Most adults say they'd never want to relive their high school years. It feels funny saying that considering where I work, but I think we all understand where the sentiment comes from. The teen years are a time of enormous change and development as you struggle to find your passion and identity. You survive by having good friends and something, a sport or hobby, that means everything to you.
For many of us that something was (often still is) reading. The transformative properties of literature are well documented. You can go anywhere, see anything, move about time and space and discover characters who feel more like friends than fiction. As a writer my main goal is to create characters people can relate to. When readers believe in and root for the characters, the reading experience reaches its zenith.
When I graduated from high school in blahblahblah19blahblah85blahblah the Young Adult book market had just started to take off. Children's Literature and Classics dominated the library back then. I was too old for Nancy Drew and too young for say, Jacqueline Susann. I devoured everything I could find from Paula Danzinger to Lois Duncan. There never was enough.
Well times have changed. If anything would tempt me to turn back time, it would be for the books. I can't believe the choices the kids have today. I don't think reading ever became unpopular, but if I had to pin-point when it became visibly popular again, I'd go with when the second or third Harry Potter came out. And it hasn't slowed down since.
The YA Holy Trinity of publishing success are the Harry Potter series, the Twilight series and, more recently, The Hunger Games trilogy. In between these are thousands of other series or single titles that cover everything from Greek heroes (Percy Jackson series), more wizards (Nickolas Flamel series), fallen angels (Hush, Hush and Fallen series) to engaging realistic fiction titles (by John Green, Sarah Dessen and Gordon Korman) and more dystopian societies than you can shake a stick at (Maze Runner trilogy, Matched trilogy and don't forget all the zombie apocalypse books).
Maybe it's a good thing I didn't have this many choices when I was young; I never would have left the house. To focus on quantity isn't the right approach however. The quality of the writing and the complexity of the narratives can stand up to many adult novels. You certainly don't have to be a teen to enjoy these books, which is the good news.
The bad news? At my age, I lack the stamina to pull off a reading all-nighter. It will take years for me to catch up on all the hot titles our HHS students love.
Better get started!
***A big thank you to the students, parents and faculty who generously donated books in our Second Annual Amazon Book Drive. We received about 40 titles, many of which have already been checked out, returned and checked out again. We couldn't do what we do (and have as much fun doing it) without your support. ***
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
No Tricks, Just A Treat
.JPG) | ||||
| The King & Queen of Hearts & Co. visit the LMC. |
Yes Virginia, celebrating literature can be fun!
That's our story and we're sticking to it.
It's not that we don't have ample opportunities to dress up for fun at Horizon. Between Homecoming and Hoopcoming there are ten days for stepping out of your comfort zone and playing along. But there's something special about October 31.
As someone who reads and writes I have to stand up loud and proud for a day that at its heart celebrates the power of imagination. Whether you choose a costume inspired by a book, comic, movie, TV show or anime series, all of those worlds and characters began their life with the written word.
In today's world we're surrounded and obsessed with pixels and megabytes and all manner of digital increments that mean something to someone, somewhere. It's too soon to tell what type of legacy they'll have over time. The written word, however, has endured feast, famine, natural and man-made disasters and the digital revolution.
Lewis Carrol wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland back in 1865. Disney made the animated film in 1951 and Tim Burton gave the story his own spin in 2010. Alice-inspired comics and anime are popular outside of the US and England. For 147 years Mr. Carrol's mere words have inspired and entertained people all over the world. What could be more powerful than that?
So if you're not into costumes or dressing up don't worry, you can treat yourself to a good book anytime.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Pigskin Princess #2- When Mom Goes To Football Practice
When I interviewed for my position on the coaching staff for Freshmen
Football the biggest point I stressed was how I didn’t want the
presence of a woman to change any aspect of the program, most especially
for the players. As a mother of sons I felt strongly that boys need
male-centered environments where they can act like boys. (In other
words, farting out loud is always acceptable.)
I can safely say my gender hasn’t amounted to much in terms of change. There have been a few additions, like the word ma’am, and blinds for the coaches’ office inside the locker room. (Unfortunately the blinds don’t block out the smell.) On the field I am not much different from my male colleagues; I yell, I wear a whistle and I carry the play book. Like them, I sweat, get tired and lose my voice. I’ve spent the better part of the season believing we were almost the same, except for one key difference- what happens at home.
It’s fair to say that my male colleagues don’t start laundry when they get home from Saturday morning practice. Nor are they responsible for meal planning for the people who remain at home while they’re coaching. They’re not worrying about buying gifts for assorted relatives, signing school forms (for their own children) and packing school lunches. I doubt they’ll stress over holiday planning (it will be here before you know it) finding time for a mani/pedi or the affect of all that sun and sweat on their complexions.
Sometimes I look at my fellow coaches and I feel a bit envious because I suspect their wives have released them from a myriad of household responsibilities. That may or may not be true. While their responsibilities at home may differ from mine (let’s face it, I don’t do yard work) they, like me, have left a trail of undone, need-to-do and want-to-do tasks in their wake during football.
One area where I know the guys and I suffer equally is in family-life balance. There really is none during football season. We coach five evenings a week and on Saturday mornings. We arrive home exhausted, smelly and sometimes cranky, depending on what went down at practice. For me Game Day is a fourteen hour affair- eight hours of work , followed by the team meal, the production of players getting dressed in game attire, warm-ups, a possible bus ride, more warm-ups, the pre-game pep talk, the game, half time, the mid-game pep talk, the second half, the post-game talk and finally a bus ride back to school. I get home about 9:00 p.m. having left the house at 6:45 a.m.
Two weeks ago The Better Half was out of town on Game Day. I saw Son #2 for a total of ten minutes, five in the morning and five when I arrived home. His dinner was whatever the $8 cash I had in my wallet could buy him that night, since I had neither the time or energy to prepare something. In truth, he was likely thrilled to go grab fast food, he’s sixteen after all, but that’s not the point.
To his credit The Better Half has recalibrated his expectations during football season. I don’t cook during the week anymore, but I am expected to supply the food needed so others can. I also don’t do dishes at night when I come home from practice. Sometimes The Better Half forgets my schedule and asks me out to dinner on Friday night. There is no going out to dinner on Friday night because after my team’s practice, I head to the varsity game. (Friday Night Lights baby!)
I didn’t become a female football coach to make a statement about gender roles. I did it because I love the game and working with kids. My male colleagues and I have equally sacrificed to be on the field with our players. They may not be worried about the laundry, but I’ve learned they do worry about what’s suffering in their personal lives while they’re on the field.
Exhaustion, it seems, is an equal opportunity condition.
Is it all worth it? If you need to ask you haven’t been paying attention.
Go Huskies!
I can safely say my gender hasn’t amounted to much in terms of change. There have been a few additions, like the word ma’am, and blinds for the coaches’ office inside the locker room. (Unfortunately the blinds don’t block out the smell.) On the field I am not much different from my male colleagues; I yell, I wear a whistle and I carry the play book. Like them, I sweat, get tired and lose my voice. I’ve spent the better part of the season believing we were almost the same, except for one key difference- what happens at home.
It’s fair to say that my male colleagues don’t start laundry when they get home from Saturday morning practice. Nor are they responsible for meal planning for the people who remain at home while they’re coaching. They’re not worrying about buying gifts for assorted relatives, signing school forms (for their own children) and packing school lunches. I doubt they’ll stress over holiday planning (it will be here before you know it) finding time for a mani/pedi or the affect of all that sun and sweat on their complexions.
Sometimes I look at my fellow coaches and I feel a bit envious because I suspect their wives have released them from a myriad of household responsibilities. That may or may not be true. While their responsibilities at home may differ from mine (let’s face it, I don’t do yard work) they, like me, have left a trail of undone, need-to-do and want-to-do tasks in their wake during football.
One area where I know the guys and I suffer equally is in family-life balance. There really is none during football season. We coach five evenings a week and on Saturday mornings. We arrive home exhausted, smelly and sometimes cranky, depending on what went down at practice. For me Game Day is a fourteen hour affair- eight hours of work , followed by the team meal, the production of players getting dressed in game attire, warm-ups, a possible bus ride, more warm-ups, the pre-game pep talk, the game, half time, the mid-game pep talk, the second half, the post-game talk and finally a bus ride back to school. I get home about 9:00 p.m. having left the house at 6:45 a.m.
Two weeks ago The Better Half was out of town on Game Day. I saw Son #2 for a total of ten minutes, five in the morning and five when I arrived home. His dinner was whatever the $8 cash I had in my wallet could buy him that night, since I had neither the time or energy to prepare something. In truth, he was likely thrilled to go grab fast food, he’s sixteen after all, but that’s not the point.
To his credit The Better Half has recalibrated his expectations during football season. I don’t cook during the week anymore, but I am expected to supply the food needed so others can. I also don’t do dishes at night when I come home from practice. Sometimes The Better Half forgets my schedule and asks me out to dinner on Friday night. There is no going out to dinner on Friday night because after my team’s practice, I head to the varsity game. (Friday Night Lights baby!)
I didn’t become a female football coach to make a statement about gender roles. I did it because I love the game and working with kids. My male colleagues and I have equally sacrificed to be on the field with our players. They may not be worried about the laundry, but I’ve learned they do worry about what’s suffering in their personal lives while they’re on the field.
Exhaustion, it seems, is an equal opportunity condition.
Is it all worth it? If you need to ask you haven’t been paying attention.
Go Huskies!
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Beating the Books Blahs
Have you ever looked inside your closet and thought you had nothing to wear even though the closet was full of items? You start trying on clothes and putting together outfits but nothing fits, looks right, feels right or makes you appear 10 lbs. lighter? At this point your body temperature begins to rise, signaling an imminent meltdown. Shouting occurs, perhaps a throwing of the offending garments across the room and most certainly the gnashing of teeth. It isn't pretty.
It might surprise you to know that the same thing happens to book lovers. While there's no official name for this malady, I like to call it Transition Trouble.
Transition Trouble is a dangerous affliction that affects your ability to dive into a new book after recently finishing an engaging one. In my case, I read new novels from my favorite authors all summer and then became stuck in the middle of a second book in a trilogy that seemed to be limping along. I decided to take a break from it (something I rarely do) and discovered two new fiction titles that I had trouble putting down.
It's been about ten days since I finished that last book and now I'm the one limping along. Everything I pick up feels wrong. I even requested two books with Jane Austen themes from the public library, but unfortunately they both centered on Mansfield Park, my least favorite of her work.
I've discussed this problem with other book lovers and found that it happens to everyone at some point. And we all appear to have the same fix- the palette cleanser. This is a favorite book, reread many times, that serves to clear your head and settle anxiety (because now you're worried you'll never find another new book you want to read). My palette cleanser is Pride & Prejudice. I can open it to any page and immediately begin to relax. After two or three days I've calmed down enough to pick up something new.
So last night I grabbed my worn copy of P&P (I own several) and waited for it to work its magic on me.
And I waited.
Nothing.
I'm now in four-alarm crisis mode. I HAVE NO BOOKS!
Yes I realize this is a gross exaggeration considering I work in a library and own at least 1,500 books but believe me, I have no books right now. Nothing is appealing to me and I'm getting worried.
The first thing I did this morning was log into Amazon and look up the titles I'd read recently and loved. Amazon's "Customers Who Bought____ Also Bought ______" feature is a fabulous way to discover new authors. I searched and searched, then opened a new tab for the Scottsdale Public Library. As I found potential good reads, I requested them from the library or, if they weren't available, added them to my Amazon cart. In the end I requested 8 titles, ordered 3 and will stop by the library on my way home from work today to pick up one book that was on shelf and waiting to go home with an avid reader.
I'd like to think that between 14 books coming my way in the next week, at least one of them can rescue me from this malaise.
Has this ever happened to you? What's your favorite palette cleanser? I might need some suggestions!
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Pigskin Princess: On Any Given Wednesday
When I joined the coaching staff of the Freshmen football team last
spring (no that's not a typo) my mind immediately set to visions of the
multitude of blogs such an experience would produce. I dreamed up a
clever moniker (see above) and planned for a great photo of myself with a
football and rhinestones for props.
Fast forward to today- Game Day #2 of the season.
I have not-
Blogged one sentence about coaching football.
Taken my fancy Pigskin Princess head shot.
Completely memorized the playbook. (So close!)
Avoided catching the Pigskin Plague- the cold bug that travels through the team in batches of four people.
Figured out how to make my hair last past two practices without needing to be washed again.
Regretted my decision to ask (I asked) to be part of Husky Football.
I have-
A lot to learn about football.
And coaching. They are separate skills sets.
Wonderful coaching colleagues whose experience and talent amazes me every day.
Fantastic (and aromatic) players.
Fun watching the reaction from people when they learn I'm coaching boys' football.
Sweated through twice a week summer evening practices and now six days-a-week regular season practice without whining (even at home where it's safe to whine).
Learned that my gender is not a handicap at all, but my lack of experience is.
So why? Why do this crazy, very ungirly, unwriterly, unlibrarian-like activity that takes up about twenty hours a week (without pay!)? Two words-
GAME DAY
Wednesday is Game Day for Freshmen Football. Game Day is what we live for, work for and sweat for. It's our reward and, as we know, anything can happen on Game Day.
And in my case it already has- I'm part of the team. The players probably aren't going to learn a lot about football from me this year. What I hope they do learn from me is this- believe in that crazy thing you've always wanted to do and seize the opportunity to become part of it.
Because anything can happen.
Fast forward to today- Game Day #2 of the season.
I have not-
Blogged one sentence about coaching football.
Taken my fancy Pigskin Princess head shot.
Completely memorized the playbook. (So close!)
Avoided catching the Pigskin Plague- the cold bug that travels through the team in batches of four people.
Figured out how to make my hair last past two practices without needing to be washed again.
Regretted my decision to ask (I asked) to be part of Husky Football.
I have-
A lot to learn about football.
And coaching. They are separate skills sets.
Wonderful coaching colleagues whose experience and talent amazes me every day.
Fantastic (and aromatic) players.
Fun watching the reaction from people when they learn I'm coaching boys' football.
Sweated through twice a week summer evening practices and now six days-a-week regular season practice without whining (even at home where it's safe to whine).
Learned that my gender is not a handicap at all, but my lack of experience is.
So why? Why do this crazy, very ungirly, unwriterly, unlibrarian-like activity that takes up about twenty hours a week (without pay!)? Two words-
GAME DAY
Wednesday is Game Day for Freshmen Football. Game Day is what we live for, work for and sweat for. It's our reward and, as we know, anything can happen on Game Day.
And in my case it already has- I'm part of the team. The players probably aren't going to learn a lot about football from me this year. What I hope they do learn from me is this- believe in that crazy thing you've always wanted to do and seize the opportunity to become part of it.
Because anything can happen.
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Out With the Old & In With the New- Students That Is!
I remember what a let down the first day of my senior year in high school was. Until I walked on campus that morning I hadn't realized how many of my good, dear friends graduated. The campus felt odd without them and I don't think I ever quite recovered; my senior year was my least favorite.
Such is the dilemma at the start of a new school year. In the first weeks of school many of the grads visit campus to say goodbye before they leave for college, so we almost feel like they haven't left. But now, as the holiday weekend approaches and we're past the beginning of school it hits me that some of my favorite peeps aren't here anymore.
On of the great joys of working in the LMC is that 99% of the students who come in want to be here. It's rare when we have an issue with a student beyond showing up without a pass or getting caught with an handful of food. Ms. Orest and I get to know the kids quite well and enjoy all the tidbits they share about their lives and activities.
The first few days without some of our regulars can be quite jarring because in their places are these new faces who don't seem to know anything about the LMC (yet). They need help with everything it seems- Where's the printer? How can I use a computer? What do you mean I can't eat my lunch in here-it's lunch!
When I'm just about ready to pull my hair out, one new freshmen will approach the circulation desk and utter the magic words, "Do you have (random book title)?"
And in an instant I'm not seeing a stranger but instead a fellow book lover.
Our schedule in the LMC is so busy now I don't have time to lament over which students have graduated and left the building. I've memorized the faces and reading habits of many new students thus far. I have a wonderful young man who comes in every morning to check out a new book. I hope we can keep him well supplied during his HHS years!
I believe that those of us drawn to careers in education need the renewal that comes from the start of a school year. It's a new beginning, a fresh opportunity and a wonderful time to get to know some incredible students.
Such is the dilemma at the start of a new school year. In the first weeks of school many of the grads visit campus to say goodbye before they leave for college, so we almost feel like they haven't left. But now, as the holiday weekend approaches and we're past the beginning of school it hits me that some of my favorite peeps aren't here anymore.
On of the great joys of working in the LMC is that 99% of the students who come in want to be here. It's rare when we have an issue with a student beyond showing up without a pass or getting caught with an handful of food. Ms. Orest and I get to know the kids quite well and enjoy all the tidbits they share about their lives and activities.
The first few days without some of our regulars can be quite jarring because in their places are these new faces who don't seem to know anything about the LMC (yet). They need help with everything it seems- Where's the printer? How can I use a computer? What do you mean I can't eat my lunch in here-it's lunch!
When I'm just about ready to pull my hair out, one new freshmen will approach the circulation desk and utter the magic words, "Do you have (random book title)?"
And in an instant I'm not seeing a stranger but instead a fellow book lover.
Our schedule in the LMC is so busy now I don't have time to lament over which students have graduated and left the building. I've memorized the faces and reading habits of many new students thus far. I have a wonderful young man who comes in every morning to check out a new book. I hope we can keep him well supplied during his HHS years!
I believe that those of us drawn to careers in education need the renewal that comes from the start of a school year. It's a new beginning, a fresh opportunity and a wonderful time to get to know some incredible students.
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Back in the Saddle Again!
Welcome to the 2012/2013 school year! We're back! With a new circulation desk and some fresh paint. Here I am at my new work station. Notice the ledge? No more backpacks knocking things down on me! Ms. Orest and I are thrilled with our new desk and looking forward to a great school year.
So, how did I spend my summer vacation?
Packing and unpacking- we moved to a new house.
Reading- but only one of the 30 books I brought home from the LMC. Too many of my favorite authors had new releases out in June and July. I had a few days were I sat and read for hours, which is such a rare treat.
Sweating- at Freshman Football practice. Yes, you read that correctly. I am a new volunteer coach for the Freshman Football team. I'll be blogging about that under the title Pigskin Princess, so watch for an update next week.
Collecting- goodies for the Library Media Center. My older son Conner and I went to the fun and fabulous San Diego Comic-Con in July. In addition to comic books, movies and TV shows there are TONS of books and authors. SciFi, Fantasy and YA titles are huge right now. I got to speak to Michael Grant, the author of the Gone series, and tell him how much my students love his work. I won books (the new YA series from mega SciFi author Orson Scott Card) for the LMC at the Simon and Schuster panel. In addition to all that fun, I nabbed posters, ARC copies of soon-to-be-released titles, buttons, stickers and a free T-shirt. Look for the Comic-Con display to be up early next week.
Waiting- for some great movies based on books to come out this fall. The last segment of the Twilight series will be out as well as the highly anticipated The Perks of Being a Wallflower and World War Z. And let's not forget the movie event of the century- the first (of three) films for The Hobbit. It will be epic! Best of all, we have all of these titles in the Media Center so you can read the book before you see the movie.
While it's tough to get back into the school routine (early mornings!) I except this school year to be great. Pop in and visit if you get the chance.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)