TCRWP Saturday Reunion

At 5:40am this morning, I was out the door and headed towards school, where I would drop off my car, meet up with some friends, and head to the train station. By 6:35am I was on a northbound train headed to Penn Station. By 8:00am I was inside Riverside Church on Riverside Dr. [...]

Slice of Life Challenge #21

Sliding
in and out of lanes
like a first time ice-skater.
Horns honk t
he driver ignores them,
continuing his cell phone conversation,
oblivious to the slamming brakes
and angry shouts.
I count down the blocks as we pass them by-
58th, 57th, 56th….
how many more til Penn Station?  Will we make it?
Gripping the door handle,
I hold on for dear life,
hoping no one cuts [...]

Slice of Life #20

I love reading. If you told me I could do absolutely anything I want for an entire day, I would choose reading. I love sitting on my couch, with its chaise lounge, stretching out with a good book.
I have spent the majority of today reading the conclusion to my favorite trilogy, The Sweet [...]

Poetry Friday

When I was in college, my favorite professor was a William Carlos Williams expert. I fell in love with his poetry and the fact that he was a native New Jerseyan, like myself. Today I want to share part of his poem, “Spring and All”.

All along the road the reddish
purplish, forked, upstanding, twiggy
stuff [...]

Sweet Valley High- A Necessary Re-release?

In order to get the word out about the re-release of the Sweet Valley High series, Random House has been circulating a memo among journalists (*source- Gawker). Along with publicizing the “new” series, the memo highlights a few of the editorial changes made by the publisher to ensure the books will be accepted by [...]

Slice of Life Challenge #19

“Excuse me, do you know where I could find a mystery book?”
The little old woman jerked me out my book-seeking haze. As I struggled to balance the mammoth pile of books in my arms, I glanced around the bookstore.
“Umm, I think there is a mystery section. I don’t work here, but I think [...]

New Look!

Yes, you are at the right blog.    I am doing some spring cleaning and while I loved the colors of the old style, it wasn’t very professional-looking and tended to get cluttered too easily.  I’m not 100% happy (I wish I could change the background color from gray to green) but I am [...]

Reflecting on Reading Workshop

My school is on spring break this week and I am enjoying some much needed rest and relaxation. However, I am also using this week to do some reflecting and planning. Last night I ordered a few books that I want to use in planning our April Poetry Month and our upcoming Holocaust [...]

Hot Books in March

I apologize…I am a few days late with this month’s installment of Hot Books in my classroom. For my new readers, a quick explanation: Every month I publish a list of the 5-6 books that are currently the most popular reads in my 6th grade classroom. To see previous lists, please click [...]

Slice of Life Challenge #18

Back in January, we purchased tickets to see Michael Buble at the Borgata in Atlantic City.  Growing up, I used to listen to Sinatra, Dean Martin, and the rest of the Rat Pack.  Over the last few years I have become a huge fan of Michael Buble. He has a gorgeous voice and balances [...]