It's been too long! It's Monday! What are you reading?

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Teach Mentor Texts

Spring break. That was the last time I blogged about reading! At the top of that list was Sunset magazine had just finished Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. It was also the last time I blogged on my classroom blog. I am so excited to finally be back blogging about books! It's been too long. Some things have changed: I have a new blog and a new position as a lead learner at an amazing school with transitional kindergarten through third grade students. What hasn't changed is my love for books! Although my summer was busy, I still made time for reading. I didn't read as many books as I'd planned, but I did find inspiration and imagination on blogs, on Twitter, in videos, and even in a few books. So, here we go! It's Monday! Here's what I'm reading!

This month, I have been reading The Round House by Louise Erdich. I'm only about halfway through it. It tells the story of an unspeakable crime from the point of view of a young man. It's both hard to read and hard to put down. It's our next week's book for discussion. I'm looking forward to finishing it and hoping for justice in the end.

Up next, I'm looking forward to reading Invent to Learn! I love the idea of kids learning by creating, making and building, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the ideas can be incorporated into our school. I also need to check out diy.org, a place where kids can earn virtual badges! Thanks, Joe Wood, for the ideas!

Lately, most of my reading has been online. I subscribe to quite a few blogs and follow others on Facebook. Michael Linsin, the author of Dream Class writes a blog called Smart Classroom Management with positive and practical ideas to inspire every educator. His most recent post was about instilling a love of school. Check it out!

Teach Like a Pirate is one of my favorite books. But, did you know Dave's wife, Shelley, is one of my favorite bloggers? The day I discovered her blog I read every single post! This year, our school is focused on finding ways to engage and inspire students. One of her posts "Are Your Kids Just Doing School?" challenged me to really reflect about what motivates students and how as educators we need to think about our students, their needs, and their interests.

Finally, classroom management is always a challenge at the beginning of the school year, no matter how long you've been in the classroom. What's the right way? The right rule? Do I need a clip chart or a card chart? Katherine Sokolowski is another one of my favorite bloggers. Check out her post for a fresh take on the topic of classroom management.

So, although most of my reading has been of the online variety, I am so happy to be back blogging and reading! I can't wait to hear from you!  What are you reading?