I am thrilled to show you the best new edition to my classroom: the amazing Little Free Library that my step-father, Mike, so generously built for me.
I enjoy discussing books with all sorts of readers, but the most special experience is when a reluctant reader finds a book that just blows their mind. It might be a book that opens up a fantasy world that they never could have imagined or a book that tells a coming of age story that seems just like their own. Whatever it is, when a formerly non-reader gushes over their new booklove, it always makes my teacher-heart swell with joy.
So... to celebrate the start of the school year, the new Little Free Library, and readers everywhere, I am inviting my friends, family and co-workers (you!) to donate to the Little Free Library.
When considering what book to choose, I would encourage you to think about what book blew your mind as a teenage reader. If you feel so moved, write a brief note inside the copy about what the book meant to you. I just think this will be completely precious.
If you want to support the Little Free Library, but can't think of a title, feel free to make a donation of books you think teenagers might like. Lastly, you can also just give me cash and I will joyfully buy the books for you ;-)
I thank you in advance for your donations and look forward to featuring books and readers on this blog so you can enjoy and share in all the booklove that the Little Free Library brings.
To say that it has been a while is an understatement. The last post I wrote was at the start of the first year of Clark Street Community School. As I write now, we are on the cusp of our fourth year. Students that were baby freshman will finish this school year as grown-up graduates. They will leave us and go off into the world. It seems hard to believe that we are here.
This summer I worked for the Greater Madison Writing Project co-facuilitating a group of teachers who began action research projects that they will work on throughout the school year. (More to come on these amazing folks and their work throughout the year.) I knew that in addition to facilitating, I wanted to challenge myself to work along with them, but I wasn't sure what I wanted that work to look like.
A thought kept creeping up telling me that I needed to write. I kept pushing it down with awesome excuses. In the writing project, there are legit great writers. Published writers. Fiction writers. I am not that good of a writer. Reading and research are way more my things. I don't have time to write. But slowly, I started to talk myself into it. I do have that blog from a long time ago. I could set aside a bit of time each week. As a teacher of writing, I should put my money where my mouth is. And then I began to wonder... What would happen to my teaching if I was writing regularly? What would happen to my teaching of writing? What would I learn about myself? My students? My practice?
So here we are. You can see who won.
My plan is to set aside two hours a week to write and to post at least once a week. I am nervously excited for this challenge. There is no lack of material in my work, but often lack of time and lack of balance - something I have been working very hard to get back to the past year. While I am a bit afraid, I am excited to see what the challenge might bring. And this special combination of feelings is usually a sign that I am on the right track.
More to come.
Thanks for reading.
I am thrilled to show you the best new edition to my classroom: the amazing Little Free Library that my step-father, Mike, so generously built for me. 