Today I read a Twitter post written by a man whose father has just died of pancreatic cancer. This man said that when his father was told he had limited time left, his response was, “But I have so many more books to read.”
I have 145 books on my “to-be-read” list, and many more that I haven’t added to the list because my list is already too long. I know I will never have time to read all of the books I want to read.
Unless I make a plan…
The most books I have ever read in a year was 105, and many of those books were children’s books and were quickly read.
My Goodreads goal this year is to read 75 books — about 2 books a week. With no new books added to my lists, I can clear my list in 2 years — but there is no way I will not be adding books to my list.
My new plan is to read (or listen to if I’m driving) 200 pages a day for the next 6 weeks (what is left of summer break 2021). Once school begins, I will plan on reading 100 pages a day.
Anyone want to join me in this reading challenge?
We can call it “Clear the TBR Lists.”
Let me know what you think — can it be done?
Tag: Teacher Life
A gift from the heart
A few weeks ago, I was helping pass out student belongings at my school. We didn’t know on March 13, 2020 that the students would not step foot inside the school building again this school year, so many of their belongings were just left in the cubbies and desks. We all tearfully packed their things, and then helped to pass them out as their parents drove by the school building. It was a final chance to see my students in person before the summer break.
Then a car pulled up with one of my students from last year. He was waving and his mom was calling my name. He had a gift for me with a card. It was a beautiful face mask. His mom said he wanted to make sure I had one to be safe.
I love this mask, and I will wear it with pride.
Today in NC, masks are now mandated in public. I have actually been stocking up on different masks in different materials, and different styles — it is almost a new fashion obsession. But this is the mask that touches my heart.
A Teacher’s Summer
June 13, 2018
Often people ask me, “What do teachers do during summer break?” Recently I have seen many people saying that teachers don’t need to be paid more because they only work 10 months a year. Today is the first day of my summer break (after two teacher workdays cleaning and moving classrooms), and I thought I’d share a little of what I’m doing.
Today, I feel compelled to make some reading plans. Summer is full of long, unscheduled days and still my list of summer reading is daunting. My summer reading includes many purposes. First, there is the pure pleasure reading and book club books. Then, there are the books assigned by my principal that must be read. I also signed up for some professional development classes that are book based classes. I’m changing grade levels, so I need to brush up on some current titles for the slightly younger set. And finally there is the tall stack of books that I have purchased, possibly started, but never really finished. I really want to dive into those books and check them off the list.
I am currently reading The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, as well as War and Peace by Tolstoy. I started that because of the PBS special “The Great American Read” — I can’t resist lists and that program came with a list of America’s top 100 books, so I picked the longest on the list to tackle. At least each chapter is short, so I feel like I can get a little read every day.
Here is my partial reading list for this summer.
Book club books
- Killers of the Flower Moon
- Little Fires Everywhere
- The Great Alone
Books for professional development
- The Growth Mindset Coach
- The Growth Mindset Playbook
- Embracing a Culture of Joy
- What Readers Really Do
- Joy Write
Books I have bought and want to read
- Angels Flight
- A Darkness More Than Night
- City of Bones
- Lost Light
- How Writers Work
- Poetry Matters
- Rooster Bar
- Lost City of the Monkey God
And the books I need to catch up on for my new grade level – I haven’t picked them out yet.
This is a small piece of what this teacher is doing over my summer break.
Just Jump In 