Back to School

The reality of the new school year usually doesn't really set in for me until Back to School night.  Tonight was no different.  Hundreds of students and their parents wandered through the halls meeting their new teachers, visiting their old teachers.  It was a great evening!  There were many smiles, hugs, and more than a few new timid students that came into my classroom.

I have been thinking a lot about how blessed I am to work where I do.  The kids are so sweet, the parents very supportive.  And the staff and faculty?  Hands down, the best group of people to work with anywhere!  Years ago I had my first pre-service teaching experience at Legacy.  The atmosphere was so positive.  No school that I was assigned to for the rest of my college experience could compare.

Before finishing college our family moved into the Legacy boundaries.  My first choice of schools to teach at was Legacy.  I consider myself very fortunate to have been hired there nine years ago.  What a ride it has been!  As I begin my tenth year I am filled with gratitude for the parents, students, and friends I have at Legacy.  For the teachers who have become such wonderful friends, but have moved on, I miss you very much!  Thanks for the impact you have had on me.

Enjoy the coming school year everyone!  They go by so quickly.  My first class graduated last spring!  Amazing!  I hope they remember me and keep in touch.  I am excited to see what each of my students chooses to do with his or her life.  Who knows?  Maybe one of my students will someday cure cancer, invent a real transporter, or write the next best-selling children's novel!  It could definitely happen!

Books, Books, and More Books

Back when my son was just about a year old, my husband asked, "Don't you think we have enough children's books?"  I didn't need to say anything because my look said it all.  Now, 20 plus years later, we have more books than our bookshelves can hold and my classroom is bursting at the seams.  Am I done buying books?  Definitely not!  Children's books are still my favorite, but what else would you expect from a second grade teacher.

I love the Harry Potter series and consider myself a junkie.  J.K. Rowling is an amazing storyteller.  Severus Snape is my favorite character from the series.  I remember the face of a parent of one my new students when I told her this just after Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was released.  True, Snape is not often a very nice person, but he is an extremely complex character.

Another series I have enjoyed is by Laurie Halse Anderson.  Chains is the first in the Seeds of America series and was very well done.  I was equally pleased with Forge, second in the series.  I love Anderson's use of primary sources as she tells the story of two slaves during the American Revolution.  I can't wait for the final book to come out.

Currently I am reading the Peter and the Starcatchers series by Barry and Pearson.  It is the story of how Peter Pan came to be along with Hook, Smee, and all our other favorites from the original Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.  It is clever, funny, and the characters are well developed.

Do I read anything other than children's or young adult literature?  Not a whole lot unless it is for my teaching career or relates to my religion.  For now I am content to read mainly from the children's section of the library and like Peter I am in no rush to grow up.