Caminar - Skila Brown
Set in 1981 Guatemala, a lyrical debut novel tells the powerful tale of a boy who must decide what it means to be a man during a time of war.
Read MoreAlways a Catch - Peter Richmond
“Oakhurst Hall is a box, sir,” I said,” But the rest of the world isn’t boxed in anymore. There aren’t any boxes. There are clouds”
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Thoughts on Glory O'Brien's History of the Future by the Author
I was happy that someone in social media linked me to Five Questions for A.S. King. As always upon completing Glory O'Brien's History of the Future, I am impressed and in a bit of awe at King's work. I am also a bit challenged as well. I run a 7 -12 library and am also left at a bit of a loss about how I feel about a 7th grader taking one of her books home. I know that makes me controversial in the library world, but I am governed by an administration and a board and a community that demands I think carefully about how I spend my limited budget.
One question answered- "Why the bat?" I was simultaneously entertained and confused when I read the novel. But her answer made me love the premise of the bat even more. And that Glory's visions come from the fact that King sees "those visions all the time when [she] reads the news." Indeed.
Certainly, more answers would help me in a defense of the novel in my library, but it is not King's responsibility to give them to me. It is my job as a reader to read and understand. Nonetheless, I am glad I came across these five answers.
Since You've Been Gone - Morgan Matson
This one snuck up on me...
Read MoreThe State of Education
"Every workplace has its imperfections and challenges. I accept that. But public education is painted as a career where you make a difference in the lives of students. When a system becomes so deeply flawed that students suffer and good teachers leave (or become jaded), we must examine how and why we do things."
In this compelling argument, Virginia Teacher of the Year Michael Keany enumerates the reasons why he as left our profession. I am impressed with how calmly he expresses the frustrations that often reduce my fellow teachers and me to tears. I am not always logical enough to express to outsiders my growing problems with a job I love and have loved for a number of years.
1. We are forced to jump through too many hoops that distract us from our real work of teaching our kids.
2. A plan for getting out of current difficulties, budgets and so on, doesn't seem to exist.
3. We are forced to be obsessed with flawed assessments. So many reasons exist to question the current direction of assessing. Why aren't more people asking the questions?
4. We need to build communities that support education. We must.