Catching Up!

I need to catch up on work, home, and personal responsibilities. I'll get back to blogging in a few more days.

Catalyst

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Rating: 3/5


I really enjoyed Speak (also by this author), so I thought I would enjoy this one too. It was okay. In many ways, it reminded me of Cut by Patrica McCormick because of the main character's need to run. The main Kate and Teri were also similar to a minor female character in Deadline by Chris Crutcher. The private stories were very not what you would expect. The story behind Teri's little brother is the exact same story as Crutcher's character. Also, I kept imagining the kids from The Breakfast Club as the characters. Molly Ringwald could play Kate. Emilio Estevez would be cast as Mitch, and Ally Sheedy would make the perfect Terri.

These similarities probably influenced my negative opinion of this book.It just feels like the formula storyline ha been done too many times before. It got interesting after the climax (p. 148), but there was not enough build up. Okay is the best rating I can give this one.

See Dewey's review here.

People of the Book

Author: Geraldine Brooks
Rating: 7/5


I LOVED this book! It reminded me of The Thirteenth Tale because both are very well told stories. Encountering this book renewed my reading zeal and reminded me there are books out there that cause you to read well past your workday bedtime. All of the characters felt like flesh and blood, courageously flawed people. I even enjoyed the side story between Hanna and her mother (it reminded me of the story line between Dr. Meridith Grey and her mother on Grey's Anatomy. Mother/Daughter relationship are complex...even when they're fictional.) Hanna's side story fits given the theme of the book.

"I think you have to accept a book as your receive it from past generations, and to a certain extent damage and wear reflect that history."

As in life, the side stories in People of the Book are the story.

See Dewey's review here.

6 Things That Make Me Happy

I saw this meme at Bermudaonion's Weblog and thought it was a great thing to reflect on at the end of a long day. So, here are my six suppliers of happiness:

1. Rainy, pajama days (after the morning shower, the attire for indoor day...pajamas!)
2. Chocolate
3. The sound of the ocean
5. A baby's smile
6. My cat, Kobi

Once I got going on this, I realized that there are many things that make me happy (far more than six things). In an effort to share the love, consider yourself tagged (CTG and Notes From the Ordinary, I can't wait to see the six things on your lists.)

Confirmation

One of the changes I made this year was switching to an increasingly gluten-free diet and drinking less caffeine. Yes CTG, I no longer indulge in my usual morning mugs. I now drink Teechino during the week and have ONE mug of "real" coffee or ONE green tea soy latte on Saturday mornings. Last year, I eliminated dairy products. (I've even found a pizza place that meets my dietary requirements.) My skin has cleared up significantly, and, for first time in my life I don't need to use Beconase or Flonase to avoid congestion when I bend over or lie down. I was in the doctor's office today (nothing major) and told the PA about the recent changes I'd made. He informed me he had just attended a seminar on the value of a gluten-free diet in children with upper respiratory problems. He wasn't surprised by my results and told me to continue my dietary regimen. Not that I needed it, but confirmation is always nice. I have to keep this in mind when students make choices that can change their lives for the better.

Blog Imoprovement

The last two week blog improvement challenge (posted Jan 19th) has to do with content. I really need help in this area, but time has not permitted me to put a lot of work into this part of the challenge. Time seems to be the biggest enemy for me. I have the same 24 hours as everyone else. Mine are just pulled in too many directions.

When it comes to generating ideas, I agree that they are everywhere. On other blogs, in classrooms, in the news, on the road, in the neighborhood...You get the idea. Journaling (yes, I mean the old-fashioned pen and paper kind of journaling) helps me to keep track of some the things I find noteworthy. What I have to do is work on dedicating time to writing. It takes time to prepare the grist for the mill and then to do the appropriate revision and editing a good post requires. I usually have concentrated time for writing on Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons, but during the week time is just too fragmented to do anything worthwhile.

With regard to an original regular feature, I have an idea for a bi-monthly Catty Corner" which would feature my cat, Kobi, and other cats that influence me. More in the coming weeks on that. Let me get a slightly better grip on time management first.

20 Books in 2009

I joined this challenge some time ago but never shared the rules. This is a good one because I can use the books from other challenges. The rules are as follows:


You must have a website since you have to keep an online progress page. You can get free ones from wordpress.com or blogspot.com if you need to.
You must create a progress page, which will be updated each time you complete one of your 20 books. For more information about progress pages and an example of how you can do them, click here. If you do not have a progress page and would like to post your books as regular blog updates one at a time as you finish, please create a tag or category specific to the challenge that I can look at.
You can read as many books as you want by an author or in the same series.
If the book is a re-read, it must be from a year ago.
If you begin the book in 2008 and finish it in 2009, it does count for this challenge.
The following do not count: comics, catalogs, manga, journals, audiobooks.
The following does count: paperbacks, hardbacks, advanced copies, ebooks. You can read fiction or nonfiction, the choice is up to you.
You must link back to this challenge with the button provided or one that you make for your own personal use, or even a text link.

If you intend to participate, leave a comment on the main entry stating so. You will then be added to the participants list.
Everyone who successfully completes the 20 in 2009 challenge will win a small award graphic to display on their website

Click here the join this challenge.

Coraline

Author: Neil Gaiman
Rating 3/5

"When Coraline steps through a door to find another house stangely similar to her own (only better), things seem marvelous. But there's another mother there, and another father, and they want her to stay and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go."

This was the second book I've read by Neil Gaiman. Like Good Omens it is not an ordinary story. The mirror world is dark and twisted making Tim Burton the perfect person to put together the recently released movie version of this story. As I was reading it, it reminded me of many of his films.

Despite the originality, I did not really connect with these characters. I enjoyed the cat. Given the personalities of most cats, this character could have been and done so much more. The other mother caught my interest for a brief period, but when she and the other world began to take on abstact forms my interest faded and collapsed like the structures and places in the other world. Overall, this book was okay. It was able to get my attention (which is sometimes a major feat) but couldn't keep it.

I read this for Dewey's Challenge and 20 in 2009. Click here for Dewey's Review. Books completed for all challenges are shown in the sidebar under the button for the challenge.

More Random Thoughts

For the first 28 days of this year, my feet have felt firmly planted on the ground and my head above the clouds. That ended on Friday. I was clearly weighed down by all the demands and obstacles of reality. We had the writing prompt on Thursday, an assembly on Friday, and there's MAPS testing on Monday. I hope, despite the interruptions, I can get through the pacing guide standards in time for the next benchmark test.

In today's local newspaper, there was an article about recent local Chinese New Year celebrations. This is the year of the ox. Oxen represent...You guessed it...WORK. It is followed by the year of the tiger, victory. I did not know this before. It confirms my feelings about this year, and gives me hope for a reward when the work is done.

BFF's

I am watching Under the Tuscan Sun and thinking about who our real BFF's are. They are not the ones that commiserate with us when relationships, businesses, or dreams die. They are the ones who who go beyond this and encourage and stand by us when we jump back in the fray. If we are reluctant to jump back in they take us by the hand and lead us there. They also accept our definition of love and opportunity without trying to impose their own.

The problem with the commiserating friends is often it is a misery loves company situation, and you can spend decades meeting with the girls (wondering where the men are). In today's busy world, people can't always get that involved in one anothers lives. After decades of commiserating, I thank God for the friends who made the time. Thanks A for helping me remember the good times with Charles. You are right, it wasn't all bad. Thanks AL, VW, and MY for giving me the strength to move on after all those years and accepting that what makes me happy is the best thing for me. Thanks DH for reminding me about the patient, loving, reasonable qualities of God. Happy is not a sin. Happy is okay, better than okay...it is good.

Random Thoughts

Today we had our district writing prompt. My students surprised, pleased, and disappointed me in that heart-tugging way that only children are able to. Thankfully, the forced march is over. (Some of them still couldn't believe that would not be able work on this over a period of days. What happened to the writing process I'm always preaching about?)

M. really threw himself into his work. He even asked to work in an isolated area to prevent distraction. He was focused and on task during the entire time he was working on the prompt. Bear in mind, this is a child who has difficulty staying on task for more the four minutes, but he was focused and working for an hour and forty-six minutes (with only a ten minute break between periods). I complemented his on his attention to the task at hand but didn't get a chance to read his essay. I'm going in early tomorrow to grade some assignments and read some of their assessment work. I'll definitely be looking for his paper.

The social studies department had a meeting yesterday. The department chair kept the meeting brief and redundant (not a typo). We all noticed that two teachers did not show up. Come to think of it, these two usually miss half of any department meeting (language arts or social studies) or don't show up at all. Well, today, one of them felt she had some great idea. She sent out an email requesting the entire department, the principal, and the assistant principal to come to her room for a brief meeting. After school, an announcement was made for all social studies teachers to report to her room. Couldn't this have been shared yesterday? Couldn't it be put on the agenda for the next meeting. Was this a mandatory meeting? Who has the authority to call a mandatory meeting? I got a bug up my butt, found this troubling because I attended the meeting yesterday! I fumed about the fact that someone, who missed the first meeting, could ask me to attend another one! I didn't go. I wonder if anyone noticed.

For dinner, I bought a spicy tuna sushi pack from the grocery store and washed it down with a glass of white wine. I know made-to-order sushi is more appealing, but as usual, wasabi cleared my head and wine made everything seem better.

Just for Fun

I saw this on ms_teacher's blog and couldn't resist. Settle down fellas, read the whole thing before you get excited about the title :)

This one is just for fun, but parts of it are so true. All the positive stuff sound like me (or at least the me I want to be). As far as the negative stuff goes, my dark side only comes out when I am antagonized, and I'm more passive aggressive than manipulative. Yes, I know it's still bad. Let's just say I am working on it, and...it's a process.





What type of Fae are you?

What's Wrong with Education?

Everyone thinks they have the answer to this question. Teacher incompetence. Lack of funding. Poorly written curriculum. I think it's something else.

Our first day back from winter break was a teacher work day. Following the district pacing guide, we should have been in the second of a five week unit on persuasion. With the first week of this unit being right before a three week holiday break I like to spend the the first day back reinforcing classroom rules and procedures (especially helpful to the four new students that were placed in my class that day) and then move into reading and analyzing another example persuasive writing before we jump head long into the deep end (process) of writing. I wanted to confirm how much time I had, so I called the language arts department chair to confirm date for the district writing assessment which is usually in early February. The department chair didn't see the writing assessment anywhere on the calendar (I hadn't found it either). When I got to work the next day, there was an email stating that the assessment would be given January 21st. With only four days for instruction, a national holiday, and the inauguration the day before the prompt, my plans had to be changed. I was able to incorporate the inaugural speech into my instruction on persuasion, but the saga continued. By Friday, the date was changed to the 29th to give everyone more instructional time. This meant more plan tweaking.

I recently found out that they were so busy adding new hoops assessments to the calendar that they forgot to include some of the old ones. It would have been nice to start the new semester on sure footing.

These Books Were Made for Walking

No, this is not what you think it is (another challenge); it's a meme. This one shouldn't be any trouble because it ties in with my goal to post about literature. The only change I will have to make it the day of the week that literature posts will be made. Lit will move from Saturdays to Wednesdays, and truthfully all that means is that nothing changes - the bottom line is I post when I can, but eventually I get my literary, educational, and personal posting done each week.

Anyway, here are the rules: Every third Wednesday of the month blog about books and travel. There will be a theme posted each month at Strumpet's Life

For this week, the theme is the beach. What book do you associate with the beach and why? The book that I associate with the beach is Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. The book itself was just okay. Nicholas Sparks is not my preferred fare, but I appreciated the unhappy ending. Love is not always kind or happy. Picking who we will love and how things will turn out are things we don't have absolute control over. I also appreciated the youthful idealism of Savannah and her firends.

The book reminds me of the beach because of the beach scenes between John and Savannah. Some of the heaviest moments in their relationship take place during these scenes. This reminds me of college trips to the beach. I remember one trip, during my freshman year, to La Jolla. Romance, dorm gossip, professor bashing, and politics. We felt we could solve all of the worlds woes armed with youth and the depth of our convictions. The rolling sound of the ocean, the salty air, and the warmth of the fire have permanently etched this memory into my memories of college.

One of Those Moments

Today was such a moment in time for me, my students, and the nation that I am still processing it. Once I've had a chance to process it all, I will post my reflections about this moment in history.

No Nap Needed

Energy begets energy! As I settled in for a nap this afternoon, I realized I had not felt the need for one all week. I credit this fact to my new volunteer work, on Tuesday and Thursday, and a surprisingly drama free outing with my mother on Wednesday. After work, I used the energy I had doing things that were recharging and enjoyable. I did not spended the time continuing to work. That makes a difference. I have a mountain of papers to grade this weekend, but I have the three day weekend to get through it.

What comes next is finding a way to use my time in a balanced, effective way.

2009 Mini-Challenge

Mini-Challenge #9: Promote literacy. This is wide open - use your imagination. You could give a child a book, or read a book to someone who cannot read, or volunteer at an event which promotes literacy, or donate to your local library, or write something on your blog with a link to a group which promotes literacy, or anything in between. The only rule with this one is that you must PROMOTE literacy in some way…

Okay, here's my first post for the 2009 Mini-Challenge:

I started volunteering at one of our local libraries last Thursday. It's something I have wanted to do for years, but I just never got around to it. I told my father about considering doing this, and he suggested that it is also a great way to get first dibs on new books that come into the library. So far, I have typed labels, labeled and stamped books, shelved books, and met some wonderful people. I love it! I just do three to four hours a week and so far it is manageable. If you ever feel unneeded or unwanted, volunteer at your local library. They are desperate for the help and constantly tell you how much they appreciate you. The thrill of being able to answer a patrons questions or help them find something is beyond description!

By the way, today I was shelving a copy of For Eceryone from Beginner to Pro: Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual. I checked it out before I left. Who knows, it may help with that appearance resolution I made :P

Back to Work

This our first week of school since the holidays. It struck me, during a staff meeting, that it doesn't take long to lose the restful, optimistic attitude developed during a two or three week break. During the third week, I was looking forward to returning to the classroom. The stress and surprises begin immediately. Monday was a teacher workday. Students returned yesterday. By day three, I still feel it was time to get back to work, but I am looking forward to the weekend.

M. refused to do any work on Tuesday and chose to disrupt the class instead. He had a better day today. I'm sure he's also looking forward to the weekend and feeling slightly relieved to be back at school.

The "W" Word

Each year has a different tone. There are some years filled with questions, some reveal many answers, and some contain a plethora of possibilities. 2008 began as a year of action, but quickly proved to be a year of possibilities. I discovered there are many wonderful parts of my life and vocation that I am overlooking. This year is going to be a year of W***. That is not a bad thing. I have found that to bring the possibilities and potential in my life into fruition requires more w*** than I sometimes put forth. When you think about it, I guess this is the year of sustained purposeful action. That sounds much better than the W-O-R-K.

Okay, this is the last challenge I am joined during the first week of this year. I couldn't resist because it included many things that I was planning to do. It's hosted by caribousmom. Click here to see her post regarding this challenge.

Here's how it goes:

Complete all 12 mini-challenges between January 1st and December 31st, 2009.
Challenges can be completed in any order.
Overlaps are allowed.
IF you are a member of the Yahoo group, you do not need a blog to participate. IF you are NOT a member of the Yahoo group, you will need a blog.

Here are the 12 challenges:

1. Read a collection of short stories and either blog about it, OR tell the group about what you read.

2. Read a play. Blog about it, OR tell the group about your experience.

3. Read a nonfiction book; write a review on your blog or post it to the group.

4. Read 2 essays from the same collection; write a review on your blog or tell the group about what you read.

5. Go to a book event; blog about it or tell the group about it.

6. Borrow a library book, read it and review it on your blog (or tell the group about it).

7. Read a book by a new to you author. Do a little research on the author…do they have a blog? How many books have they written? Have they won any prizes? Where do they live? etc… Blog about the book you read and the author OR tell the group about them.

8. Make a donation. You can either donate to an organization that supports reading OR make a physical donation of a book (or books) to ANYONE. Blog about it or tell the group what you did.

9. Promote literacy. This is wide open - use your imagination. You could give a child a book, or read a book to someone who cannot read, or volunteer at an event which promotes literacy, or donate to your local library, or write something on your blog with a link to a group which promotes literacy, or anything in between. The only rule with this one is that you must PROMOTE literacy in some way…

10. Participate in a buddy read or Group discussion. This can be a face to face group, an on-line group or a one on one discussion with a friend who read the same book. Either way, blog about your experience or share with the group. Did the discussion give you greater appreciation or insight into what you read?

11. Read a book outside your comfort level or from a genre you don’t normally read. Blog about it, or tell the group about it.

12. Read a classic (defined as anything published before 1970). Tell us why it fits the category of being a classic. Write a review or tell the group about the book.