Spring Break Carrie

It is that time of year... Spring Break Carrie has arrived. Spring Break Carrie, SBC (not to be confused with the Springfield Ballet Company) is a lot like Summer Time Carrie, STC (again not to be confused with the Springfield Theatre Centre) . Both are happy, relaxed, and well read. Both spend their days pleasurably cleaning and cooking. Both stay up late and sleep in late. Both enjoy the countless stories and songs from the A Team. School Year Carrie also enjoys stories and songs from the A Team, but would prefer the condensed version with LONG pauses in between. Both are pleasant people.

The big difference between SBC and STC is the urgency at which SBC gets things done. SBC knows she is only here for a short time, while STC gets to hang out a little longer. SBC makes lists and works to check them off. STC makes lists and loses them. SBC is an overachiever while STC just squeaks by. SBC isn't someone I would want to hang out with, but STC is...

SBC has been busy making her list for the week. She has already started checking things off the list and is in the process of completing others.

1.  Read. Start AND finish a book. Good news! I went the the library last Thrusday. I have two books ready to go. In fact I am 1/3 of the way through one of them!

2.  Write. Either a blog post or a Camp Nanowrimo story  Looks like I am killing that one right now!

3.  Lose 30 Lbs This is where we get to the unrealistic portion of the list...

4.  Exercise once a day  I have actually done this! Friday Skyzone, Saturday Beachbody Yoga, Sunday Beachbody Yoga

5.  Drink water Ugh... why is this so hard?

6.  Clean the house March was rough on our house! I wasn't home much and things got out of control fast. It takes two adults constantly on top of things to keep this place afloat. 

7.  Clean the DVR Again, March was rough on the DVR.

8.  Eat all the Easter candy I am killing this one! I am owning that candy and making it my bi food. In fact, I might run to the store tomorrow and get more. This will probably ruin number 3, maybe...

9.  Go to a movie during the day Tomorrow A3 are going to see Beauty and the Beast while the others are at school and work. 

10. Eat out once, cook the rest I have been to the store, meals are planned, I am ready to cook. I actually love cooking meals when I have time!

SBC has set her goals high. She is prepared to work to achieve them. She also knows if she falls short of completing her list STC will be here in 6 short weeks.

Happy Spring Break!

Fish in a Tree

You know how sometimes you read that one book that really speaks to you, the one that makes your life make sense? I am reading that book right now. I didn't expect this book to touch me so deeply. I picked it up because it is a Rebecca Caudill book and I want to read at least 3 to my class, so they are eligible to vote in March.

Quick summary: Ally a middle school student has always been misunderstood in school. She always found herself accidentally in trouble and was labeled as a trouble maker. To make matters worse, her dad was in the military so her family moved a lot. She wasn't ever in one school for very long. Through out the course of the story we learn that Ally is dyslexic. This story beautifully illustrates how a person with a learning disability feels in a variety of situations. 

I have been reading this to my jr high class. The students in that class can all relate to Ally and what she is going through. This book has sparked so many awesome discussions. I am amazed by the way the students are hanging on every word and usually are bummed when the chapter is over. Yesterday we read about the class student counsel election. It brought up a lot of current event topics. I am so impressed by the connections my class is making between this book and real life!

Last week the book hit me in the feels. Ally described how it felt living with a learning disability. I actually got choked up while I was reading.

It made things so clear. I couldn't help but think about A2. This is her struggle. Every day.

Then I thought about my students. This is their struggle. Every day. 

This book gave me a new sense of importance and urgency in my job. I could be the "lifeline" for these struggling students. I want to be that person. I want to make learning easier. I want to make learning make sense for them. I want to help them keep their bikes together while they ride. 

I hope every teacher adds this book to their personal reading list. It is Y.A. It isn't a challenging read. It is probably a a 4 hour uninterrupted read. This will give a whole new perspective on those kids who need more help than others. 

I can't wait to share this book with the A Team!

Next Big Challenge

Now that I have added middle school librarian to my job title, which I am not complaining about because it is every book nerd's dream to spend time in a library and get paid!, I have given myself a new challenge. I plan on reading every book nominated for the 2016 Rebecca Caudill Award by the end of February.

This by far is my favorite challenge I have ever issued myself.  What in the world could be better than curling up and spending quiet evenings with award worthy books? I can't think of anything better, Brach's Malted Eggs- the original recipe comes close. 

There are 20 books on the list. The interest levels range from 4th-8th grade, while the reading levels range from 3rd to 8th grade. This shouldn't be too hard.  I have already finished one of the books and I am starting the second tonight.

See You at Harry's was the first book of my challenge. I started this book while waiting for A1 at piano lessons. I read the entire time she was inside. I was hooked. I rushed home, got the other girls ready for bed, and put them to bed early, so I could continue to get lost in Fern's life. I read the entire 310 pages in about 4, slightly interrupted, hours. It was such an emotionally gut wrenching book I didn't want to put it down, because I knew I would need closure. Honestly, I am surprised I wasn't dehydrated the next day! I started choking back tears, and eventually losing, about a third of the way through and didn't stop until well after I went to bed. It was especially tough being the mother of a 3 year old! 

There are so many neat touches in this book.  

1. The characters are all named after other well known favorite book characters. 
2. There are lists in this book.  I love lists! 
3. The first line, "The very best day of my life, I threw up four times and had a fever of 103 degrees." caused my sarcastic heart to flutter.  
4. Knowles writes about fantastic friendships and complicated family relationships.
5. It felt so real.

I am not sure, if I could recommend this to 5th graders though. There are some pretty heavy things dealt with and I know I wouldn't want A1 reading it right now. She would be needing to talk about this book every day/night for years. BUT I would recommend it to anyone 7th grade and up, especially all the parents out there, so many things to think about after page 310! 

*** Good news I just checked, this book is a 7th-8th grade interest level. I don't have to worry about the judgement of those who nominated this book! yet.

If you want to join me on this challenge, click on 2016 Rebecca Caudill Award book nominations to find the list. I hope some of you will read these books, because I LOVE talking about books!

*** More good news, Barnes and Noble has the fist 176 pages as a free sample! Go start it NOW!

Ugly Blames

It happened. I got the email. The one I suspected was coming before A2 even started school. The email letting me know she qualified for extra reading help.

Even though I knew it was only a matter of time before her "Learning Differences" caught up with her, I still got emotional reading the email from her teacher. I joked with two of my friends who were lucky enough to be with me when I read the email. I told them between fake sobs that this pointed out that my kid wasn't perfect.

They knew this wasn't true. I am one of the first to admit and embrace my girls' imperfections. (And share them, so all my friends can have a good laugh!) The truth is, I got emotional because I felt like a failure after reading that email. My irrational side took over and started telling me all kinds of ugly things;

"You didn't do enough for A2 when she was littler." She is the middle child, so maybe I really have been neglecting her. 

"You should have taken her to the library more often." Truthfully, I have probably only taken her to the library a handful of times, but anyone who has ever been to our house will tell you my book addiction is real. The girls have plenty of books and we read them all the time. I just can't handle the stress of the library with kids. Finding parking, lugging them in, keeping them quiet, keeping track of the books we get, returning them on time; none of those are my "thing." 

"You are a special education teacher; you, of all people, should have been able to help her. Maybe, in addition to being a bad parent, you are also a bad teacher." I keep my magic wand at school.

"You are too selfish with your time and need to spend more time with A2." Seriously, the only time I am away from the girls at night is when I am directing the musical at the high school, and that is only a few nights a week for 8 weeks. 

"You should have eaten better while you were pregnant with A2; you needed more folic acid." Ok, this could be true... Not much folic acid offered at the Golden Arches.

These ugly "blames" kept replaying in my mind, causing be to feel like a complete failure as a parent. This continued for several hours until a very wise friend straightened me out. She told me to think about all the families I have worked with throughout all the years I had been teaching.  She asked me to think about my favorite families. Coincidentally, most of my favorites have at least 3 kids. Many, not all, have 3 girls... Must be why they are my favorites. Then my friend asked if I blamed the parents for their child's learning issue. No, of course I didn't! For whatever reason these things happen. Some people just learn different and need extra help. Who would blame the parents? Wait... I see what she did...

My rational side started to fight back.  It isn't my fault she is struggling. This is just the way her brain works with the information being delivered the way it is in a normal classroom setting.  Her brain needs a different way. Good news for A2, her brain will get a different way.

As I sat in the quiet house this morning before the girls woke up, I started thinking about the families I have worked with in the past and I wonder if they went through the same feelings I did. If they did, how did they get past those blames? Have they gotten past them? Maybe I am the only one with those irrational blames, but I have a hunch I am not.

A2 being A2; the very best person she can be!