Wednesday, March 7, 2018

February Book Review

Happy Middle of the Week and Book Review Day!



Last month I only read two books. 
I got stuck in a rut, and then life as a teacher got super busy, so I didn't have much time to read. 
I will say that the two books I did read were phenomenal. 


Flight #116 is Down


I was looking for a book that would be part of my spring literature circles and wasn't sure what to grab.
One of my co-workers suggested Flight #116 is Down.
I quickly ordered it from the library and sat down to read it.
This book is a really easy read.
Heidi lives in the Dove House.
She's surrounded by fancy decorations, a caretaker and parents who are always on the go.
Another round of trips leaves Heidi alone with her care taker when she hears an overpowering sound. She then realizes that a plane has crashed on their property.
Heidi puts the ball in motion when she goes to the aid of the badly hurt.
This book encapsulates a story of not only trying to help all of the passengers survive but in befriending the help and maybe making lifelong friends.
This was a great book, but it wasn't as high of a level that I was wishing for my literature circles, so I decided to go with option #2.
I'm currently finishing option #2, so I hope to report back on it during my March Book Review.



Refugee

I ordered Refugee a few months ago and hadn't had the chance to read it.
A lot of the boys in my classes had been passing it around, so I was interested in seeing what all it was about.
Three different stories are told in this book from three different time periods.
Josef is trying to escape the Nazi's in Germany during the 1930's.
Isabel is trying to escape Cuba in the 90's and Mahmoud is trying to escape the Syrian war in 2015. All three of these children are with their families trying to escape to a new country and create a new and better life.
Each time that they think they've found the answer, another obstacle pops up.
There's only so much time before they will be captured or returned to their homeland.
Will their escape efforts work or will they return and have to start all over again?
I loved that each chapter gave just enough information to make you wonder what was going to happen next.
As soon as you were onto the plot line, the chapter ended and another story began.
This really kept me intrigued and wanting to read more.

That's all for today. 
Hopefully, next month I will have more books to report back with!


Monday, March 5, 2018

March Goals

Hey, hey!
February seemed to fly by.
Each day brought something new and time consuming.
I didn't have much time for blogging, so that went to the wayside.

I've had a bit of time to catch up, so I'm back with my March goals!
I'm so glad that it's March.
The grass is starting to green up and it's staying lighter outside longer.
I'm so excited for warmer weather and sunnier days!

Before jumping into my March goals, I want to share an update on my January goals.

1. Clean Closets/Bathoom Cabinets

2. Register for Master's Classes

3. Book Summer Vacations

I'm glad to share that all of my January goals have been completed.
We had a wintry January, so I had a lot of time at home!
The house has been cleaned from top to bottom including inside and outside of cabinets.
It's time consuming, but now that the sun is shining I'm glad I'm not confined to spring cleaning the house.
I registered for my final four master's classes and have finished one already.
We booked our summer vacations, and I have one more vacation to make a decision on this month.

So here we go March...


1. Complete Read Aloud Class

Last month I finished my first Master's class of four.
Teaching Literacy Across the Curriculum was my first class.
If you aren't a language arts teacher but are interested in learning how to integrate reading and writing in your classroom, this would be a great class.
Since I am an ELA teacher, I knew most of the information, but it was a good refresher course to get me back in the student mode.

This month I'm looking to finish a class on Read Alouds.
I'm hoping to report back at the beginning of April on it.

2. Complete Teacher Health Class

I have high hopes to complete two classes this month. 
My second class is on keeping sane while being a teacher. 
It's so easy to get consumed with teaching. 
As I'm typing this I have spent hours and hours on grading and planning this weekend. 
It's currently Sunday, and I'm trying to hurry up and get our meals made for the week, so that I can go plan some more. 
While I love my job, it's time consuming and can get you down. 
I'm excited to see what this class has to offer.

3. Make Alaskan Cruise Decision

My mom and I may be making our first trek to Alaska this summer. 
We've been trying to decide on which cruise we want to take. 
I had it narrowed down and thought I had a winner, but then I realized I was looking at a cruise that departed in 2019 not 2018. 
I'm hoping we will make a decision very soon!

All of my goals for this month are very research oriented.
I'm hoping for lots of time at home reading and writing and to get these goals under my belt come April.
Happy March!