July 30, 2019

Surviving Teaching a New Grade & a New Subject with 3 Little Ones Under Three

Juggling being a mom and a teacher is hard, and even harder when you are teaching a new grade and a new subject with 6 month old twins and a 2 year old. Here's what I learned, separated into home life and school life, for all you other teacher mamas out there.
I don't know what I was thinking when I agreed to teach a new grade and a new subject with 6 month old twins and a 2 year old. Was I insane? Did I think I was some kind of superhuman?

After being out of the classroom for the past four years as an intervention teacher and a literacy specialist, I do know that I was eager to get back into the classroom. While I would be teaching mathematics in addition to English, I also thought teaching 6th grade math couldn't be that hard. And it wasn't that the grade level or the content was difficult, but juggling being a mom and a teacher is hard. So I guess I do know what I was thinking, and even why I thought that; I'd always been able to do it all in the past, why wouldn't I be able to now? 

And I made it through the year. I made it through the countless sick days for my girls, twin A's bottle strike, pumping in my closet while my class was in my classroom, parent complaints about my pumping (don't even get me started on that topic), figuring out two new curriculums, mentoring two new teachers, and I could go on. It wasn't always pretty and I was always pretty tired, but I made it.

And just in case you have decided to take on a similar challenge this school year, here's what I learned, separated into home life and school life for your convenience.

Home Life
1. Have your meals planned out. I wrote about my healthy eating tips for busy teachers in the past and I continue to swear by all nine of the tips. What I'd add on to tip #6 is to specifically acquire some go-to crockpot and sheet pan recipes. I don't love cooking with my crockpot, but it is good for cooking chicken to be shredded for a variety of wrap, tacos, or taquitos. Sheet pan recipes usually include a meat, veggie, and potato combination to round out a full meal. 

2. Hire a cleaning lady. Not having to clean the house was one of my saving graces this year. You may be thinking that cleaning doesn't take up that much of your time, but that time can be better spent with your children during their waking hours and on school or relaxing during their sleeping hours.

3. Have a routine for other chores. For example, I do laundry twice a week. Once on the weekend to make sure all of my girls' daycare items are ready to go for Monday and once midweek so that I'm not doing laundry all weekend.

4. Plan your outfits in advance. You won't see me posting my outfit on the day on Instagram, but putting together a week or two worth of outfits means that is one less thing I have to stress over in the morning. I'm never looking for something that is still in the laundry pile and when someone spits up or spills milk and cereal all over outfit one, I can do a quick change into outfit two.

School Life
5. Maximize your time at school. This one was tough for me. I couldn't get to school early or stay late because I had to wait for my babysitter to arrive and then take my oldest daughter to daycare in the morning and then pick her up from daycare and relieve my babysitter in the afternoon. Later in the school year, I did stay after school for about an hour once a week one night a week when my parents came to help out.

I often used lunch with my two team members to discuss ideas and planning, and then used my prep period to get work done. I tried to focus on one thing a prep period. For example, one day might be running errands around the school: checking my mailbox, turning in money for an upcoming field trip, picking up supplies from our supply room, etc., another day might be working through  grading a stack of assignments, and another day might be just entering grades into my grade book.

6. Make your copies in batches. This of course requires some advance planning, but since mornings and afternoons were tight for me, I always wanted to make sure I had the copies I needed for the next day. I tried to print and copy at least a week's worth of materials at a time. If I had to make last minute copies, I had a co-worker who got in early that I could email and ask to make copies for me. I also tried to avoid making a lot of copies by utilizing our textbooks and my students' composition books, looseleaf, post-its, index cards, etc. Not everything has to be done on a worksheet. 

7. You don't have to grade everything, but make it easy for yourself to grade the things you do. I use the check, check plus, check minus system for the completion of most classwork and homework. For projects and writing assignments, I use rubrics and checklists. I try to use activities that don't require grading like stations, discussions, breakouts, games, and working with whiteboards. I also only grade the final step or draft of a longer assignments (i.e. I don't give a grade to the brainstorm for an essay).

8. Don't recreate the wheel or put too much pressure on yourself to be a perfect teacher.  Use your teammate's lesson even if it isn't exactly how you would have done it. Use that handout even if you aren't crazy about the font or question #7. Those aren't the things that will change your students' learning experience.

9. Be strategic about the work you take home versus what you do at school. Because I couldn't come in early or stay late, and was often exhausted by the time I got to my prep period at the end of the day, I usually had some work I needed to bring home with me. I admire teachers that are in a place where they don't bring anything home at all, but for me that just isn't realistic. I do think strategically about what I do at school versus what I bring home though. I have a no computer rule during my daughters' waking hours, so I often brought home quizzes or tests to grade or writing assignments to give feedback on because those are things I could do while sitting next to my oldest while she colored and we talked about her day.

10. Have backup childcare and sub plans ready for those unexpected sick days. It may even be wise to have a backup to your backup. My oldest was in daycare, so I didn't have to worry about that being unavailable, but my twins' sitter came to our house with her son and if either one of them was sick, I was scrambling for someone to watch them. When we couldn't find someone, my husband and I took turns taking off, but as a teacher taking off is more work than going into school. Have a few sets of lessons for a substitute to use no matter what time of year it is so you aren't stressed about school on top of the stress of an illness in your home.

Again, this might be hard, this might be really hard, but you'll make it through. It may not be your best year of teaching, but that just means next year will be better.

Juggling being a mom and a teacher is hard, and even harder when you are teaching a new grade and a new subject with 6 month old twins and a 2 year old. Here's what I learned, separated into home life and school life, for all you other teacher mamas out there.

July 29, 2019

On My Bookshelf: The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer

In The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer, the final installment in the Life As We Knew It Series, events grow increasingly dark. There's a delicate balance between the new classes in community and the surrounding town where Jon and his family live, and not everyone survives when that balance is destroyed. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: It's been more than two years since Jon Evans and his family left Pennsylvania, hoping to find a safe place to live, yet Jon remains haunted by the deaths of those he loved. His prowess on a soccer field has guaranteed him a home in a well-protected enclave. But Jon is painfully aware that a missed goal, a careless word, even falling in love, can put his life and the lives of his mother, his sister Miranda, and her husband, Alex, in jeopardy. Can Jon risk doing what is right in a world gone so terribly wrong?

Why I liked it: I put off reading The Shade of the Moonthe final installment of the Life As We Knew It series partially because I didn’t want it to end, but also because I knew things would get darker.

And I wasn't wrong. Miranda’s youngest brother, Jon lives with their stepmother, Lisa, and their half-brother, Gabriel, in an exclusive community, while Miranda and her new husband Alex live with her mother just outside. There's a delicate balance between the new classes in community and the surrounding town: at the top are those with valuable skills in agriculture and medicine, in the middle are "slips" who somehow acquired "golden tickets" to a healthier environment, and at the bottom are the laborers who make up the service industry and manual labor workforce. When that delicate balance is disturbed Jon and his family are caught in the middle of it. Not everyone survives, but some are lucky enough to find a way out and to hope for a brighter future elsewhere.
In The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer, the final installment in the Life As We Knew It Series, events grow increasingly dark. There's a delicate balance between the new classes in community and the surrounding town where Jon and his family live, and not everyone survives when that balance is destroyed. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

Classroom application: Like book 1, 2, and 3 in this series, I recommend The Shade of the Moon for middle school and up. Death is present throughout the series, but nothing too gruesome or violent.

There are many cross disciplinary connections to be made, especially with history. The harsh class system with slips and laborers could be compared to class systems in countries like India and in the past, the United Kingdom. The constant fear that people live in could be compared to totalitarian governments like the Nazi regime or post WWII USSR. Sterilization in the novel could be compared to the eugenics movement in the United States and forced sterilization of groups like Native Americans the impoverished. The riot that begins at Jon's soccer game could be compared to the race riots throughout United States' history.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Shade of the Moon for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

In The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer, the final installment in the Life As We Knew It Series, events grow increasingly dark. There's a delicate balance between the new classes in community and the surrounding town where Jon and his family live, and not everyone survives when that balance is destroyed. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

July 26, 2019

#2ndaryELA Twitter Chat on Sunday 7/28: Back to School Planning

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Sunday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about back to school planning.
Brynn Allison, The Literary Maven, & Lisa Spangler, Mrs. Spangler in the Middle, host #2ndaryELA on Twitter every Sunday evening from 8 - 8:30 PM EST. #2ndaryELA is a weekly chat for secondary English Language Arts teachers focused on a topic. Every Friday, we post the topic and questions on our blogs to allow you to prepare for the upcoming Sunday evening's chat. Thank you to everyone who joined us last year and we hope that you will join us again.

We'd also love for you to join our 2ndaryELA Facebook group, even if you aren't on Twitter. 2ndaryELA is a group of middle and high school English Language Arts teachers looking to share ideas and best practices. This group is an extension of our Twitter chat and a place for collaboration, questions, and encouragement. Feel free to post teaching ideas, success stories, resource links, photos, etc. that will enhance our instruction.

On Sunday, July 28, our #2ndaryELA chat will be about back to school planning.

Join secondary English Language Arts teachers Sunday evenings at 8 pm EST on Twitter. This week's chat will be about back to school planning.

The Directions:
1. Log into Twitter on Sunday from 8-8:30 PM EST.
2. Search for tweets with the hashtag #2ndaryELA in the search bar. Make sure to click “Latest.”
3. Introductions are for the first 5 minutes.
4. Starting at 8:05 (@literarymaven or @spanglermiddle) will post questions every 5 minutes using the format Q1, Q2, Q3, etc. and the hashtag #2ndaryELA.
5. Respond to questions using the format A1, A2, A3, etc. with #2ndaryELA.
6. Follow any teachers responding and who are also using #2ndaryELA.
7. Like and respond to other teachers' tweets.

You can schedule your responses to the questions ahead of time using a scheduler like TweetDeck or HootSuite (but don't forget to use A1, A2, etc. and #2ndaryELA). Links are encouraged as well as using images is also encouraged when relevant.

New to chats? Here are the rules:
1. Stay on topic & stay positive!
2. Please do not post or promote paid products unless specifically asked.
3. If you arrive late, try to look through other posts before beginning.
4. Feel free to just read, like, and/or retweet.
5. Always use our hashtag #2ndaryELA, including in your replies to others.
6. Make sure your twitter feed is set to public. (Also keep in mind that Twitter is completely public – that means students, parents, and administrators can and will read what you tweet.)

You can also check out a quick video tutorial in this blog post.

Be sure to spread the word to any teacher friends who might be interested in joining us as well. We look forward to chatting with you Sunday evening and in our 2ndaryELA Facebook group!

Get caught up on past chats here:

July 22, 2019

On My Bookshelf: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is written in verse and is a quick read that will leave you with more questions than answers at the end. The moral dilemma of the main character and the connections students might make with their own lives make this a book to highlight, rather than just include in your classroom library. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: A cannon. A strap.
A piece. A biscuit.
A burner. A heater.
A chopper. A gat.
A hammer
A tool
for RULE

Or, you can call it a gun. That’s what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans. See, his brother Shawn was just murdered. And Will knows the rules. No crying. No snitching. Revenge. That’s where Will’s now heading, with that gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, the gun that was his brother’s gun. He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked. He knows who he’s after. Or does he?

As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck. Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun. Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded. And that’s when Will sees that one bullet is missing. And the only one who could have fired Shawn’s gun was Shawn. Huh. Will didn’t know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun. Bigger huh. BUCK IS DEAD. But Buck’s in the elevator?

Just as Will’s trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens. A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Buck’s cigarette. Will doesn’t know her, but she knew him. Knew. When they were eight. And stray bullets had cut through the playground, and Will had tried to cover her, but she was hit anyway, and so what she wants to know, on that fifth floor elevator stop, is, what if Will, Will with the gun shoved in the back waistband of his jeans, MISSES.

And so it goes, the whole long way down, as the elevator stops on each floor, and at each stop someone connected to his brother gets on to give Will a piece to a bigger story than the one he thinks he knows. A story that might never know an END…if Will gets off that elevator.

Told in short, fierce staccato narrative verse, Long Way Down is a fast and furious, dazzlingly brilliant look at teenage gun violence, as could only be told by Jason Reynolds.
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is written in verse and is a quick read that will leave you with more questions than answers at the end. The moral dilemma of the main character and the connections students might make with their own lives make this a book to highlight, rather than just include in your classroom library. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

Why I liked it: Long Way Down is written in verse and is a quick read that will leave you with more questions than answers at the end. I enjoyed posting about it on Instagram and hearing what others think happens at the end. As I read the book, I couldn't help but think of the population of students I taught at the start of my teaching career and how the author captured a sad, but all too accurate reality of many of their daily lives. 

Classroom application: I would recommend this book to middle school and up, though there is some infrequent language and violence. The moral dilemma of the main character and the connections students might make with their own lives make this a book to highlight, rather than just include in your classroom library. While I have not yet used it as a read aloud, its length and powerful message would make it an excellent choice, and I've also heard great things about the audio version, which is read by the author.

The novel could be paired with Elijah Anderson's essay, "The Code of the Streets," or compared with other stories or poems with ambiguous endings, like "The Lady, or the Tiger?" I love to debate the ending of those types of stories with students and push them to find evidence in the text to support their interpretation of the ending.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Long Way Down for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is written in verse and is a quick read that will leave you with more questions than answers at the end. The moral dilemma of the main character and the connections students might make with their own lives make this a book to highlight, rather than just include in your classroom library. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

July 15, 2019

On My Bookshelf: Birthday by Meredith Russo

Birthday by Meredith Russo is a story about gender identity that needs to be told to and read by young people.The plot structure concept is highly unique. Narration alternates between two best friends on their shared birthday over a period of six years. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: Two best friends. A shared birthday. Six years...

ERIC: There was the day we were born. There was the minute Morgan and I decided we were best friends for life. The years where we stuck by each other’s side―as Morgan’s mom died, as he moved across town, as I joined the football team, as my parents started fighting. But sometimes I worry that Morgan and I won’t be best friends forever. That there’ll be a day, a minute, a second, where it all falls apart and there’s no turning back the clock.

MORGAN: I know that every birthday should feel like a new beginning, but I’m trapped in this mixed-up body, in this wrong life, in Nowheresville, Tennessee, on repeat. With a dad who cares about his football team more than me, a mom I miss more than anything, and a best friend who can never know my biggest secret. Maybe one day I’ll be ready to become the person I am inside. To become her. To tell the world. To tell Eric. But when?

Six years of birthdays reveal Eric and Morgan’s destiny as they come together, drift apart, fall in love, and discover who they’re meant to be―and if they’re meant to be together. From the award-winning author of If I Was Your Girl, Meredith Russo, comes a heart-wrenching and universal story of identity, first love, and fate.
Birthday by Meredith Russo is a story about gender identity that needs to be told to and read by young people.The plot structure concept is highly unique. Narration alternates between two best friends on their shared birthday over a period of six years. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

Why I liked it: The plot structure concept of Birthday is highly unique. Narration alternates between two best friends on their shared birthday over a period of six years. This was a really interesting way of seeing how the characters grew and changed as events unfolded. The character development is the best I've read in a long time in a young adult literature novel. Despite only getting a glimpse of their lives on one day out of a year, I felt an incredible connection to Eric and Morgan and the ups and downs of their coming of age.

Classroom application: This is a story about gender identity that needs to be told to and read by young people, though I'd likely recommend this for high school and up because of mature themes and content. This would be a great add to your classroom library if you are looking to be more inclusive and feature diverse authors. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Birthday for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: I received this book in exchange for my honest review. The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Birthday by Meredith Russo is a story about gender identity that needs to be told to and read by young people.The plot structure concept is highly unique. Narration alternates between two best friends on their shared birthday over a period of six years. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

July 8, 2019

On My Bookshelf: The Crowns of Croswald by D. E. Night

The Crowns of Croswald is the perfect start to a new series for Harry Potter fans, full of magical creatures and dark forces, but starring a female protagonist. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: In Croswald, the only thing more powerful than dark magic is one secret...For sixteen years Ivy Lovely has been hidden behind an enchanted boundary that separates the mundane from the magical. When Ivy crosses the border, her powers awaken. Curiosity leads her crashing through a series of adventures at the Halls of Ivy, a school where students learn to master their magical blood and the power of Croswald's mysterious gems. When Ivy's magic and her life is threatened by the Dark Queen, she scrambles to unearth her history and save Croswald before the truth is swept away forever.

Why I liked it: My favorite parts of The Crowns of Croswald were the magical creatures like the hairies (light producing fairies with an abundance of hair), scaldrons (dragons used to power ovens), and flying seahorses. There were some characters I wished the author had sent more time developing: the Dark Queen, Fyn (I was constantly questioning whether he was really on the side of evil) and Rebecca, Ivy’s closest friend at school. There were also some plot points that could use further development, such as the story of Rimrick and Isabella, and their connection to Ivy, and the ending when Ivy abruptly decides to spend the summer with Rebecca.  
The Crowns of Croswald is the perfect start to a new series for Harry Potter fans, full of magical creatures and dark forces, but starring a female protagonist. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

Classroom application: I would recommend this for middle school and up. Magic and dark forces are central to the plot, not nothing too violent. Harry Potter fans will either love this book, or be annoyed by the similarities. While the protagonist is female, similar to Harry, her parents are dead and she is living in hiding as a servant. Unbeknownst to Ivy, she has incredible magical powers and is transported to a school for magic. Like the Harry Potter series, much of the Crowns of Croswald focuses on Ivy’s classes with professors of a variety of magical talents and her fight, with the help of her friends, against dark forces.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of The Crowns of Croswald for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

The Crowns of Croswald is the perfect start to a new series for Harry Potter fans, full of magical creatures and dark forces, but starring a female protagonist. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.

July 1, 2019

On My Bookshelf: Sadie by Courtney Summers

In Sadie by Courtney Summers, Sadie is a fierce protagonist, willing to risk everything to avenge her sister's death. The novel is gritty and dark with alternating types of narration. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.
The basic plot from Amazon: Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.

But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.

When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.

Courtney Summers has written the breakout book of her career. Sadie is propulsive and harrowing and will keep you riveted until the last page.

Why I liked it: Sadie is gritty, edgy, and dark and I was so wrapped up in the plot that I took the book to the gym with me to read on the treadmill. The mood and events reminded me of the first season of True Detectives and I loved that the novel had alternating types of narration (similar to Monster by Walter Dean Myers). Some chapters are written in first person from the point of view of Sadie, the main character, and other chapters are written as the transcript of a podcast focused on the disappearance of Sadie and her younger sister. 

Sadie is a fierce protagonist, willing to risk everything to avenge her sister's death. Because her mother was largely absent, the dynamic between Sadie and her younger sister Mattie is complex. Sadie was largely responsible for Mattie, especially as they got earlier, which cause Mattie to develop resentment toward Sadie. Sadie's quest to find Mattie's killer filled with dangers and risks. The conclusion of Sadie's mission is somewhat implied, but also leaves readers hanging. I wanted a more conclusive answer to what happened.

Classroom application: I would recommend this one to high school students and up. Some of the themes and content are too mature for middle school. Students who are fans of crime TV shows like Criminal Minds will love this book.

After reading, students could take a look at the statistics surrounding missing children: how many go missing, how many are found, and how many are not. Students could research the complications surrounding missing teen girls and find out the protocol for filing a missing person report in their town, city, or state. Students could even interview a local law enforcement agent about the topic.

If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Sadie for yourself, you can find it on Amazon here.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The Literary Maven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

In Sadie by Courtney Summers, Sadie is a fierce protagonist, willing to risk everything to avenge her sister's death. The novel is gritty and dark with alternating types of narration. Read on for more of my review and ideas for classroom application.