The Joy of Reading

One week and two days until opening day....

I see teaching, as a teacher, like a performance I put on everyday.  However, instead of a soliloquy or monologue, the show is very audience-interactive, intermingling elements of improvisation, yet trying my best to execute my planned script.  In order to prepare for the show, I have to do a bit of preparation My latest project, again, involves Seedfolks, which is kicking off Language Arts this year for our sixth graders.  I wanted to do a border much like this one I found on Pinterest:

I can't find the original maker of this board, so if you recognize this as your work, e-mail me so I can give you the credit you deserve! :)  Anywho, I love this idea, so I was talking about making something like this for my classroom.  My roommate is all about having me incorporate tech-inspired things that are ubiquitous in the lives of middle schoolers today--like instagram, twitter, vine, etc.  Facebook is almost old news at this point, and an even older, passe (accent ague) fad was "Farmville."  However, a Farmville-inspired board would fit perfectly with this book, so I'm rolling with it :)  Thanks again Jean! Here's what I started:

I'll post the actual board when it's up and active in my classroom.  I'm imagining adding the person each day, after reading their chapter as well as the crop they added to the community garden.  

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Luckily for me, summer allowed me ample time to do a lot of choice reading.  

What it is: A very scientifically accurate, detailed, hilarious look at the alimentary canal (which is a fancy way of saying the digestive system from mouth to the pooper).  Mary Roach writes on subjects by throwing herself completely into it, getting into the nitty gritty.  

My takeaway:  I made sure to fold down the corners of some pages I found particularly fascinating, so I could bring up tidbits at dinner parties and impress all my friends with my trivial knowledge.  

Let me start by mentioning Alexis St. Martin, a living science experiment, who had an opening through his torso that led directly into his stomach.  This allowed the scientist William Beaumont access to study the process of digestion.  I understand that we do something similar with cows nowadays, with our advanced knowledge of medicine and avoidance of cross-contamination or infection, but this ongoing experiment began in 1822- a time of discovery for both medicine and science.  

Other big learnings I'm taking away from this book derive from the chapter entitled "Eating Backward; Is the digestive tract a two way street?"  To avoid spoiling this fascinating section, I will only leave you with the name of the chapter, and just know that I closed the book that day wondering if there was anything scientists wouldn't do in the name of discovery.  

Lastly, there were some staggering statistics on the number of objects smuggled into prisons each year, and not hidden in pockets...

Have I mentioned she's one of my favorite authors? 

I'm nearing the end of this book now, and will probably finish it tonight.  It makes me think of something someone had posted on Facebook about finishing books, and the way they said it was beautiful and true--however, I can't find it now.  The message was something like finishing a book is bittersweet.  You finally get to the end, but that means the story is over.  

What it is:  This is a fictional story, telling the experience of a cast of characters in North Korea.  Through reading this, I learned some true things about North Korea, and continue to hold questions about several things I read.

My takeaway:  The way the main character's story unfolds is misfortune after misfortune.  Luckily, he realizes the truth about things around him, while it seems either everyone else is acting loyally out of fear or knowing no better.  One similarity I drew from this story, and my experience in Africa was how the nation looks at the problems in America.  I remember Ugandans asking me about gun ownership.  "But aren't you scared?  Anyone can own a gun.  You could just get shot going to work."  They would pity me after hearing about the economically-challenged urban communities, or the divorce rate.  It was always a strange conversation for me because the things they were mentioning were true, but in comparison to third world problems, it was like a flightless bird pitying the parrot for having to lug around his heavy, colorful feathers when he flies.  The similar story in The Orphan Master's Son is that as the main character's story is told over the loudspeakers (located in all of the North Korean's homes) but is twisted to make America seem like a terrible place to live--where dogs roam free and everything costs money.  

    This story interweaves several different characters' stories seamlessly.  There's so much more to say about this story but my mind is drawing blanks at this hour.

      To do list tomorrow:  Write some sample lesson plans, draft behavior matrix for my classroom--oh, and attend my mother's SEVENTIETH birthday dinner! :D