A few weeks ago, I was talking with our six-year-old neighbor about her friends in her class at school. She told me that most of her friends are boys, and that she doesn’t really hang out with the girls in her class. Her mom mentioned two girls who are in her class who are always [...]
Categories: General
Mike said I had to include this, or just in case you needed a little laugh at my expense: In The Princess Bride, William Goldman explains that S. Morgenstern’s estate would not let him include the reunion scene between Westley and Buttercup that he had written. But readers were encouraged to write in and request [...]
Categories: Books
When I was a freshman in high school, my favorite movie was The Princess Bride. And one day when I was hanging out in the school library (as nerds do), I came across a copy of the book by William Goldman. I checked it out and read it. Not long after, I checked it out [...]
Categories: Books
I think maybe I don’t like Shannon Hale. I mean, I am sure she is a lovely person. I think maybe I don’t like her WRITING. (Also, she is friends with Stephenie Meyer and made that semi-rude remark about JK Rowling. Maybe I really DON’T like her.) I didn’t care for Austenland at all. But [...]
Categories: Books
The past couple of weeks, the art teacher and I have been talking with our 6th graders about symbolism. First, symbolism in art: Baroque still life paintings. The art teacher and I talked about things that might symbolize ourselves. I chose a book, a cup of coffee, and a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. [...]
I wasn’t sure I was going to write this one up because it’s probably not something my readers are going to be interested in, and it’s not the normal type of book I read, but after a little bit of a rocky beginning, I ended up enjoying it and wanted to put my positive review [...]
Categories: Books
I am always looking for new graphic novels for my middle schoolers, but I hadn’t had a chance to read the Lunch Lady series quite yet. So I gave them to two seventh-grade boys with the request that they read them and write me a reading comprehension test on them. They giggled their way through [...]
Categories: Books
Over the summer, when I wasn’t blogging, I read some things. Most notably, I read a book called Columbine by Dave Cullen. Dave Cullen was on the scene at Columbine on the day that it happened, and he has worked on the story for the past ten years, clarifying information and debunking many of the [...]
Categories: Books
When I went to take the Praxis, the woman next to me pulled out her water bottle (not allowed) and her hand sanitizer (not allowed) and, honest to God, a box of Clorox wipes (definitely not allowed). I didn’t have a lot to do while we were waiting to start the Praxis. So I watched [...]
Categories: General
Every year on September 11th, I visit Tomato Nation and read what Sarah Bunting wrote about her September 11th experience. I still remember reading it the first time, when the pain of what had happened that day was so sharp. I read blog after blog after blog to hear people’s experiences, to try to understand. [...]
Categories: Family
Wage peace with your breath. Breathe in firemen and rubble, breathe out whole buildings and flocks of redwing blackbirds. Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping children and freshly mown fields. Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees. Breathe in the fallen and breathe out lifelong friendships intact. Wage peace with your listening: hearing [...]
When I ordered my National Poetry Month poster (which is now hanging in the hall, thankyouverymuch), I also received a copy of the 2007 poster featuring Walt Whitman. Or, as you Dead Poets Society fans might know him, Uncle Walt. I have no idea if they were just trying to get rid of the 2007 [...]
A couple of weeks ago, Mike and I watched Man on Wire, the documentary about Philippe Petit and his tightrope walk between the Twin Towers in the summer of 1974. I highly recommend it if you haven’t seen it. It was great. And then, the next day, I got a notice that a book had [...]
In Mike’s classroom, there is a hyperbole poster. The hyperbole poster explains what hyperbole is and how to avoid it. When a student says something like, “This is the worst day ever!” he tells them to go and read the hyperbole poster. I love the hyperbole poster. Now, I know that you are thinking that [...]
Categories: General
August 1 – Saw Scott and Kelly in Raleigh with Randy and Melissa. (Got lost. And then unlost. Also went to Trader Joe’s.) August 2 – Toured a house with Jason and Alisa and waited for Brandi to arrive. August 3 – Watched O Brother, Where Art Thou outside on the big screen. August 4 [...]
Categories: Good Things
While there are no spoilers for Catching Fire in this post, there are spoilers for The Hunger Games below. (Should be obvious, but I figured better safe than sorry.) This book got me in a little bit of trouble. See, I managed to obtain a copy of the prerelease from a librarian friend (read: she [...]
Categories: Books