A Book You Haven't Read Yet #MGBOOKMARCH

I am joining folks at MG Book Village on Twitter to share some middle-grade book love this month. Each day has a different prompt, and people share their favorite book that fits that prompt. What a great way to learn about new titles and add to my TBR list. Here is day three!

Book you want to read but still haven't.

Oh my, I have boxes and boxes of books I want to read but haven't yet. But if I have to pick one, it would be this one.

Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams

I sat at a round table with this author at NCTE, and she was simply delightful! I finally ordered the book recently - but haven't gotten to it yet.

From Goodreads: This novel tells the story of a thirteen-year-old who is filled with self-loathing and must overcome internalized racism and a verbally abusive family to finally learn to love herself.

Maybe now that I have publicly said this, I will get the job done!

I Remember...My Wedding Day #SOL20

Today I mined my notebook and found a series of "I remember..." entries. I expanded a few of them to write the story of my unconventional wedding day.

I remember the night I got married. 

          There were no invitations.

I remember telling my sister we were getting married, and she asked when. 

          I said tonight at 7:30.

I remember borrowing a camera. 

          I wish I had known the film wasn't in right.

I remember saying "I do."

          The church was empty.

I remember walking into Dave's mom and dad's house all dressed up, and she asked where had we been.

          We said a wedding.

I remember she asked whose wedding.

          We said ours.

I remember her crying.

         Dave was the only child out of seven she didn't see get married.

I remember her hugging me.

          I was welcomed into the family.

Please join Two Writing Teachers and the annual Slice of Life March Challenge.

A Book that Deals with Mental Illness #MGBOOKMARCH

I am joining folks at MG Book Village on Twitter to share some middle-grade book love this month. Each day has a different prompt, and people share their favorite book that fits that prompt. What a great way to learn about new titles and add to my TBR list. Here is day Two!

A book on mental illness:

So B. It by Sarah Weeks

Again, there are many I could have chosen about characters with mental illness. So B. It. Although this is an older title, it is the most recent one that I have read.

A lot of dots go unconnected in this book for me, but it is still a beautiful story of a girl trying to find her roots. Heidi lives with her mother who is mentally disabled, and both are cared for by an agoraphobic neighbor. Her mother keeps repeating a word that makes no sense to Heidi, so she sets off across the county to find out who she is, where she comes from, and maybe what the word means. Sometimes the answers we so desperately want or need, aren't what we thought they would be. So B. It is a perfect middle-grade book.

A Parenting Failure #SOL20

Parenting is hard work. And in one area of parenting, I have totally and completely failed.

Read on and see if you can guess what it is.

Yesterday, my teacher-daughter was reading an email and announced, "Oh, we have a carry-in on Wednesday. It is social worker week. What can we make?"

"Want to try that again?"

So, she tried again, "What can you make?"

"Umm...one more time?"

"What can I buy?"

And this is the life of a single girl whose mother never taught her how to cook and still lives at home!

Please join Two Writing Teachers and the annual Slice of Life March Challenge.

A Book that Features a Journey #MGBOOKMARCH

Not that I need another challenge in my life right now, but I am joining folks at MG Book Village on Twitter to share some middle-grade book love this month. Each day has a different prompt, and people share their favorite book that fits that prompt. Sounds easy enough! And what a great way to learn about new titles and add to my TBR list. Here is day one!

A book that features travel or a journey:

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga

In this novel in verse, Jude and her mother leave their brother and father and their home in Syria to journey across the ocean to the United States. As Jude begins to adjust to the fast-paced life in America, she finds herself with a new identity - "Middle Eastern." She makes new friends, meets new family members, tries out for a part in the school musical, and finds out how lovely it is to be part of something bigger than herself.

"Hoping,

I'm starting 

to think,

might be the

bravest thing

a person can do."

Other Words for Home is a beautiful journey about hope and love and courage.

What are your favorites books that have taken you on a journey? 

And so it begins... #SOL20

Once upon a time, there was a notebook. She was a black Moleskin lined notebook with a pocket in the back that could hold ephemera, a ruler, and stickers, an attached bookmark ribbon for keeping her writer's spot, and a matching elastic closure. The pages were heavy so the ink wouldn't bleed or ghost through to the other pages.

The perfect notebook for a notebooker wannabe.

Sadly, this notebook sat empty for months and months because the writer was afraid. Afraid of making mistakes. Afraid of not having anything to write, and afraid that what she did write wouldn't be perfect.

These fears, which are common among many writers, are detrimental to the writing process, so she decided to join a group of other notebookers (386 to be exact) to challenge herself to write for 100 days. Yes, 100 days! The notebook was a little skeptical because the writer had never been committed to any notebook. Why should this be any different?

But the writer is doing it! She has written for over 50 days! Yes, she missed few days here and there, but showing up to the page has become a habit.

Now, this writer is trying to decide what to do with all these entries. Some of them are snippets of her day, rants, all kinds of lists, ideas she has tried out for the first time, poems, quotes from books, and her thinking about books she has read. She knows there are stories hidden within the pages and tucked in among the words. She is ready to do the work she asks of her students:  to mine the pages and look for the golden nuggets, to find the stories, and to share them with her writing friends and maybe even a stranger.

She is ready to join the Slice of Life Community for the 7th year. And I can't wait to read her stories!

Please join Two Writing Teachers and the annual Slice of Life March Challenge.

Unfamiliar Territory

I have four days to get my slicing muscles back into shape before the March challenge begins. And let me tell you, they are most definitely out of shape. I must remember that it is a marathon and not a sprint because slicing is not something that I have kept up with. At the end of each March, I always say I am going to keep on slicing throughout the year after writing for 31 days.

But then I don't.

I am dragging out the "equipment" in the form of my blog, prompts, notebooks, memories, and whatever else it is going to take to turn writing a slice back into muscle memory.

Today I went to Gary Anderson's blog to look at his long list of prompts while I begin my training. This one caught my eye:

"Tell about unfamiliar territory."

A word popped into my thinking this week. A word that is unfamiliar to me. A word that I don't think I have given much thought to nor even had a discussion about.

Retirement.

That word does not roll off my tongue easily and leaves a taste in my mouth that I don't quite recognize. 

I began to think and question. How many more years do I have in me? Do I want to leave the classroom while I am still somewhat on top of my game? Do I wait until I no longer enjoy it? Am I ready? What would I do? How will I know when I am ready? Is it retirement or just a wanted/needed change?

I am unsure of these answers as of right now. But what I do know, is that I have never thought about retirement until recently. Maybe it's a sign. 

Whatever it may be, it is certainly unfamiliar territory.

Middle School Love Note #PoetryFriday

My one little word for 2020 is commit. I have made "10 Commitments" and one of them includes participating, supporting and engaging with my social media communities. Poetry Friday is one I have participated in, yet not very consistently. When I saw that Linda's round-up post was all about hearts and love and Valentine's Day, I decided to share the poem that I wrote for Sarah Donovan's 5-Day Poetry Challenge.

The poem prompt was from "Twenty Questions" by Jim Moore. I wrote about the innocent yet anxious time of middle school love. 

Middle School Love Note

Do you like me?

Do the butterflies begin to flutter the minute the bell rings?

Or does your stomach rumble because your breakfast is already gone?

Do you quickly glance to see if I am looking as we pass each other in the hall?

Or do you avoid my gaze?

Does your arm tingle when our elbows innocently touch while shutting our lockers?

Or do you think the bump was clearly an accident?

Do you write my name in the middle of your notebook so no one will see it?

Or do you even know my name?

                Or how to spell it?

Do you wish you had my scrunchie around your wrist?

Or do you wish I had short hair?

Does the teacher call on you when she catches you daydreaming about holding hands in the bleachers of the high school basketball game?

Or are you dreaming about making the last second shot?

Does your face turn red when I walk into the classroom?

Or are you too busy messing around with your friends to even see me?

Does your heart skip a beat when you read “write a poem” on the objective board?

Or do you roll your eyes disgusted with thought of writing about your feelings?

                Or do you even have feelings?

Do you like me?

Or did I already ask that?

© Leigh Anne Eck, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? #IMWAYR

Jen Vincent at Teach Mentor Texts and Kelle and Ricki at Unleashing Readers co-host It's Monday! What Are You Reading? Be sure to stop by and see what others are reading and recommending this week.

My one little word for 2020 is commit. I have made "10 Commitments" and one of them includes participating, supporting and engaging with my social media communities. #IMWAYR is one I have participated in, yet not very consisently. I hope to be more committed to not only my reading life but to also sharing it!

Here is what I read the last two weeks:

Allies by Alan Gratz

I have loved everything that Alan Gratz has written, and Allies was no different. He has this knack of creating several characters and intersecting their stories. I wish he would now write the story about the two girls at the end of the book. They deserve they own title!

The Toll by Neal Shusterman

The much-anticipated conclusion to the Scythe series was quite the read! The first 200 pages were frustrating for me as I was trying to remember things that had happened in the previous books. But after that, the story was the perfect ending to a must-read trilogy.

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

The Crossover as a graphic novel added a nice touch to a beautiful story about the importance of family. I did feel that the poems lost some of their effect in this format, but the addition of the illustrations was perfect. 

On my reading radar this week:

Happy Reading!

#100daysofnotebooking

Have you ever had someone share an idea with you, and you think, "Oh yeah, that would be fun!"?And then that idea grew like a snowball rolling downhill.

That is exactly what happened when Michelle Haseltine told me about her 100-day notebook challenge. It was a simple concept - write in your notebook every day for 100 days and share it on social media. Michelle's goal was to help others develop a meaningful habit of writing and to discover the power of writing and the joy it can bring.

But it has created a writing revolution.

I started my day writing about my one little word and posted it in the #100DaysofNotebooking Facebook group and on Twitter. Twelve hours and 160+ members later, writers are still posting and tweeting and sharing and commenting and inspiring and encouraging each other.

People have posted inspiring notebook pages full of one little words, thoughts, dreams, vulnerabilities, pain, and artwork. The community that has evolved from this little idea is inspiring.

Who wouldn't want to be a part of this!

As a member of #TeachWrite, I believe that teachers who write make better writing teachers. But I also believe that writing makes us better humans. One thing I learned from the events of today is that people want to write. People want to share their words. People want a community.

I don't know where this will lead, but I am honored to be a part of it.

If you are interested in learning more, check out Michelle's website here. It is not to late to join us!

Reflections on #onelittleword2019

As I begin to cross the threshold to a new year and a new decade, I pause to reflect on my one little word for 2019. When I chose this word, I did not...gasp...write about it! 

And I'm not sure why. Reflection is such a big part of who I am and the way I make sense of my world - all parts of it. And reflective writing is what this blog is all about.

I had ideas that needed to start with small things but could have the possibility to create many ripples. In the latter part of the year, the stones I have tossed seemed to have plopped and sunk to the bottom, causing a very little ripple, if any at all. I began asking why? Deep down I know the answer.

I believe there is a direct correlation between writing and reflection and the effectiveness of our one little words. How can a word guide me through the year when I have chosen not to write about it or reflect on it along the way?

Some years, words just don't work out, and I'm OK with that too. It seems that I do better with a one little word that is a verb, an action. I have a word chosen for 2020...and yes, it is a verb. I look forward to putting this word in action starting tomorrow with the #100daysof notebooking challenge with Michelle Haseltine. Check out Michelle's site for more information and to join me along with over 100 other teacher-writers!

I like new beginnings. And I am ready with a blank new page! 

Welcome, 2020!

#Mustreadin2019 Wrap-Up

With 2019 wrapping up, it is time to reflect on my #MustReadin2019 challenge. Carrie Gelson at There's A Book for That started this challenge back in 2014. I have "participated" (and I use that word loosely!) every year. I enjoy creating a reading list, as I think it is important for readers to have a plan.

Carrying out that plan is where I typically run into problems. I did not write any update posts throughout the year, so here are my final results!

This year I had fifteen books on my challenge list, and I completed seven, the last one being read at the end of May. 

I will have to say that I enjoyed all of them, and with the exception of the two Shusterman books, they were all different. If I had to pick a favorite from this list, it would have to be Dry by Shusterman. 

I hope 2020 brings much joy in reading for all of you!

Fall Break, Comfort Food, and Nikki Grimes #TeachWritetober19

It's fall break. But a break is a far cry from what I would call these past two days.

I have been
     pitching
          purging
               tossing
                    switching
                         sorting

and wondering how in the world did all of this mess happen in these short nine weeks.

Among all this cleaning, I did take some time to read Between the Lines by Nikki Grimes. My eyes are always opened and my heart gets a little bigger when I read something from her. And this book did not let me down.

We just finished our first nine weeks, so realtionships are strengthening. Reading the stories of Kyle, Marcel, Darrian, Freddie, Jenesis, Valentina, Angela, and Li help me to remember that behind each pair of eyes that look at me each day, is a story, stories that some are afraid to tell and stories that don't yet know how to be told.

I begin to wonder how I can be more like Mr. Ward and teach them how to not only search for their stories, but how to find their words.

We're not there yet, but I'm still working on it. I reflect on Darrian's words, "Once you teach a bird to fly, you should expect him to use his wings."

Yes, we'll get there.



Tonight I fixed a dinner of comfort - a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato-basil soup. The kind of meal that warms the heart and soothes the soul (and I so wish it could soothe these aching muscles too!).

I have Nikki Grimes' newest book, Ordiary Hazards, beside me ready to read and my notebook open, ready to write. From what I hear, it has many lines that need to be savored and treasured. Check out Paul Hankins' review on Goodreads.

Fall break, comfort food, and Nikki Grimes...a fall evening doesn't get much better than that!
                       

A Ripple #TeachWritetober19

Last week I read the book Each Kindness by Jackie Woodson to my 6th graders. Although we were doing character ananlysis, I love this book for its simple message.

Ripple is my one little word for this year becuase I truly believe that what we do makes an impact in some way, big or small.

Sunday, I was in the drive-thru of our McDonald's before I went to school to prepare for this week, and I saw my colleague behind me. As I approached the window, I told the employee, who happened to be a former student, that I wanted to pay for Mr. Connor's meal. My student looked up the amount, and I paid it and pulled forward. 

As Mr. Connor approached the window, I saw that he handed the employee his card. I thought, "Hmm...what is going on? He shouldn't be paying."

Little did I know that when Mr. Connor was in line, the car behind him turned his music up really loud - the kind of loud where you can literally "feel" the beat. Mr. Connor stuck his head out the window and looked at the guy. Surprisingly, the young man turned it down. Mr. Connor thought, "I should buy that guy's meal since he respectfully turned down his music when I looked at him."

That's when the ripple began. When Mr. Connor got up to the window and found out that his meal was paid for, he then made the decision to pay for the meal of the young man behind him. As Mr. Connor moved up, he watched the car to see his expression, and guess what? That young man handed the employee some money.

The
       ripple
                continued...

The Finish #TeachWritetober19

Today one of my students came running over to me. I could tell she was excited about something and seemed just as excited to tell me about.

She had her book in her hand and said, "Look! I have just a few more pages left to read. I read this weekend at home."

I gave her a high five although I really wanted to just hug her tight and try not to cry.

You see, she struggles with reading. She has book hopped her way through the first grading period, starting and stopping book after book, forgetting to bring her book to class, and not completing a single one.

During reading time in class, I heard her tell her neighbor, "Look she ended getting Henry (the dog) after all."

When I asked her why she just didn't finish it home this weekend, she replied with a huge smile on her face, "I saved these last few pages because I wanted to finish it at school."

This. Just this.

Walking Out

I have always been amazed by those teachers who never carry a bag to and from school. Many days I walk in behind someone either leaving or arriving at school with nothing.

Not a single bag.

For most of my teaching years I have carried two bags:  my computer bag and my school bag. My computer bag, obviously, has my computer. My school bag at any given time may contain the current book I'm reading, the book I'm reading next, my notebook, a folder with the current unit or the unit I am revising, PD books to help plan those units, papers/tests to grade, my pencil/pen pouch, current projects, my standards binder, my student reading tracking binder, my mentor text binder, and/or my teacher notebook.

I am always afraid that I will not have something I need when I need it. I am always working on several different things at one time - usually something current and something in the near future. But many nights I take the bag home, and nothing comes out. I don't even open it.

But I still need that safety net...just in case.

Two nights this week I stayed late at school to watch our volleyball teams play. Both nights I left after 8:00, and both nights I decided to not take anything home. Not even my computer.

And do you know what? The world didn't stop spinning. I didn't stay up late thinking I was forgetting something. I didn't get up the next morning worrying that I didn't get something done.

I survived, and I felt so light the next day walking in with those other bagless teachers.

After all these years, I learned how teachers do it.

They just walk out. I can't say this will happen every day, but at least I know I can do it!

Photo by Elliott Stallion on Unsplash

Only 158 Pages to Go! #TeachWritetober19

I am procratination's best friend! We go togther like peanut butter and jelly! 

I had intentions of sharing stories this school year - 180 of them - one each day of the school year.

But THAT obviously didn't happen. 

Instead, I decided to take the time this month while I participate in #TeachWritetober19 to find those stories in my classroom and live my school year through them. Single stories are all around us, single stories that build great things.

Here is story number one.

"Briana" is a student who has struggled with reading. It's not that she can't - she just doesn't. As I conferred with her yesterday, I could tell she wasn't into her book. I suggested another book, but when I mentioned foster care, she immediately cut me off and said, "I don't want to read about foster care."

I backed off, not knowing what our conversation had triggered.

Come to find out, she was mad at me for another matter. Later that day she came in and asked if she could get another book becuase she didn't like the one she was reading. She looked down and asked me, "Can I have that one you were talking about this morning?"

I smiled and said, "Of course." I went to my closet to get one of my extra copies of Orbiting Jupiter, and handed it to her. "You're going to love it. I promise!"

Today during first period we were reading, and when I made the announcement that it was time to close our books, she begged, "No, wait!" She even carried and read the book with her to get a computer from the computer cart - she did not want to put the book down!

My reading heart skipped a beat.

She is only on page 25, and if you have read this book, then you know how much I want to talk to her when she finishes this book.

Only 158 pages to go!

#TeachWritetober19

It is hard to believe that almost three months has passed since I have occupied this space.

I have no excuses. 

Just this reminder from Jennifer from TeachWite.

I believe in every word of this. Writing is important to me, and I have missed it. Lucky for me, I have a wonderful support system to help me avoid the excuses. With the calendar turning to October, I am participating in #TeachWriteober19 with some amazing teacher-writers.

This month we have agreed to spend time working on our writing. The best part of participaing is that there are no rules...just glorious writing.  I can write what I want, when I want, and why I want. But I do have a plan to write every. Single. Day.

My goals for this month:

1. increase notebook writing
2. write a weekly reflection on my progress
3. write a blog post for an upcoming venture
4. launch a new writing space

Why don't you join us? Follow the hashtag #TeachWritetober19 on Twitter to find some inspiration and accountablilty. I look forward to writing this month with you.

Happy Writing!

A Well-Meaning Adult

Barbara Dee has a gift for taking tough topics and writing about them on a middle grade level. She doesn't "water them down." She relates. And her new book, Maybe He Just Likes You, is no different.

Mila is a 7th grader who becomes a victim of sexual harassment. It begins with an awkward hug from a boy and moves to other boys grabbing her butt, brushing against her arm or her leg, and making comments about the way her clothes fit her developing body and laughing. The boys even make a game of out. Her friends blow it off, saying it is just flirting and that she is overreacting. Mila feels that no one takes her seriously, and she has nowhere to turn.

I became frustrated with the teachers in the beginning of the book. I couldn't understand why the adults in Mila's life didn't see what was going on and when Mila tried to talk about it, they appeared to ignore it as well.

Middle school kids are dealing with so much. Hormones, puberty, and rapid growth and how these affect their social, emotional, and psychological health. Their relationships with their friends become more important than the relationships with their parents. One day they want to talk about their problems, and the next day, I can't get them to talk. Social media adds another complicated layer.

The behavior of the adults in the book hit me hard. When I mentioned this on Twitter, Barbara tweeted back, "The adults are well-meaning--they just don't see."

By the end of the book, I realized this was indeed true. Understanding middle school kids is tricky, but I don't recall a student ever coming to me about incidents such as those that Mila experienced.

Or have I just not noticed? Have I missed the signs? Has there been a time when a student has been afraid to talk to me when they have been a victim of sexual harassment? Do they even know what sexual harassment means?

Or have I unintentionally been a well-meaning adult?

This is such an important book for middle school students AND middle school teachers.  For many, this will be a book about consent and crossing the line. For me, this book was about making sure I am NOT just a well-meaning adult.

This is a book you will want on your shelves when it comes out in October.  

Creating Reading Experiences

This past week, Donalyn Miller wrote a post about her annual #bookaday on the Nerdy Book Club Blog. She explains how the #bookaday came about and the guidelines to participate. But toward the end of the post, she writes this:

"Ultimately, the measure of a reading life isn't how many books we read. We measure our reading lives in the experiences, knowledge gained, the conversations and relationships we have with other readers, or the further reading inquiry, or action our reading experiences spark."

Like many things Donalyn says, this got me thinking and has left me with many questions. As hard as I try to be a literacy advocate in and out of my classroom, I believe I can always do more and be better.

I have been thinking about how can I make reading experiences stronger in my classroom. How can I create different ways for my students to show their knowledge through reading? How can I improve conversations about books and our reading lives, which will build reading relationships? How can I engage students, which will spark that desire to read and learn more?

I brainstormed and made a list of things to think about this summer, which I share with you.

• I can be more consistent with my book talks and give more opportunities for students to talk about books among themselves. Summer is a great time to revisit books I have read and to think about the books I will share in the fall.
• I can be more consistent with making reading time in class a priority. Some times I let other important-things-at-the-moment take up the time set aside for reading. I believe Penny Kittle and Kelly Gallagher have said if they aren't reading at school, then they aren't reading at home. It is difficult to have reading experiences when students aren't reading.
• I can strengthen my reading conferences. Making time to confer with every student regularly allows me to create reading relationships. 
• I can continue to read myself. When I sit down with my students to confer, they know we are talking reader to reader, not teacher to student. Being familiar with the books in my library helps me to recommend books to students, solidifying that reader to reader relationship.
• I can create different ways for students to share what they have learned through reading. Reading response is a part of my standards and is expected. But the response does not always have to be a written paragraph or essay. 
• I can find texts that will spark their thinking and lead them to other reading. Thanks to the connections on social media, finding texts that are timely and relevant for my students is much easier. Summer is the perfect time to search for these.

As Donalyn said, it is these experiences that ultimately measure a reading life. This fall, students from four elementary schools will converge in my classroom, each coming with their own set of reading experiences. These experiences have made or have broken a reader and also contribute to students' attitudes about reading. 

My students come from AR reading experiences. Points are how they measure their reading lives. I have many students who come in saying they don't like to read; some even say they hate reading.

It becomes my job early in the year to find out about their experiences. But most importantly, to create better ones.

Ones that will become a new measure of their reading lives, hopefully, for years to come.