Summer Emphasis

Tomorrow is the first official day that I would have been in class if the school year were still in session. Later this week I will go back for our teacher work day (we have a couple of days off in between as furlough days), but we don't have any more student contact days. Just as school years can, summers often fly by.

Here are some areas of emphasis for the summer, and I will see how much I am actually able to do since I can already tell that my "vacation" plate is already filling up quickly.

Summer School
Both of my summer school courses will focus on school reform. I do not know the texts for the second course yet, but these are the books that I will be reading for one of my classes.

The Practice of School Reform by James Nehring

Inside School Turnarounds by Laura Pappano

School Reform from the Inside Out by Richard F. Elmore

Rallying the Whole Village edited by James P. Comer, Norris M. Haynes, Edward T. Joyner, and Michael Ben-Avie

I'm really excited for all of these books and the classes in general.

Emergent and Early Literacy

I mentioned earlier this school year that I have been increasingly more interested in emergent literacy and early literacy as a mother of almost 5 and 8 year olds, as well as the insights that various phases of literacy having implications for better understanding the wide range of my adolescent students.

I already have a couple of books that I can't wait to read, as well as other resources that I would like to revisit. I am also planning on paying close attention to my daughters as writers and keeping a writer's notebook about what I notice about them as writers as well as how it can inform my practice as a writer and a teacher of writing.

Here are the two books that are sitting in my TBR pile:

The Castle in the Classroom by Ranu Bhattacharyya

Literacy Beginnings by Gay Su Pinnell and Irene C. Fountas

Literacy Support

As I am moving further along in my doctoral program and getting ready to shift into a one year sabbatical replacement position, I continue to think about my long term goals as a literacy leader. I am lucky that in my school teachers view themselves as learners and are continually involved in professional development - many are working on various phases to further their education. We frequently support each other in sharing what we are learning and implications for improving our practice/school programs. 

Right now I am thoroughly enjoying Nancie Atwell's DVD resources Reading in the Middle and Writing in the Middle, and I will be posting about them soon. Even though I am shifting out of my regular position for a year, I still could not resist buying these resources and it aligns with my new focus of literacy leadership and continually building up my book and DVD resource library to support colleagues and continue to develop my knowledge of the field.

This summer I want to revisit the following two books:

Jennifer Allen's A Sense of Belonging

Katherine Casey's Literacy Coaching

Dissertation

I am also shifting focus toward my dissertation, which will focus on adolescent literacy. I am still firming up my questions, and I am excited to start working on my review of literature with many articles, books, and resources before moving on to data collection during the school year. 

What are your goals or reading plans for this summer to continually grow as an educator and leader?