Check Out, Check In

My classroom library is a mess. Well, maybe not in the literal sense of the word, but in more of a logistical sense of the word. I have hundreds of titles. I have them cataloged by genre, and in the beginning of school year, I set up the library by genre, which simply makes it easier for me to find books when I’m recommending something to a student. About a month into school, books that are strictly for my eighth grade readers end up mixed in the with the general library, non-fiction is mixed into fantasy, and the new book section is empty. My library management is meant to be a simple record of who has what book and is also meant to teach some independence and responsibility. Students are supposed to sign out the book when they take it, and sign it back in when they return it. I’ve noticed my readers this year, looking in the sign out log when they can’t find a book they want to read. They will search the log until they find the reader with their next book, then they ask if they can have the book when the student is finished with it. And thus the problem begins.

Posted in Independent Reading/SSR/Reader's Workshop | Tagged as: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Serial Reader

Earlier this week, one of the few days we were in school without snow and ice days, one of my students stopped to talk to me after class. This is not an odd occurrence because the students have lunch after this particular block so they’re not rushing to be on-time for a class – but I digress. The conversation began with my student recommending a book to me. Then the conversation took a turn. The young lady was upset and needed to share that she was upset. And as an aside, I love that books can be the bridge to start to build the teacher – student relationship since connections with teachers are so important to middle school students. At first I thought she was upset about  a grade or an assignment or a peer. Nope. None of the above. She was upset because she had just finished the first two books of a series, and she now had to wait until July to find out what was going to happen next.

Posted in Series | Tagged as: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Not a Title in Sight

It’s the end of January. I’m down to the final days of the month, and I have a problem. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big problem – it’s probably not even a problem at all. But in the world of my classroom, it’s a problem of monumental proportions. It could derail the reading we have going on. I have no Schmidt’s Pick title for February. None. I’m empty. Dry. Barren.

Posted in Independent Reading/SSR/Reader's Workshop | Tagged as: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

A Five Star Rating

5 stars of 5 stars

100% approval rating

2 thumbs up

Reviews. In the plugged in, wired world we live in, a person could review anything or anyone. And people do. As a member of Goodreads, as an online consumer, as a teacher, I find myself living via reviews. As a teacher, especially,  I’ve discovered the power of the positive review.

Posted in Random Musings, Teacher Tips, Uncategorized | Tagged as: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Same Auld Lang Syne

As 2010 draws to close, I, like so many others, am taking stock of the year. The good, the bad, the ugly – it’s all there laid out in front of me like books on a shelf for me to view and ponder. Overall, this has been a pretty good year. I don’t know if it’s the best ever since I have more years in front of me. It certainly wasn’t the worst. There were moments of pure joy and moments of heartache. Moments of peace and moments of strife. To paraphrase Ecclesiastes, there is a time for everything, which helps when I set ridiculously unrealistic goals or expect to be able to control everything including the uncontrollable. So as I sit next to a fire that is slowly dying reflecting on a year that is quickly dying, I can say it was a pretty good year.

Posted in Random Musings | Tagged as: , , , , , , , , , ,
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