Battle of the Books

Here is a lovely little picture of my cute little NAWS (Nick, Ashley, Whitney, Stephanie) team. These little self-proclaimed nerds took us all the way to the regional competition in Roseburg. They placed 2nd at our district tournament and then 4th at the regional competition that had schools coming from all over southwestern Oregon. I am very proud.

This was one of the coolest things that I have been involved with. The state librarians association put this together. They chose 16 books for students to read. The students formed teams of four and then they had a few months to read all of the books. Then the battles were on. It was a sort of Jeopardy-like competition and it was so fun to see all of these kids reading the same books. At my school we had over 40 teams, that means 160 or so students were all reading these great books. They were all talking to each other about it and we organized book clubs that met after school with different teachers that all read some of the books. It has just been a great experience.

At our district competition they think that there were 1000 or so people crammed into our gym. They showed this video with some great music and pictures of the kids in the middle of their school competitions. After it was over, the crowd exploded into cheers and the excitement was contagious--and the best part was that it was all about books! I read 13 of the 16 books myself and loved nearly every one. So here is the list for all of you readers out there that are open to young adult literature. It is my own belief that some of the most creative writing is done for young adults, so pick one out and take a chance. You won't be disappointed.

*The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
*Airborn by Kenneth Oppel
Eleanor's Story: An American Girl in Hitler's Germany by Eleanor Ramrath Garner
Cages by Peg Kehret
*Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Shadow Spinner by Susan Fletcher
Under the Blood Red Sun by Graham Salisbury
Code Talkers by Joseph Brouchac
Among the Hidden by Margaret Petersen Haddix
Flush by Carl Hiassen
Code Orange by Caroline B. Cooney
The Kite Rider by Geraldine McCaughren
*Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
*Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
*Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
*Criss Cross by Lynn Rae Perkins

*My favorites

Gotta love the Constitution

For the past few weeks we have been studying the Constitution. It has been one of the best teaching experiences that I have had. For one of the culminating activities of the unit, I had the students create podcasts about the amendment that means the most to them. Check it out at my teaching website.

Perhaps it is the upcoming presidential election, but students are really getting into our discussions of our government. We are holding a mock primary election (one of the benefits of Oregon having such a late primary--it actually fits in) and the students have had quite a few good debates over some pretty serious issues. On Thursday of this week, Peter DeFazio is coming to visit with my students (he is our representative in the US House) and the kids can't wait to ask him some pretty great questions.

I know that I have previously stated my support for Barack Obama. I have tried to make sure that my students have no idea which candidate I prefer. But as I watch these young 13 and 14 year old students getting excited about participating in government, I can't help but give some of that credit to Obama. We have watched a few speeches from each of the candidates (through the beauty of YouTube) and have looked through their websites and you can see the excitement that has even extended to middle school students. Once again, I disagree with many of the policies that Obama supports; however, he is honestly inspiring previously disinterested generations to finally get involved in government. It is a beautiful thing!

My Boys

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how grateful I am for my little stinkyfaces. Perhaps it is because of my relentlessly busy schedule and maybe I am often thinking about them when I am away from home or it might just be that the mere thought of them motivates me to try to be a better person and to do my best as I try to provide for my little family.

If you have ever meet these boys, you know that they aren't quiet, shy little boys that constantly look and act adorable. I admit that I think that they are pretty good looking little guys, but they have already developed into very independent, stubborn little beings.

James might be one of the brightest little four year olds that I have ever met. But his most endearing quality is his undying love for his family. He has such trusting eyes and often makes me nervous when he looks at me like I can do no wrong. James is going through a superhero phase (one which I have definitely encouraged with my own love for superheroes). He wants so badly to have super powers and be able to run fast like the Flash, fly through the air like Superman, or turn things to ice like Iceman from the X-men. As he has learned to read, he will often sit down and read a book on his own or read to his little brother. He loves anything that has to do with dinosaurs, sharks, or underpants. James is honestly one of my best friends. I love to hang out with him, play superheroes, and find his excitement for life contagious.

Owen has such a great smile and he has definitely figured out how to use it to his advantage. When he is sitting on his chair after doing something particularly naughty, he often will just smile or laugh because he knows that it is hard to resist (he gets it from his mother--the contagious laugh, not the defiance--well maybe a little of both). He loves anything that James loves and will follow him around for hours if James will let him. However, Owen is very independent as well. He loves to be able to do something on his own, even if it takes MUCH longer than necessary. He loves to tell a good joke and still thinks it is pretty funny that his daddy lit himself on fire. Every day he welcomes me home with what is possible the greatest hug of all time. He knows just exactly how to wrap his little arms around you and stick his head right into your neck that makes all the worries of the world go away.

I just hope that they never get to a point where they don't want to hang out with me. I worry about the day when they realize that their dad is not a perfect person with secret super powers.