Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea

I truly believe that the best way to find out about a book is through sharing our reading. This is a practice I use in my classroom as we all share out what we are currently reading. How lovely it was one afternoon when a former student stopped by after school to visit. It was during our conversation that it struck me how the impact of what we share as educators lives within our students long after they leave us. My student  had been wanting to come to  share a book that she had just read because it reminded her of her fifth grade class and me. 

"Me?" I asked. 

"Well, the teacher in the book is a man, but the way the students feel about him is the way we all feel about you," she replied. "Also, some of the characters in the story I could definitely put the face to from kids in our class."

Okay, not only did this student take the time to come visit me, but she was excited to share a book? This was a book I had to read. 

Because of Mr. Terrupt by Rob Buyea is the story of a fifth grade teacher who made a huge impact on the lives of his students. The story takes a tragic turn that makes the students learn some life lessons and come together. 

The students are a cast of characters that could easily be sitting in any fifth grade classroom. They include: Alexia, a mean girl with a past that later explains why she acts this way; Peter, a trouble maker/prankster who will surprise you when another side of him is revealed; Jessica, the new girl who is trying to fit in and adjust to her family situation; Luke, the student who is considered "the brain" and will teach you about "dollar words"; Anna, the shy, sensitive girl who has trouble standing up for herself; Danielle, the sensitive, chubby, plain girl who struggles with how she looks and prays to God often; and Jeffrey, who hates school and has a secret that is later revealed that explains his outlook. The teacher is Mr. Terupt who is the new fifth grade teacher who seems to be able to make all of his students feel welcomed and creates a classroom full of fun and learning. 

I've since read this book as a read aloud to my fifth grade class. It has provided a stage for many great conversations. I might add that it has also made a few students consider how they treat others. This book is the first of three Mr. Terupt books by Rob Buyea. 

Rob Buyea's website

It's Been A Long Time

Hello fellow book lovers! It's been a few years since I've posted to this blog, but I've been inspired over that last few weeks to return to writing every day. Through reflection, I realized that blogging about books, whether I read them for pleasure or professional reasons, is something I enjoy. I must be totally honest and share that I've been involved in many professional learning communities over that past few years that have truly helped me grow my teaching practice. While I've been a part of the Twitter community since 2009, I've recently connected with other wonderfully inspiring educators and literacy leaders through tweeting. The more tweets I read from trusted professionals I follow, the more connections I have made. Through this networking I've become a part of a Facebook group, "TeachWrite: A Tribe for Teachers of Writers & Teachers Who Write." Each day we are encouraged to write about anything. The post goes out asking, "What will you write today?" and the responses that follow are intriguing and range from writing a few sentences to  working on a dissertation. It is an amazing group that has renewed my desire to write more.

I have many books to share, but I've decided to start with three: a professional text, a book that has become a student favorite, and a book I am looking forward to reading. 

Professional Text:

The Book Whisperer Awakening the Inner Reader In Every Child by Donalyn Miller is a book that I keep returning to as a resource. The author's style of writing is like having a conversation. The information is presented using relatable scenarios, sharing her thought process along the way, and the idea of providing choice to our student readers to help instill a love of reading. Sharing her experiences of struggling with ways to teach reading, collegial conversations, and the professional texts read and workshops attended made this professional text an enjoyable read. Ms. Miller provides "Key Components of A Reading Workshop", the idea of "dormant readers" and "underground readers." Sharing her work with students, Ms. Miller provides "case study" insight into these readers, goal setting, provides examples of student work and survey responses which offer helpful and practical strategies to use in the classroom. The appendices at the end of the book are valuable resources, "Appendix A: The Care and Feeding of a Classroom Library" and "Appendix B: Ultimate Library List" and revisited often. 

A book that has become a classroom favorite:

Alice Hoffman has been one of my favorite authors as an adult reader for many years. I wrote about her book, Here On Earth a few years ago as a book I would highly recommend. Not realizing she wrote to a younger audience as well, I was so happy to come across her book Nightbird. This is a captivating story about a centuries-old curse, a family secret that must be  kept, and  a unique twelve year old girl named Twig. Because of this secret, Twig has never really had a real friend, but that is all about to change when she meets their neighbor Julia.  This story provides  a mix of mystical, magical, fantasy, family, and friendship  theme that has kept a few of my students begging for more independent reading time. 

A book I am looking forward to reading: 

  

The release date for this book is March, 2018. Here is a link to the author's website. www.loisletchford.com