Slice of Life - The Busy Trap - #sol14

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, we are posting a slice daily.
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A few weeks ago someone on Facebook reposted an article from The New York Times called The 'Busy' Trap by Tim Kreider.  It was originally published in June of 2012. However, the words in this article are just as true today as they were back then.  

Busyness serves as a kind of existential reassurance, a hedge against emptiness; obviously your life cannot possibly be silly or trivial or meaningless if you are so busy, completely booked, in demand every hour of the day. - Tim Kreider

Here is an interview with Kreider about The 'Busy' Trap:

During the Olympics there was a frequently run commercial for Cadillac ELR Coupe 2014 which supported working too much.  Though I am sure that is not how they viewed the commercial.

This commercial bothered me a lot.  Americans do not need more excuses to over work themselves. We do a fine job on our own.  And I am not certain that we truly need more stuff.  Sometimes I think the more stuff we have creates the need to keep working harder.

In The 'Busy' Trap, Kreider alludes to the idea that some people may use being busy to justify a job that is not necessary or to feel important.  Interesting point.  I, also, think that we take the lead from those around us.  Are we in an environment where it is necessary to be busy in order to belong?

Now, I do realize that there are jobs where those who do them are busy all the time. I do not know a single teacher who isn't busy starting from before students arrive till after they leave.  However, isn't it interesting that you can go into two different classrooms, both are busy, but one class seems calm and relaxed and the other one frantic? How has one teacher maintained a sense of calm while keeping things moving as opposed to the frantic class? 

Today, I realized that I use "busy" as a response to how I am doing way too many times in any given day.  I need to find a new response.  Busy is certainly an honest response, and most of the people I am working with are also just as busy. Somewhere today, I lost two hours. I looked at the clock at one point and it was 3 p.m. and the next time it was 5:15 p.m.  Subsequently, I wondered about how much work to bring home and could I finish it all.

The being busy doesn't fully bother me on some level, but what does bother me is when it starts to impact my reactions and how I behave.  Am I busy, but calm and focused? Or am I busy, and anxious, and defensive, and not the person I want to be? That's when it truly matters.

I loved this ending to Kreider's article:

My own resolute idleness has mostly been a luxury rather than a virtue, but I did make a conscious decision, a long time ago, to choose time over money, since I’ve always understood that the best investment of my limited time on earth was to spend it with people I love. I suppose it’s possible I’ll lie on my deathbed regretting that I didn’t work harder and say everything I had to say, but I think what I’ll really wish is that I could have one more beer with Chris, another long talk with Megan, one last good hard laugh with Boyd. Life is too short to be busy. - Tim Kreider

Now, I don't think that I will just give up my busy ways over night, and be reformed. However, I do appreciate the sentiment of Kreider's words above.  In ten years, will I regret spending time at home finishing up work or will I regret spending time reading with my niece? I suspect the regrets will come in the form of not spending time with family and friends.  Additionally, I am looking for that balance.  A way to be just right busy where I can maintain a calm and caring personality instead of morphing into some stressed out monster.

Tomorrow's another day.  Maybe I will find a new response to the question "how are you"?      

Slice of Life - Authors are Magic #sol14

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, we are posting a slice daily.

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There are days when I am deeply saddened by teachers who truly seem to believe that their students do not want to read.  Maybe these teachers have become discouraged by students who say that they do not like to read.  Or maybe in this time of focusing on standards, we have failed to show both teachers and students the power of match-making the right book to the right child. I believe that students do want to read, but many students do not know where to start, or how to pick a book.  Unfortunately, I think there are many teachers who also do not know where to start or how to connect students to books.  Those of us who do know how this works needs to find ways to inspire our colleagues to see or experience the magic.

I also believe that authors have an ability to spark students' interest in reading in a way that no one else can inspire them.  One way that I seek to bring books alive for students is by facilitating interactions between authors and students. 

Recently, we had the wonderful opportunity to host Natalie Lloyd at three of our elementary schools. She is as magical as her debut novel, A Snicker of Magic. The students could hear the excitement and passion she has in her voice.  
 

A few days later I received this email....   

Alyson, I had such a wonderful morning here at Jackson that I just have to share a little with you since you were instrumental in making it happen. 

I visited Ms. S's 4th grade class this morning to present three copies of A Snicker of Magic to the class, and as I made my announcement the class erupted with cheers and applause. Ms. S informed me that one of her students who has not been much of a reader in the past actually purchased a copy of the book himself and has been busy reading it. Each of the fourth and fifth grade classes has a long waiting list of students eager to read the book. What a fabulous way to start the day! I actually had chills down my spine! This is remarkable, and I am so very grateful to you for making it possible. 

The only other time I have seen anything like this at Jackson was after James Burks visit. As I mentioned to you before, the kids are still lining up to read Bird and Squirrel  and asking about the sequel, but that's another email, and I am out of time now. 

Letters like this make my day.  It reminds me that all of the work involved in setting up an author's visit and in preparing students is truly worth it.  It also reminds me that each of the teachers involved in this visit will have a new understanding of the power of an author and a book to help students discover the love of reading.

Note: I promise to get that post pulled together with more information about Natalie Lloyd's school visits.

Slice of Life - False starts, Writer's Block, & Women Mentors - #sol14

Slice of Life is hosted by Two Writing Teachers on Tuesdays.  For the month of March, we are posting a slice daily.

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Everyone has assured me that over the month, this writing thing will become easier.  I almost gave up this morning when after a hour I struggled through multiple false starts.  I am glad I am not a professional writer.  However, I assume that they have ways of dealing with writer's block or they are better at coming up with things to say about any topic.  At this point, I am setting a timer and whatever is on this page at the end of 20 minutes will be what I post.

It's Women's History Month, which got me thinking about Women Mentors.  Throughout my early and mid-career in education, I was fortunate to have a number of women who supported me in my professional growth. They were all gifted in different ways.  Some were in supervisory roles and others were just colleagues who were a bit further down the path. 

Though they each had unique abilities, there were some things they also had in common.  Each of these women were intelligent, had an ability to read people and situations, and knew how to challenge someone (in this case me) to develop new skills.  Above all else, I knew they believed in me.

As I moved further down the path, I realize there are less mentors available.  Either there are less available or I need to look in new areas to find them.  And before you say that maybe I should be mentoring others at this point, please know that I do. 

However, I do think that there are times in your career where it is hard.  I do not know if this is due to fact that at some point women may feel competitive and not be as willing to lend one another a hand or if an environment has developed that does not support it in the same way.  Some may simply be due to the fact that my/our needs are more complex.  As a new teacher or when just moving into administration, there was a lot to learn, and more people that I could turn to for answers and support. Now I wonder about how to refine those edges that may be getting in the way of growth, but aren't as easy to face.

As women, in all stages of our careers, we do need to support one another.  We need to be able to find safe places in which to share our concerns and fears about our careers without sensing judgement or having something used unfavorably towards us.

Where do you turn? Do you feel that you have had the kind of mentoring and support that you have needed in your career?    

Well the timer has gone off...time to hit publish.

March SOLSC Day 1 - #sol14

Today kicks off the Seventh Annual Slice of Life Story Challenge!  The goal is to WRITE! 

"Every day in March write a slice of life story on your blog."

I have decided to challenge myself to write more and not just a book review or another blog post but to write more creatively.  This is not a particularly easy task for me.  Even a short post can take an incredibly long time to write.  I relate well to students who stare at the blank piece of paper not knowing what to write and hoping that time will run out so that they can move onto something else.  When I have something that I am very passionate about or that is very real at the moment, I can often find the words I need to write about it.  In those moments, the words are easy to find and often my fingers fly across the keyboard trying to keep up with what is going on through my mind.  Even editing my words in those moments is not a struggle.

Yet, much of the time, words seem to escape me.  Writing reminds me a little of small talk.  Some individuals can talk about anything to anyone at anytime.  They seem at ease with chatting about little things and do not really even need the other person to contribute much to the conversation.  For me, spending time with someone I do not know or in a group of people trying to discover what we have in common can be pure torture.  I rack my brain to find questions or topics for discussion and often find silence.

At this point, I am just going to step up to the starting line and see where this month's journey leads me.  Some days the posts may be very short, and other days, the words may come.  Either way, I hope to discover words I never knew existed.      

Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake - A Sneak Peek, Review and Giveaway

Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake (Eleanor #3)

by Julie Sternberg; Illustrated by Matthew Cordell

Amulet Books, March 18, 2014

Disclaimer: Book and Artwork was provided as part of Sneak Peek Book Promotion. Book opinions are all my own.

Description from GoodReads:

I did a mean thing.
A very mean thing.
I HATE that I did it.
But I did.
This is worse than
carrot juice on a cupcake
or a wasp on my pillow
or a dress that’s too tight at the neck.

In the third installment from the team who created Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie and Like Bug Juice on a Burger, Eleanor’s relationship with her best friend, Pearl, experiences its first growing pains. When a glamorous new student transfers to school, at first Eleanor’s excited about the possibility of a new friend. But when Pearl is assigned to be the new girl’s buddy, Eleanor fears she can’t compete. To make matters worse, Eleanor’s been chosen for the lead role in the springtime musical, which means she has to sing a solo in front of the entire school!
 
From overcoming stage fright to having a secret crush, young readers will relate to Eleanor as she navigates the bittersweet waters of growing up.

My thoughts on this book:
Note: Though there are no spoilers for Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake, there are references to things that happened in the first two books. 

Since I first read, Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, I have been a fan of Julie Sternberg's books.  She has a very simple but spot on way of capturing important childhood experiences.  In the first book, we meet Eleanor as she is adjusting to her babysitter moving away, and beginning third grade.  Eleanor is now in fourth grade.  She has adjusted to a new babysitter, survived summer camp, and now must face some new childhood challenges.  

Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake will resonate with readers who have ever had to tackle new challenges.  Eleanor finds herself in the starring role in a school play where she even needs to perform a solo.  Sternberg provides readers with someone they can truly relate to and a means of exploring the feelings that accompany facing something that seems really scary.
    

copyright © 2014 by Matthew Cordell

However, the book does not just focus on the issues of performing in a play, and stage fright.  There is also the issue of friendship and what happens when someone moves into school or into a class mid-year.  Eleanor and Pearl are best friends, who spend a few afternoons a week together.  When Ainsley moves to their school from Orlando, Pearl is assigned to be her buddy.  Sternberg helps readers understand changes in friendships, the importance of treating one another kindly, and maintaining someone's trust in ways that children will understand. 

copyright © 2014 by Matthew Cordell

Though I loved Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, I think Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake may have come close to being my new favorite.  Maybe I need to learn a little something from Eleanor, Pearl, and Ainsley about favorites.  If you are looking for a fun classroom read aloud for second or third grade, I would highly suggest giving this one a read through.  Additionally, this series is one of my "go to" referrals for teachers looking for chapter books for young readers moving beyond early readers and first chapter books.   

About the author:
Julie Sternberg received her MFA in writing for children from the New School. She is the author of Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie and Like Bug Juice on a Burger. She lives in Brooklyn with her family. www.juliesternberg.com


About the illustrator: Matthew Cordell is the illustrator of Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, Like Bug Juice on a Burger, Bat and Rat, and Trouble Gum. He lives outside Chicago. matthewcordell.com

Complete the Rafflecopter form below to enter to win a copy of all three Eleanor books - Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, Like Bug Juice on a Burger, and Like Carrot Juice on a Cupcake. Open to those 13 years and older with US mailing addresses.

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