My biggest struggle this summer has been carving out the time to read two books each week. I am a slow reader, not because I have ever struggled with reading or comprehension, simply because I am not the type to fly through. I take my time and it has been a bit of a difficult task for me to get through two books a week. I will say that I found a happy medium and sped up my reading while also staying true to my reading style and taking my time. It was also difficult for me to jump into books without knowing much about any of them. Outside of a book talk and a quick pitch, I had no clue what I was in for. I like to read based on author or recommendations from others, so that was different for me. However, I was pleasantly surprised with most of my picks.
This semester has helped me branch out in my reading, from genres that I don’t typically try out to storylines that wouldn’t interest me normally. I think I became more well-rounded in my reading, which of course will help me with my students. I want to be able to recommend them books based on what I’ve read. It is difficult to recommend books without really knowing what those books are about. So, having read a large number this summer of varying topics, genres, styles, etc. I have a wider variety of books to recommend to my students. That is what I’m most proud of. I will absolutely be a teacher who reads and I cannot wait to start sharing with my students what I’m reading from week to week and chatting about those books with them, hopefully sparking interest.
My classroom library has grown to a respectable number over the summer. It is large enough that my students can browse it and find something for each of them. I want to find a way to bring YA into my actual instruction, so I would love to work through some of that in subsequent courses. I have some ideas which I’m excited about, but I’d love to brainstorm with colleagues and professors in a course to make my classroom a place that YA is used effectively through instruction.
As for my TBR list…
- Timekeeper by Tara Sim
- Chainbreaker by Tara Sim
- Firestarter by Tara Sim
- Fireflight by Brandon Sanderson
- Calamity by Brandon Sanderson
- Damage Done by Amanda Panitch
- Lock In by John Scalzi
- The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
- Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau
- Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau
That list should keep me busy for awhile.
Jason's Thoughts 