Worrying is Part of the Job -- Slice of Life Tuesday

Sitting at the dinner table last night,
chatting with both daughters.
The topic was finding a job;
a topic close to home for both girls right now
as one hopes to relocate,
the other hopes to find her first "real" job

As I sat there listening and reflecting,
wishing the best outcome for both of them
(whatever that might be),
I realized I was worried for both of them:
worried about them being happy in whatever job they find
worried about their young adult lives
that look so fun and exciting most times
but are filled with so much uncertainty and angst at others

Later last night I received an email from a friend
sharing that her son had just broken his collar bone
I knew that she must be concerned and worried
about all the ramifications this will have for her son and her family
Much younger child; a parent who would be worried just like me

That email took me on a trip down memory lane,
thinking about how my worries and concerns regarding the girls
have changed over the years:

Will they sleep through the night?
Finding the right babysitter to care for them while we were at work
Will they make friends in school?
How could we not have known she needed glasses so badly?
Will she make the team for which she tried out?
Will she get the part she wanted for the recital?
Drama about friends and boys
Will they be safe as they learn to drive?
What do you mean you ran over the calming device and got a flat tire?
Finding the college that "fits" them best
Are they safe at school?
Realizing an entire ocean separated us when one studied abroad
and the other traveled abroad
Will she be safe in the big city in which she has decided to move?
Hoping they find the person that makes them happy

First world problems, to be sure
But real worries none the less

Worrying is part of this parenting job
But it's a job I wouldn't trade for anything

Other slices can be found at Two Writing Teachers, Ruth and Stacey's blog, the blog that inspires us all to be here.  Thanks so much to both of these wonderful women for providing us yet one more format in which to write!

#cyberPD 2013 is here!!

I was so excited when I was catching up on twitter and blogs, and I saw that Cathy had posted an all-call for people to post pictures of what they want to read professionally this summer.  Better yet, I hadn't even missed the deadline for this.  Pictures were to be posted on Wednesday, June 12, and decisions about which book to think about together this summer would happen after that.

Count me in!!!  I love this summer PD.  The first year, we read and chatted about Patrick Allen's book, Conferring, the Keystone to Writing Workshop.  Then last year, we read and chatted about the wonderful words and messages in Opening Minds by Peter Johnston.  Great stuff, right?!!

my current summer professional TBR pile

This summer, I have kept my pile of professional reads small (at least for now).  I want to reread Franki Sibberson's thoughtful and specific, The Joy of Planning.  I also have received 3 books as gifts recently that are all clamoring for my attention:

• Assessment in Perspective by Clare Landrigan and Tammy Mulligan
• Crafting Digital Writing: Composing Texts Across Media and Genres by Troy Hicks
• Join the Club! by Katie Doherty Czerwinski

I anxiously look forward to what the #cyberPD choice will be.  Chances are I may be adding yet another book to my professional TBR pile.  Stay tuned!!

For more #cyberPD bookstacks, head on over to Cathy's blog to see the round-up.

I'm back for It's Monday, What Are You Reading!!

I recently read Ann Marie's blog where she talked about leaving blogging for a while, but now she's back, and the same is true for me.  2013 has been a rough year for my family, but I'm happy to say that life is on an upswing right now, and I actually want to write again.  I have truly missed both writing and the community of people I am connected to because of our blogs and our thinking and sharing.  Thanks for being so patient with me.

In my two language arts classes this year, humor, adventure, and series books were quite popular during independent reading time.  So, when both Susan Dee and Tony Keefer recommended this series to me, I knew I had to read it.  I just finished The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy.  Humor, adventure, and some great fairy tale mash-ups abound in this book.  The second book just came out - The Hero's Guide to Storming the Castle - and it is high in my TBR pile right now.  I'm currently thinking that the first book might be one of my early read alouds next year.  Someone recently told me that she thought the fastest way to connect people is with laughter, and if that is true, The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom would be great for connecting our reading communities at school.

My next read is The Real Boy by Anne Ursu.  I tried to read this in May while my mom was in the hospital and I just couldn't focus; I stopped at page 122.  Then, I read on twitter that Colby Sharp thought this book was amazing, and I realized I had to give this book another try.  So, I began again last night, and already, I am seeing what I missed and what an incredible book this is.  This is exactly why some books need more than one chance.  Thanks to Colby for unwittingly getting me restarted.

My one adult book club selection I'm currently reading is an oldie but goodie by Pat Conroy, The Great Santini.  I love Pat Conroy, and this is one of the few books of his I haven't yet read.  Because most of his books are set in the south, I'm assuming this will be as well; it's like taking a mini-vacation there without ever leaving my screened porch.  And this man knows how to develop characters as well.  I can share more next week, as I'm reading this book right after The Real Boy.

I haven't addressed my professional reading yet, but I am saving that for this Wednesday, June 12, when the wonderful ladies who organize summer #cyberPD are having us "reveal" our summer professional reading stacks, and from there, they will try to find a book that many people already have on their radar, and use that book for the #cyberPD this summer.  If you've never participated, it is wonderful to read and respond to everyone's reflections about the same thing you read.  I highly recommend it.  Check out the lists in 2 days!!

Please join Kellee and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts, who are the cohosts of this wonderful Monday event!  I love finding out what others are reading, and start planning my next week's reading using some of the participants ideas.

Middle School Transition Can Be Tough

It's no secret that moving from the safe confines of elementary school to the mean streets of middle school can be a difficult and even scary transition.  I'm always on the lookout for books that use this theme so the fifth graders in the Bailey Bubble can have a look at what is on the other side of elementary.  Hopefully by reading them they learn that it's not as bad as they imagine, but that it won't be easy either.  33 Minutes Until Morgan Sturtz Kicks My Butt by Todd Hasak-Lowy is a good one for my collection!

People change as they get older and friends grow apart.  Sometimes it's just a gradual parting of the ways and sometimes, as in the case of Sam Lewis and Morgan Sturtz, it's a more drastic event.  Sam and Morgan are best friends all through elementary.  They are inseparable, always together, and they make a great team.  When a new kid, Chris, moves to town trouble starts.   Chris is pretty much unsupervised and has everything a kid could want.  Morgan and Chris start spending a lot of time together, and Morgan begins to change.  As is the case with middle school, some boys grow and others wait a while.  Morgan grows and becomes the football star, Sam doesn't and becomes the mathlete star.

Eventually there is a time when they just don't see eye to eye, and instead of just going their own way, words are exchanged, and a note is passed accidentally with Sam mocking Morgan's lack of math ability.  The threat is made and the clock is started.  Each chapter is a time of day with a countdown to the butt-kicking.  Typical middle school hyjinx occurs, with food fights, popular kids and bullies.

In the end, the fight does take place and the boys are brought to the principal's office and that may be the real strength of this book.  Instead of wrapping it all up in a nice Brady Bunch ending, Todd Hasak-Lowy offers up alternative endings.  The reader isn't really sure which it is but they are all possible and realistic.  It's up to the reader to figure out which fits for them, great discussion starters.

The author does a wonderful job of describing middle school, it's personalities, teachers, atmosphere and students.  I'll be recommending this a fun informative summer read for my fifth graders.

Timmy Failure Will Be a HUGE Success!

As usual, my friend Beth at Cover to Cover was right on the money with her suggestion of Timmy Failure Mistakes Were Made by Stephen Pastis.  I will be purchasing it on my next trip to my favorite bookstore and I know it will not stay on the shelves in our library.

Much like Wimpy Kid or Big Nate, Timmy Failure is done in a journal style including drawings and handwritten notes throughout.  Timmy is an interesting kid who has the unfortunate last name of Failure.  He lives with his mom and starts his own detective agency from his mother's closet.  His sidekick and business partner is a polar bear named Total.  It is unclear whether Total is real or imaginary, I suppose that will be up to the individual reader to decide.

Timmy's detective agency is called Failure, Inc. and the book is the published history of Timmy's life as a detective.  He proves to be a little short sighted in his investigations, keeping the reader informed of all of his discoveries with excerpts from his detective notebook.  For example when he is asked to investigate a classmate's missing Halloween candy and sees the little brother, Gabe, covered in chocolate with a pile of candy wrappers surrounding him, he writes, "Gabe not tidy."

Timmy's adventures continue and his gift for missing the obvious answers to the mysteries he wants to solve provide a lot of reasons for laughing out loud.  There is also the other story that sneaks in occasionally.  The story of Timmy, the son of a single mom who is having a little difficulty making it.  They move out of their house into a one bedroom apartment and Timmy deals with it in various ways including denial, and doing poorly in school.  All of it is handled in a way that kids will understand, but not be put off by. 

Stephen Pastis is the creator of the comic Pearls Before Swine which most elementary students won't be familiar with, but the humor and story telling in Timmy Failure will appeal to elementary readers in grades 2 and up.  I think it certainly has a wider age appeal then Wimpy Kid and will be a very popular series.

Grand Discussion Rules!

Last Thursday evening, Joyce and I gave up one of our favorite things, NCAA March Madness to host the second Grand Discussion of the year.  Since the book Rules by Cynthia Lord was our choice this time, we originally planned to do it before her visit.  However, middle school meetings and snow days got in the way and it had to be postponed to after her visit.

The turnout was good, 41 folks all together, but the thing that really excited us was the fact that there were more boys than girls, a Grand Discussion first!  We have been working to choose books that are appealing to all of our students, trying to get more boys and fathers involved in our little book group and the numbers have grown steadily over the years.  It was very satisfying to look out at 13 boys and 7 girls along with their parents for our final discussion of the school year.

As usual, the conversation was good and insightful.  I am always impressed by what good thinkers our kids are.  They surprise their parents many times and we are all reminded that we need to listen to these kids because I promise you, we, the adults, always learn something.

Since Cynthia visited us recently the kids really had a new take on her book, they knew things about its creation that their parents didn't.  I was very pleased to hear the conversations sprinkled with Cynthia Lord trivia that they learned from her presentations.  Just one more testament to the importance of exposing our children to talented authors and giving them an opportunity to hear the inside stories only the author can share.



At the conclusion, I realized once again that the Grand Discussion and Newbery Club are two of my favorite things about my job, both are fun interactive times with smart people.

New Bed - SOLC #14

After many months
of pondering, researching,
and "test-driving"
we finally made a decision
to get a new mattress.

Seems simple, right?
Not so much.

For our wedding present
almost 28 years ago
my dad lovingly
constructed, sanded,
and stained a headboard and
footboard for our bed.

This heirloom
is not only precious
for the love poured into it
but for the timeless beauty
I see every time I
walk into our room.

But it's queen size
and hoping for more restful
and prolonged sleep,
the decision was to have more room
so king was the choice

Today was the day the mattress
and new headboard were delivered.
It looks fabulous
but there is a part of me
that knows the headboard
so lovingly created all those
years ago and now residing
down the hall
will miss me as much as I miss it.

Hoping for sweet dreams
in our new bed tonight,
but will probably be
dreaming of the sweet bed
made so many years ago.


 Thanks to Ruth and Stacey for hosting us again for the Slice of Life Challenge.  Head on over there to find out what other "slicers" have to say each and every day.