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2016 Reading Goal

I accomplished my reading goal last night around 9:00 PM. I was incredibly behind before winter break started, and I was beginning to reassure myself that there's always next year. Luckily my local library has an expansive collection of graphic novels and picture books, so I was able to just barely reach 150 in time.

I know numbers aren't important, but it does feel good to be able to say that I met my goal--even if it's in the last few hours of the year.

As I look at my Year in Books available on Good Reads, I'm starting to think ahead and plan for my reading year ahead. Some things I want to accomplish in my reading life include:


  • Reading more non-fiction. I know that there are well written non-fiction texts, but I tend to shy away from these. Even in my classroom, these are the least checked-out books. I need to not only do a better job selling these titles, but I also need to familiarize myself with more of these texts. I think part of the reason that I read so few non-fiction titles is that I am unable to focus on it right before bed, and that's when I tend to do most of my reading during the school year. I'm closing on my house next week, and I'm looking forward to reading more about homeownership. 
  • Reading more about pedagogy. I know that I'm happier and a better teacher during the school year when I'm reading about teaching practices. The first semester seemed to slip away when it came to reading about pedagogy, and I want to do more of that in the year ahead. I benefit because my thinking is vindicated and stretched, and my students benefit from a break in some of the routine assignments. One of my first professional reads in the months ahead is Writing with Mentors. A co-worker and I have formed our own two-person book group, and I'm excited to plan ways that we can incorporate more mentor texts into our classrooms. 
  • Reading more for me. I tend to read primarily young adult literature in the hopes that I can share books with students. At the same time, I don't necessarily read things that I am interested in. I want to strike more of a balance here, too. Perhaps this will be motivation enough to revive a book group that's gone to the wayside, or maybe I'll reach out and join one of my local library's many groups. 

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