Book Club

I started a teacher book club at Deer Creek HS in spring '08. I enjoyed discussing books with my friends in college, so this was a natural step. I like discussing novels with my students as well, but I also like to bond with my peers over a good book. Our membership is quite low, but I'm not complaining. The people in the book club are all great. And all women--besides me--I might add. So far, we've read four books together: A Long Way Gone, The Long Run, Early Bird, and Salem Falls. Our next selection is The Last Lecture, which we will advertise when the school year starts. Maybe we can get a few more members. Any male readers out there?

I want my students to know that, as their English teacher, I still enjoy reading. I still enjoying devouring a good book. For the sheer fun of it. Case in point: I stayed up past 2 a.m. last Saturday night finishing the final pages of Salem Falls. I couldn't put it down. I felt like an elementary student all over again--when I was finishing another Romona Quimby adventure or Boxcar Children mystery. There was no stopping the turning of those pages.

Does reading keep me young? No, I can't say that. But it does keep me plugged into life, the world, and the human race. Students, I hope, can tell the difference between a teacher who reads for pleasure and one who does not.