Hoarders: Let the books be free!

Ahhh...summer...that time to relax, put your feet up and enjoy lazy days by the pool, reading books, and watching Hoarders. Wait. What? Hoarders is not part of your summer plans?

Ok. Maybe not on my official plans, but I did find myself binge watching Hoarders while on the couch this week. Why? Fascination with the human condition? Interest in just what people will hold on to (bags of used cat litter stacked from floor to ceiling!? Yipes! It's true!)? I do not know. Either way, I find every episode fascinating. 

I work at a school in which some closets could be featured in an episode of Hoarders. "Hoarders: Elementary Edition?" My school was built in 1956 and in opening closets, cabinets and other hidden areas on campus, tells the story of hand-me-downs galore. It's not that anyone has a compulsive need to hoard, but it's that whole..."How and when DID these old binders get shoved on that shelf? Who uses them? Well, I can't throw them away because they aren't mine or...what if I throw them out and then need them again the very next day? You never know when you'll need those 1000 faded Christmas-colored pony beads in the old Folgers can." Seriously. 

And this is not special to my school. I can't tell you the number of times I've moved into a new classroom (well, actually, the number is 7) and had to dig through someone's remaining treasures that have been collected and treasured for years. Educators. We do these things.

As I wrapped up my couch jam session with Hoarders, I headed to my site to help dig out some closets to make space for new teachers joining our school this year. Items I found:
1. Box of "Jungle Birds:" pipe cleaners twisted in various shapes with googley-eyes and feathers glued randomly about.
2. Staples inside of a box marked 1961. I'm not kidding.
3. Walkmans! Yes! Walkmans galore!

But the most offensive of all...
BOOKS WITH YELLOW PAGES!!

CRINGE!

After I took a moment to pull down the books, dust them off, sneeze, and blow my nose, the reader in me metaphorically cried a solitary tear that dripped on the cover of one said book, exposing the title, Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler.

Why? Why was this yellowed, dusty book stored for so long? Even if it made its way into the hands of one of my 4th grade reluctant readers' hands, would it excite them? Would they shout, "OMG, girlfriend! This book is like, totally awesome! We should totes read it."? No. And most certainly not with those words. Would this yellowed-page relic build a love of reading for our kids? Maybe no. And it's not Claudia or Jamie Kincaid's fault. Those kids are rockstars. 

I think Donalyn Miller is on to something. If you haven't read either The Book Whisperer or Reading in the Wild, stop reading this and go pick up a copy. Read the whole thing. Twice. I'll wait...

Miller states:
"Abundant reading research proves that the following components of an independent reading program increase students' reading achievement and motivation to read:

• Access to books: Students need access to a wide array of reading material at their independent level.
• Reading engagement: Students needs classroom conditions that engage them with reading and foster reading self-efficacy.
• School-wide support: Schools must create a culture of reading that values reading in all subject areas.
• Well-stocked libraries with qualified librarians: School library collections should contain current, well-maintained collections of interesting reading material manned by trained, licensed librarians.
• Student choice: Students need frequent opportunities to select their own reading materials for both personal and academic reasons."

https://bookwhisperer.com/posts-presentations-projects/

Did 'ja catch that? Forget the school library collection part and replace it with books surrounding kids all over campus...classroom libraries, school library, office waiting area, after school programs...all the places!!

Give the kids what they want (or if they don't know what they want, expose them to what you think they may eventually want. Psst...it's not yellow books.)

Think of yourself as a reader. If someone handed you a yellow-paged, dusty, faded chapter book published in 1967, how excited would you be to read it?  Our kids are small adults, having tastes and preferences of their own (music, sports, art, food, books, etc.) Expose them to aesthetically pleasing books (the sight of crisp white pages, the smell of glue and cut paper freshly bound together, the feeling of sharp edges of pages)! Kids may not jump at them right away, but it sure is better than treasures found in secret closets. 

Consider dumping all old book and replacing them with new, fresh pages. They don't even have to be new titles, but at least updated covers to old classics.

   

      

                                                 Hard pass.                          Yes, please!

Lessons from Cancun Bus Rides

Recently, I enjoyed some time away with a friend (read: no kids, husband, work, etc.) in Cancun, reading, sleeping, golfing and enjoying being lazy on the beach for hours on end.

When I wasn't burning near-zero calories, my friend and I would catch a bus to grab some dinner or explore the city a bit. If you have ever been on either bus R1 or R2 in Cancun, you, most likely, can conjure up memories of your life flashing before your eyes fairly quickly. Your heart may even stop as you flash back to trying to hold on for dear life as the bus slows from 70 km to 0 km in 5 seconds flat to pick up a random passenger.

If you have NOT had the chance to enjoy life on bus R1 or R2, I am happy to relive the experience (while keeping you safe) through analyzing how riding a Cancun presents lessons to reflect upon through the lens of an elementary principal.

Lesson #1:
Drivers will allow as many people as possible on the bus, filling it with passengers holding on to poles, standing on the front stairs and on others' laps while the bus is in motion.
This is an absolute test in patience. Having an ice cold margarita spilled on you from a man standing beside you while holding on to a pole and complaining about immigrants in his home country is the ultimate test in patience. Much like being a principal, there will be situation after situation that will test patience. The goal is too keep your cool. Like on this bus ride, I think to myself..."Ok, how much can I stand before I scream at this guy and knock the cup out of his hand?" Breathe in, breathe out. On the bus. While at school.

Armpits fo' days.

Lesson #2:
Bus drivers can stop (and will stop) as often as passengers wave it down. No need for bus stops in Cancun. Nope. Just an arm wave from the sidewalk will do. This can turn a 2 mile drive into a 45 minute adventure.
But we're all headed in the same direction, right? As a school staff, we have an end goal in mind: creating an awesome place for students to engage in learning and build the skills needed to be successful in life, no matter the path they choose. But there are many stops along the way, right? Mandates from the state and district, new passengers that we need to catch up to speed, new students entering our school, etc. If we can keep our eye on the end game, the bus ride can be more enjoyable as we head to our common destination.

Lesson #3:
Playing loud reggaeton is preferred on the majority of buses.
And why not? It sounds like a party. Music makes everything better. Play more music!

When in Cancun...

Lesson #4:
Buses are full of interesting people from different cultures, backgrounds, interests, etc. In one given bus ride, the following people shared my bus riding experience with me: tired workers just coming off their shifts at hotels, drunk friends on their way to Senor Frogs, a couple who appeared to be on one of their first dates, an American family of 5, consisting of 3 pre-teens who did not appreciate their parents' sense of humor. 
See Lesson 2.

#present

While paying for whatever I bought at Target last week, (no, really, I have no idea when it comes to Target. I walk in there for lotion, black out and get in my car to look over my $100 receipt with 2 full bags in the back), the young, millennial-ish cashier asked me what my New Year's resolution was. Pshh. Resolutions. Ain't nobody got time for that.

I want to lose weight. I want to be healthy. I want to lead a balanced lifestyle.  Just like every other American getting up at 6am to go work out for the next few weeks, determined that this year, THIS year will be better. Forgive my jaded outlook, but I have come to realize that resolutions such as these are short lived as they lack focus, measurements along the way, and milestones to meet a vague goal. 

I smiled at the cashier and laughed off her question, "Oh, geez. I don't know. How about you?" Shockingly, she said she wanted to work out more. I asked her a few questions about the gym she just joined, loaded up my cart with...uh...I have no idea...and then continued thinking a bit more about her question for some reason. 

Since then, I've been thinking that resolutions ARE well-intentioned. We all want to be better at something and become the best version of ourselves, right? But why start on January 1st? Why not May 22nd? Or December 9th?

I DO want to be better. I want to be the best version of wife, mom, principal, friend, colleague, neighbor, Target shopper that I can be. So, what would be the "thing" that help? Thinking, thinking, thinking...

Over the past 6 months, I have been told that I am on my phone all the time by the following people: husband, sons, friends and...wait for it...my supervisor!  Yeeks! This might be an issue.

So, I spent my winter break (prior to my conversation with the Target cashier) intentionally putting my phone away. I left it at home when I went out to the store. I left it in the kitchen and went about my business in the house. I even lost it a few times since I forgot where I had left it. 

And I enjoyed it. Less texting, pictures, Instagramming, Voxing, emailing, Facebook stalking (come on, you know you do it, too) and Tetris-ing (Yes. This has become a problem). More reading - books made out of PAPER, uninterrupted time with my boys at the Children's Museum, going to see movies, putting together 1000 piece puzzles (ok, 994 pieces since I live with 2 boys, a cat and an eat-anything-I-see dog), and coloring. So much coloring. I was able to be in the moment, away from the dings and lights on my phone pulling me in to Vox, text, or collect my prize in Tetris. (I know. :/)

So this is it. My one word New Year's resolution. Nay. Not resolution as much as New Year's something-to-be-mindful of. Yes, that's what is should be called from now on. So here it is...

#present

Be in the present. Put away my digital distractions and just be. Be in conversations with people, really listening, be at home with my boys and pay attention to what they are doing (and not doing). Be with my husband and really listen.  I know this will mean my phone will blow up and I will end up spending a chunk of time going through everything at some point, but my hope is that the conversations and time spent with others will fulfill me and enhance my life more than any ringtones and flashing lights can.

What is your one word New Year's Something-to-be-mindful-of? (See what I did there?)