Tag Archives: Michael Scott

Happy New Year (My Year in Review)

Greetings, Gentle Readers. It’s been quite some time since my last blog post. This happened not for lack of ideas but for lack of time. During 2011 I read 152 books, participated in a 100 task book challenge – of which I finished 98 tasks, had a successful first defense of my doctoral dissertation (topic adolescent literacy), got married, went to a slew of author readings and concerts, and managed to miss seeing Ellen Hopkins twice within the space of three weeks when she was near my hometown reading, signing, and promoting Perfect and Triangles. (Of course this list is in no particular order of importance, and if it were my marriage would be first.)
I have many New Year’s Resolutions. One is to post more on the blog. Since it’s been sitting abandoned the only people visiting it are spammers, and I’ll refrain from sharing their comments with you, but I could give you the secrets to unlocking the iPhone 4, sell you some Uggs, and well, oh never mind. I’m hoping to post at least once a week. In a perfect world, I’ll post almost every day. For those of you who do visit the blog regularly (and you’re not spamming me), I do update My Reviews and Currently Reading on a regular basis.

Here’s my year in review:

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

Windows and Mirrors

After a ridiculously long hiatus, I’m back. The hiatus may seem as if I have nothing more to say about YA Lit; however, that’s quite the contrary. I’ve had so many ideas swirling through my head, it’s been hard to tie myself to one idea, sit down, and write. As I know from my writing experiences, you have to just sit down and write and not wait for inspiration to strike. For my blog project, I haven’t followed that advice. I have waited for one idea to stand out from the rest. And this morning inspiration struck.

I’m currently reading The Warlock by Michael Scott. I’ve had The Warlock sitting on my nightstand since it was released in the spring. And after pressure from my students, who are clamoring for the next book in the series, I have picked it up and started reading. And I’m not disappointed.

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

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: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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