Last Trash

Squeezed in a 'Bay Tanner' mystery. I like reading them because Bay Tanner the main character lives on Hilton Head. A bad cop novel called Vigilante. Having a great friend visit and lazing around by the pool my last few days before heading back to work on Monday.

Out with the old and in with the OLDER

This week is back to school brain. Started poking around in my Words Their Way book which I love. Our district adopted a new literacy curriculum (hmmm all the mucky mucks who wanted it have now left for jobs else where). This is not program our school wanted. We had Rigby years before but the touted as all new program has arrived. Not only is it the exact same program. Many of the big books and leveled texts are exactly the same as the ones sent to the Reading Resource Library from the old kits. What a sad WASTE of money! Buying something we already own. Blah to those not in the classroom and not listening to their teachers.

The Nerdy Teacher: Teaching Should Look More Like Calvinball #EdChat

The Nerdy Teacher: Teaching Should Look More Like Calvinball #EdChat: I have always been a huge Calvin and Hobbes fan. Bill Watterson created these amazing characters that I was able to connect with and enjoy t...

Cookbook Junky

Cookook Junky - I think I read more than I should - might be a problem. I also have an issue with cookbooks. Just can't stop collecting them. If I get tired of them I donate them to the Friends of the Library ( I swear I bought one of my own cookbooks back from them. I am trying to eat healthier so I purchased Carol Alt's Raw Cookbook after watching her on Good Morning America. So far I've tried the corn and tomato soup. It was awesome fresh and tasty. I also brought a brunch cookbook on sale I tried a pizza with blue cheese, proscuitto and arugula it was pretty good but I'd mix the blue with something milder. It was a little over the top strong for me. That's this week's book adventure!

A Word Sort

A Word Sort

Two New Reads

I finished Out of My Mind - a great book about a little girl with CP and her thoughts and life. She gets a voice through technology and finally can express herself. Every teacher should read this book!!! I also read a book by Anne River Siddons - very southern and a bit strange as all of her books tend to be and somewhat dark. I liked it although the end was very odd. It was called Burnt Mountain.

I finished The Art of Racing in the Rain - great book especially if you are a dog person but you might want your tissue box nearby. I book I am rereading is called - Do You Know Enough About Me to Teach Me? By Stephen Peters. A short insightful read - asking the bottom line - Do we know what our students go through outside of school. Can we really reach them without knowing them. This is a short (100 pg) thought provoking book for those who work in at risk demographics. Stephen Peters is an amazing motivational speaker. When you hear him speak you want to race back to your classroom and change lives!

My blog is to find out - what are my classmates reading and share what I'm reading. I love to disappear into a book. I just finished - Last Child. I am half way through The Art of Racing in the Rain. I want to finish a book on Comprehension and Collaboration this summer as well as revisit Words their way. I have an ex-boyfriend who said if I read half as many non-fiction books as fiction I'd be a genius. I'd much rather be average me and enjoy a good story.