Teachers Should Be Learners

Teachers should be learners, right? I've decided to practice what I preach and create a blog. I love reading other teachers' blogs and have wanted to start my own for a long time, but just haven't been adventurous enough to actually take the plunge. I want to be a blogger so that I can truly participate in all of the amazing conversations I read online every day. I want to participate so I can apply to be a judge in the Cybils and so that I can go to the bloggers' convention in Portland next year. I want to try something new!

A little about me-- I'm a full-time literacy coach. I'm a full-time single mother of three teenagers- twelve and thirteen year old boys, and a sixteen year old girl. My boys play whatever sport is in season, so I'm also a sports mom, chauffeur, and equipment manager. I'm the mom of two dogs- Maggie, a fat, ten-year-old yellow lab, and Star, a five-month-old black lab and pointer mix who joined our family this summer after Ramsey, my beloved fifteen-year-old Golden Retriever, went to dog heaven. I'm the immediate past president of the Colorado Chapter of the International Reading Association (CCIRA).

I love, love, love to read. A few kids' books I've read and loved recently:
- MY LAST BEST FRIEND, chapter book about a girl whose best friend moves away. A new girl moves to town and wants to be a friend, but it's rough going in the beginning.

- LUNCH MONEY, Andrew Clements, a sixth grade boy starts a comic book company, then discovers a neighbor and arch rival has also started her own book publishing company.

- RULES, Cynthia Lord, my favorite book so far this year. Terrific story about a middle school girl grappling with the typical icky middle school issues of friendship, fitting in, etc., but the main character has the added blessing/complication of an autistic younger brother.

- TRAVEL TEAM and HEAT, Mike Lupica, add these to the list of sports books read by a mom trying to get her less than eager middle school boys to read. I loved them, but have not yet convinced my sons to dive in.

And the professional book I've read and thought about most often recently: THE READING ZONE by Nancie Atwell. I am fascinated by Atwell's comments about reading strategies and keep returning to them again and again.

Here's to new beginnings!