life beyond the well…

Category Archives: Education


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Books I’ve Recently Read

Those who know me, know that I LOVE to read…it’s more than a hobby for me, it’s kind of a lifestyle.  I can go to Borders, Barnes and Noble, or even the book sections in Wal-Mart and Target and stay for hours.  I’m amazed that there are so many things wrapped up in books and I want to know them all.

Teaching doesn’t give me MUCH free time to read anymore, so I’m forced to handle it when I can.  This usually consists of reading while I’m at the hair salon, the bathroom (disgusting, I know….but please don’t act like you don’t do it), or when I need to wind down.  Here’s the books that I’ve recently read:

1.     You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah by Fiona Rosenbloom

2.     We are SO Crashing Your Bar Mitzvah by Fiona Rosenbloom

3.     Letters to a Young Teacher by Jonathan Kozol

About books 1&2: I work at a Jewish Community Day School, and it’s important that I understand the rites of passage for my students.  This book is being read in the Pre Bar/Bat Mitzvah class taught by one of the teachers that I share a classroom with.  To say that these books are hilarious would be a serious understatement.  By following the life of Stacy Freidman, a precocious middle-schooler trying to navigate the world as she knows it, the reader gets insight into Jewish customs and culture, as well as the thoughts of a typical American teenage girl.  It’s easy reading and fun.  I HIGHLY recommend it.

Book 3:  I snagged this book while also purchasing the Complete Idiot’s Guide to Understanding Judaism.  I’ve read other books by Jonathan Kozol, and this did not disappoint.  I love the way that he imparts wisdom through sharing letters with a young teacher named Francesca.  While the book includes some educational politics, I felt that the way that Kozol shared his knowledge and expressed his frustrations at the current educational system was what truly made this book special.  This is a great book for new teachers, but also for more experienced teachers who may wonder why they do what they do.


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    Finding the Simple Victories

    So, I figured that the better way to look at what I do and the challenges that I face is to find the simple victories every day.  Yesterday’s simple victory was that I finally got keys to my classrooms (yes, that was classroomS…I teach in 3 different classrooms, and do advisory in another).  Today’s simple victory was actually AGAINST the students…in that I wrote up four students for discipline.

    In the giant scheme of things, I don’t consider this to be a victory at all.  Consistent discipline problems affect classroom performance for the student who is misbehaving, as well as the other students in class.  No one likes to be distracted.  However, it’s a constant struggle to remind them that we’re not peers, and one way that is done is by not tolerating behavior that is disrespectful and distracting to others.  ‘Nough said.

    Perhaps the biggest simple victory would be that I’ve recently been reminded as to how AWESOME God is.  On Friday, I transitioned into the grown folks club as I celebrated my 25th birthday.  People who know me, know how much I LOVE birthdays, and this one was truly special.  As I reflect on life, I’m so grateful for the ways that God has blessed me, because I know that I am SO undeserving.  Being able to see 25, in the midst of living my dreams, with a wonderful family and a host of friends is so awesome.  Seriously, if God never did ANYTHING else, He has already done MORE THAN enough.  Yet and still, I know that the best is yet to come.

    I must confess that things with the job had been getting me down; however, I’m hanging in there.  There’s a purpose and a plan for me to be here, and I will see it through.