Admitting My Dirty Little Secret

     Each and every day I tell the students I work with (as well as my own children) to keep up with their reading, build reading  stamina, make time to read, and have conversations with pieces of interesting text.  And yet, I am sad to admit that I have not been practicing what I preach.   I am constantly distracted; by my work, my family, my health (having two hip replacements in less than 3 years is always a good way to get distracted by life…), the Internet (I do love me some Daily Show clips!), and other things that take me away from real, meaningful reading on a daily basis. 

     I remember when I was in my own 4^th grade classroom, I read constantly.  In collegial circles, with my colleagues after school, for my principal when she’d drop a great article into my mailbox…I was really reading a lot.  I am ashamed to admit that I do not read as much as I should but that all changed when I picked up Notebook Know-How:Strategies for a Writer’s Notebook by Aimee Buckner two weeks ago.  At first I requested it at my local library but after one chapter knew I needed my own copy to mark up and keep as a reference on my shelf. 

     This book has reinvigorated my love of reading professional literature and made me remember why it’s SO important for teachers to keep reading!  I took away so many tips from Aimee’s ideas (see my highlighted pages below) and have begun sharing them with teachers across the country in a quest to make the Writer’s Notebook more resourceful, manageable, and exciting.  Aimee pushed me to think about the notebook in ways I never imagined…after 13 years of using one!  I was able to fly through the book (my sessions of P.T. definitely helped me focus) and get excited all over again about the tools we use in our classrooms. 

     Keeping up with professional literature allows us to not only learn new things but also reexamine how we can think about old things.  It’s such a wonderful way to keep us sharp, engaged, and reflective as educators. 

     I am looking forward to choosing my next book (I am contemplating Aimee’s new book on Nonfiction notebooks…) and acquiting new ideas, which I can share with all of the teachers with whom I call colleagues.

Make sure you read each tip carefully.  These are just a sampling.  Buy the book...trust me it will wow you!