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Monday, June 29, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 06/29/2020

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a weekly blog hop I co-host with Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing ReadersThe original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It's a great way to share what your reading and get recommendations. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.


Last Week's Book Adventures:
This week I dropped everything to stop and listen to Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo. She narrates along with Melania-Luisa Marte and it is phenomenal. I highly recommend the audiobook version but the writing is great overall. 

I did read a little more of Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng and I've been reading The Art of Memoir by Mary Karr.

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

I'll be reading more of The Water Dancer, Little Fires Everywhere, and The Art of Memoir. 

NCTE's Virtual Build Your Stack Event is happening Tuesday! 
Don't miss it, sign up now!
build your stack, virtual event, ncte, bys, mentor texts, build your stack virtual event

What are you reading this week? 
Link up below and check out other blogs to see what they're reading!
To help build our community and support other bloggers,
we ask that you comment on at least three other blogs before you.
Also, if you tweet about your Monday post, don't forget to use #IMWAYR!


Monday, June 22, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 06/22/2020

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a weekly blog hop I co-host with Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing ReadersThe original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It's a great way to share what your reading and get recommendations. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.


Last Week's Book Adventures:
Last week I read more of The Water Dancer. We had such a great discussion and I'm so enjoying being able to read and discuss this book with others. I've thought a lot about it as a writer as well and it's really made me think. 

I'm also started reading My Fate According to the Butterfly by Gail D. Villanueva and read more stories from Black Enough.

I finished listening to More Myself by Alicia Keys and started listening to Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. 



Last Week's Posts:

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

I'll be reading more of The Water Dancer, My Life According to the Butterfly, and Black Enough this week. 

If you aren't registered for NCTE's Virtual Build Your Stack Event, sign up now!
build your stack, virtual event, ncte, bys, mentor texts, build your stack virtual event

What are you reading this week? 
Link up below and check out other blogs to see what they're reading!
To help build our community and support other bloggers,
we ask that you comment on at least three other blogs before you.
Also, if you tweet about your Monday post, don't forget to use #IMWAYR!


Monday, June 15, 2020

I Know Where I Stand

We marched, from the grass on the sled hill at the park district into the street.

TELL ME WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE.
THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE.

Past the library, past the fire station, towards the grocery store on the corner.

I saw you.

You were up on the sidewalk.

TELL ME WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE.
THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE.

I looked around. There were people I didn't know and others I did. A friend who I met when both our sons were in preschool. A former student and his family. A family we're friends with because our sons are also friends and because both parents are teachers like my husband and me. A former co-worker of my husband. Another family with parents who are teachers and kids similar in age to our own and a father who happens to serve on our school board. There were a lot of us marching.

But you.

You were up on the sidewalk still, arms crossed, face unmoved. You watched us.

We marched past you.

HANDS UP.
DON'T SHOOT.

HANDS UP.
DON'T SHOOT.

Past the grocery store on the corner, past the high school where we turned east.

WHAT DO WE WANT?
JUSTICE.
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
JUSTICE.

We marched, past the middle school, up the hill, into town, past the Dunkin Donuts where we turned south.

WHAT DO WE WANT?
JUSTICE.
WHEN DO WE WANT IT?
NOW.

We marched down Lake Street until the crowd stopped in front of the police station. We chanted.

IF WE DON'T GET IT?
SHUT IT DOWN.
IF WE DON'T GET IT?
SHUT IT DOWN.
IF. WE. DON'T. GET. IT?
SHUT. IT. DOWN.

On we marched, down the street, past the McDonald's, into Kracklauer Park.

SAY HIS NAME
GEORGE FLOYD
SAY HIS NAME
GEORGE FLOYD

SAY HER NAME
BREONNA TAYLOR
SAY HER NAME
BREONNA TAYLOR

I walked next to my 13-year-old son, unable to shake the image of you watching as we walked by.

I send my children to school to be seen and loved, celebrated and nurtured.
I send my children to school to be embraced and nudged, held and free.
I send my children to school to be given knowledge to engage with the world, to learn how to make the world a better place, to be empowered.


I send my children to you.

Who watched us walk by.

I want to hope that you didn't know there was going to be a Black Lives Matter protest and just happened to discover us with our signs and our chants as
You watched us walk by.

I want to believe you were looking for a friend, waiting for them so you could join in alongside them and until then
You watched us walk by.

I want to give you the benefit of the doubt but I can't ignore the evidence.

You watched us walk by.

Here I am, days later, unable to shake that image.

I want to claw at the memory, shred it into bits and pieces so small that it no longer haunts me.

But what I saw cannot be unseen.

It's branded into my heart.
An ache I did not ask for but was forced upon me and will burn forever.
A scar that continues to sting.
I choke back tears of embarrassment and shame that you are one of us.
I slam the door on the memory, lock it up, shove it into the recesses of my heart.
I wish that was enough to save students from you. I wish it was that easy.

But I am not naive.

I promise to keep my heart open, arms reaching for the sky, accepting the light and shining it back into the world and onto the students who sit before me. I pray that my light will overpower any darkness that came before me and fend off any darkness that comes after. I wish it was that easy.

But I am not naive.

I do not pretend to be able to solve all the problems.
I do not pretend to be able to save my students.
I do not pretend to be able to protect them.


Instead
I promise to be there for them, to listen, and to be honest.
I promise to advocate, to speak up, to point out inequities.
I promise to fight for change.

I will stand alongside them.
Whether you watch us walk by or choose to join us.
I know what I stand for.
I know who I stand with.
I know where I stand.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 06/15/2020

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a weekly blog hop I co-host with Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing ReadersThe original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It's a great way to share what your reading and get recommendations. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.


Last Week's Book Adventures:
I'm behind on The Water Dancer for book club but I've heard it's getting good so I'm looking forward to getting caught up. I reread more of This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany M. Jewell. I also listened to The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish on audio and started listening to More Myself by Alicia Keys.

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

I'll be reading more of The Water Dancer this week and listening to More Myself. I have Little Fires Everywhere to listen to on audio when I'm done with More Myself and I also still would like to read more of Black Enough
build your stack, virtual event, ncte, bys, mentor texts, build your stack virtual event
I'll also be doing some research as I prep for my 5 minutes for NCTE's Build Your Stack virtual event on Tuesday, June 30th. I'm sharing "Mentor Texts for Nurturing Teacher and Student Writers". Click here to check out the other presentations and to register. I'm sure I'm going to be furiously adding books to my list of books for summer reading.  
As I mentioned last week, if you are looking for books to read as a way of doing the ongoing work to be anti-racist and anti-bias, Kathy Burnette from Brain Lair Books has a list of book recommendations for you. You can find it at: This List is Anti-Racist. Here is a list of Black-owned, independent, book stores if you are looking for something closer to you. 

Also, two books, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson and The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas, were made into movies and are now available to stream on a variety of platforms. I suggest you look for them and watch them if you haven't seen them yet. 

What are you reading this week? 
Link up below and check out other blogs to see what they're reading!
To help build our community and support other bloggers,
we ask that you comment on at least three other blogs before you.
Also, if you tweet about your Monday post, don't forget to use #IMWAYR!


Monday, June 8, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 06/08/2020

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a weekly blog hop I co-host with Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing ReadersThe original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It's a great way to share what your reading and get recommendations. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.


Last Week's Book Adventures:
This week I read more of The Water Dancer and am glad to be discussing it with my book club as we go. I also read more of Black Enough and I went back to This Book is Anti-Racist by Tiffany M. Jewell.

Upcoming Book Adventures: 

I'm going to keep on keeping on with the books I'm reading. I am also hoping to do some more reading but we'll see how it goes!

If you are looking for books to read as a way of doing the ongoing work to be anti-racist and anti-bias, Kathy Burnette from Brain Lair Books has a list of book recommendations for you. You can find it at: This List is Anti-Racist.

What are you reading this week? 
Link up below and check out other blogs to see what they're reading!
To help build our community and support other bloggers,
we ask that you comment on at least three other blogs before you.
Also, if you tweet about your Monday post, don't forget to use #IMWAYR!


Monday, June 1, 2020

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? 06/01/2020

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! 

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a weekly blog hop I co-host with Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing ReadersThe original IMWAYR, with an adult literature focus, was started by Sheila at Book Journeys and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.

It's a great way to share what your reading and get recommendations. We encourage you to write your own post sharing what you’re reading, link up below, leave a comment, and support other IMWAYR bloggers by visiting and commenting on at least three of the other linked blogs.


Last Week's Book Adventures:
This week I read more of The Water Dancer but am still at the beginning. I also started to read Black Enough which is a collection of short stories written by various authors and edited by Ibi Zoboi. 

Last Week's Posts:


Upcoming Book Adventures: 

I honestly have no idea where the week went...my goal this week is to finish the stories in Black Enough and to read more of The Water Dancer

If you are looking for books to read as a way of doing the ongoing work to be anti-racist and anti-bias, Kathy Burnette from Brain Lair Books has a list of book recommendations for you. You can find it at: This List is Anti-Racist.

What are you reading this week? 
Link up below and check out other blogs to see what they're reading!
To help build our community and support other bloggers,
we ask that you comment on at least three other blogs before you.
Also, if you tweet about your Monday post, don't forget to use #IMWAYR!