Since last week was a monthly rewind, this week’s post will cover the last two weeks.
With work starting up again, I treated myself to a haircut. This is the first time in a few years that I’ve had layers. I’m loving it, except that my hair won’t stay put! I also purchased computer glasses. Since I spend so much time in front of computers with lesson planning and writing, these help reduce the strain to my eyes.
Being on my feet all day organizing and decorating my classroom has made me realize how out of shape I became over the summer. I’m so glad I have a job that requires me to be on my feet so much since most, if not all, of my hobbies are sedentary.
My Bookish-TV Life
Read
- 5 Worlds: The Red Maze by Mark Siegel, Alexis Siegel, Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller, and Boya Sun
- Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition Vol. 4 by Hiromu Arakawa
- Hilo: Then Everything Went Wrong by Judd Winick
- Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
- Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
- Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope
- Teen Titans: Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo
- Twilight of the Elves by Zack Loran Clark and Nick Eliopulos
Watched
- Toy Story 4 // not my favorite to be honest. I love that Bo Peep returns with a more active role, but it’s an uneven partnership. I miss the Woody-Buzz dynamics. I also have mixed feelings about the ending.
- Master Chef Season 4 // finished
- Master Chef Season 10 [ongoing]
- America’s Got Talent [ongoing]
My Teaching Life
Teachers returned to work this past week, and I started prepping my classroom for the new year. Some of my best friends from college came in to help me set up. There’s still a lot that needs to be done, from purchasing organization and office supplies to writing curriculum to adding the finishing touches to my home-away-from-home for the 2019-2020 school year.
The district doesn’t give us much money for classroom resources, and I have some large classroom needs that need to be met. This includes updating my classroom library with new releases and books that target students’ interests and purchasing a new AV cart and organization materials.
Books in particular have been such a large part of my life growing up. By the time my students reach me, most of them have fallen out of love with books. I need more books for my classroom library in the hopes of helping even one more student relearn the magic of the written word. I don’t believe my classroom library can have too many books.
If you have any gently used books or ARCs you can donate to my classroom, or if you can help me purchase one (or more!) books off my classroom wishlist, please send me an email. I teach high school English, so anything from young adult to general fiction and nonfiction to middle grade (for English Language Learners) is appropriate.
I also have an Amazon wishlist from which you can purchase a book to send to me. If you can donate to my GoFundMe, every dollar helps towards purchasing that AV cart, another book for my classroom library and other much-needed items!
Links
- GoFundMe fundraiser: this money will go towards pricier items; any additional money will go towards books and other classroom supplies.
- Classroom library wishlist: If you’d like to purchase books to send to me, feel free to browse this list. I am also happy to accept donations of new or gently used books not on this list. You may have heard of a wonderful book that I haven’t heard of, and chances are it’s not in my classroom library yet. Send me an email, and we can make arrangements!
- Amazon wishlist: if you prefer to purchase specific supplies to go towards my classroom.
For more about my classroom needs, read this blog post.
About My Wonderful Helpers
Lila is a talented artist, one of the sweetest people I know, and the brains behind the Etsy shop Paper Masquerade. She makes one-of-a-kind greeting cards, masks, and more! Her shop has been on vacation mode because of law school, but she plans on opening it up again soon now that she’s graduated. When she’s not crafting, you can find her advocating for animal rights, volunteering with cats, or dreaming of adopting her own cat one day. I encourage you to check out her shop!
Friend 2, who asked to remain anonymous, is another talented artist and super sweet person. (I am blessed to be surrounded by so many talented artists who bring joy to the people around them!) She’s the brains behind Forged From Fiber, where she shares about art, mental health, and lifestyle. She’s still working on getting the website up and running, but she’s active on Facebook and Instagram. Her mission is for people to take away the message that, no matter how many times your life gets torn apart, you can create some sort of meaning from those experiences. Her art is reflective of this message.
She has also been working on some art for my blog. Look forward to my beautiful new blog header and the buttons she made to go with it!
My students, both former and current, came in to help set up my classroom as well. Some of my bookshelves were damaged in my absence over the summer, and they came up with creative ways to fix them using what we had on hand. They were also instrumental in helping organize my shelves, hanging posters, and planning Asian Appreciation Club activities for the upcoming year. (If you’ve been following my blog the past year, you know that I used to sponsor the Anime Club and Korean Club. Since most of the students graduated in May, and the remaining members participated in both clubs, we merged the two starting this year.)
Last Two Weeks on the Blog
- [Review] Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb
- [Review & Giveaway] The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen
- [Discussion] 10 Book [Types] to Overcome That Reading Slump
- [Review] 5 Worlds: The Red Maze by Mark Siegel, Alexis Siegel, Xanthe Bouma (illustrator), Matt Rockefeller (illustrator), Boya Sun (illustrator)
- [Discussion] Bookish Tropes: This or That
- [Review & Giveaway] Nevernight by Jay Kristoff, in collaboration with Lauren @ShootingStarsMag
- [Discussion] Updating the Classroom Library
Next Week on the Blog
- [Review] Fullmetal Alchemist: Fullmetal Edition Vol. 1
- [Discussion] Book Characters I’d Love to be Besties With
- [Creative Post] Brave the Page: The Writing Process in 5 Songs
- [Review] From the Fantasy Greats: The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams, Wizard’s First Rule by Terry Goodkind, The Willful Princess and the Piebald Prince by Robin Hobb
In the Blogosphere
- Lauren @ Shooting Stars Mag and I buddy read Nevernight. In celebration of her 12th blogoversary, I’m also giving away a book of your choice from Book Depository. Head on over to the post!
- Malka @ Paper Procrastinators shares the perks of blogging with a buddy
- Sam @ We Live and Breathe Books asks if tagging authors in our reviews is really a compliment and turns the discussion over to readers.
Week in Puppy
Chat with Me
What’s new with you this week in life and books?
Malka @ Paper Procrastinators says
It’s so wonderful how much you care about your students and I wish you were given more funds by the district! Thank you so much for mentioning my post in your wrap up! I hope you have a wonderful week!
Crystal says
Thanks so much, Malka ❤️ My pleasure! I hope you have a wonderful week too!
Suzanne @ The Bookish Libra says
I hope you and your students have a fantastic school year!
Crystal says
Thanks, Suzanne! 🙂
Tina @ As Told By Tina says
I think it is so awesome that former and current students came to help you with setting up your classroom. I think that is totally wonderful of them and speaks volumes about the kind of teacher you are. I hope you have a fantastic school year.
Tina @ As Told By Tina
Crystal says
Yes, my students are fantastic. My classroom looks beautiful thanks to them! Thanks so much, Tina ❤️
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out says
It’s unfortunate that you have no choice but to pay for resources from your own pocket in order to meet the needs of your students. The governments failure to properly fund education is a travesty. I hope you raise the funds necessary.
Have a great reading week
Crystal says
Thanks so much, Shelleyrae! I hope you have a wonderful reading week as well!
Sam@wlabb says
I used to teach, and the beginning of year was so intense. Good luck with the new school year! A few of my co-workers bought computer glasses. They say they help.
Crystal says
Yes, there’s so much to get done at the beginning of the year and so little time until students return! Thanks so much!
I’m loving the computer glasses so far 🙂
Angie Elle says
I have Shadow of the Fox on my TBR. I’ve heard rave reviews for it, so I am excited to get to it.
I hope you are able to get your needs met for your classroom this year. Cheers to a fantastic teaching year! 🙂
Crystal says
I hope you enjoy Shadow of the Fox, Angie!
Thanks so much 🙂
Genesis @ Whispering Chapters says
If I get a teaching position, I know who I’ll be messaging you!
I’m glad the students came in and helped you set up the classroom. That’s so sweet of them!
I miss Skylar! I even questioned if I was in the correct blog lol
Genesis @ Whispering Chapters
Crystal says
I’d love to talk about teaching with you! 🙂
They’re awesome. They make my heart so full.
Aww…I’m so happy to hear that and sorry that I left out my usual comments! I shared a photo of Skylar, but looking back I didn’t tell the full story. I have fun stories to tell about her and will most definitely include more of her in next week’s post!