As the days get closer to a new school year...

Have you found yourself saying summer is almost over, then getting funny looks from people who don't understand that for teachers the summer is a l m o s t  o v e r.  Truth is summer doesn't end until September 21st, but by that time we are almost finished with the first grading period and planning for fall break or the first round of testing to be out of the way.  This post was triggered by an article I just read from the Huffington Post about how hard it is to be a teacher.  Although I agree with what was written, I still wouldn't give up being in education.  I'm still a teacher, but I'm not in the classroom anymore.  I'm the school library media specialist, the best job in the world, and I get to work with every student and every teacher without directly worrying about testing and such.  I teach, troubleshoot tech issues, guide, listen, encourage, and so much more (just like the classroom teachers).  Really.  Anyhow, I just wanted to share this article and wish everyone the full glory of the whole summer.
Huffington Post, July 7, 2014, The Hard Part.  Enjoy and let me read your thoughts, because we write on. 

The Need for Professional Reading

It dawned on me recently that we (Indiana Writing Project members) are indeed a group of well read professionals.  Gathered in a living room we were discussing many things, but the conversation kept returning to what we have been reading professionally.  It also became apparent that we really needed that professional collegiality where we could discuss the latest trends in writing and all areas of education without being snubbed or looked at as if to have the "listener" say "what the heck are you talking about?".  It was great to re-join the circle.  Prior to attending the Invitational Summer Institute (ISI) in 2002 I did not realize how little I had been reading professionally.  The closest I could gather was what I had been required to read in my licensure courses and that doesn't always cause one to grow, just spit out papers.  As a writer I could do that without any problem. 

It is good to know that there is a network out there that can support that need for professionalism, writing, and just plain support where a familiar face will encourage what we don't realize we as individuals can do.  You/we are never alone.  The challenge becomes becoming and staying connected, to care, to invest in others who have the same undeveloped passion for writing, their students, and education as a whole.  Of course, I realize it is summer which allows for some time to do those other passions and once school starts (July 31, for me) we load onto the roller coaster that never ends and sometimes we scream for a break or wish to jump off, but we remember the other  riders (IWP teacher-consultants) and connect again.

I've rambled on, but my point is we value the professional collegiality that we have and we must make what we value part of that list of priorities.  My other point is that we read professional publications, which is so important in education or any professional because without knowing what is going on in our profession how can we be well versed in what we are supposed to know and teach.

Thanks for allowing me to be one of those professionals who cares about what is happening in the world of education, in the National Writing Project and in my corporation.  It is important to our students.  We are professionals!

Write on~Robin S

The Ashfall Series- Intriguing to Teens and Adults

Review of Ashfall by Mike Mullin

Barbara Swander Miller

Grippingly believable, the Ashfall series by Indianapolis Native Mike Mullin has what it takes to intrigue teens and adults, alike. No wonder it has won so many awards. Alex, an average teenager left to his own devices, makes his way across the Midwest to find his family after the Yellowstone volcano erupts in a thick gray ash that erodes all sense of modern life. Along the way, Alex encounters the best and the worst of human nature in a rapidly developing dystopic society. Although readers might predict that Mullin’s unlikely protagonist emerges as a leader, the traumas that he suffers create a sense of potential realism that keeps readers turning the pages. Darla, the tough and savvy amateur engineer he meets in Ashfall, not only makes a unique foil for Alex, but also is a strong role model for young women readers. There is no problem she cannot puzzle out. As a classroom read, this series is probably best for ages 15 and up, as the two main characters face- and maturely discuss- sexual decisions and are engaged in graphically violent clashes with lawless gangs. If you like The Hunger Games or Divergent, pick up Ashfall, Ashen Winter, Sunrise and Darla’s Story.

Buy Ashfall on Amazon 

ISTEP SUCCESS: The “Write” Strategies, Feb. 8

Elementary and Middle School Workshops

Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014

Hands-on topics include:

• ISTEP tips every student (and teacher) should know
• Quick, fun prep strategies
• Dissecting the prompt
• Powerful planning
• Revision v. draft
• Five-day prep plan
• Scoring for success
• Three types of written assessment
• Narrative v. essay

Register and find more information:
http://iwp.iweb.bsu.edu/profdev/istep.htm