Feburary Books and a Great Program

My list of books for February includes more than 2. Which means if I keep this pace up, I will have more than the 20 I originally wanted to read this year. Since I bought myself a Kindle Fire with birthday and Christmas money, I've been doing much of my reading on it. Which I love! For those of you wondering, I got the Fire because of the ability to download apps. I don't have an I Pad, I Pod or I Phone, so I can't take advantage of apps on any other device. However, if you have another device with apps, you might as well just get the regular Kindle. Many of the books I will be posting in the next few months will be ebooks. Some of them may have paper copies, others not. I will try to link to each of them so you can check them out.

Here We Come Aggies Inheretance Book 3 by Chautona Havig. 
I want to start this review by saying I didn't read the first two books. This one was free and the others were not. Courtesy of Goodreads.com, here is the summary: "In the hubbub of wedding preparations, Christmas celebrations, and a house full of lively children, Aggie is feeling overwhelmed and unappreciated. Add to that two puppies who are growing faster than she can replace chewed shoes and fix dug fences, it seems like things just can’t get any worse. Then, as she should be enjoying the most exciting time of her life, she’s faced with her worst nightmare." I loved this book. The characters were relateable, I laughed and cried with them, 5 stars. The plot took a very interesting turn, that I wasn't expecting at all, 5 stars. No gore, no inappropriate content (although it is written for an adult audience). Discusses great relationships and the hardships life throws our way in a very real sense. 

The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer: This is the review I wrote on goodreads.com: "I read this on my way to work (or rather the Kindle read it as I drove to work) this morning. Quick read, I think it took 20-30 minutes tops. Tozer obviously has a good sense of Biblical teaching and is able to bring it down to a level where it is applicable immediately. Yes, there are many things he challenges us to do that don't happen overnight, but the power of this book makes you want to get started in any way you can immediately. He discusses being humble in our work, something I feel most of the modern American Christians could use a reminding about- I know it was helpful for me. He lays it out in a very logical and Biblical way that it seems easy (even if it does take time and patience and a lot of prayer)." It is nonfiction, so I won't rate the characters etc.

7 An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jenn Hatmaker. This book is extreme! Jen takes 7 months and reflects on different areas in her life that she has excess of. The first month she eats only 7 foods, for an entire month! Each month she tackles something new: purging 7 things each day from the house, eliminating media, spending money at only 7 places a month etc. Her end goal is to focus on what God desires for us, rather than the American materialism trap that we so often fall into. She has a council that do variations of each month with her and this book describes her adventure, failures and victories in this journey. Since it is non-fiction, it doesn't go with my typical rating system. It is a good book and will inspire you if you are looking to simplify your life.

Leaving Carolina: Here is goodreads.com's summary: "Piper Wick left her hometown of Pickwick, North Carolina, twelve years ago, shook the dust off her feet, ditched her drawl and her family name, and made a new life for herself as a high-powered public relations consultant in LA. She’s even “engaged to be engaged” to the picture-perfect U.S. Congressman Grant Spangler .Now all of Piper’s hard-won happiness is threatened by a reclusive uncle’s bout of conscience. In the wake of a health scare, Uncle Obadiah Pickwick has decided to change his will, leaving money to make amends for four generations’ worth of family misdeeds. But that will reveal all the Pickwicks’ secrets, including Piper’s. Though Piper arrives in Pickwick primed for battle, she is unprepared for Uncle Obe’s rugged, blue-eyed gardener. So just who is Axel Smith? Why does he think making amends is more than just making restitution? And why, oh why, can’t she stay on task? With the Lord’s help, Piper is about to discover that although good PR might smooth things over, only the truth will set her free." This is a rather lengthy summary, and does a pretty food job highlighting everything. While church and truth are involved, I wouldn't consider it Christian fiction. She struggles with truth, but not really with Truth. While intended for adults, there is nothing in it that would keep me from letting a teenager read it. Character development I would give a 2.5. While the main character is doubting herself and many things around her, the emotion isn't there, just mediocre. Plot is predictable 2.5. No gore, nothing inappropriate. I won't be reading the others in the series, as I found it lacking description and character development. 

And [insert drumroll]. . . . .I found a great program that gives you free books (both paper copies and ebooks)! Yep, this girl likes free! And better yet, it's a Christian publishing company! You do things (surveys, book reviews etc) to earn points and then "buy" books with your points: and it's free to sign up. I'm so in! I've downloaded a couple free ebooks to my Kindle and will be excited about reading and reviewing them. You can sign up for your rewards by going to the following link:
www.tyndalerewards.com/signup/?pc=4759-fmp6-73ez-a8edwww.tyndalerewards.com/signup/?pc=4759-fmp6-73ez-a8ed. 

Old, New and a Book

Ok, I have a bit of everything to discuss today, so bear with me!

The Old-I realized last week that my student at Kumon with autism has been with me a whole year! We learn through the summer, so it has legitimately been a year. Thinking back to the first month, I am amazed at how much he has grown. Our worst day today would have been a miracle if it had happened that first month. Initially it was difficult to get him to: sit down, biting or pinching me and to stop singing/carrying on conversations with himself (just to name a few). He still doesn't answer my questions (good afternoon, how are you), but he will read for me, do work, stay seated (most days) and he has learned to ask questions when he doesn't understand- BIG YEA! He is no longer my most difficult student. Yes, there are still days when he is hesitant to learn and I need to break out the singing directions (this was much less embarrassing in our little room, now that we are in a room with everyone else, I try not to resort to hurting their ears), he still has days when he talks or sings to himself (but it is much quieter and he can work while he does it), and will still throw my glasses across the room (I just wear my contacts). But amidst it all, we are learning and the behaviors have increased exponentially.

The New- One of my students (new to me this year) moved away. I was starting to see real progress in his attention span, ability to focus, and learning his letters (sounds for most are still developing). He was one of those sweeties that has such a heart for others and loves to give hugs. He will be missed, but I'm sure his new teacher will find much joy in teaching him.

A Book-I finished one more! To review: one of my goals is to read 20 books this year. I have a list, but have been having difficulty finding books on that list available at my library or through the libraries in the inter-library-loan program. The ones that are in the program are taking forever to ship (seriously, one said it was shipping for 2.5 weeks)! I would still like to read all of those, but for now am deviating from the list, in order to keep reading. I figured that in order to meet my goal, I should attempt to read 2 books a month, and if I only get one read for 2 months, I will still meet my goal. See last post for January.  I have read one for February and have a review for you.

The Returning by Ann Tatlock is an adult fiction novel. It tells the heartwarming story of a man who struggles to put his life back together after 5 years in prison. While in prison, he found Jesus, but only his 18 year old son who has Downs Syndrome understands his relationship with the LORD. He returns to a wife whom he struggles to love, his 18 year old son, his 16 year old daughter and his 6 year old daughter (whom was an infant when he left). This book deals with many adult topics including, struggling with faith, voodoo, drinking, divorce, drugs, and adult relationships.Although there are some intense topics, they are dealt with in as realistic and gentle as they can be without dumbing them down. I'll give this one a 2 out of 5 for wholesome matters. I refrained from giving it a 1, because it stayed away from details which could have made it far less wholesome. The character development was superb! I laughed, cried and was completely wrapped up in the emotions of the characters: 5 points. The plot twisted and turned and left you guessing: 5. No gore, despite the amount of intense topics covered: 5. Overall, a fantastic book for adults to read (maybe upper teens, I suppose it would depend on the person).

16/20 completed. 0/20 on the list so far (give me some slack, I'm reading 2 on the list right now, they just aren't finished enough, so they don't go in the count til I finish them). That about sums it up: old, new and a book!

Ok, I realize it's been months since I wrote, so here's the low-down. I'm still working at Kumon, still teaching the tiny ones, the cute ones, the ones that get so excited about learning, yet forget to cover their mouth when they cough (I've been less sick this year, I think I'm building up an immunity). I'm no longer working with the high schoolers with special needs. In August I was offered a job as an aide for K-4th grade in a small school
(one teacher per grade), this also came with some teaching when teachers were out. As I'm much more geared toward the little ones, I took this and love it! I'm planning and teaching guided reading, administering RtI interventions, doing informal interventions and helping out in classes in general. The staff is full of wonderful teachers, the school is full of technology and I was welcomed with kindness, it is great!

Ok, on to what I really wanted to write about: Reading.

If you've been reading this blog for very long, you know I love it and that I don't spend enough time doing it and that that makes me sad. So one of my goals for 2013 is to read 20 books in the year. I figured if I aim for 2 a month and miss a couple, I will still hit my mark.

Since I have a 45 minute drive to work each day (and consequently from it), I have started listening to audio books. They are wonderful and I can inter-library loan ones our humble library doesn't own. At first I was really disappointed. Our library's selection is decent- sized but I kept checking out books that looked wholesome from the cover and the synopsis on the back, but were far from it. I took 3 books back before I decided to stick to Christian books, children's books, ones that had been recommended by someone I trust or by Christian bloggers (I follow quite a few). So I started a book list. If you are interested, it can be found on my pintrest page here. What do I love to read? Wholesome fiction. So I decided to branch out, read some non fiction, some classics as well as fiction. 

Well, almost one month in here is my progress: I haven't read any of the books on the list. Now, before you lecture me about broken resolutions, let me tell you this: I have finished 3 books. 

Blessed by Cynthia Leitich Smith- Shortly after developing my list I realized there weren't any fantasy books on it. I thought, "Oh, well, I'll do that next year" then I was given this book as a gift. It's a vampire book. My first thought was, yikes! Now, I didn't read Twilight, but I watched the movie and wasn't thrilled. But I decided since this was gifted to me and I didn't have any fantasy, that I would give it a shot. Wholesome factor (on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being family friendly), I'd give it a 2. There was minimal swearing and no inappropriate moments. However, this is a vampire book, so there were bites, deaths and vengeance. My first thought was that the author wasn't very descriptive and that her writing was subliminal because of it. On second thought, I'm not sure that I would want some of the things in the book described in great detail, as it would have been much more gory. Gore rating sits at a 3. In the end, the plot was there and the characters somewhat developed. Plot development and character development rate in at 2. The main character was obviously the most developed character, yet I didn't connect with her as I do in most books. There was something missing and I think it might have to do with the lack of adjectives and adverbs. If you love vampire books (I'm not sure how many have been written), you may enjoy this. I enjoyed it, but was well aware of the elements it lacked.

Weasel by Cynthia DeFelice- This book takes place in 1839 in a pioneer setting. I love books on the pioneer life. I'm not sure why, but there is something about them that makes me feel blessed by what I have. Although this is a children's novel, you should be aware that it displays the hardships of pioneer life in a very real way. There is death, but the dead are honored in such a way that dulls the vividness of the situation. Wholesome: 3.5; there may have been a swear word or two, I don't remember entirely. I'd say ages 10 and up could read it, although I would encourage parents to read and discuss it with the children, as there are some dark moments. The reading level is 5th grade, so it was intended to be for 11-12 year olds and up. Plot: 5 Excellent plot. It was sequential with some twists and turns that are unexpected, definitely not boring. Character development: 5. It gets a 5 if it makes me cry; because I only cry when I am really in tune with the characters. Gore rating: 3, due to some of the raw nature of portions of the book and the descriptions (although very well written). This gal got an A+ on descriptions. Now I'm one of those people who is bored by a half of a page describing the house, yet want something to "build the movie" in my mind. She gave the perfect amount of description without overdoing it. 

 Being Nikki by Meg Cabot- As I was looking this up, I just realized this is book 2, this will change what I was going to write a little. This book is borderline sci-fi, as Em's brain gets transplanted into supermodel Nikki's body. Wholesome rating: 2. There was some swearing, underage drinking and partying, talk of drugs and anorexia. At a reading level of fifth grade, third month (October), I'm not sure I would let my fifth grader read it, too much crazy stuff. Gore level: 5, there is nothing gory about this book. The plot is ok, it could have thrown a few more surprises at me; I'll give it a 3, as it was about average. Character development was one of the areas I was going to criticize, but seeing as I didn't read the first novel, maybe some of it happened there. This book standing alone: I would have liked to get to know the "real Nikki" better and had more insight into Christopher. Character development (this book standing alone): 3. One thing that did annoy me throughout this book was that the author. . . . I don't know how to describe it, so I'll just give an example (not from the book, but something like what the author did). 'She threw the towel into the room out of frustration, finished brushing her teeth and called her mother while soaking her feet in the tub. When she was finished, she went to the other room to retrieve the towel, as she had thrown it there earlier.' Maybe it is just me, but if you already told me about her throwing the towel, you don't need to reiterate the point, I got it. She did this about once per chapter, and by the end it became annoying to me. This may not bother you, but it did me. Since I talked about the level of description in both of the other reviews, I will here as well. It was fine, not too much, not too little, but not outstanding either. 

On the list to start, as I picked them up at the library today (books on my actual list!): 7 An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker (isn't the title interesting?!), Leaving Carolina by Tamara Leigh (fiction). I also picked up an audiobook (that wasn't on the list), as my audiobooks I placed on hold aren't in yet. But it is in the car, so I don't know the title, right off the top of my head. 

 So, I am happy with my accomplishments so far, and hope next month I will have at least two more reviews! 

Resolve to Read

Today I was garage saling and came across a book that has been on my list to read for some time (a couple of years). Since it was a quarter, I got it and decided I was going to resolve to read it within the month. Now, reading is something I haven't done much of for awhile (other than reading the Bible). It's not that I don't love to read, because I do, I just need to remember to make time for it. Rather than watch a rerun of a television show, I could read.

I grew up loving books. I lived on a farm and aside from the animals (which I wasn't a fan of) there was not a whole lot to do. I read a lot. My mom would tell me to go outside and play and I would smuggle a book underneath my shirt and find a place away from the windows to read (so my mom couldn't see)-I know, I was a terrible child :)

I have so many books for my classroom library (my spreadsheet has a few more then 400 and I need to log a few still) that I had to store them at my parents house until I get a classroom of my own (Kumon only allows certain books within their program, but they do purchase them all).

So what book did I buy? Educating Esme Diary of a Teacher's First Year by Esme Raji Codell. I read Part I tonight. It shares her struggles within the classroom with students, administration, motivating both other teachers and students as well as her sucesses, small and large, and the funny moments (working with children always involves those). All in all, the book is a fantastic insight! I love reading what other teachers write, because it gives me a look into their classrooms and gives me ideas (that's why I read other teacher's professional blogs). But I did have some concern with one part.

On page 69 (in the 2001 edition) she states: I was ambitious in the choreography of the dance routine [for a Christmas presentation]. It had many complicated parts, but under the threat of death and homework my thirty-one charges learned them meticulously, baring their teeth in a mandatory smile all the way. I'm exaggerating; I know they kind of enjoyed the rehearsals, the anticipation of performance and success. They know I would never let them fail. That's why they do what I ask, no matter how much they complain.

Although you probably did not need to know quite that much, I thought it would give you insight to her humor and context is important to understand the overarching point. I wonder about the second to last sentence. Is it entirely the responsibility of the teacher whether a child succeeds or fails? Some might say yes, but I don't agree. I feel that if a teacher applies his or herself and helps a student in every way possible, and the student still fails that this isn't the fault of the teacher. Several factors could play into the situation: the student's study skills or lack thereof, life outside of the classroom (including social time within school and out of school happenings), whether the student slept well the night before or is feeling well, the list could go on and on. I sincerely hope that Esme does not hold herself personally responsible for the success or failure of her students. For that is a heavy cross to bear. That being said, there are many things a teacher can do to aide her students, and they should be done so each student is given a chance at success. On a separate note, failure is also a part of life. It is something students need to have happen in order for them to learn and grow from it. If a student never fails, he or she never learns how to recover from the situation and rise to become a stronger person. I fear for the student that never fails.

Book to Movie

Let me begin the post by saying I love the idea of taking books and turning them into movies. In theory it would give extended life to the story, plot and characters. The problem lies when Hollywood's reproduction does not follow the storyline of the book.

A few months ago I viewed a movie tailor for the motion picture Percy Jackson and the Olympians The Lightning Thief. It looked like an exciting adventure. When I discovered that it was first a book, I decided to read the book prior to watching the movie. I like to read the book first, because, obviously, the author's tale was the inspiration behind the movie to begin with. I purchased the book, thinking my future students might enjoy it as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr Riordan's masterpiece. The book was unpredictable and held twists and turns in the plot that kept me up one night long past the time I normally retire. I liked how I got to grow with Percy and learn things about the half-bloods as he did. I will not give away the plot line to anyone who has not read it, but it is certainly worth reading.

The movie, in itself, was a good movie. The problem was when it did not follow the storyline of the novel. The basic idea of the book was present in the movie, but the plotline and events that led to the ending were scarce. A couple of funny parts that were present in the novel were left out, and multiple fights were left out. Some characters (important ones at that) were left out of the movie. It almost appears as if the filmmakers asked a forgetful person who had read the book what it was about, and wrote the script on that, rather than the novel. Needless to say, I was disappointed with the movie.

Fantasy and Science Fiction

I got a free copy of Fantasy and Science Fiction the bimonthly edition for free with the promise to blog about this issue. I was excited to receive it, as we are currently reading the science fiction genre in my fourth grade classroom, and I can always use more resources. I had never heard of this magazine, until another educational blog pointed me in the direction of their website. I have to say, it has been some good reading.

What is Fantasy and Science Fiction bimonthly? It is a collection of authors who write-you guessed it: fantasy and science fiction! They are short stories, but the bimonthly editions are certainly not. My free edition was 254 pages! Intertwined with the stories are fantasy and science fiction books to read including the authors and approximate retail prices. I was disappointed that the books they chose to showcase were mostly over $25. Although they are new releases within the past couple of years, so I suppose that is to be expected. Nothing I would buy for my classroom anytime soon.

Although I was looking forward to my highest reading group (6th grade level) being able to read a short story in guided reading, I'm not sure this will be a resource to use in that fashion. Although I have not read it all, the ones I have read are at a higher reading level than sixth grade, are graphic in nature and not appropriate for students. A great read for mature adults, or even young adults, but not appropriate for ten year olds. Don't get me wrong, I don't intend to shelter my children, as literature is a fine way to introduce concepts that are difficult to discuss. Some of these stories just do it in a more graphic manner than I am willing to undertake. The vocabulary is the biggest deterrent for using this as a resource. Although I could read it aloud and break down the vocabulary, it would be a long process and I was looking more for something to fit in the span of a week.

Overall, a fine read for ages 15 and up. Not recommended for younger audiences.

Teacher Appreciation

Borders is having 30% off this week for teachers. I'm not sure what their "Special Reception" entails, but it is Saturday the 20th from 2-6 pm. Take a look at the link to their site for more information.

Setting Up

This week I attended classes (in which I was a student) and helped my mentor teacher set up the classroom.

It is amazing what six years of teaching will do for you! She had an abundance of information on how to do little everyday things. Her classroom library was amazing. It had lots of different books in several genres. She did mention that she would like to get more non fiction, but that the school library had a vast variety of non fiction, so the students still had access to books of that nature.

I am excited that we are going to incorporate mini lessons and writing workshops for reading and writing into the curriculum. My C and I 208 and 209 teachers would be proud :D

I worked with another intern to put up our first ever bulletin board! We even came up with the design ideas ourselves. We ran into some space difficulties, but three tries later, we finally got something that would fit. I was shocked at how much time it takes to make a bulletin board, but perhaps the time decreases with practice and preset ideas. I will post a picture of our board when I get one.

Coming up next week: district retreat and back to school night!