Check It Out

Jessica brought me a rough draft of this poem.  It was need of line breaks.  Tabbatha, who published earlier, offered to help her with line breaks.  Love that!  

fall

Leaves falling tall and icy trees
As the wind blows
On a cool fall day
Piles of orange and yellow
Leaves lie in the yard
As all the kids play
On a cool fall day

Thank you Sylvia at Poetry for Children for rounding up the poetry.  I round up the poems here next week. 

Happy Reading.  Get out and vote!

MsMac

–Jessica, 5th grade

This week has two whole days and three conference days which are half days. Plus on Hallowe’en is Friday.  Need I say that it is crazy around here.

Yesterday, my classes ranged from kindergarten through third grade.  All were a sea of writhing bodies as they tried to listen to the stories I read.  It was as if they had already reached in the stash of Hallowe’en candy their parents were saving for Friday’s trick-or-treaters.

Today, I found myself giving the age old talk to fifth graders about flatulence, how it happens to us all, and how we do not need to call attention to occurrences during a lesson.  Probably I will be remember as the teacher who talked about farting. ”We will experience unpleasant smells during our lifetime, get use to it.” Did I really say that?  I am getting to rigid in my thinking that toilet and bathroom humor belongs at home or recess and not in class? 

It reminded me of the time when I taught fifth grade. Right at the crux of the teaching point I was about to make, a student burst through the door shouting, “….(name of student now forgotten) did not flush.” Thus ended any point I was trying to make about the American Revolution.

Perhaps next week’s lesson should be from Ben Franklin’s book, Fart Proudly.

I just finished listening to Star Girlby Jerry Spinelli, read by John Ritter.  Ritter did a terrific job and it was a comfort hear Ritter voice.  Miss that guy.  I decided that Star Girl is right next to Island of the Blue Dolphinsfor me.  I love the story. Star Girl’s uniqueness, her need to not fit in with everyone, and her giving spirit resonate with me.  And yesterday? A former student who reminds me a bit of a star girl, showed up to give me her photo.  She also commented that I looked like the “Starbucks Owl” as I was dressed in fall colors which she thought reminded her of an owl. When I laughed she reminded me that I do like owls.  Maybe I should be called “Owl Woman”.

I just started listening to the unabriged version of Little Women as I begin reading March by Geraldine Brooks for my book club.  Brooks has written from the point of view of Mr. March, the father in LW. It won the Pulitzer in 2006. 

I may surprise everyone and show up as a scarecrow on Friday.  I sort of feel like one.  Or I could come as an owl.

I love this quote by John Quincy Adams: “Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”

Do you think voting matters?  On Monday, November 3rd, 2008, Colleen and Lee will be gathering up posts about voting to create a master list for “Blog the Vote”.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

Naomi and Me with attractive name tag jewelry
WLMA/OASL Library Conference

“Because of its brevity, we can sneak poetry in.” –Naomi Shihab Nye

The Washington and Oregon Library Media Joint Conference was last weekend. Featured speaker: Naomi Shihab Nye. Let me tell you, friend, it was an amazing time. I walked away feeling affirmed that I am heading in the right direction, I am tuning into the “Poetry Channel”(termed used by Naomi). 

My offering today are notes and quotes from her session ( being on duty at the autograph area the whole conference, this is one time I stepped away from my duties) and conference lunch speech :

“Falling in love with poetry at an early age gave me a way to love life more“,  Discovered the poetry of William Stafford in high school.  Little did she know what a great mentor he would become.  Her talks both began with the importance of libraries in her life.

On why we need poetry: “creates a knowing, an empathy, a shared experience.”

Quick and Easy Things To Get Kids to Tune into “The Poetry Channel” as she calls it:
Lunch time readings
Becoming a Poem Day (usually in April)
Poetry Contests
Poetry Write-a-thons
Participate in “Poem in Your Pocket” Day (April)
Plan poetry all year
Have a poem just posted up in the classroom to fit in with the lesson you are teaching (this reminded me how I share a poem connected to the book I am reading to primary classes)
Blanket the school, the town with poems

On what poetry brings:
Comfort
Focus
Bigger Life Connections
Never Being Lonely
Empathy
A kindred spirit sense

On developing “physical fitness with your life with words”: 
Write down three lines that belong to you each day. The little details of your life. Do not look at them for a couple of month, then review and what do you notice?

“Poetry in the air, now go share”

Naomi took us through a quick writing exercise in her session:
Write down 3-5 questions you have
Write down 3-5 to details of experiences you have had
Write down 3-5 things you feel gratitude toward
look over and see what poem comes up for you.
This lead me to two poems which you can read here and here.

Finally: “job of a poem invites us to our most profound human experience“.  

So short the time but what a feeling of being surrounded by kindred spirits.  It topped off a week that had been already given me a profound human experience. 

Go now, tune into “The Poetry Channel”. Keep  a tiny notebook with you all times. Write 3 lines daily. Share a poem today. Becky at Becky’s Book Reviews is rounding all kindred spirits up today.

Happy Reading,

MsMac

Really, I Am Not Ungrateful

In the diatribe that I wrote last Tuesday, I neglected to thank conference attendees for the lovely stick basket (so cool), the sparkling grape juice, and the lovely lavender body crème, ahh, it smells so great.  I devoured the last of the Moonstruck chocolate tonight as well.  I believe thanks to Laini and Jim.

Spokane Moms Rock the Library Conference

Three moms from Spokane, upset that the elementary library program was abolished, went to Olympia, WA last year and rattled cages.  As a result, every school district received $4.09 per FTE dedicated to libraries.  It is a great start but the Spokane Moms want a line item in the state budget that makes it a requirement that every school is staff with a certificated librarian.

These moms have been on the cover of School Library Journal .  They have inspired other states to follow suit.  They were at our recent Oregon-Washington Library Media Conference.  Unfortunately, I did not get to hear them. My time was spent at the autograph tables with authors and illustrators. Not a bad gig, however not much action. Having to choose between getting books autographed or going to a session was difficult for many. I felt bad for the lonely authors and iluustrators awaiting people who wanted their books signed.

So how has libraries had an impact on your life or your child’s life?  Especially school libraries.  The Spokane Moms are looking for testimony. 

CONTEST 

If you choose to post about the impact of school libraries, let me know. Leave me a comment.  I have two ARC copies of Ghost Medicine by Andrew Smith and several audio copies of Jazz by Walter Dean Myers to give away (left over from the blogging conference and great thanks to Philip Lee at Feiwel and Friends (http://us.macmillan.com/FeiwelAndFriends.aspx)

So Many Books, So Little Time

I have loved, loved, loved the opportunities to chat with authors and illustrators over the last few weeks. Now I have some books that I want to read and I wonder how I will get it done. YIKES!  Listening to audio books to and from school had been a big help.  I finished Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson last week. Oh my goodness, what an amazing story!  I hope there will be a sequel someday.  Now I am listening to Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson, great story about the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. My namesake, Benjamin Rush is featured in the story.

At my bedside, I have:

Liar’s Diary. Patry Francis. A re-read for my book club this Sunday.

Me, Lorie Ann and Justina
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley.  An ARC given to me by Justina, who said my skin was “luminous”, what a sweet compliment.  Thanks, Justina. I have to thank my mom for my skin.  She was the one to set me straight about skin care and drinking lots of water!

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. December’s book club suggestion for school.

Brooklyn Bridge by Karen Hesse. Gotten at the blogging conference

Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. Was the key note at the library conference.

A Maze Me: Poems for Girls by Naomi Shihab Nye. Luncheon speaker.

What is on your nightstand?

Happy Reading.

MsMac

See, when you let go and post elsewhere, the site comes back up.  Cross posted here.

One of the coolest things about my job as a library media specialist is when a student hands me something they have written.  This week, Tabbatha, a fifth grader brought me her poetry (one piece is still at school).  Way cool.

October

On Halloween night the cool chilling air fills the

            Streets with joy.

Carrying big bags of candy as

The sky gets darker on Halloween night

Oh October

Beautiful orange and yellow leaves hanging on the

            Tree by each other

Each different than others

Running down the street trying to catch my sister

            On Halloween night.

–Tabbatha, 5^th grade

For more great poetry, head to Picture Book of the Day.

Days before the conference my husband said, ” I hope you do not have a conference hang over.”  I laughed.  Me? You got to be kidding.  But it happened.  I got a conference hang over.  Even with the fact that I am working with Powell’s Bookstore with conference book sales for the Oregon and Washington Joint Conference of library media specialists.   Even with the fact that my daughter is to give birth any day (hopefully not Thursday -Saturday this week).  I have struggled to write this post.

My hangover is about what to write about the conference that has not already been said.  When you are the person in charge you attention span is different.  I felt consumed with making sure the rooms were okay (sorry about the temperature) the coffee continued to flow and the number we would have for dinner.  Someone asked me during the conference what my highlight was. Honestly, it was the conference itself.  That Laini and I could pull this off, get people to come to Portland, and make the locals know about the conference and attend.  That we co-chaired a national event.   That Eric Kimmel would show up Saturday morning, after hearing about it from a friend who lives, I believe, on the east coast. That we raised money and donated books for Doernbecher’s Children’s Hospital in memory of Nina Morrison.  That Pam has stepped up to the plate and has offered to host it in Washington, D.C. next year.

The conference left me with questions:

Do we want to grow the conference any larger or cap the number of attendees? 
How do we keep the conference intimate enough and interesting enough that people will want to continue coming to the conference?  The beginnings of this conference were from Robin Brande who saw it as a ‘fantasy potluck” where the virtual on-line group could really meet each other.

How can I be a better blogger?  And do I want to become a “Twitterer”? I mean all I have to do is to sign-up, it is that simple. But then will I always need to be twittering about some random item of perhaps little interest to anyone.  My niece twitters and wants me to as well.  There is something alluring about the whole twitter thing, and yet I am resisiting. 

I am looking at all the video of the conference and that is calling to me as well.  Then I have to remember that I am still struggling with my getting my first podcast uploaded! (This with equipment that I got through a grant following Mark’s fabulous presentation last year).  And I have to talk about my experience to other librarian’s this Friday! Yikes! 

Finally, the conference left me wondering about what I can do to redirect my life in 7-10 years.  What else could I do besides teach and be a library media specialist?  And this is where my hangover has settled.  I am fighting the pity party as my retired teacher type friends are off playing in Chicago and the east coast.   It is a party that I cannot stay at for a long time.  I have to challenge myself to stay in the game and stay fresh.  I struggle to keep my like in a manageable state because I am always jumping into the fire from the frying pan.

So my challenges are to read at least 5 blogs a week and comment, to get that podcast up and continue them, to write personally and professionally, and to get ready for Washington, D.C. next year.  I am compiling blogs and emails and feedback and will have them ready by the end of the month.

Check out more on the conference here.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

Baby Haiku by Betsy Snyder

As many of you have read, last Friday was all about meeting up with people at Powells and dinner later in the Pearl District. 

I love books with haiku. I love the simplicity of the form.  Soon to be a grandma.  I needed a book to add to the collection of presents for the baby shower (that happened Sunday after the conference).

So as I am aimlessly wandering around in Powells with folks from the conference, I saw that Pam had this book is her hand.  I considered snatching it from her, decreeing “It is mine, all mine!” but she kindly showed me where the book was located.

I bought two. One for baby and one for me.  A board book. Haiku. So wonderfully sweet. The pages are tabbed with symbols that represent the topic of the haiku. Illustrations are whimsical.  It carries you through the seasons.  Not only will the baby like it but I believe big sister (who is all of 2 and a half) will as well.

For autumn:

leaf

yoo-hoo, peekaboo!
wind plays tag with autumn leaf-
catch me if you can!

I write this post every Friday.  It got me thinking…why not post the poem I use for Poetry Friday somewhere for students and staff to see each week?  So I am.  I post the poem just in a space above the copy machine in the staff work room and I also put it up where students check out.  I usually try to have a book that goes with the poem (directly or indirectly)

Poetry is being rounded up by the Two Writing Teachers. Thank you to them.  Head over and see what els is going on for Poetry Friday.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

The third year of the CYBILS (Children’s and Young Adult Bloggers’ Literary Awards) has just begun! Nominations will stay open until Wednesday, October 15, 2008.

This year, awards will be given in nine categories
Easy Readers
Fantasy & Science Fiction
Fiction Picture Books
Graphic Novels
Middle Grade Novels,
Non-Fiction Middle Grade/Young Adult Books
Non-Fiction Picture Books
Poetry
Young Adult Novels

From Jen Robinson’s blog:

“Anyone can nominate books in these categories (one nomination per person per category). Nominated titles must be:

**published between January 1st and October 15th of this year

**the books must be in English (or bilingual, where one of the languages is English).

To nominate titles, visit the Cybils blog between October 1st and 15th. A separate post will be available for each category – simply nominate by commenting on those individual posts. If you are not sure which category to choose for a particular book, a questions thread will also be available.

Between October 16th and January 1st, Cybils panelists (children’s and young adult bloggers) will winnow the nominations down to a 5-7 book short list for each category. A second set of panelists will then select the winning titles for the different categories. The winners will be announced on February 14th, 2009.

I am leaving the poetry category this year and will be on the Non-fiction Picture Book Panel.

 So what great books published in 2008 have you read?  Go! Nominate a book!

Happy Reading.

MsMac