Skip to main content

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. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Handwritten Cue Cards in the 21st Century

I just stumbled upon this behind-the-scenes clip of Saturday Night Live's cue card process. This is intense writing. This is writing that is dependent upon trust and checks and balances. Over a short period of time, skits are written, drafted on cards, revised, and the cards revised over and over again. I also really love that SNL continues to use cue cards and not a teleprompter. Like Wally points out, technology can fail. Handwritten cue cards ensure the show goes on. Comedy is hard work. Writing is hard work. Changes are made up until the last minute to get things just right. This is a form of real-world writing.

Don't Be Misled by $778 At-Risk Payments

Governor Snyder recently proposed a $778 increase per economically disadvantaged pupil in Michigan. At first glance, this looks good. Who can argue with an announcement like this: An increase of $150 million, to a total of $529 million, to ensure that children in difficult financial situations are getting the help they need. All districts and public school academies will now be eligible to receive an additional $778 per pupil to assist at-risk students. After all, it's money for at-risk students . We instantly assume that the governor is proposing helping our neediest students, which should make us all jump for joy. And we know from the adequacy study done last year that our poorest students require greater funding (30% more!) to educate if we ever hope to close the achievement gap, not to mention their general recommendation of $8,667 per pupil as a foundation allowance (note that many districts in Michigan still receive far less than this). But the real problem of inequ

MCTE Musings

I always look forward to the last Friday in October. Since my junior year in college, I don't think I've missed a fall conference of the Michigan Council of Teachers of English--and I certainly don't plan on it any time soon. Just as I could feel the stress building this past week, I knew that MCTE, just like other quality days of professional development like summer institutes of the National Writing Project, would be a panacea for so many job-related frustrations and would provide answers for questions I've been wrestling with for months. Like always, I left with my head spinning--and that's a sign of quality professional development. You leave knowing that there's so much more to be accomplished. Your work, despite all the long hours and years of practice, is really only beginning to unfold in front of you. Yesterday, Penny Kittle spoke about how every student is on a personal learning journey, and I'm thinking about how my classroom reflects that. I&