Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved books. The smell of them, the feel of them, and the worlds that we could immerse ourselves in. I ate books. I read all the time. As I have told students more times than I can count, when I was 8, I started reading adult books because, frankly, aside from Judy Blume and Narnia, there were no interesting books for the younger set. This was the dark ages. No Hunger Games, no Harry Potter, not even a GooseBump to tickle my fancy. All I had was Amelia Bedelia and British Mystery Novels by the likes of Agatha Christie, P.D James and Arthur Conan Doyle. So I read them all. I also read Historical novels to reflect the time I spent watching P.B.S with my mom. As you may guess, I didn’t have a lot of friends.
To be honest, I find books and the stories they tell fascinating. I also know the secret of books. How they can break through even the toughest facade. I know that there always is that one book that will open the world up for every student. Sadly, some people will live their whole life not finding that book and they will never know what they are missing; passing by Chapters or Indigo without a tingle or notice. I love finding that one book, the one that moves a student to read, that makes them want to find a sequel, other books by the same author, books in the same genre. I am amused when students groan when I tell them we are going to read historical fiction, then ask for more when their assigned book is finished.
So I collect books for my students to read. Werewolves, phantoms, magicians and demons. Terminal illnesses, broken hearts and heartbreaking loss. Underworlds, outer worlds and brave new worlds. All there. All available. My books are to be shared. I have a new copy of a popular novel that was just made into a movie. I bought it at Christmas. It has been read by 10 different students (plus myself) and is dog-eared and loved. My grade 7 students (and the 8’s I had last year) come in daily and ask me what they can read. When I first started my collection a million years ago, I had read each and every one. Now, I have read about 60 – 70 %. I spend my breaks reading and when I can during the school year.
Why am I here? I am not entirely sure, but I will work that out on the way. I want to write about the books I am reading and my students are reading. I also want to talk about the lessons I am teaching and the lessons I am learning. My life is in a changing mode right now and I am excited to share and to think while I am writing. I have also been told I should write a book. This just may be the beginning to my own published dogeared copy. However, it all starts with one, little step.
This is the other part of my teaching adventure, as I always teach using mentor texts, talk about books, make books, literature and poetry a daily part of my class. I will include some ideas here as well. Hopefully, giving you some ideas for your own little adventure.
Ms. Green's Teaching Adventure 