Ready or Not (+ Book)

I would say that today is my last day of freedom, but that's not true. My last day of freedom was sometime around the beginning of last week.

Also? I would say that today is my last day ever to leisurely sit and drink my morning coffee, but that's not true, either. It's my last day to do so at 8:45 a.m. Tomorrow I'll be sipping it at 5:30 a.m.

The syllabi are finished. I'll print them in a couple of hours. Lesson plans for this week are finished. Student rosters are printed. Books have been purchased. The travel coffee mug is ready to roll. Playlists are created. Student tutoring stuff for tonight is finished. I'm about to prep for the rest of the week.

Ready or not, here we come.

What? Planning my lessons under the influence? Never.

Although I'm tempted to whine and groan and stomp around the house, grumbling about the end of my freedom, the truth is, it was a long break. It was a good break. And it's time to go back to the chaos.

Plus, Lucy is counting the hours until I leave.

Time for another book review! Add this one - or any of John Green's books - to your list: Paper Towns. We were discussing something of his last semester and my students told me he's known as "The Teenage Whisperer." I have to say, although he's writing for teenagers and from a teenager's perspective (via the characters, narrator, etc.) his plot and themes are sophisticated and thought-provoking. I think I've now read all of his stuff and will definitely re-read it in the future. I'm even using a small portion of this one in class this semester to talk about perspective and voice.

This is the story of high school senior, Quentin, who is settling into bed one night when his neighbor, Margo, sneaks through his bedroom window and talks him into going on an all-night, life-changing adventure with her. The next morning, she disappears. Just two weeks before graduation, Quentin and his crazy peeps must balance finals, college prep, clingy parents, and a secret mission to unravel a mystery.

Get it. Read it.

Ok. Time to head to Kinkos for three hours. It was nice knowing you guys. Say a prayer.