It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way–in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
A new school year is the worst of times in that we lose the freedom of summer and the quality time with family and adventure that those precious weeks bring. Many students and teachers are fraught with worry and anxiety, especially if new schools or teaching assignments are on the horizon. Feelings of uncertainty and apprehension are normal but challenging. At the same time, it truly is the best of times as we are set to embark on another year of promise, growth and also adventure. As much as we will all miss the lazy summer days and late nights, as well as the warmth, the crinkle of dry leaves and the spirit of excitement that comes with fall are also welcome.
Fall is one of my favourite times of year, as the weather tends to be less extreme and also because some great novels tend to be released at this time of year. Summer reads tend to be quick and easy for me, with less depth or challenge. Fall means some heavier tomes in both theme and literal weight, with hopefully a great cup of tea to go with it. I won't debate ebook versus physical book, as I enjoy both for different reasons, but digging into a great book regardless of foramt is inexplicably tied to the autumn season for me. In our school, we require silent sustained reading in our English Language Arts classes and I love the opportunity to introduce students to our learning commons and make suggestions. One of the most useful sites that I recommend is www.whatshouldireadnext.com, which invites users to enter the title of the last great book they enjoyed and provides recommendations for titles within the genre. For social media, it may be worthwhile checking out www.goodreads.com, as it allows you to catalogue and rate your reads. I always caution people to take ratings with a grain of salt however, as reading is such an individual experience. An article on Edutopia published today reminded me of the power of the opportunity to build reading time into classes and how valuable this chance truly can be. Aside from working through the curriculum by way of rich, engaging learning experiences, I hope students leave my classes having developed an appreciation for the power of reading. When you visit my classroom, I hope you browse the reading quotes I've posted.
