and for my two months of doing nothing . . .

One of Scott's co-workers asked him recently if I was looking forward to doing nothing for two months. My answer? Yes? I'm not really interested in defending educators and their summer vacations because that could very quickly turn into me counting the hours I work a week compared to a regular full-time job, and that gets petty. Summer vacation is part of being a teacher, and I appreciate the time to regroup and recharge for the next year. However, I would probably drive myself crazy if I actually did do nothing for two months, so I have already started on a list of books to read and projects to complete. On my reading list: several YA novels recommended by my students:

• The Lightning Thief by Percy Jackson
• The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne
• Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

A few books that I've run into in my search for good ideas or inspiration:

• The Schwa Was Here by Neal Schusterman
• Chew on This by Eric Schlosser
• The Maze Runner by James Dashner
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Mechanically Inclined  and Everyday Editing by Jeff Anderson

That's a start, at least. I have about 13 books reserved at the library, so I can get started as soon as they come! 

I recently read A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket and Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. I enjoyed both--they were nice, easy reads and would work well for read-aloud. I could see reading A Series of Unfortunate Events in a class period or two near the end of the year when everyone is tired and just needs to escape into a book. Stargirl I thought was lovely and sad. 

My major project for the summer? Get ready to teach Canadian History in the fall!

What are you reading?