Embedded Files
Several years ago, I heard the words COMPOUND INTEREST, and my life was forever changed. I love reading books about money, and David Bach's informative, clever story did not disappoint. If you ever plan to earn money in your lifetime, do yourself a favor and read this book so you can start making your money work for you as early as possible. The narrative used to teach the principles of finance is cute and succinct; in fact, it only took me a few hours to read through it! And it inspired me to want to do a few things differently within my own household, things that will set my family up for financial freedom for years to come.
If you have ever watched "The Flintstones," then you know it is set in the Stone Age and that the vehicles move because the people in them all use their feet together. The same premise applies to the metaphor Ron Clark creates in his book Move Your Bus: Only when teachers, administration, and staff members work together - with everyone doing his or her part - can we "move the bus" forward.
According to the website "Four Minute Books," Ron Clark extends the bus metaphor to define the five different groups that can be viewed in most organizations:
The driver(s), who steers the bus and pushes everyone forward – these are usually the members of administration (the principal, the assistant principal, etc.).
The runners, who are the top performers, work hard and always have great, creative input on how to move on.
The joggers, who are diligent and consistent workers, but only switch into high gear occasionally.
The walkers, who are still steady (but rather slow), don’t like change too much and sometimes slow the bus down.
The riders, who only run when someone’s watching them and otherwise use their intelligence to hide behind the crowd.
The reason I love this book so much is because of this one take-away that is summed up superbly on the website "Four Minute Books":
"Nobody owes you their attention, their money, let alone their recognition, and you sure don’t deserve an award just for showing up to work on time. "
SOURCE: Niklasgoeke. “Move Your Bus Summary.” Four Minute Books, 3 Jan. 2018, fourminutebooks.com/move-your-bus-summary/.
Wow. I'm in the process of reading the book Dear Martin by Nic Stone right now, and two parts just JUMPED OUT at me.
The first is the interaction that occurs in Dr. Dray's class (Coincidence? I think not!) in Chapter 7. The point that SJ makes on pages 62-64 should be an "AHA!" moment for all of us who have never considered things from the point of view noted by SJ. The second aspect that struck me as highly profound was when I read the following letter that Jus writes to "Martin":
It's like I'm trying to climb a mountain, but I've got one fool trying to shove me down so I won't be on his level, and another fool tugging at my leg, trying to pull me to the ground he refuses to leave.
This novel, so far, is SUPER captivating. It's structure, topic, and conflict are sure to draw in every teenager who dares to pick it up! (Plus, it's an easy read that seems to be taking me no time to get through!) But don't take my word for it; check out this pretty spot-on book review to discover another perspective on Stone's breakout young adult novel.
The #1 New York Times bestselling debut novel that introduced Khaled Hosseini to millions of readers the world over.
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, caught in the tragic sweep of history, The Kite Runner transports readers to Afghanistan at a tense and crucial moment of change and destruction. A powerful story of friendship, it is also about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.
Since its publication in 2003 Kite Runner has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic of contemporary literature, touching millions of readers, and launching the career of one of America's most treasured writers.
SOURCE: The Kite Runner: Khaled Hosseini: 9781594631931: Amazon.com: Books "The Kite Runner: Khaled Hosseini: 9781594631931: Amazon.Com: Books." Amazon.com. N. p., 2017. Web. 24 July 2017.
Having attended training at the Ron Clark Academy - and having received this book and others written by Clark's colleagues Kim Bearden and husband-and-wife team Hope and Wade King as a result of project funding through Donors Choose - I am SUPER PUMPED about devouring all I can from these phenomenal educators!
Here is just a sample of what can be found in this inspirational text:
Sample strategies for teachers:
Love what your students love, whether it’s iCarly, Twilight, or Monday Night Football!
Bring education to life with kinesthetic learning – kids need to move!
Get a drum for the classroom and use music to excite, motivate and inspire!
Sample strategies for the school and community:
Provide examples of excellence; we have to be our best individually, but never forget that educating our children is a shared responsibility.
Recognize that the heart of the school is the teacher; hire the best and never settle.
Want to know more about this guide to becoming a better teacher? Visit http://endofmolassesclasses.com/.
The seven teachers who encompass our English department at Southside High School were each allowed to choose an informational text about independent reading. The goal is to have a "meeting of the minds" before the end of the summer so that we can help develop a plan for the new school year that will not only encourage our students to do more independent reading but will also help them get the most out of the novels that are read.
The book I chose, No More Fake Reading by Berit Gordon, is all about what Gordon refers to as the "blended model." This strategy suggests that teachers use "key passages from classic texts" to discover strategies that all great readers use. Then, students use novels they have selected based on their interests to mimic the same skills in order to read their selected novels more critically.
So far, I am a little disappointed with this book. Too many pages in the beginning of the book seem to be trying to "sell" the reader on what the book has to offer. (I mean, there is even a part where the author actually tells the reader what he is going to tell the reader, which is the number one thing English teachers try to get their students NOT to do when writing!) I am keeping an open mind, however, and will be praying that this book will offer information that I can actually "bring to the table" when our team meets in a few weeks. Fingers crossed!
Teach Like a Champion offers effective teaching techniques to help teachers, especially those in their first few years, become champions in the classroom. These powerful techniques are concrete, specific, and are easy to put into action the very next day. Training activities at the end of each chapter help the reader further their understanding through reflection and application of the ideas to their own practice.
Among the techniques:
Technique #1: No Opt Out. How to move students from the blank stare or stubborn shrug to giving the right answer every time.
Technique #35: Do It Again. When students fail to successfully complete a basic task—from entering the classroom quietly to passing papers around—doing it again, doing it right, and doing it perfectly, results in the best consequences.
Technique #38: No Warnings. If you're angry with your students, it usually means you should be angry with yourself. This technique shows how to effectively address misbehaviors in your classroom.
SOURCE: Amazon.com: Teach Like a Champion: 49 Techniques that Put Students on the Path to College (9780470550472): Doug Lemov: Books "Amazon.Com: Teach Like A Champion: 49 Techniques That Put Students On The Path To College (9780470550472): Doug Lemov: Books." Amazon.com. N. p., 2017. Web. 24 July 2017.
This book was given to all teachers at my former school, Wekiva High School, as a school-wide push to provide professional development to all instructional staff members. It has offered amazing techniques that touch upon the nuances of teaching that can help take my daily routines, classroom management policies, and overall teaching to the next level.
In an attempt to be "in the know" with my students and their reading interests, I have read (and become absolutely hooked on) the summer reading suggestions for English I - Pre-AP students.
One of those suggestions is listed as a previous entry here (Dear Martin). Two of the other books happen to each be the first in their respective series.
Libba Bray's A Great and Terrible Beauty is the first in the Gemma Doyle trilogy. The Goodreads website summarizes this work by teasing that "in this gothic novel, mysterious visions, dark family secrets and a long-lost diary thrust Gemma and her classmates back into the horrors that followed her from India." The two novels that follow A Great and Terrible Beauty are Rebel Angels and The Sweet Far Thing.
Scott Westerfeld's quadrilogy begins with Uglies, which is summarized on Goodreads as follows: "Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. In just a few weeks she'll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunning pretty. And as a pretty, she'll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun. But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world-- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally's choice will change her world forever...." Uglies is continued with the novels Pretties, Specials, and Extras.
My favorite of the two series is the Westerfeld work. However, I do believe that opinion may change once I finish the five remaining texts. (I'm just sad that my obligations as a teacher will leave me very little free time to complete these remaining books and that I will probably have to wait until next summer to finish all of them!)
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