My Favorite Books to Teach

[this cover is perfect! I'd never seen it before]

This my tenth year of teaching, and during that time I've been able to teach some really excellent books to students, even at the primary level when I was there for four years. One major limiting factor has always been the school's inventory, since you have to work with what you have. This was much, much harder at the elementary level, since the assumption is that little people don't read novels, just excerpts. At the high school we have a ton of older classics, but lack contemporary texts.

My curriculum for IB is fairly prescribed, based on what we do have available, but I have had some wiggle room. When I taught English 2 I had a lot of flexibility, as well as when I wanted to add in an easy book for CAHSEE prep (a remedial class taught to those that hadn't passed the high school exit exam). When trying to decide what book to read my first question is simple: do I like it? Teaching something you hate is torture and is resonates in your lessons. The next question is common sense, too: will the kids like it? Trying to pull a group through something they hate it not a good time for any party involved. I also have to consider the level of the group, length of the book, available copies, and how to incorporate it into the curriculum and state standards. 

Here are a few of my favorites from my career so far:

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit (fifth grade)

I taught this to a group during a tutoring session between "tracks" when we were year round. I remember immortality being a really interesting thing to talk to ten-year-olds about! 

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary (fifth grade)

I have always adored this book, probably because I am such a journaler. I love watching how he changes as he grows up and there are so many fun activities that we did (including a contest to design a lunch box security system)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (regular tenth grade English)

The students always really love this book, which makes teaching it even better. The racial implications, the role of the outsider, and family dynamics are all great things to dive into. I think it would be really fascinating to teach it now, with the current racial tension we unfortunately have going on right now in the United States.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Eric Remarque (regular tenth grade English)

I generally do not like war novels, but I actually enjoy the coming-of-age aspect of this. I also appreciate the fact that it's a novel for the guys- the males of the "regular" classes can often be reluctant readers, so it's nice to have something they can appreciate. 

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (AP Language, 10th grade)

First of all, I didn't make the decision for the students to read this, and am not sure it worked in terms of what the hope was, but nonetheless it was a great read and the students found it really interesting. 

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (AP Language)

A good old classic! I primarily use this as a way to teach humor, satire and wit. We also take some time to look at dialect and talk about how it impacts the reader. It's a bit lengthy for sophomores, but I love that it's broken into really short chapters that read pretty fast. I do it in the spring of tenth grade, so it sets them up nicely to transition into IB English as juniors, which is literature heavy (as opposed to AP Lang, which is mostly expository texts). 

The Nose by Nikolai Gogol (IB English)

I used this short story once when we finished everything we needed a few weeks ahead of schedule. I love Russian literature and magical realism, so this story is perfect. The main character loses his nose and must find it, only to realize it has taken on a life of it's own. It's a little challenging for some students to suspend belief quite as much as is necessary, but it provokes some great conversations.

Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (IB English, 11th grade)

Speaking of magical realism, the master himself! This book has some great moments and a lot of things that seem risque to students (sex, murder, alcohol, and even prostitution), so it's usually pretty popular. Plus it's a novella, which they appreciate. God forbid we read long books.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin (IB English, 12th grade)

Is Edna a feminist or a spoiled pain in the ass? I love hearing the students go round-and-round on this one. I've read this books several times between high school, college, and my own teaching career and always approach it slightly different, contingent on my own place in life at the time. 

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (IB English, 11th grade)

If I were to describe this book in just one word it would be "rich." The language, characters, and subject matter are wonderfully dense and there are so many layers. The kids are always fairly split, though, about whether or not they like it (maybe more girls do than boys?).

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (IB English, 11th grade)

This isn't my favorite book and I think it's overrated, but I think it's a great text to start off the IB program with in the fall of junior year. The kids love it because they really like the book or they love it because they enjoy hating Holden. We do a fun activity called "Diagnosing Holden" where they have to psychoanalyze the kid and discuss whether or not they relate. 

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

[do not be fooled; it was 104 earlier and is now a mild 90. Gross]

Link up, link back (please and thank you!), and say hi!

1. There are thunderstorms going through my area of Southern California right now and everyone is going batshit crazy. Traffic is a nightmare, the social media posts are aplenty, and the National Weather Service hit all of my kids' phones during fifth period with flash-flood warnings (precautionary, not likely). The real threat? Fires from lightning strikes.

2. I thought my dream app had finally been invented and emailed to me- something that can run in the background and tell me how much time I spend doing what on my phone. Turns out their privacy agreement gives them carte blanche to basically hack into your phone and take all your info. Thanks, but no thanks.

3. I think someone trying to be sneaky and wheel-and-deal behind the scenes to screw me over an itsy-bitsy tiny bit. I know, oh-so-vague. Two hints: they're not family and they will not win. I hope they're reading and get paranoid. "Is she talking about me? No, she can't be talking about me. How would she know? There's no way!" 

4. I'm obsessed with the Athleta catalog, both because I want to look like the models and because the clothes are super cute.

5. Some of my current seniors that I had back when they were sweet baby sophomores were telling me today how terrified they were of me two years ago. I am of course pleased by this (although it's not really new information), but I don't fully comprehend why. Because I don't hold their hands through assignments? Because I don't put up late work or excuses? Because I've got a pretty mean look I can throw out?

6. I just started TC Boyle's San Miguel and am kicking myself for owning lsome of his other books and letting them sit on the shelf. I've read a few other books by him and have seen him speak twice and am never less than very impressed. Maybe I'll binge read Boyle. Is that a thing? Like how I want to sit my ass on the couch and watch every single episode of Sons but instead reading book after book by an author? Fact: Jax is eighty-seven times more attractive that TC.

7. I tried to subtly hint to my husband last night that I'd like to somehow go see Elton John at Cesar's Palace next month, while he's still alive and performing (Elton, not my husband) and I failed miserably. "You should go with your mom" he replied. Sigh. My mom lives six hours away and has to work. And before you mock my love for Elton, we grew up listening to him, so I'm a big fan of his old stuff. I danced to "Tiny Dancer" with my grandpa at our wedding.

8. I canceled my subscription to The New Yorker. I failed. 

9. This was hilarious, although not advised. Scott and I could have never pulled this off. 

10. The crazy kid and I had a rough (rough --> polite understatement) night last night and I have consumed approximately 1,000 milligrams of caffeine today. I am SO AWAKE and yet SO TIRED. 

Weekend Update

[they said this was the tallest ferris wheel in the state; LIE]

If every weekend were three days my quality of life would go up exponentially. It's a fact. Our Labor Day weekend wasn't anything terribly impressive, but it was downright enjoyable. Here's what we/I did:

Played

We went to the Norco Fair to check out all the animals (Sawyer belly laughed at a goat that jumped up to bleat in his face. This went on for several minutes. If I could relive that moment, somehow, I'd pay some solid cash to do so). We built with LEGOs, played with his new Little People Pirate Ship, and tormented the dogs. I even tried to watch Twenty-Two Jump Street with Scott but fell asleep an hour in. Oops. 

Walked and Walked

Saturday we went to a shopping center nearby that has a large man-made lake that is perfect for early-morning walks. There are lots of ducks and a cool bamboo bridge that we spent a lot of time on. We also spent some time cruising the neighborhood Sunday morning and did some laps up and down the street on Monday. Sawyer is walking more and more now, which is both a sigh of relief and a nightmare.

[what you don't see: lots of ugly stores and restaurants]

[save your correspondence for later, Sawyer]

Did Boring Adult Things

I cleaned a lot and did about ten loads of laundry. I got really, really angry while trying to order birth and marriage certificates online for a stupid insurance audit they gave us little warning for. We shopped for, and bought, a refrigerator. 

[sorry for all the Sawyer fingerprints on your stainless steel, Best Buy]

Spent Time Alone.. and Away

I met up with a friend her her baby for coffee on Saturday morning (I even got to feed him, which was weird, since he just laid there quietly and sucked on his bottle, as opposed to what I have now). I finished Zeitoun by Dave Eggers, read a bit of Macbeth for work, and started San Miguel by TC Boyle Saturday night while my husband was out late at his draft. I floated around the pool by myself on Monday. I went to Starbucks and Target solo.

[No, I did not go to Starbucks three days in a row. Never.]

[view from the pool]

Shopped

I spent way too much time online deciding what kind of Top Siders and tennis shoes to buy (why do I want Top Siders? Why? I don't own a boat). I rediscovered some great things at Trader Joe's like those stupid hollow apple sticks, and their garlic olive oil and Pasadena Salad. I replaced a fake pearl necklace that Sawyer broke at Charming Charlie's (there's too much stuff in that store to wade through, I've decided). I also picked up Star Wars stuff for the whole family.  Target got me again. 

Baked

If you call Rice Krispy Treats with peanut butter and chocolate chips baking. Pretty easy stuff.

Worried About Uncontrollable Things

Just keeping it real. I've always had an issue with this and this weekend required some serious self-monitoring so I didn't lose it. Unfortunately, my lack of sleep exacerbates the situation, and the fact that I haven't gotten more than 6.5 hours of (broken) sleep in weeks isn't helping. Sawer just will not stop teething. One day at a time!

This week should be quick... right?

TED Talks to Watch- Inspiring Women (1)

I'm a huge fan of documentaries (see the above "Document This" tab), but it's hard for me to commit to ninety or more minutes to watch one these days. TED Talks have been the answer, though, since most are between ten and twenty minutes. I watched many over the summer and am going to start trying to show one a week in my AP Language class to compliment whatever we're studying or just as a reason to practice their listening note-taking skills. I love that there's a talk for pretty much anything. The ones I feature today are about things that I'm passionate about or interested in: women's rights, equality, health, literature, and education. I'm going to periodically try to put some of the ones I've found particularly interesting up here to share the wealth. And yes, they're all women today, but I do watch ones by men as well. 

Aspen Baker- A Better Way to Talk About Abortion (10:58)

Aspen Baker discusses the need for women who have had abortions, or any sort of difficult experience, to be listened to. She makes an excellent point about the divide between what is happening in politics, which many people get swept away in, and what happens in emotional real life. She created a foundation called Exhale to help provide women with support. Her message and advice at being a better listener was also insightful.

Yasmmin Abdel-Magied- What Does My Headscarf Mean to You? (14:01)

I showed this one to my sophomores last week and received a lot of positive feedback; they really appreciated the message on unintentional bias and seemed to take a lot of away from her talk. Abdel-Magied is an engineer in Australia but is also Muslim and wears a Hijab. She discusses how as a society we are so quick to judge others based on reasons we may not even be aware of. She is incredibly dynamic and powerful; she demands respect for others but does it a in such a way where you aren't feeling lectured. There are many activists that need to take note of her style. 

Linda Cliatt-Wayman- How to Fix a Broken School? Lead Fearlessly, Love Hard (17:07)

I appreciated this talk because I too teach at a school that has seen major changes over the last six years in order to follow the Turn Around Model (her's is a similar system, I believe). Granted, her school needed a great deal of more help than ours, I still appreciated the sentiment of a leader that worked on developing sincere relationships with students and a positive working environment. In order to do this she managed the lunchroom herself and got to know the kids and held town halls meetings for input, just to mention a few of the strategies that I most appreciated. Her passion was palpable.

Isabel Allende- How to Live Passionately No Matter What Your Age (8:16)

I'm a huge Allende fan (despite not reading near enough of her work!) and have been lucky enough to see her twice in person. This TED Talk doesn't disappoint; she talks about how our passions might change as we age but that we don't have to succumb to being elderly. The best part was when she talked about rolling Antonio Banderas up in a tortilla and eating him. 

Alanna Shaikh- How I'm Preparing to Get Alzheimer's (6:26)

There are thirty-five million people globally with some form of dementia, so the chance of ending up with it to some degree are pretty high. Shaikh is confident that she will get it due to genetics- her father has it (there are some types of Alzheimer's, like early onset, that if you test positive for the gene you're pretty much guaranteed to get it). She's hoping for a cure by the time she's older to show symptoms, but in the meantime she talks about how to prepare. She's having as much fun as she can, she's improving her physical strength, and she's trying to be a better person. She says that is "the monster wants to get you, it's going to get you," but she's not going to go down without a fight. 

All images are taken from ted.com.

Bookish (and not so Bookish) Thoughts

Link up, link back, say hi.

1. This little person handled his shots like a champ today. No tears! Plus he was nice to the doctor, so that was a welcome change.

2. I CANNOT stop listening to this song. I don't care who thinks it's stupid, it's on repeat constantly. 

3. To help me regain some credibility, it's actually alternating between this song, which makes me wonder why I don't listen to more Beck. Nonetheless, I'm psyched for the album that this will be on:

4. I have the novel Lila by Marilyn Robinson but learned that her books Gilead and Home are actually set in the same city prior to the one I have, so I just ordered the other two. I enjoyed Housekeeping and hope I like these three as much, since I'll have basically committed to the series that's not a series.

5. It's a three-day weekend! Yes! It's actually made this week feel ten times slower, but it'll be worth it. I'm supposed to meet up with a friend or two but other than that nothing too serious. We might head out to a local fair in the town over, since I'm pretty sure it will be a lot more "fair-like" than the OC one (this one is Norco, for local folks. I suspect there will be some legit cowboy boots). I'm also planning to get in some serious pool time, since I'm thinking (probably naively, since it's only September) that my weekends of warmth are limited. 

6. I have had my arm twisted into buying one of Pampered Chef's Deep Covered Baking dishes, under the assumption that it is "magical" and can basically make an awesome dinner for me. It's pretty pricey, so it better be all that and more.

7. The adulting just won't end. In the last three or four months I've done life insurance, college fund set-up, refinancing, solar panels, an HOA and loan application for the panels, and now I have to provide all of these documents that I don't technically have on hand for a health insurance audit at work AND we're buying a new fridge that has to extensively be researched (of course). I know I'm lucky to have access to all of these things, but my god, it's just so boring sometimes.

8. I listed to Lianne Moriarty's Big Little Lies on audiobook over the course of a couple of weeks and it was the perfect listen; it was fun, didn't require my full attention, the lady reading it was absolutely perfect, and it kept me interested. It's not the type of book I'd read, but it was perfect for commuting home. And seriously- I just saw a "blond bob" hustle her kids into a mini-van on my walk around the neighborhood a bit ago.

9. My students are all in a slight tizzy about the new Macbeth movie, which I'm happy doesn't come out until after we're done studying it (we're on Act 2 right now and it isn't released until December). It looks creepy, but good.

10. I've asked before, but I'll try again: does anyone know a legit way to scrub your twitter feed? I'd like to unlock it, but I ultimately know that students will find it and I don't want anything I mentioned years ago public. Not that there's anything bad, I just don't want the past lurking around.