Self-isolating and working from home for the past eight months, my reading life has been challenging to maintain. It takes more effort to settle into a book and stick with it. The six half-finished books sitting on my coffee table ooze judgement. Reading seems self-indulgent and I cannot sit still for long before I feel […]
Category Archives: Reading Lives
December
01
Our Ninth Nerdversary: Social Readers in Pandemic Times by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
October
19
The Magic of the ABCs by Michelle Blanchard Ardillo
posted by CBethM
Can you actually remember learning to read? Can you remember the sheer magic of decoding the strange marks on a piece of paper or a page of a book? I don’t exactly remember it either, but I have been fortunate enough to experience it through the eyes of others. As a former middle school English […]
October
11
Student Role in Virtual Libraries by Clare Landrigan
posted by CBethM
You know that saying … if you build it, they will come? For me, this saying has manifested in ways I could have never imagined with the virtual bookroom I created last April. Since then, this virtual space filled with hyperlinks has connected me to educators and students across the world. It has inspired students […]
September
21
The Do’s and Don’ts of Raising Readers by Jen Kleinknecht
posted by CBethM
Air conditioning taught me how to read. It sounds crazy, but it’s true. We didn’t have central air conditioning in the home where I grew up. We could have afforded it, but we didn’t have it. What a blessing that I didn’t have everything we could afford. It gave me a reason to work […]
June
22
Reading Season by Renee Bowman
posted by CBethM
Dear Parents, Our household is busier than ever right now for one simple reason: basketball. Basketball is the only sport my kids love. Collectively, my kids play on three teams, we coach a team, and we help coordinate an entire league. Basketball season means several things: rushed dinners, late bedtimes, more showers, extra laundry, […]
April
26
It’s Time for a #VirtualFieldTrip to the Everywhere Book Fest! by Anna E. Jordan
posted by CBethM
There were plenty of things about field trips in the “before times” that were difficult. Budgets for busses were minimal, permissions slips never came back, charging for events magnified inequities between students, and chaperones were often hard to find. Even so, we know that authentic experiences with experts inspire children and give classroom learning context. Our […]
March
22
Reading or Not, Here We Go: A Social Distancing #Bookaday Challenge by Donalyn Miller
posted by donalynm
“The world is indeed full of peril and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps greater.” —J.R.R. Tolkien If you asked me three months ago what I would do if the world […]
March
16
The Healing Power of Books by Jodi-Beth Hazel
posted by CBethM
In the past few months, I have experienced a lot of change and trauma, but in the midst of these experiences, one thing has remained constant— books. I have always seen books as powerful tools for escape, change, learning, and building community. Every time I enter a new season of life, I am reminded of […]
March
02
A Climb Inside the Window: Why We Need Diverse Books by Kelly Stephan
posted by CBethM
It was just another Monday night. I picked up my son from basketball practice…my freckle face boy. He stands out on the court, not only for his sweet basketball moves but for his short stature and red hair. These boys on the court are his people, his team, the friends that have his back. […]
January
20
The Power of Listening by Clare Landrigan
posted by CBethM
I was facilitating a professional development session focused on how to administer a reading assessment. A fifth-grade student just finished reading the text and I was beginning the part of the assessment in which we discuss the text together. He seemed a bit nervous with all of the observers, so I tried to calm him […]
