Inspired by Franki Sibberson: 100 things about me as a reader

Last week I invited my students to create a colorful page "My reading life." We talked about all the things they could include, all the ways they could design their page - frames, colors, bullets, sizes, symbols, drawings. In my vision the result was Pinterst-worthy. In reality these pages were nothing like that. I think "blah"is the word in English to use. I realized it was my fault entirely because we hadn't spent enough time looking into our reading lives and histories.
After reading Franki's post Still Learning to Read: 100 Things About Me as a Reader Revisited 
I thought of making my own list. 100 seemed a lot. At the same time it seemed simple - list what comes to your mind. Fascinating how the ideas start flowing once you sit down and get started. I was tempted to stop at 42 and then again at 67, I didn't and the ideas kept coming.
Bringing the list to school I was afraid I might startle my kids with the number. I thought I'd read just some of it to them. They insisted on reading the whole. I said I would understand that their lists would be shorter because they haven't lived four decades, none of them have lived even ten years, so their histories are shorter. I was right. Some of them were able to come up with 10 things. I was wrong. Some came up with 20 ideas and one girl wrote 47 ideas. Their lists were not copies of mine. Each had elements that were true to just them.  10 or 100 - the point is not in the number. The reflection matters. Knowing oneself as a reader supports thinking about how we can improve our reading lives. I wish to stretch to new genres and try my hand at writing reviews. 

Here is my list:

100 things about me as a reader           

1.     I love reading (and walking, dancing and taking photos)

2.     I sometimes think I read too much

3.     But then I look at how much others read and I feel I don’t read enough

4.     My summer list/goal consisted of two things – to sleep and read

5.     A student once thought that I had read all the books in our Literature Circle cupboards (I haven’t)

6.     I’d rather read than eat

7.     I got reading glasses two years ago

8.     I like taking a train because then I can read

9.     It is harder to read in a car but I still do it (not when I am driving)

10. I read on plane rides

11. I sometimes read on the beach, but not so much

12. I love days off, when I can make a cup of tea, snuggle on a sofa and read for a long uninterrupted period of a time

13. I read before going to sleep

14. I read mostly in English

15. I try to keep reading in my mother tongue too (Estonian)

16. I sometimes worry that I read so much because it is easier than going out and spending time with people

17. I am so glad that I love reading – I am never bored

18. I was surprised to find out that not everybody likes to read

19. My mom taught me reading with a whole-word method

20. I don’t remember how I learned to read

21. My favorite author for a long time in childhood was Astrid Lindgren

22. I am lucky that I work at the International School – it has introduced me to so many wonderful children books

23. I now like Roald Dahl and Kate DiCamillo

24. Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart is one of my all time favorite children book

25. I love reading out loud to my students

26. I think sometimes children books have more interesting language, themes, characters and ideas than some adult books

27. When I was young, I sometimes visited my aunts. I didn’t have much to do there, so I read

28. I once stayed up until 4:00 am reading.

29. I know two authors personally

30. I know some authors through online community

31. I prefer fiction to non-fiction

32. I struggle with reading poetry and plays

33. I like going to poetry performances

34. The recent biography I liked was about Tove Jansson

35. Jenny Lawson’s Furiously Happy made me laugh out loud and I read parts of it out loud to my family and friends

36. Andrus Kivirähk is an Estonian author who makes me laugh

37. I read several books at the same time

38. War books are painful to read

39. Reading about tough topics reminds me that I shouldn’t complain about meaningless issues

40. Khaleid Hossein’s books are painful and I had to keep time in between reading his books.

41. I reread children books

42. I return to and reread parts of favorite PD books

43. I borrowed a PD book from the school library and found some of my post-its between the pages

44. I usually don’t reread fiction

45. I record what I have read on Goodreads

46. In 2015 I read 70 books, and it didn’t include rereads of children books

47. I have read 65 books this year so far (August, 28)

48. My Goodreads TBR pile has 40 books (I have more books marked TBR on paper and file and I-Pad and Pinterst)

49. I like that Goodreads has reviews, I read both the five and the one star reviews to make up my mind

50. I don’t write reviews – I wish to learn how to do it well

51. I like to see what other people read and get ideas from there

52. My daughter recommends books to me

53. My mom recommends books to me

54. My friends recommend books to me

55. My former students recommend books to me

56. I recommend books to all of them

57. I lend my books to others

58. I sometimes recommend books in a bookstore and in a library

59. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to work in a bookstore or a library

60. My cousin works in a bookstore, she gives me discounts

61. “What are you reading?’ is one of my favorite questions

62. My husband and I seldom read the same books

63. When we children we both read Agatha Christie’s books

64. My husband and I both read Carlos Ruis Zafon’s and Dan Brown’s books

65. When Harry Potter came out, our family took turns reading the fresh edition

66. I sometimes try newspaper recommendations

67. Goodreads and Amazon recommend based on what I have read, I wish they had “You haven’t tried this, yet” section

68. I read both paper and Kindle books

69. I have never read audio-books

70. I like Kindle because I can get books easily (One click) and don’t have to wait until they are published in Estonia

71. Books on Kindle are cheaper than books in the store

72. Kindle is like carrying a library in your bag

73. I prefer paper books when I read in bed

74. Paper books are easier to browse when you are looking for something

75. I like the smell and touch of fresh books

76. I don’t like to shop for groceries or clothes but I love buying books

77. I once went to a bookstore before going to a festive event and had only a tiny purse with me, I still bought some books and asked the bookstore to hold them until the next day

78. I make only temporary virtual credit cards to limit the number of books I buy

79. I borrow books from the library

80. I recommend what books our school librarian could order

81. Our school librarian has allowed me to open the boxes with new books

82. Opening new boxes of books is so exciting

83. I have most of the books from my childhood

84. I have bookshelves in the living room and one bookshelf in my bedroom

85. I sometimes buy books because of the illustrations

86. I once bought 76 used books for my classroom

87. I have many cookbooks

88. I don’t like reading challenges.

89. I joined a reading challenge FB group but have followed the list loosely and posted seldom

90. I have got many new books for my TBR from that FB group

91. I signed up for two virtual book clubs, read the books but never participated in the chats

92. I love that Stenhouse Publishing allows previewing entire books online. 

93. I once won a book from Stenhouse (Assessment in Perspective)

94. It makes me worried that I spent Saturday evening reading one of the PD books Stenhouse had provided for preview

95. I have some books on my shelves that I haven’t read

96. Sometimes I remember how a book made me feel but I don’t remember the characters and the plot straight away

97. I just finished Amy Tan’s Kitchen God’s Wife – I liked it

98. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the amount of books, good books, written and published, and not having enough time to read everything I want

99. I have very many bookmarks but sometimes I use receipts or post its instead of going and getting a nice bookmark from my collection

100.                I was called a nerd recently and I felt proud to be called that

My favorite question

Day 14 of Mach Slice of Life Story Challenge

What are you reading?

This question is sweet like chocolate, fresh like spring breeze, exciting like unwrapping presents. 

The books read and recommended are like invisible emotional threads connecting people. I love to hear what people read and gladly reveal what is on my bedside table. I passionately share my love of reading with the people around me.

"I know this is impossible, but I still wanted to check, one of the students said that you have read all the books in the Literature Circle cupboards," a young colleague asked one day.

"I wish, but no. I have read many, but not all. I guess it is like kids believe that librarians have read all the books in their library," I smile, feeling flattered by the idea. 

I wish I could I read them all. I wish I could read all the books recommended by my friends and daughter and Goodreads and newsletters. Knowing the impossibility of the task I carefully choose and select what to put on my to be read pile. I recently added 15 new books to my Kindle. Oh, how challenging it was to decide which to start with. I have read six of them already. I'll share three

Surprise structure:

This was unexpected. Through encyclopedia style entries the author shares her memories, emotions, beliefs, observations, and life as she sees and experiences it.

"It is so much easier to not do something than to do something"

"We use these defining truths to help us stay in lines of ourselves. We think we have to hold on to these labels, we feel comfortable holding on to these labels, but it turns out the labels are removable, you can peel them right off."

~ Amy Krouse Rosenthal

About writing:

An invitation, an encouragement, a reminder - a book you can return to, open anywhere and think along, and when you close it, you open your journal and write.

"Our tender hopes and dreams, our joy, frailty, grief, fear, longing, desire - every human being is a landscape."

"Anchor yourself somewhere - anywhere - on the page. You are committing, yes - but the commitment is to this tiny corner. One word. One image. One detail. Go ahead. Then see what happens next."

~ Dani Shapiro

Love, books, and life:

I didn't know what to wait from this book. It surprised me. The choices, the longing, the search for love and life, the varied characters, tango, and all the books given out to heal the souls kept me reading even past my bedtime.

"He wanted her to sense the boundless possibilities offered by books. There would always be enough. They would never stop loving their readers."

"The world's rulers should be forced to take a reader's licence. Only when they have read five thousand - no, make that ten thousand - books will they be anywhere qualified to understand humans and how they behave."

"You have to dance the things you cannot explain," Pedru said under his breath. "Ans you have to write the things you cannot express," the old novelist thundered."

~ Nina George

What are you reading?

Reading under the pine trees

Old pines and spruces had seen a share of things in life - mostly seasons changing; people, young and old, coming and going; some kisses, some quarrels; dogs chasing squirrels. But never before had the trees hosted books, and writers, and readers. For hours they watched and listened to the words spinning poetry webs; books promising wormholes to the past, present, future and make-believe; writers daring to lift the layers of pages to reveal who they are; and sounds of reading punctuated with anticipating pauses.
The trees wished to reach their branches down to take hold of the treasures, to save stories for tomorrow, to add their voices to the mix. People left, took their books and poems and stories. The green hosts were left with memories. And a hope that next year the books, and readers and writers will return.

Richness of life with a daily dose of reading

Isn't it amazing when life brings you an unexpected invitations and you find yourself in an inspiring situation that seems like from someone else's life? 

I am not sure whether it was an alignment of stars, openness of mental vibes, or a consequence of different choices and actions in my life, but I was invited to a group of young people who had began a process of creating their own school. Can you imagine having a dream and possibility of creating a school - the school you believe is the best? You have a vision and you can decide what are the core values, the kind of students you hope to help to develop, and you can create your own curriculum based on the best practices of the world. How incredible is that?

I joined the group at the phase when they were ready to start thinking of their curriculum. The initial group had well prepared the resources to study and compare, the scientific studies and narratives that explained the influence and success of various curricula, programs and methods. They invited different theorists and practitioners to help them with the process of choosing and creating.

Yesterday I found myself sitting on a floor of an old, partially renovated servant house, looking at the ruins of a manor visible though the branches of alders and birches.  Snippets of stories and glimpse at the varied personalities around me had promised inspiring and productive time together, and I hadn't been mistaken. Behind me, on a sofa, sat a woman who had grown up in Siberia, currently is one of the most experienced teachers in language immersion program, and recently came back from consulting educational ministry of Kazakhstan. Next to me was a banker who promotes and actively helps to implement an anti-bullying program in kindergartens and schools. Across from me was a former actor who had switched career to educational publishing business. On a couch were two former Teach for All participants, an experienced elementary school teacher who also gives digital literacy workshops, and a young elementary school teacher. On another couch sat  young school director and a specialist form Education Innovation Center. In front of a fire place sat a PhD student, curriculum specialist, who earlier had studied drama and spent a year in Tokyo, who also happened to be the granddaughter of Estonian education grand old man. I should also mention a fairy like young woman, a psychotherapist. The organizer and leader of this initiative is a young Estonian man, who had studied in Oxford and now is part of Creative Generation team, and is one of the founders of NGO "Good Deed" that supports different initiatives that address social problems. It's one of the richness of life to have my path cross with such fascinating people.

Everyone had come well prepared. After working in groups - listening actively, sharing ideas, looking at examples, explaining the science behind them, comparing, analyzing, evaluating, selecting, questioning, planning, listing possible organizations and educational specialists who could help- we had made visible progress towards the day's goal. The energy and enthusiasm, the knowledge and creativity, the passion and care was in a concentration I hadn't known was possible. Of course there are many challenges, lot of work, and no certainty, but I hope and wish this dream of a new school will come true. 

Just a few days ago I had strolled in the lulling slowness of a summer garden, snapping pictures of flowers and raindrops, all intelligent thoughts in my brain replaced with blueberry colored nonsense. More than once yesterday I caught myself being surprised sitting there amongst these fantastic people, supporting the growth of a wonderful dream, my brain in full power, my heart swelling with appreciation. I am so happy I had accepted the unexpected invitation that whisked me away from a summer routine.

The day had been rich with productive work and conversations, yet when it was time to sleep, I couldn't resist pulling a small book of Tove Jannson's short stories from one of the rich book shelves I had noticed as soon as I had entered the room in the morning.  A reader needs a daily dose of reading.

Wishing you all unexpected invitations. And don't forget to read!

Read more slices at Two Writing Teachers

Celebrate: this and that and something else

Ruth Ayres invites people to share a celebration every Saturday. Thinking back to a week you can pick anything - small or big - to celebrate. Thank you for the invitation, Ruth!

Can yo imagine that you come home on Friday and discover that you have no internet connection and won't have it  for the next five days? You cringe your teeth because you have become so accustomed to this privilege that you take it has human rights. You could go around moaning about it or discover the benefits of real life without virtual distractions. 

I had to go through this experience. As much as I was sad for not having internet, I took advantage of the situation and last weekend finished all my report comments (the week before I chose to clean windows instead of writing), read a whole book (The Bullet, unexpected plot, well-written text), and watched a large-scale, multi-age, out-door dance and gymnastics performance.  

For the summer I deliberately plan a withdrawal from internet. 

Have you ever been called a nerd? This was one word I never associated with myself, but recent conversations with people show that I can honorably wear this title. Apparently not everyone reads all the time, nor goes around recommending books to others. My recent favorites, besides the book mentioned above, include Positive Discipline (being a mom of three and having 20 years of teaching experience leaves still plenty of room for learning and improvement), Dear Committee Members (unusual structure, witty, funny, superb word choice) and Tove Jansson's Biography (honest, engaging, touching.)

My latest read came to me surprisingly. One day after school a sixth grade girl (who used to be in my third grade class) came to my door. She was excited to share with me that she had recently went to listen to Sarah Kay (THE Sarah Kay)  and got a a book signed by her. She wondered if I would be interested to read the poem book too. Yes, yes, yes.

Do you sometimes think that you are crazy because you became a teacher? I do. Especially at the end of year. Especially with a challenging class. Especially when the students still choose to act and speak in a way I know they know is not right. Nevertheless I hope that with my words and actions I have managed to install a tiny memory chip in their subconscious, and one day in the midst of want-need-should-could conflict it activates and they think before they act, and they choose kind. 

I can consider it a progress when the greatest tattletaler starts his complaint with, "First, the good thing is..." or the loudest blurter finishes his outburst with, "Sorry, I know it's inappropriate." 

So what do I celebrate today? I love to finish with a meaningful memorable phrase, but today it feels very much that I celebrate this and that and something else. Which is to say that sometimes I don' know what the celebration is about but I just wish to show up and share a glimpse of my life, in a hope that I get a glimpse of other people's life in return, and the writing and reading adds value to our lives. 

All I want in life

My daughter sent me this from Tumblr

Celebrate: recommended reading

Ruth Ayres invites people to share a celebration every Saturday. Thinking back to a week you can pick anything - small or big - to celebrate. Thank you for the invitation, Ruth!

I celebrate recommended reading

Have you read OECD Trends Shaping Education 2013 publication? 

Though at first glance this publication seems like a reading for politicians and officials I would recommend it as a reading for teachers. I had to read it for a course along with Estonian Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020. 

Caught in the loop of yearly, weekly, daily planning a teacher can easily inhabit a personal or school-wide education bubble, loosing sight of the bigger picture. These broader perspectives, visions of the future challenges force to reflect and evaluate school's and personal philosophy and teaching practices. 

I consider myself very lucky to work at a IBO PYP school. Our mission and vision look into the future in the global context. Our school culture, curriculum, and approach to learning support the development of a whole child, helping them to become independent, responsible, caring and reflective individuals who are willing to take action. We are not perfect but reading the documents showed me that we are strongly on the right track. 

On my way to and back from the course I read a book that had been recommended to me several times.  Many books had passed it on my TBR pile. Humble and patient, it waited.  A recent #pypchat lifted it to the top. Opposite to the global trends official texts it invites a reader to a classroom of a caring and passionate teacher. It's not a traditional PD book. Mary Cowhey tells us stories of her first and second grade students making sense of life and taking action to change the world. The documents made me think, the book touched my heart. The book is inspirational. One can't package and sell what Mary Cowhey did. She is one of a kind. One can, however, think deeply what, how and why she/he does in the classroom. The stories encourage to be aware of the issues around us, think critically of truths presented, consider various perspectives, be open-minded and open-hearted, and most of all to believe that young children are capable of understanding and doing more than we often expect. 

I celebrate recommended reading. 

I pass on the recommendations to you. 

Reading: mini-slices

During the Slice of Life Story Challenge in March people are invited to write a slice every day for 31 days. You can read the slices at Two Writing Teachers.

Read aloud:
On Friday I asked my students to give a short summary of our week for our class blog. One group wrote about read aloud "This week  Ms.Terje  is reading The Tale of Desperaux for  snack/read aloud and we do work, like for example we tell the feelings of the main character. We learn how to write about reading. We think along when the teacher reads. You get to listen to a story. "
I looked at the text and felt that it wasn't bringing out the best of their reading thinking nor their writing skills. I asked them to at least say what the story is about.
One student said, "It's about bravery."
Before I had a chance to ask for elaboration, the smallest boy in the class responded, "It's not only about bravery. It's about being different, and it tells you how some might feel when you treat them badly because they are different."


Literature Circle:
I am reading Rules with two fifth and two third graders. These readers are independent and most of the time I just sit back and let them discuss the book. They have moved away from reading notes and try to have a natural conversation. I try to take notes as much as possible. During one meeting they were talking about being different and my third grade girl said, "Once I went to a birthday and there was a girl who was different. But it doesn't mean that you can say "Arrgh" or "Ohh." It's not their fault, it's their life, you can't be the judge. You have to understand that they are different, you have to accept and respect them."


You can guess how I felt hearing these words.

Read aloud (an ugly moment)

"Remember boys, what we talked about yesterday?" I quietly speak to my to ELL boys, "It is a very good thing that you have heard this story before in your mother tongue, because now you know what is happening and you can follow along in English. But please, don't blurt out what is going to happen, because when I read, others don't just want to know what happens but they want to feel the emotions in the story, they want to figure out things themselves."
Both boys nod.
I hope that they understand, or at least remember that their blurting yesterday ended with a stern conversation from me and disappointed looks from their classmates.

Reading aloud has been part of the daily routine in my class for years. I usually start reading during snack time and continues a bit longer. Everyone knows to unpack and unwrap everything before the reading, and to stay in their seats until the last word is heard, just to respect the sound and not to distract her or the other listeners. I started the year with One and Only Ivan, and majority of the class let the story stir their heart and imagination. The two ELL boys had difficulty following what was happening. Because of the ELL boys I have read only one more chapter book (The Tempelton Twins) and numerous wonderful picture books. Now their language has improved and I started reading "The Tale of Desperaux" by Kate DiCamillo.

I wait until V. throws away her foil wrapping and  T. fetches her water bottle form her cubby. I am comfortably seated in an office chair close to the tables, survey to see that everyone's eyes are on her, send a last glance at the two boys, straighten a bit and start reading.

The words whirl around the room, swirl around the listeners, and carry them to the king's castle to listen to the music. V. holds her cinnamon bun halfway to her mouth and smiles when Desperaux thinks of music as heaven and honey.  Z. chuckles during the dialogue between the king and the princess. M.'s eyes widen as Desperaux gets closer to the king's feet.

I love the magic of read aloud. "Magic" is not randomly chosen, it's truly magical what happens when I  share stories with my daughter or students, the world changes color, and the feelings and thoughts waltz or tango or jive around the room.

The two boys have been pretty good so far, they have thrown glances between each other, but haven't made a sound, so I decide to read one more chapter.

I read the beginning of he fifth chapter slowly and softly. The silence of anticipation makes the magic stronger.
I read, "The princess smiled at Desperaux again, and this time..."
"The mouse falls in love!" shouts one of the boys and the two of them burst into laughter.

The magic shatters into thousands of sharp pieces, painfully scraping my soul and pushing the button of frustration. I clench my teeth tightly, close the book, stand up from my chair, and put it on a shelf.
I am burning inside. There may be emotional-psychological-cultural-language excuses or reasoning behind the behavior of the boys, but at that point I do not care. Mixture of sadness and annoyance boils inside me.

I am aware that I rub my neck and  close my eyes, before I say with the calmest voice possible, "You have a minute to finish your snack and then we will start math. I am sorry, I can't continue reading."

The long minute passes in silence and then the students move to the carpet to start math.

.......

Before the end of a day I gathered the children on the carpet again. It was not fair that others were robbed of the chance to receive Kate DiCamillo's story-telling gift. I was tempted to send the two boys out, but gave them a choice to stay or leave. They stayed. I read. The magic returned.

Choosing books in literature circles: second choice

Hundreds of slices to read and inspire at Two Writing Teachers blog


"Ms. Terje, you wanted to read the 'Rules', didn't you?" Anna from fifth grade approaches me in the hallway, holding the box of books against her chest.
I am delightfully surprised that she remembers how sad I was the last time when we chose Literature Circle books and other books won over my choice.

My last group read "The Other Side of the Mountain' for several weeks. Even though well written, the book did not hook with my heart. The four fifth gradeboys in my group liked the book  but the discussion skills sea-sawed in each meeting. Occasional bright moments of 'tell me more' or "I think so because' or 'what in the book makes you say so' or 'I respectfully disagree' were followed by random ramblings and talking at the same time for the love of hearing their own thoughts and voices. I was glad these meetings were over. I was ready for another book and group.

"Is anyone else joining us?" I ask, letting my hope grow, as I reach for a book.
"Yes. There is five of us already. Robert and Pia from your class and William (a fifth grader) are interested in this book.
I look around and see the three smiling students sitting on a couch waiting for me.
My heart beams a wave of warmth throughout my body.

Leila from second grade drifts closer and looks at us and the book.
"I think I would like to give this book a try," she says confidently, "I am a very good reader."
She is a new student and I don't know her at all yet.
We have agreed that everyone is allowed to try out books, that they have to make the decision whether the book is right or not.
Anna hands a book to Leila and she starts reading out loud. She reads slowly, stumbles over the words, skips or substitutes some. The book is clearly a challenge.
"I can read it. It takes me some time, but I can do it. My mom likes when I challenge myself," Leila assesses herself.
The other students look at me expectantly.
While I still think how to gently redirect Leila to a different choice, I can see a flash of thought crossing Anna's face.
"You are a good reader but this is your first time in the Literature Circle and there is something you don't know yet. We don't read just what happens but we do something that Ms. Terje taught us in third grade, and what has turned out to be very useful in fact, and it's called digging deeper. You kind of have to figure out what the book is really about and what the author is not saying to us. I think that soon you will be able to do it, but now you might enjoy another book more than this one," Anna explains earnestly.
"Leila, would you come and look at this book, maybe you want to read this with us," another second grader calls Leila, and before I have a chance to say anything, Leila is gone.

I can't tell whether it was Anna's words or the call from a friend that changed her mind.
I hope that she will find a good book for the first time in Literature Circles, and she would enjoy the reading and discussions.

My book and group certainly look promising.

What are you reading?

Thank you for the question.

I love reading book recommendations from blogs and Goodreads. My TBR pile keeps growing and growing. One reason is that I can't get my hands on all the book I'd like to read. They are simply not available in Estonia and my family budget would not survive buying everything from overseas. The other reason is that I don't mind when the books that are not on my TBR list show up and ask to be read.

Right before holidays our school had a festive book arrival - we got Scholastic orders and some of the Newbery winners and honor books. It has been a challenge to decide what to read first, second, third or what not to do to be able to read. Lucky me, I had a whole week off and I managed to get more reading  time than on school days.

I read these books before the holidays:

I wish that these books were translated into Estonian soon so my daughter would get to read them too. Ivy and Bean is something my daughter could relate to, The Great Unexpected mesmerized me with it's words, Fortunately the Milk made me laugh out loud, and A Tangle of Knots made my imagination fly and mouth water. If Sharon Creech and Neil Gaiman were familiar authors to me, then Lisa Graff was a new discovery. I tried to convince my eldest to translate The Tangle of Knots (she has talent for languages) but she said it really didn't fit in her school and dance practice schedule. Sigh. With simple English books I was able to translate to Mimm on a go, but longer texts need more revision to have the quality and finesse of words the original text carries.

I am thankful for the wordless picture books that I was able to share with Mimm:

Mimm, would have given the award to Mr. Wuffles. This made her jump up and act out the characters.


During the holidays I read:

and

The first two I had heard great things about and they lived up to my expectation. Also Known as Harper I picked up because on the back I read: Harper is an aspiring poet....
This young poet carries sadness from her past and difficulties face her and her family in the present. I liked the kindness of the characters and the care they took of each other.

I had to give back all the books to school. ( Oh, how I would have loved to keep them for me forever and ever.) In the morning I got a new patch in return .

I don't know what to start with. I also saw that Goldfinch was in one of the Estonian bookstores, I have some gift certificates.

I could use another week off.



I am clearly not the only one choosing and deciding on my next read.

Right before lessons started a fifth grade girl approached me with a serious face.
"I have an important question. I hope you can help," she asked without  a thoughtful nod.
I have to say she got me a bit worried.
"How can I help you?" I inquired.
"What book would be similar to The Phantom Tollbooth. I really liked how it made me think of things I usually don't and how it played with language. What should I read next?" she explained her situation.
"Honestly, I can't think of anything like The Phantom Tollbooth. But I can ask my friends." I replied.

So here is a question besides "What are you reading?":

What do you recommend to a child who has liked The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster?

Happy reading!

Celebrate this week

Ruth Ayres invites people to share a celebration every Saturday. Thinking back to a week you can pick anything - small or big - to celebrate. Thank you for the invitation, Ruth!

I celebrate Book Week

Our lower school has a lovely tradition to have Book Week right before February Break. We celebrate books, reading, readers, writing, writers, illustrators, mother tongue and stories. 

This year the annual book week "Healthy Mind in Heathy Body was dedicated to sports, training, exercise, healthy life style and Olympics. Through out the week the students and adults participated in various activities, exercised our reading muscles, played, created, listened and presented.
We began on Friday, the 7th of February with a sleepover and finished on Thursday, the 13th of February with a Book Parade.
Here is a glimpse of the week:

Book Night with Zumba, relay race and sleepover (collage by Ms. Triin)

Book week Opening Ceremony with Handbells, Choir singing and Slide show of Puff the Magic Dragon

 

Human Library

You can read more about our Human Library here.

Teddy Bear Picnics where upper school teachers came to read to primary school classes.

On three mornings parents and teachers shared stories in their mother tongue in different classrooms.  I listened to  Shona, Bulgarian and Finnish.

Classroom presentations. 

My students wrote about sports for different purposes and with different structures. then they chose on of their texts to publish in different formats. Other classrooms presented plays, movies, slide shows, poems and games. 

Book Parade - students dressed up as a character or paraded a favorite book in their hands (collage by Ms. Triin)

In addition to all the official activities some of my students read their picture books aloud to first graders. 

We have had different teachers in charge of organizing the Book Week, but it is all of us working together that makes it go smoothly. For the past two years our Librarian Ms. Kadri has been the Book Week coordinator and she deserves a major applause. 



I celebrate Estonia's 96th Birthday and our school's Estonian Culture Day

Book Week finished on Thursday. On Friday, a day before February Break, the whole school celebrated Estonia's 96th Birthday. The official national day is on the 24th of February. 
We had several handicraft workshops, a national dance lesson and a folk song concert.

You can see more pictures here.

Estonian national flower

Happy Birthday to Estonia!