Re: Salk Staff Book Club follow-up & next meeting

Just a reminder to let me know by this Friday if you want me to order you a copy of the next book club book.  I'll order them on Friday so they will arrive at school before break.

 

Pauline

On Dec 6, 2007 8:01 AM, Pauline David <pauline.david@gmail.com> wrote:

Rhonda, Cherith, Julia, Mike, Kathleen, Betsy, Marcel, Keisha, Patti and I had the big treat last week of sitting with Jake to discuss his book, Spanking Shakespeare.  It was a great opportunity to talk about what we liked about the book and ask him questions about the writing and revising process.  A big thank you to Jake for agreeing to be our author-in-residence, and to Rhonda for supplying treats.

 

Jake has asked that people write reviews on Amazon for his book.  So, instead of just telling people verbally how much you liked the book, get online and write your opinions for the world to read!!

 

Our next book is a short yet powerful read: An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship in Schools by Ron Berger.  This book, which has been favorably reviewed by Ted Sizer, Howard Gardner and Debbie Meier, speaks about the way schools can create a culture that spurs students to hold high standards and strive for excellence.  It seems like a great book to read to reenergize us as we head into 2008.

 

Tentative next meeting date: Tuesday, Jan. 15th at 4 PM

(Please let me know if you want to come but can't make that date/time.)

 

If you want me to order you a copy of the book, please email me by Friday, 12/14 and I will place an order to be delivered to school.  (The cost will be $18.50.)

 

Hope you can make it -- and don't forget to go to Amazon and write a review of Jake's book!!

 

Yours,

Pauline

Salk Staff Book Club follow-up & next meeting

Rhonda, Cherith, Julia, Mike, Kathleen, Betsy, Marcel, Keisha, Patti and I had the big treat last week of sitting with Jake to discuss his book, Spanking Shakespeare.  It was a great opportunity to talk about what we liked about the book and ask him questions about the writing and revising process.  A big thank you to Jake for agreeing to be our author-in-residence, and to Rhonda for supplying treats.

 

Jake has asked that people write reviews on Amazon for his book.  So, instead of just telling people verbally how much you liked the book, get online and write your opinions for the world to read!!

 

Our next book is a short yet powerful read: An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship in Schools by Ron Berger.  This book, which has been favorably reviewed by Ted Sizer, Howard Gardner and Debbie Meier, speaks about the way schools can create a culture that spurs students to hold high standards and strive for excellence.  It seems like a great book to read to reenergize us as we head into 2008.

 

Tentative next meeting date: Tuesday, Jan. 15th at 4 PM

(Please let me know if you want to come but can't make that date/time.)

 

If you want me to order you a copy of the book, please email me by Friday, 12/14 and I will place an order to be delivered to school.  (The cost will be $18.50.)

 

Hope you can make it -- and don't forget to go to Amazon and write a review of Jake's book!!

 

Yours,

Pauline

Re: Reminder -- next meeting of Salk Staff Book Club

Don't forget about this Friday!!  See you then, I hope...

 

Pauline

 

On 11/14/07, Pauline David <pauline.david@gmail.com> wrote:

Quick reminder about our next meeting --

 

The book: Spanking Shakespeare by our very own Jake Wizner.

The date: Friday, Nov. 30th at 3:15 PM

Note the earlier time -- we'll meet at school, in Jake's room -- coffee and dessert will be provided. 

 

Hope to see you there!

 

Pauline

 

Reminder -- next meeting of Salk Staff Book Club

Quick reminder about our next meeting --

 

The book: Spanking Shakespeare by our very own Jake Wizner.

The date: Friday, Nov. 30th at 3:15 PM

Note the earlier time -- we'll meet at school, in Jake's room -- coffee and dessert will be provided. 

 

Hope to see you there!

 

Pauline

 

Salk Staff Book Club

A big thank you to Cherith, Kathleen, Marcel, Jake and Rhonda for taking time out of their busy schedules last week to discuss Life in a Crowded Place by Ralph Peterson.  Those of us who had read Choice Words , How to Talk... and Beyond Discipline last year noted that this book fits well with the ideas put forth by those authors.  We had an interesting discussion about the tension between what we want school to be about (an environment where children feel welcome and supported) and the pressures of outside influences (testing, the need to give grades, etc.).  Some people talked about instances when they made time to build community in class and then felt somehow "guilty" about using time this way, even when they could see the positive effects in their classroom!  We bemoaned the fact that community-building is a given in early grades but then often loses ground to a more academic focus in the older grades, and wondered about ways to continue to build community with our students in middle school.  We also talked about how schools (such as Salk) create advisory programs to fill this need, but wondered if advisory would become redundant (and possibly obselete) if everyone felt able to make space for community building in their own classrooms.  Finally, since we had several eighth grade teachers present, they started brainstorming ways to play around with the advisory format -- Cherith, Marcel, Kathleen and Jake, please keep us posted about what you try and how it goes!!

 

In terms of next time -- we are going to take advantage of the fact that we have an author in our midst!!  Please join us on Friday, Nov. 30 to join in the unique opportunity to discuss Jake's Y.A. book with him!!  Here are the details:

 

The book is, of course, Spanking Shakespeare by our very own Jake Wizner.

The date is: Friday, Nov. 30th at 3:15 PM

Note the earlier time -- we'll meet at school, in Jake's room -- coffee and dessert will be provided.  (You can either view this as its own event or think of it as the precursor to the regular Friday-afternoon outing...) 

 

If you haven't read Jake's book yet, I suggest you run, don't walk, and get yourself a copy.  (This is not a paid promotion -- just a strong suggestion from a fan!)  As others who have read it can also attest, it's a really fun read -- the perfect antidote to the stresses of report cards, etc.  And, for those of you who have read it, I'm sure you can imagine how enjoyable it will be to gather together with Jake to get a chance to discuss the book.

 

Looking forward to seeing you all there!!

 

Pauline

Our tenth meeting is coming up!!

Reminder:

Salk Staff Book Club meets next week -- Wednesday, 10/24 at 4 PM -- to discuss Life in a Crowded Place by Ralph Peterson. Let's meet at Push Cafe (3rd Ave. between 22nd and 23rd St.).

Hope you can make it!! As always, remember that you don't need to have finished reading the entire book to join in the discussion. Everyone is welcome!

Gossip Girls....

Those who were part of the book club last spring when we discussed The Clique might find this article about the TV show based on the Gossip Girls series interesting.


Also, just a reminder that our next meeting will be on Oct. 24, and we will be discussing Life in a Crowded Place by Ralph Peterson. Hope to see you there!