What's a Book?

There's nothing like the smell of books.  It sounds funny to say and probably strange to read but it's true.  That freshly-printed ink on crisp clean pages just does something to me. 

I was browsing through the children's section of Barnes and Noble for inspiration; something that would leap out and give me that A-HA moment every writer needs.  I ran my fingers over the spines of familiar childhood favorites like Corduroy, Wacky Wednesday and Owl Moon.  They stood perfectly lined on the shelves waiting to be taken home.

Down the aisle was a mother and son who could have been no more than six.  He grabbed a book with his stubby fingers, turned it upside and shook it as if birthday money was going to fall from the pages.  He plopped to the floor and placed it over his head forming a pirate hat of sorts. 

"No!" his mother reprimanded snatching the book from his head.  "Here.  Go sit on one of the chairs until I'm done."  She reached into her over-sized Mary Poppins purse and pulled out her iPhone. 

The little boy smiled a Cheshire cat smile as he grabbed the phone, hustled over to the chairs and accessed whatever app his little heart desired. 

I shook my head in silence watching it all.  Is this what it will all come to?

It made me think back to when my mom would take my brother and I to the library every week.  I was never an avid reader but I always looked forward to my mother's pre-library talk ("We need to use our inside library voices.") and just browsing through the kids' section of books wrapped in that stiff cellophane.  I ended up leaving with five or six books every time.

The days of libraries and books are coming to an end.  Even my mother who "Can't imagine not holding a book" has caved and gotten a kindle.  I suppose it just makes me sad to think that our children are not experiencing some of the simpler pleasures in life.  And I'm foreseeing the days of not only explaining what a tape or typewriter is but also answering the question, "Mrs. Polin, what's a book?"

Getting a Jump Start on Back to School

I gasped a great obnoxious gasp when I turned the corner in Target and came face-to-face with the freshly displayed glue sticks, composition books, pencils, crayons and erasers.  Yes.  The moment all teachers and students dread (and parents most likely welcome) -  I was in the back to school supply aisle.  Mothers had supply lists in hand while their children walked up and down each row finding just the right stylish notebooks to tackle yet another year.

Ugh.

And then my mother: "You know, you teachers are ridiculous with the amount of supplies you ask for and with all of the different colored notebooks and folders.  Do you know how hard it is to find all of that?"  She rolls her eyes and huffs annoyingly.

Yes, in fact we do.  But there is a reason behind our madness. 

First, the school only supplies us with a limited number of supplies throughout the year.  Come March we are flat out of tissues and the glue sticks have gone dry.  We are asking for supplies to last us almost 10 months.

Secondly, the color-coded systems may seem inconvenient now, but when I have to organize 30 plus students with what they have in their desks and in their bookbags, it is easier to say, "Take out your blue homework folder," and do a quick scan to make sure that yes, indeed the blue homework folder is going into the bookbag.  If Janie has a kitty cat folder and Justin has Pokemon and Larz has Spongebob, I go nuts.  And so do you in the long run.  In fact, I guarantee you will send me an email that goes something like this:

"Mrs. Polin, I am so sorry that Jacob won't have his homework.  He forgot his homework folder.  Can you please make sure he brings it home with him tomorrow?" 

So although annoying, please understand the sanity behind it.

Don't get me wrong; I love what I do.   But going back brings on just as big a rush of anxiety and worry for us teachers as it does for the kids.

So, what was I to do in the middle of Target but to face these aisles head on?  I glanced down into my cart, moved over my swimsuit cover up, Phillies zip-up and two beach hats to make room for, gulp, the supplies.  I piled in 40 red, blue, green, yellow and purple composition books and cringed when I could already hear the "But I wanted red!" cries on the first day of school. 

When I got to the register the poor guy behind the counter cocked his head with wide eyes when I replied, "There's 40."  His look of disbelief made me feel obligated to further explain the insanity, "Because I'm a teacher."  I grin.  And you thought just parents faced the back to school madness...

Some things to think about when you are confronted with the seemingly endless supplies of glue sticks and crayons:

1.  Get a head start if you can.  Many schools have sent home their supply lists already.  The crowds are minimal right now and the shelves are stocked. 

2.  Overbuy.  Try to buy extras of everything.  That pretty red folder will not make it until June.  Keep all extras at home; we really don't have room to store everything in the classroom.  When Marley comes home with a ripped folder, you can easily and quickly swap it out.  It will also save you the agony of trying to find a yellow pocket folder in January when they are few and far between.

3.  Stick to the lists provided.   In many districts teachers work together to compile a list to send home.  Anything extra is not needed or may already be provided.  Please also note any special comments made on the lists themselves.  For example, if there is a note that asks to refrain from sending in a trapper keeper, please do so.  They most likely don't fit in the student desks.

4.  Have some fun with it!  Build it up and make it an exciting time for the kids.  It will get them excited about the fresh start of a new school year.

When sending your children to school on the first day it is also helpful to already have their materials opened and organized.  Take the scissors out of the plastic and have the pencils sharpened and in a pencil case.  Many of us allot about 45 minutes that first day just opening supplies which can become quite tedious for all involved!

Happy Back-to-School Shopping!

A Stroll Along the Boards

In honor of my favorite place in the world, a short nonfiction piece for your summer enjoyment!

A STROLL ALONG THE BOARDS

by Lynn Polin

          The swinging seats at the top of the brightly lit Ferris wheel pop against the dark sky and I know that I’m getting closer.  With each step I take the dings and buzzes of the arcade games become louder and more intense.  The ground changes from cement to boards of old worn wood.  I climb the initial ascent and can feel the metamorphosis of the breeze from semi-warm to cool, and I stretch my arms through the lined sleeves of my gray sweater.  I get to the top and smile – there is no place better.

         The aroma of salty air immediately makes its way through my nostrils and down to my toes, sending a feeling of calmness throughout me.  I head right into a sea of synchronized heads bobbing up and down as they too take an evening stroll along the shoreline.  I first pass Wonderland, the amusement park of choice for kids and their sun-burned parents who stand in line for ride tickets and pass the time by checking their cell phones.  The upbeat, cheerful song of the carousel contrasts the frightened shrills of a youngster who has obviously tackled his first roller coaster unsuccessfully.  The quick blinking of red and blue lights of the helicopter ride are adjacent to the crisp white cotton candy stand that is lined with pink and blue balls of sugar wrapped pristinely in clear plastic, hanging just so to entice all who pass.  Then comes a chorus of sobs from overly-tired children whose parents pry their fingers from the railings and try to reassure them with “We’ll be back tomorrow,” but to no avail. 

      I dodge strollers, wheelchairs and patrolmen on bikes and continue my leisurely stroll down the splintered boards, the echoes of the bells and whistles of the arcade becoming distant. The pungent smells of fried dough and powdered sugar slap me in the face and pull me in like a hooked fish.  I find my spot in line behind an elderly woman who looks like she and her shiny purple cane have stood in this same line many times before.   I pay and hold tightly onto the thin, cheap white napkins as the ocean breeze gains a bit of strength and battles me for them.  I skillfully pick off my first piece of sugary-goodness paying careful attention that every inch is covered with white powder.  The freshly-fried dough warms my fingers first and then my tongue.  The first bite gives me the energy to make my way across the crowd of teens in too-short skirts and too-bare stomachs, past the endless signs for “Free Hermit Crabs with Cage Purchase” and by the stores with high-flying kites shaped like rocket ships and rainbow fish and finally to a half-opened bench facing the ocean waves hitting the now-empty beaches.  I close my eyes and am hypnotized by the repetitive hums of the water crashing, receding, and then coming forth again and everything else takes a back seat in my mind as I find myself at peace in my most favorite place.

Creating Reading Success

When you are in school all you do is hang out with friends.  And then something happens (cough, adulthood, cough) and you rarely see them anymore; sadly it seems it all becomes just fond memories.

I had dinner with two of my very best friends, C and L,  recently.  Both are moms.  It was quickly pointed out that my high wedges, manicured fingers and toes and recently cut and colored hair indicated that I, clearly, am not. 

We sit.  And the conversation goes like this:

L: "Sorry I'm late.  I've been potty training all week and I needed to do a little clean up before I left."

C: "Have you tried letting her run around naked?  The summer months are perfect for that - especially if you give her a bath first."

L: "She has on a t-shirt and underwear.  She's getting better, but it's exhausting."

This continues for, no lying, a full five minutes before we have even looked at our menus.  I feel like I'm watching a tennis match, my head turning back and forth, and me having absolutely nothing to contribute to this "Mom Talk."

And then...

C: "I know you are going to tell me I'm overreacting, but..." gasp, sigh, hands thrown into the air in disbelief ,  "my daughter doesn't like to read."

I put my water glass down and roll my eyes. 

"She's five.  You're being ridiculous," I say nonchalantly.

C presses hard on the table and leans forward with serious intentions of getting through to us because we clearly do not understand the bomb that she has just dropped. 

"No, really.  She is always great at everything and then when it comes to reading and she comes to a word she doesn't know she gets frustrated and shuts down.  She doesn't like it!" 

I can feel that C is about to go into a pure panic-attack as her truly brilliant daughter is now destined to be an illiterate for life even before she steps foot into her kindergarten classroom.

"Give her a lower level book that she can read successfully," I reply. 

C takes in and holds a deep breath, her panic not subsiding.  "But I gave her Level 1s!"

I roll my eyes at my beloved bestie again.  "It can even be baby books or board books.  Anything that you know she'll be able to read successfully to build up her confidence.  Have her read it to a younger child so she doesn't think she is reading babish. "

And then C exhales slowly, relieved and reassured.  "Oh.  Never thought about that."

Parents, do not panic.  Reading is a developmental skill that, like everything else, needs to be practiced and taught.  Here are a few tips to help create that feeling of success for your child:

1.  Model reading.  Read more difficult children books to your child with him/her following along. Read with feeling, tone and inflection.  Stop and take a breath at periods.  Raise your voice when reading question sentences.  Create voices for the different characters so your child begins to visualize the events of the story and recognize use of dialogue in text.

2.  Reread the same books.  It's okay if your child memorizes the words on the page.  When he sees the word "crocodile" again in another text, he may recognize it (and if not, that is still okay).

3.  Do shared reading.  Once your child becomes familiar with the text of certain books, take turns reading lines.  Maybe Mommy reads one page and Jessie reads the next.  Feel it out and trust your instincts. 

4.  Let your child struggle a bit with more difficult words.  This is true in life and something children need to experience and, more importantly, learn to deal with and conquer.  When your child comes to a word he doesn't know, give him time to use his reading skills to figure it out (he can use context clues, illustrations, and sound relationships).  We call this wait time and, yes, it can be difficult for us to do as adults.  Give him about ten seconds to struggle.  If he still can't figure it out, guide him along.

5.  For independent reading, make sure your child can read the majority of the words on the page by themselves, unassisted, without your help.  There is a rule called the "Five Finger Test" that I teach my students.  Open to the middle of the book and choose the page that has more words.  Have your child read it out loud.  Anytime he comes to a word that he doesn't know or guesses at, have him put up a finger.  If by the end of the page he has up 5 or more fingers, the text of the book is too difficult for him to read independently and will ultimately lead to frustration.   Suggest reading it to him or read it as a shared reading instead.

These same rules still apply for younger readers but you also need to teach conventions of text to these emerging readers.  Who-What?  That means the things you automatically take for granted when you read like:

• the proper way to hold the book and turn the pages
• previewing the book first by looking at the title and cover
• reading the left page first then the right
• reading from left to right (subsequently, many parents of younger readers always panic when their child reads or writes backwards from right to left. A simple solution is to put a green line or stickers on the left side of the page as a starting line to train the developing reader's eyes to start at the left).   

These are, again, skills that need to be modeled and taught by you.  Don't just expect success, help to create it.

If you have any questions that you would like to ask me, please feel free to post them in the comments.  I will be happy to answer you in the comment thread. 

The Summer Regression

I am certainly not going to tell you that I didn't contemplate doing ten cartwheels down the hallway after the final bell of the school year rang.   I did (and, as a sidenote, I actually have!)  Don't get me wrong - I love teaching and my students, but come the warmer days of June I need a mental break. 

But the kids.

Oh the kids. 

They need a break too, but did you know that they can lose up to a month of learning during these 10 weeks of summer?  Did you know they can drop a few reading levels if they don't continue with their daily reading?  It's true.  And, quite honestly, it's frightening.  This is why many states are pushing for extended school years and year-round schooling.

So what can you do to keep your kids on their educational tippy-toes?

1.  First and foremost encourage them to READ.  It doesn't need to be The Great Gatsby or The Life of Helen Keller, it just needs to be a book, magazine, article, pamphlet.  Anything.  Really.  Yes, even The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.  A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G.  Visit the library every other week and let your child go nuts.  When they are surrounded by books they will head towards a series or topic that interests them.  Promise.  And while you're there, check out some books too.  The best way to improve your child's reading is simply to model reading yourself.  If they see you doing it, they will do it too.  Double promise. 

2.  Try to encourage them to keep a Summer Writer's Notebook.  Do not call it a diary or a journal - how taboo!  Call it a "Summer Writer's Notebook."  Many language arts teachers are using the term "Writer's Notebook" in school already so they should be familiar with the term.  What is it and what does it entail?  It's simply a  - gasp - diary/journal.  It's a place where your kids can write about anything at all.  They can start pieces and leave some unfinished.  They can add sketches.  They can write poetry.  They can make lists of their favorite baseball players and stats.  They can write anything.  Really.  A-N-Y-T-H-I-N-G.  The goal is to get them writing.

3.  Keep them active and learning simultaenously.  With the extreme heat and the release of new video games this one is tough.  But a healthy body leads to a healthy and strong mind.  Get to the pool or the lake and then research about the effects swimming has on your body.  Research about why things float and then try boating or kayaking.  Take pictures of the fish they caught and then research about the fish habitats, diet, and life cycle. Maybe do some research on plants and flowers and then tend to a garden.  Going to see the latest movie?  Have your child do the math on how much money 4 tickets cost.  Do you get the picture?  Keep them active and try to supplement it with some kind of learning experience.  Keep it fun, interesting and relevant so they will never know what hit them!

4.  Don't forget about friendships.  School is not just a place to learn math facts and the state capitals.  It is a place for children to explore and conquer social situations.  Sharing, taking turns and engaging in everyday conversations are all learned skills that need to be practiced.   When school is out social situations may become less frequent which can lead to some awkward social encounters come September.  Keep kids engaged with children their own age so they can continue to spread and grow their social butterfly wings.

Summer is a time for fun in the sun, but we all work hard all school year to motivate our children and keep them learning.  Don't let their hardwork (and yours) slip away.  Keep them moving forward down the path of success.

Kissy - Kissy - Icky!

There are certain times throughout the school year where showing a movie is not only wanted but needed desperately (think the afternoons after a morning jam-packed with state tests! We ALL need a break by then!)  My favorite parts of the movies are scenes where Beauty finally finds and kisses her prince, the Beast, which leads to the collective groans of "Eeeeewwww!!"  by girls and boys alike.  Remember that in five years, Kiddos.

Drew and I are celebrating our five year anniversary today.  Wow.  Five years.  Seems like yesterday...well, not really... :)

We are the lucky ones.  Each of our parents have been married for over 40 years.  You can certainly say that the example of a solid relationship was set for us.  But as a kid it was totally gross and mortifying to have your parents walk hand-in-hand along the street.  And kissing in front of you??  BLAH!  MOM!! I couldn't even fathom them being anything more than just really good "friends" who just happened to live together and share the same bed purely for the sole purpose of sleeping (gulp.) 

But as you grow older and experience different kinds of relationships you begin to realize how lucky you are to have parents who love and care for one another.  You look on in awe when Dad pulls out the chair for Mom and coyly smile when Mom says, "I love and miss you" to Dad over the phone when he is away on business.  And you realize that, "Wow.  Someday I want that kind of relationship."

So today, on our five year anniversary, I'd like to thank both sets of parents for laying the framework and teaching us what it takes to be in a solid, honest, relationship.  So thank you.  But please be reminded that beds really are for sleeping...

These ARE the Good Old Days...

A little over a year ago my grandmother passed.  I had been to plenty of viewings and funerals prior to, but this one was, well, different.  My grandmother lived with us since I was five.  She was extraordinary.

We all prepared ourselves for the first year of holidays without her here and I'd be lying if I say we didn't miss her cooking too.  For Thanksgiving we decided that we would do something different.  We would have our family dinner down at our shore house, her most favorite place.  The yams and stuffing were placed along the perimeter of the table leaving enough room in the center for the turkey to be reached equally be everyone.  And then we sat - in silence - creating that awkward moment where you know that everyone is thinking and feeling the same things and there is no need for anyone to speak it out loud.

My uncle sighed and spoke softly, "We always say what we are thankful for and reminisce about the 'good old days.'  We never think about how right now, this, us together here at this moment IS 'the good old days.'"

That was one of those moments that resonated with me and hit a place deep in my heart.  I started to think back to my childhood and all of the summer "vacations" (aka history lessons) my family would take each year to Williamsburg, Washington D.C. and Boston.  I really could care less that Paul Revere was captured during the Revolutionary War or that the tune to the Star-Spangled Banner was originally a British pub tune (my brother got a nasty elbow right in the stomach from my mom when he shouted out that fact at the fife and drum performance on Battle Road Trail). But then I realized that those are the moments we talk and laugh about when we gather together as a family.  And now each time we gather I wish I could bottle up each moment because I know they will soon be just memories, stories that will be told at the next holiday dinner.

So I know that sitting through the stifling heat and "suffering through" the summer family barbeques is torturous and that fighting the crowds to get the best seat for the fireworks or to just get a piece of Manco and Manco pizza (I'll never get used to that name change!) brings about complaints, some anxiety and impatience, but remind yourself that you are presently living what will soon become "the good old days."  And when your children are grown they will think back and remember the tantrum they threw on the boardwalk when you wouldn't let them get a hermit crab even though "every other kid on the boardwalk was allowed to" or the time when a wasp flew up Dad's shorts and he ran in circles through Glens Falls like a lunatic or even the time when mom embarrassed them by wearing a t-shirt with a giant pink flamingo on the front for the formal Captain's Dinner on the cruise to Bermuda.  These are the memories they will remember.  These are the memories that they will cherish.  So enjoy each moment of today, because today will be tomorrow's "good old days."

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

It's no secret that Drew and I travel...a lot.  We recently went to Riveria Maya for a week of the most relaxing vacation we have ever taken.  We landed back at Philadelphia International and were maneuvering our way through customs and were finally permitted back into the United States shortly after the rude smirk of the last TSA agent (welcome home indeed).  We were herded like cattle through the homestretch weaving in and out of tired travelers and their luggage and were stuck behind what looked to be the conclusion of a family reunion.  A young boy in front of us, maybe ten or eleven, wheeled his luggage with ease as he glanced left out the steamed windows and down at the highways below. 

"Yep.  Traffic.  Must be back in Jersey," he said nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.

Without missing a beat his father grumpily mumbled, "We're in Philly."

I immediately covered my grin with the back of my hand in a poor attempt to contain my laughter.  Drew turned abrubtly and asked, "Why is that so funny?"

Why is that so funny??!!  Because an eleven year old has no frame of reference or concern with traffic!  Clearly he is parroting his father's ranting and raving about the ever-constant and seemingly endless construction that is ALL OVER southern NJ.  Does he have to be behind the wheel forcing his way into lanes by giving a polite wave only to be given the finger in return?  Does he have to purposefully avoid eye contact with the driver to his right so as to not be a victim of road rage?  NO! It doesn't impact him in the least yet he still knows the "right time" to make a comment about the woes of traffic.  That's why it is so funny.

And then it got me thinking about the importance of monitoring the way we talk in front of children.  Modeling appropriate behavior, language and choices are the most powerful means of education.  We need to be the role models for our children by living and leading an exemplary life.  I guess this is why my mother always used phrases like "Oh fish!" and "Cheese and crackers!"  instead of the real thing.  The same effect?  Maybe.  But I'm sure if a six year old spilled milk and yelled, "Oh fish!" it would be followed by laughter and not pure embarrassment.  So think before you speak and act in front of the youngsters.  And if you slip up and they mimic you, the only person you can be upset with is yourself.

Why am I here and what am I doing?!

I'm a perfectionist.  Everyone and anyone that knows me just a little will confirm this.  The fact that my "blog" has been left vacant for the past three months has weighed on my mind heavily.  It felt so....unfinished.  So unlike me.

But I had no idea what to "blog" about.  I've always been one of the younger teachers in my district and was always up on these technological advances.  I rolled my eyes and smirked at my father who couldn't figure out how to send me pictures of the 2 choices of flipflop nightlights (which I had been in hot pursuit of for over a year - I have a nightlight obsession of sorts!) that he and my mom had finally found on the Ocean City boardwalk.  Frustrated, they ended up buying me both much to my decorating enjoyment.  And my mother?  She was by far one of the worst "students" I had ever taught.  She lived through the age of typewriters and is an avid and accurate typist.  But hand-eye coordination when it came time to move the computer mouse AND look at the computer screen at the same time?  Not so much.  In fact, not at all.  So when I had to muster up my pride and walk across the elementary school hall to my younger colleague and ask her, "Umm...what's a blog and what am I supposed to blog about?"  I realized that somehow I too had lost touch with the ever-changing technological world.  I was "one of those people." 

Why am I here and what am I doing?  Well, I have begun yet another quest.  My ultimate goal is to become a published children's author.  I have written what I believe is a stellar manuscript that I envisioned in elementary classrooms nationwide as one of the first mentor texts teachers used to launch the ever-popular Writer's Workshop come September.  But rejection letter after rejection letter has been sent back to me and I knew I needed help, guidance and some sort of direction.  Cue the Institute of Children's Literature. 

It was a whim, I knew, sending back the application with the cute little puppy on the front envelope and samples of my writing inside.   But soon I was accepted, enrolled and paired with an amazing mentor (who ended up being a former colleague of one of my colleagues in the Reading Department at Burlington County College.  Small world, no?)  One of the first things Ms. Heiss wrote to me was, "You need to spread your wings and get your name out there.  Start a blog."  A what?  Why?  How?  Where?  Who?

And so after the initial set-up (thanks, Chrissy!) my blog sat empty...until now.