to be administered in third grade (Reading, Math) and three more in fourth grade (Reading, Math, Writing). So why was our school counselor so exhausted during assessment season, you ask?

Please read an old post I wrote about the ins and outs of what a counselor in my district in Texas actually does (here).  Our counselor, so touched by my impassioned commentary about her plight, forwarded it to the head of counseling in our district. The head of counseling, it turns out, also is the current President of TSCA, or Texas School Counselors Association. She placed my post in lieu of her own message in the spring edition of the organization’s newsletter. When I received a hard copy in the mail from the organization’s president, I have to admit, I let out a (tiny) squeal. There’s nothing better than seeing your thoughts actually published. A girl could really get used to this…

*If you have not yet checked out Recycyle Your Reads, please do so! Reading Countess will disappear in one week’s time!

I am currently tackling an almost 800 page tome called The Passage by a (local) Houston author, Justin Cronin. The dystopic thriller isn’t one I would normally pick up. First of all, the amount of pages the book holds is one reason. I know, I know. I am a reading teacher. But I typically don’t read such lengthy books because I generally read middle grade, young adult, parenting and teaching texts. These types of books just don’t have nearly 800 pages in them. But I find summertime to be a wonderful time to sneak in a few adult fare for myself. During the school year, I am so busy trying to read books I think my students will enjoy so that I can in turn book talk them, that books written for me as a reader rarely make an appearance on my nightstand.

Because I am the expert reader in my classroom, I really am not challenging myself as a reader when I read middle grade and young adult literature. Sure, I love it. In fact, I can argue that some of the best writing in the publishing industry comes from middle grade and young adult lit. More and more adult readers are turning to this market to satisfy their reading interests. But truthfully, the texts are not “challenging” to me as a reader. Generally speaking, I can read a book aimed at my tween readers in an afternoon without working out any of my comprehension muscles that I work so hard to teach my kids throughout the year. “Their” books, for me, are not “just right,” they are “easy.”

That’s why it is so vitally important for me to remind myself what my readers go through on a daily basis when they pick up a “just right” book. Reading a challenging book like The Passage makes me pull out all my comprehension tools. While reading Cronin’s book, I have written down notes about myself as a reader. “What skills am I utilizing while trying to navigate the text?” I ask myself as I leaf through page after page. So far, my list is fairly lengthy! Perseverance, questioning, predicting, rereading and inferencing are but a drop in the bucket when I glance at my long list of notes. I plan on taking what I am learning from myself and applying it to my own readers this year. The lessons I am learning about myself will make wonderful additions to my mini-lessons. What do strong readers do in order to fully comprehend? If you are a teacher and have not read a challenging book this summer, pick one up! You might be surprised to find out what you learn…about yourself and  your students!

For more information about spying on yourself as a reader, please read about Lucy Calkins or Becky Koesel. If you’d like to learn more about teaching the comprehension skills concretely to children, check out Tanny McGregor’s Comprehension Connections.

A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams.
John Barrymore

In my last post, and indeed in previous posts, I have acknowledged my grandfather as being an important literacy role model. But it would be unfair of me if I didn’t also mention his readerly wife, my grandmother, as an influence on me. She was a prolific reader, not one to pick just one genre alone. She read books about art, philosophy, history, and included some “trash” novels in her reading life for variation. Because of her vast amount of books read, Grandmommy could talk about any given topic with great authority. Never without a thick book in her hand, I watched her out of the corner of my eye for over thirty years race through book after book. I admired her.

 Grandmommy was the backbone of our family. Raising six children all over the world as the wife of an Army officer could not have been easy. Once my grandparents retired to our family farm in Tennessee, she resigned herself to cooking and reading.

An amazing cook, she could whip up a down-home country breakfast complete with eggs with bacon AND sausage, along with her homemade biscuits and gravy. On the side, she offered fresh fruit from the garden (cantaloupe was my favorite) and her homemade preserves compliments of the blackberry bushes found on our property. Her fried chicken was heavenly, and the homemade pies (one Christmas she made over ten different flavors) melted in your mouth. As an adult, I have never been able to replicate any of the fantastic dishes she had mastered. Her prowess in the kitchen was unparalleled.

Although my memories of her strengths are golden, I do know that she was unhappy with her lot in life. It was only when I became a teenager and a young adult that I realized she felt that she had not fully reached her potential. Before she married, she was a nurse. In fact, she proudly served in the Army during WWII. But after the war, she and my grandfather married and then the children came. She never returned to nursing. I believe it was a great regret of hers.

I can still recall the smells of pungent summer rain mixed with old books when I think back to the lazy summers I spent with my grandparents. With nothing to do for long stretches of time, I frequently stalked the bookshelves looking for treasures. At my grandparent’s farm, the walls were lined with bookshelves. There were bookshelves in the living room, but also in bedrooms and along the walls of the upstairs hallways. Tucked into many of the upstairs shelves were nursing books. Volumes and volumes of medical books and textbooks on the then current thinking in nursing could be found here. I know Grandmommy treasured her “past life” of nursing because she held onto every book she studied while in college. I remember being struck by the apparent pride in her trade, but also the sense of sadness the books whispered.

She did successfully raise two strong daughters, who in turn each earned doctorates. One is a college professor (who teaches teachers, no less!) and one is an editor for a major governmental entity’s publications in Washington, D.C. She was always so proud of them. But as the years wore on, and her days became numbered, Grandmommy would sometimes let a little bit of vinegar seep into her comments to my accomplished aunts. It broke my heart to hear regret in her voice, and it left an indelible impression. One of the last times we spent together, she cuddled my second son in her arms, who was a toddler at the time. “Be careful to not lose yourself in your children,” she cautioned. “Remember that you are a person first, and a mother second.” At the time I was a stay at home parent, and felt somehow that I had let her down.

Grandmommy’s influence still touches me today. I returned to teaching fulltime four years ago, and struggle to maintain a healthy work-family life balance on a daily basis. A lover of cookbooks, I continue to search (to no avail) for the perfect recipes that would replicate her never-written-down savories. And I, too, am a voracious reader. Now that’s what I call “recycling your reads!”

My grandfather was an instrumental person in my life. He was my hero in more than one way. Not only was Grandaddy a reading champion to me (to read an old blog post about the influence he had on me as a reader, please click here), but he was also my one true hero, my knight in shining army boots. Suspenders and army boots were what he donned most days on the farm he returned to after retiring. You see, although he had retired by the time my memories stayed with me, his army boots were an integral part of his daily outfit. And his army boots were the last vestiges of what defined him for decades.

Grandaddy was an important person to not only me, but to our great country, as well. Working up the ranks of the service, he retired after over thirty years as a Colonel. He would see tours in WWII, Korea and Vietnam; earning medals and ribbons along the way. His men learned to not only fear and respect the tough-talking Southerner, but also grow to love him. His indomitable spirit and wicked sense of humor quickly allayed anyone’s fears upon first meeting Grandaddy. He was beloved by everyone who knew him, and I was proud to call him my grandfather.

Because he spent his life’s work ensuring our country’s strength and freedom, our family was not at all surprised that he passed from this world on July 4th. The 11th generation American’s death date is forever linked with a monumental moment in our country’s history. And so it was only fitting that yesterday I kick off Recycle Your Reads. I firmly believe I am a reader, a writer, and a teacher of tweens because of his direct influence. I wonder if he would approve of his Contessa?

Did anyone influence you as a reader when you were younger?

Today is an important day in history for me. Yes, today is Independence Day for America. It is a time when we celebrate our hard-won freedom, are thankful for the sacrifices of so many brave and valiant soldiers, reflect on our good fortune, and enjoy the company of loved ones. But this year, in addition to the barbeque and fireworks, I am celebrating another momentous occasion. Today is the inaugural day for my new blog site, Recycle Your Reads.

I began blogging in January of this year using an edublog sponsored by my district. I found blogging to be an excellent way to continually hone my writing skills, live authentically as a reader and writer to my own students, and to fully express my love of the written word that  lay dormant for so very long. Quickly, I discovered the immense power of the blogosphere, and was immediately welcomed into the group with open arms. I have forged virtual friendships with teachers, authors, professors and publishing agents thanks to The Reading Countess blog I maintained.

 That is why when I was told in May that the district would not continue to offer the edublog site after mid-July, my heart sank like a rock. Would I continue to blog? Where would I blog? Would I be able to retrieve the seven months of posts, and if so, how? My mind began racing with possibilities, but I put my worries aside since I still had to close my classroom up for the year. I took comfort knowing that I had plenty of time to explore other avenues, and once summer descended, I began toying with various alternatives.

I quickly learned that there would be a steep learning curve. It turns out that the domain my husband bought me for Mother’s Day (Recycle Your Reads), would require me to purchase a host site (I ultimately went with Bluehost). After purchasing Bluehost, I then had to embed Wordpress onto Bluehost, transfer it to Recycle Your Reads, and then import all of my posts from The Reading Countess. And then the real work of creating a blog began…

None of the millions of steps needed to get to today could have been achieved had I attempted this Herculean feat alone. My husband, ever the encourager, coached me and gave (and continues to give) fantastic suggestions along the way. My friend and colleague, Evelyn Oros (RogueTeaching), walked me every step of the way. She even created a few ScreenJellys to literally walk me through some of the more (for me, atleast), more complicated steps. Their support, encouragement and outright assistance proves to me, once again, that we must (re)learn to depend on our community if we are to get anywhere in life.

And that brings me to this blog. Recycle Your Reads began as a small project two years ago, and mushroomed to unimaginable proportions in just one short year. You can read about the project here. Not satisfied with touching just two school’s communities, as soon as the last box was dropped off in April, I began thinking about ways that I could expand this great philanthropic project to other schools in my area. The page entitled “Recycle Your Reads Program” will be developed as the year progresses. My hope is that many schools in my district will see value in participating in the project and will jump on board. And who knows? Perhaps the Recycle Your Reads program will be coming soon to a school near you!

In addition to being a site dedicated to putting books into the hands of school-aged children, I envision Recycle Your Reads to be written by both myself, as well my own students. By providing student-written reviews of books on the “Recycle Works” page, I hope to foster a love of literacy in my students while encouraging a sense of commitment to our community. After all, shouldn’t our kids turn to each other for support (or for what to read next?)

So that’s it. Today is an exciting day for me as I unveil my grander vision of my blog site. I will still blog on a nearly daily basis my meandering thoughts about education, literacy, and current titles in the publishing industry. But I am hopeful that this site will also be an outreach to children and serve to give back to communities as well. Won’t you join me in my new adventure?