No, I’m not dead…but yes, it has been a while since I blogged. Things went a little sideways for a couple of weeks. Let me fill you in!
What happened…..
Remember how I was taking Block class a mere 3 hours from home? Well, yeah, that finally ended last Friday. The last two weeks we talked about special education and content literacy. The class is now over and in the books. I’ve learned a lot and I am glad I had the experience of this class with my friends and colleagues. I’m also glad it is over!
Then….
Well, let’s just say that returning home, and staying home, has been nice. I spent a few days immersed in homework. I am now, though, returning to the world and doing chores. Laundry is almost caught up. Dishes are done. My random junk from living away is getting picked up. Slowly but surely.
My Classes Now
So, now that I am at home, I am still taking 4 classes online. I’m doing Precalculus, Applied Calculus, Math for the Elementary/Middle School Teacher 1, and Linguistics. This is the summer of the content classes! They are keeping me busy, but I am glad I can accomplish these from the comfort of my living room.
And now….THE BOOKS!
I’ve updated my Goodreads, but I thought I’d give you a quick run-down of what I have read these last few weeks!
Textbooks: I finished reading Classroom Assessment for Teachers for my Assessment class. I also read Improving Adolescent Literacy for the final week of block (on….content literacy!). Two more texts with a bunch of information!
Audiobooks: I finally finished Inkheart on audio. It was good! I found myself driving around Chadron in the vain hope of finishing the book – it was that good. Audio definitely was the format for me and this book!
I’ve also started the abridged version of The DaVinci Code, by Dan Brown. I’ve read it before, but it is action filled and I thought an abridged version might be a good audio for me to try.
Novels: I absolutely devoured If I Stay, by Gayle Forman. I love love loved it! If I Stay tells the story of Mia, whose family has been involved in an accident. Mia is unconscious, but she can travel around the hospital and see her family and friends – yet they cannot see her. Forman paints an epically tragic tale through flashbacks, questions, and heart wrenching scenes. I want to get the second one to add to my library soon!
I’ve started a re-read of one of my favorites too! The Devil Wears Prada is the tale of Andrea “Andy” Sachs and her epic year as the second assistant to THE Miranda Priestly. I’ve seen the movie a bunch (actually, saw the movie before read the book), but I really like the novel. I won’t give you any spoilers, but there are some differences between movie and novel. 🙂
Picture Bo
oks: For my Math for the Elementary/Middle School class had me create a lesson plan for math that involved children’s books. A perfect blend for my two loves! In the process, I read two beautifully illustrated and wonderfully written books by Greg Tang. The Grapes of Math and Math for All Seasons use poems and images to create word problems for readers to solve. They are quite inventive. I think an entire Greg Tang library is begging to be added to my collection. Check them out!
Whew! I know that was long, but that’s what you get when I haven’t blogged in two weeks! If you’ve made it this far….congrats! Tell me what the best thing you have read in the past two weeks has been. I’m always looking for something new for the TBR!
OZ and Other Lands 