I’m taking part in the weekly Slice of Life Challenge sponsored by Ruth and Stacey over at Two Writing Teachers, where teachers write and share each Tuesday. Join in yourself or head over to check out what’s happening with other slicers. If you’re taking part in the SOL, leave a link to your post. I’d love to read it.

43) Lincoln’s Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin – weirdest, wackiest history ever

44) For What It’s Worth by Janet Tashjian – I have some music lovers who will love this story

45) The Underdogs by Mike Lupica – I’m not a football fan, but even I ended up cheering for the Bull Dogs

46) Lincoln:  A Photobiography by Russell Freedman – very readable, entertaining, and informative

47) Black Cathedral by LH Maynard & MPN Sims – not my usual reading preference, but a student donated it to my library

I’m keeping my Slice of Life post short and sweet this week–just like my list of books I’ve read.  I’ve had some shoulder/arm pain that make typing difficult.  Then after two days of complete fiasco with online testing for ISTEP+, I’m so angry I might write something I regret.  I definitely need to sleep on some of what I’m writing in my head before sharing it with the public. Rest assured, there will be writing and action forthcoming.

I never kept lists of the books I read (except for summer reading challenges from our public library) until a teacher friend invited me to be a part of  the Centurians group on Faceebook.  It started as a challenge to read 100 books during the calendar year of 2010.  I wasn’t sure I could do it, and my husband thought I had completely lost my mind, but I did ii!  And I loved it.  I loved seeing the titles that other readers enjoyed.  I loved the community we grew.  I loved the challenge, especially since all reading was celebrated.  It didn’t really matter if we met the goal of 100 books or not, as long as we were reading and sharing.

That sense of challenge and community is one I strive to develop in my classes.  Maybe next week, I’ll reflect on how well I succeeded.   Now I’m back to reading Tom Newkirk’s book, Holding Onto Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones.  After the last two days, I’m ready to fight to get rid of bad ideas and make room for more good ones.