2010 Draws to a Close Today

I’ve had quite a year professionally and personally.  As many readers of this blog know, 2010 was the year Ruth and I published our book, Day by Day.  However, what you may not know is that I’m expecting a baby in a couple of days.  I know my life is about to change big time.  [...]

of Thee I Sing: Giveaway Announcement

Find out if you won a copy of Barack Obama and Loren Long’s book of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters by watching the short video below. If you missed the post about this book, then click here to read it now.

Where are we running?

“Race to Nowhere” is a documentary that has been talked about, but has not been widely advertised like “Waiting for Superman” was earlier this year.  From what I’ve heard, “Race to Nowhere” is the documentary that gets at the heart of the issue with regard to what’s happening in our nation’s public schools.  Here’s a [...]

Intentions.

Many years ago I began making a list of intentions instead of resolutions for the new year. It is just a slight word change and yet it makes a difference in my mind. What do I intend for the new year? Here were my intentions for 2010. Clearly with the new year on the brink, [...]

President Obama’s Book + the Final Giveaway of 2010

Last month President Barack Obama published a picture book, of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters, which is illustrated exquisitely by Loren Long.  I received a review copy of it while I was at NCTE.  Since my husband was with me, I shared the book with him.  We were both impressed by the [...]

The Final Slice of Life Story Challenge of 2010

Stories Matter

“If stories come to you, care for them. And learn to give them away where they are needed. Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive.” —Barry Lopez Stories matter.  A lot. Here are some reasons why . . . Stories help us reflect on life and understand where we’ve been [...]

A Good Movie for the Vacation

A few months ago I set my DVR to record “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” the 1995 film with Richard Dreyfuss.  The movie remained in the DVR for months.  Finally, when my husband and I were coming up empty-handed for movies to watch on cable we decided to watch “Mr. Holland’s Opus.” The movie begins in 1965 [...]

Merry Christmas

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

Baseball & Two December Holidays

Family.  Friendship.  Generosity.  The great American pastime.  Interracial and interfaith friendships.  All of these topics are woven together artfully by Sharon Robinson in a new book, Jackie’s Gift.  This is a true story about Sharon Robinson’s father, the great baseball player Jackie Robinson, and her family’s first Christmas in Brooklyn, NY. The Satlows are a [...]

Charro Claus Giveaway Announcement

I’m having technical difficulties with my Flip Camera (i.e., with uploading the video to my computer).  Therefore, I’m going to announce the name of the person whose name I picked out of the bowl.   Katy will be receiving a copy of Charro Claus and the Tejas Kid, compliments of Cinco Puntos Press. If you missed [...]

A Persuasive Touchstone Text

Karen Kaufman Orloff wrote I Wanna Iguana, which quickly became one of my favorite texts to use with my students to teach voice in persuasive letter writing.  She’s out with a new book, I Wanna New Room, which can be added to my growing list of touchstone texts for a persuasive unit. If you’re familiar [...]

The Eve of the Eve of the . . .

Hannah, my oldest daughter woke up this morning and said: Today is the eve of the eve of Christmas eve. I paused and counted the days back from Friday, smiled and said, “Yes, you’re right, it is.” “Well, then, I think today deserves a celebration,” she smiled at me. It is this excitement I want [...]

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Thinking About Others

Most schools in this area are on break. However, my daughters’ school is not one of them. They continue to go to school through Wednesday. Today I volunteered in my first grade daughter’s classroom. If you are lacking a little spirit this holiday season, then you should volunteer in a first grade classroom too.  Among [...]

Needs vs. Wants — Winner Announcement

I finally purchased a Flip Video Camera since the video feature on my regular camera broke several months ago.  Hence, today’s giveaway announcement follows on video below.  My apologies for some of the focusing issues… I’m still trying to master this piece of technology. Find out if you won a copy of Charlie and Lola: [...]

Rethinking and Rewriting Princess Stories

My best friend and I are both expecting daughters in 2011.  We’re been friends since my freshman and her sophomore year of college.  We’ve been in each other’s weddings.  We simply cannot wait to watch our daughters grow up together!  Last Monday, when she called me to announce that her third child would be a [...]

A Book Party

I am sitting here, humbled and grateful. My school hosted a Book Party/Signing for me yesterday. I am fortunate to work for a school who values professional development and celebrates together when good things happen. With each person who walked through the door, my smile grew bigger. I am thankful to work among the best [...]

Bilingual Christmas Story + A Giveaway

I’ve been looking for a good story about Christmas to share for quite a few weeks.  Most of the books I’ve received were either too religious for use in public school classrooms or didn’t seem like they’d inspire students.  But then, I received a review copy of Xavier Garza’s Charro Claus and the Tejas Kid [...]

Social Bookmarking

I attended a workshop led by Troy Hicks yesterday. It was exceptional. Everyone brought their own laptops and he led us through day of trying things out, setting things up, and thinking things through. One of the new resources I learned about are the Common Craft videos on YouTube which teach about different tech tools [...]

Blog Tour

Ruth and I were thrilled that four blogs decided to host stops on our blog tour last week.  A big thank you to the following bloggers who read our book and posed thoughtful questions: Franki Sibberson of A Year of Reading Julie Johnson of Raising Readers and Writers Karren Colbert of The Write Brained Teacher [...]

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How’s Your OLW?

I think choosing a OLW (one little word) for the year is a great way to embark on a reflective life. When I chose vitality for my OLW, I knew I was in for a lot of learning. I expected to learn about physical health and healthy eating, but I also learned about spiritual and [...]

Giveaway Announcement

There are four book giveaways I’m announcing today.  Here are the names that were drawn for each of the following books: A copy of Sweet Moon Baby: An Adoption Tale goes to Annie Campbell. A copy of Eight Winter Nights: A Family Hanukkah Book goes to Kathie. A hard copy of Sammy and His Behavior [...]

Words that are Speaking to Me

“Write down the thoughts of the moment.  Those that come unsought for are commonly the most valuable.”  ~Francis Bacon