Spring Break Day 3 - the "get-lots-of-work-done-so-you-can-feel-accomplished" day.
BIBLIOPHILIA: I love reviewing literature.
Face on the Milk Carton - loved it. I went to the public library this morning to check out the next three books in that series just because I want to read them all before I get my kiddos hooked on some series if it turns out that they're all garbage. My mom wouldn't let me read this book as a kid, and I had to call her today on the phone and specifically apologize for reading it now and confess my love for the story. Ahh, sweet cleansing.
Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes is FIVE STARS baby. I loved this sweet little tome. Each chapter is told by a different student in a high school English class in the Bronx. Their English teacher gets them all to start reciting original poetry once the kids realize that it's not much different from rap. After each chapter is the poem that character speaks at their weekly poetry reading. A really "whole" story about diverse characters and situations from an impoverished area. I want to read sections of it to my students. BTW, it won the "Coretta Scott King" award for literature which promotes peace, non-violent social change and brotherhood.
LIFE REVIEWS:
1. Ryan graduates this May, which led us to think about graduation announcements and potential wish lists for parents who want to buy him something memorable. I am excited to get my hands on these announcements, being the paper-phile (I'm sure there is an actual word for this... the closest I could get was logophile... lover of words) that I am. Is $3.50 for four announcements a good price? I am also pumped to purchase a store-bought cake with fancy writing and thick gooey frosting. Ryan doesn't want any part of this and desires that no attention be drawn to himself, so I think I may have them script in pink something like, "at least he's not turning 30" or "Paramaribo is the capital of the Republic of Suriname" instead. I might also ask for gigantic flowers all over the place.
2. I have begun the arduous process of researching which states in this country have reciprocal agreements with Kansas for the transfer of teaching licenses. Since Ryan has begun the process of sending out his resume to various regions, I figured I had better get on the stick with figuring out how my job may change. Here are a few highlights from my searches today:
MAINE: will take anyone... literally. There are no real requirements other than "send us your application." Low fees involved.
NEW HAMPSHIRE: only need to have 3+ months of previous experience, as opposed to the 3 years that most other states require (I only have 2). I will have to submit a portfolio demonstrating that I'm legit. $300 fee to submit said portfolio. Do I get a discount for having been born there? No.
VERMONT: sucks. I would also have to submit a portfolio, which is peer reviewed, due to lack of experience. However, this peer review process costs over $1,000 and requires two in-person visits for seminars, etc... Did I mention I currently live in Kansas and Vermont really has no major airports to speak of?
RHODE ISLAND: has no reciprocity with the state of Kansas. $50 application fee to try though... might give it a go.
CONNECTICUT: no official reciprocity with any state, which is interesting. I would only need 20 months of "successful" (how do they measure this?), "appropriate" (again, is there a scale?) full-time teaching experience to apply for an out-of-state license transfer. $50 application fee. Reasonable.
NEW YORK: website was too confusing. Am I a moron? Is New York always this way? Gave up and wrote myself a note to "call a real person."
NEW JERSEY: hilarious. I will now copy directly from their state deptment of ed website an actual step to receiving a license: "Applicants applying for instructional certification must pass an examination in physiology and hygiene. The examination is administered at the county offices of education. In lieu of this examination, the applicant may present basic military training or college level study in areas such as biology, health or nutrition." So New Jersey really is smelly? Oh wait, as long as you take a college level nutrition class, you're probably fine. Love it.
MARYLAND: apparently you must have completed an out-of-state "APPORVED" program. If they won't hire me as a teacher, perhaps I could proof-read their web content instead.
VIRGINIA: see Maine. Love it.
I sort of gave up after this and really have only included the highlights here. Please say a little prayer for this not-overly-experienced English teacher. Several state websites specifically said, "due to budget cuts and decreases in staffing, application requests may involve a 6-8 month processing time." Maybe I could get a job reviewing adolescent literature? Would anyone pay me for these musings? On that note...
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Spring Break Reviews #2
Spring Break ~ Day 2 (the 80-degree-weather-lay-outside-on-a-blanket-and-read day)
BOOK REVIEWS:
Today I read Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. It is all about a 16 year old girl who is attempting to "prove up" a piece of land in Montana in the 19-teens. She is homesteading all by herself since her parents died and her only uncle left her the land upon his death. The story is really well told, through some prose sections and other sections comprised of letters back and forth with a childhood friend who is in France during WWI. The book mentions the fear and propaganda which swept the nation at the time as well as the Spanish Influenza which took lives as well. I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the setting as well as the fact that the book contained just the right amount of conflict and joy. I found myself getting a bit choked up at the end. It is nominated for this year's William Allen White Award (given annually in the state of Kansas to an adolescent book worthy of merit) and so far might be one of my top three votes for that prize of the eight I've read so far.
I am 2/3rds of the way through The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. I think I read this book when I was in 5th or 6th grade but could not really remember it at all. I am thinking of teaching it during 4th quarter in my Communications class. So far, I'm actually really enjoying this story! I am surprised at how gripping it is - I want to find out if the female protagonist really was kidnapped or not! This book was eventually turned into a series: What Ever Happened to Janie, The Voice on the Radio, and What Janie Saw.
FOOD REVIEW:
Ryan and I have been thinking of switching to a more vegetarian diet for various reasons, including the inhumanity of the meat processing industry. Therefore, I've spent some time in the past couple of days looking up various vegetarian recipes and wandering the grocery store for ingredient ideas and price comparisons. Tonight we tried our hand at refried bean & bell pepper tacos. We did cheat - we cooked some chicken too (but only because we still had it in the freezer!). I think that refried beans are sort of weird and bland, but when mixed with other things, really weren't too bad. In our quest for more bean recipes, I think I'd be willing to try refried beans in a layered dip as well (with some salsa, guacamole, etc...). We're also going to try and switch to buying more locally grown fruits and vegetables and whole grain pastas and rice. More updates to come.
BOOK REVIEWS:
Today I read Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson. It is all about a 16 year old girl who is attempting to "prove up" a piece of land in Montana in the 19-teens. She is homesteading all by herself since her parents died and her only uncle left her the land upon his death. The story is really well told, through some prose sections and other sections comprised of letters back and forth with a childhood friend who is in France during WWI. The book mentions the fear and propaganda which swept the nation at the time as well as the Spanish Influenza which took lives as well. I really enjoyed the vivid descriptions of the setting as well as the fact that the book contained just the right amount of conflict and joy. I found myself getting a bit choked up at the end. It is nominated for this year's William Allen White Award (given annually in the state of Kansas to an adolescent book worthy of merit) and so far might be one of my top three votes for that prize of the eight I've read so far.
I am 2/3rds of the way through The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. I think I read this book when I was in 5th or 6th grade but could not really remember it at all. I am thinking of teaching it during 4th quarter in my Communications class. So far, I'm actually really enjoying this story! I am surprised at how gripping it is - I want to find out if the female protagonist really was kidnapped or not! This book was eventually turned into a series: What Ever Happened to Janie, The Voice on the Radio, and What Janie Saw.
FOOD REVIEW:
Ryan and I have been thinking of switching to a more vegetarian diet for various reasons, including the inhumanity of the meat processing industry. Therefore, I've spent some time in the past couple of days looking up various vegetarian recipes and wandering the grocery store for ingredient ideas and price comparisons. Tonight we tried our hand at refried bean & bell pepper tacos. We did cheat - we cooked some chicken too (but only because we still had it in the freezer!). I think that refried beans are sort of weird and bland, but when mixed with other things, really weren't too bad. In our quest for more bean recipes, I think I'd be willing to try refried beans in a layered dip as well (with some salsa, guacamole, etc...). We're also going to try and switch to buying more locally grown fruits and vegetables and whole grain pastas and rice. More updates to come.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Spring Break Reading List
So today is the first official day of Spring Break in the sense that usually Monday is a work day, but today I got to sleep in and lounge around my house.
At the beginning of the school year, I put together the goal to read at least 90 books this school year, and so far, I'm not on track. Therefore, I have a heavy week of reading prepared while I'm out of school to try and catch up on my goal.
This morning I finished The Whole World Over by Julia Glass. It is 509 pages of beautifully written, engaging story lines involving a couple in crisis, a gay restaurant owner and his punk nephew, New York circa 9/11 and a tidbit of the water crisis in the western United States. The whole book was woven together beautifully and I found myself reading nice and slow to take in all of the phrasing and description. If you couldn't tell, I loved it. This book was the selection this month for my book club and I can't wait to talk about it with the ladies a week from today.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine gave me The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling. I never would have purchased this book on my own due to the fact that I speculated it was written purely to prove that Rowling has not died and can still rake in the cash for any book with her name on it. Although, as I've been reading through the short tales, I've found them relatively delightful. This is a book you could read to actual children (not young adults or adults as her other books eventually wandered through death and romance). It is short and the margins are ridiculously huge. I'm excited to finish it this afternoon.
My list for this week also includes:
- The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. I read this book when I was in 5th or 6th grade, but am thinking of teaching it to my Communications class during 4th quarter.
- Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson - a William Allen White book award nominee for 2008-09.
- Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes - winner of the Coretta Scott King award and recommended to me by another teacher for students who are hesitant readers.
- Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson. This is the second book in a series, the first of which I only mildly enjoyed. A student really wants me to read it, so I figured I'd give it a go.
Tonight, we went out to Arthur Bryant's for barbeque - another restaurant we had not tried before and were informed that we must before we move away. It was certainly really good and I'm glad to add it to my list of BBQ experiences. I ranked their sauces from best to worst:
Sweet Heat - not too spicy with nice honey overtones
Rich & Spicy - sort of unoriginal really - it tastes like other sauces I've had before.
Original - this one should really be named "revolting." It tasted like grainy A1 sauce. No good.
I still think that I like Oklahoma Joe's the best.
So thus begins my week off from school. Stay tuned for more posts!
At the beginning of the school year, I put together the goal to read at least 90 books this school year, and so far, I'm not on track. Therefore, I have a heavy week of reading prepared while I'm out of school to try and catch up on my goal.
This morning I finished The Whole World Over by Julia Glass. It is 509 pages of beautifully written, engaging story lines involving a couple in crisis, a gay restaurant owner and his punk nephew, New York circa 9/11 and a tidbit of the water crisis in the western United States. The whole book was woven together beautifully and I found myself reading nice and slow to take in all of the phrasing and description. If you couldn't tell, I loved it. This book was the selection this month for my book club and I can't wait to talk about it with the ladies a week from today.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine gave me The Tales of Beedle the Bard by JK Rowling. I never would have purchased this book on my own due to the fact that I speculated it was written purely to prove that Rowling has not died and can still rake in the cash for any book with her name on it. Although, as I've been reading through the short tales, I've found them relatively delightful. This is a book you could read to actual children (not young adults or adults as her other books eventually wandered through death and romance). It is short and the margins are ridiculously huge. I'm excited to finish it this afternoon.
My list for this week also includes:
- The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney. I read this book when I was in 5th or 6th grade, but am thinking of teaching it to my Communications class during 4th quarter.
- Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson - a William Allen White book award nominee for 2008-09.
- Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes - winner of the Coretta Scott King award and recommended to me by another teacher for students who are hesitant readers.
- Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever by James Patterson. This is the second book in a series, the first of which I only mildly enjoyed. A student really wants me to read it, so I figured I'd give it a go.
Tonight, we went out to Arthur Bryant's for barbeque - another restaurant we had not tried before and were informed that we must before we move away. It was certainly really good and I'm glad to add it to my list of BBQ experiences. I ranked their sauces from best to worst:
Sweet Heat - not too spicy with nice honey overtones
Rich & Spicy - sort of unoriginal really - it tastes like other sauces I've had before.
Original - this one should really be named "revolting." It tasted like grainy A1 sauce. No good.
I still think that I like Oklahoma Joe's the best.
So thus begins my week off from school. Stay tuned for more posts!
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