April 2019
Editorial
“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” —Charlie “Tremendous” Jones I finished fifty-four books in 2018. I know because I kept a list. I’m not sure why I did this. I haven’t kept a list of what […]
Review
Ten Excellent Young Adult Books and Graphic Novels You Should Probably Read as Soon as You Can
Young Adult (YA) literature is exploding. A broad range of stories is coming out right now in the unprecedented numbers of books for young adults. On the one hand, this has meant some incredibly powerful stories that can connect deeply with our students in terms of both the brokenness of our world and also the […]
Review
Early Reader Books Students Already Love, Ones They Should Read,and a Few to Avoid
Over Christmas break this year, I read Waking the Rainbow Dragon (Dragon Masters #10) by Tracey West. I did this because before break I had a long discussion with a third-grade boy where we looked at hints in past Dragon Masters books as to what new dragons might be featured in upcoming adventures. (I may […]
Review
Top Ten Picture Books from 2018
This year was another outstanding one for picture books. Once again, narrowing down this list to just ten was an almost insurmountable task. I encourage you to take a trip to your local independent bookstore and spend some time paging through picture books. You won’t be disappointed. The topics covered in picture books this past […]
Review
Read to Lead: Three Books Every Administrator Should Read
Whenever I find a book that I love, everyone around me knows about it. According to my new favorite book, 5 Voices, that is because my foundational voice is a Connector: “It doesn’t matter if it is a movie or a restaurant or a business colleague they want to introduce you to, whatever Connectors are […]
Review
Seeing Ourselves in Literature
I was at my desk collecting writing assignments when Hannah, one of my sixth graders, walked over. “Mrs. Blok,” she said, “when are we going to read a book that has a girl as the main character?” So far we had read The Phantom Tollbooth and King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table—both […]
Review
As many school principals can attest, much wisdom can be found in drawing on the expertise of an entire school team when it comes to better supporting our students, especially those who exhibit challenging behaviors. When we put our heads together and discuss plans that could work, we share past experiences, training, or helpful books. […]
Article
Navigating Media and Gender with Our Students
In today’s age of fake news and media hysteria, faculty members of Christian schools must be able to both discern what is true and teach students to do the same. We live in a confusing age, a time in history when anyone and everyone has a ready-made platform from which to shout their latest musings. […]
Article
“Watch your step,” we were told by our soft-spoken guide. And then a second time as we drew in close to see what he was referring to: “Watch where you step—this is a mass grave; you cannot step here.” The second time, I turned my gaze from the mossy rise of green in front of […]
Slouching Toward Bedlam
She Reads to Conquer Or The Books U Give
Christine Lopez stood outside the biology room, staring at Sam Toomer’s classroom door. It was Friday, the students had left, and after the weekend was over Monday would mark the start of book week. Sam’s door had on it the same bright green piece of paper she had hung on everyone’s door. The same piece […]