Reading at The Bookworm

Amanda Marek reads from,"Teaching Spanish and Learning Latino

Last night (April 27), six of the authors from What Teaching Means: Stories from America's Classrooms joined us and an audience about over 50 to read from the book and have an inspiring conversation about teaching and education. Susan Martens, Todd Percinek, and Laurie Zum Hofe came over from Lincoln. Arica Carlson and Tracey Kovar, from right here in Omaha, joined us as well. And, Amanda Marek (picture at left) drove all the way down from Minnesota. 

We were humbled and overjoyed by the response the book got from the people who gathered to share the night with us. We are looking forward to having more conversations with readers and the other writers in the coming months. Marni and I are planning events in Wisconsin and Minnesota for early June. We are scheduled to appear at National Council of Teachers of English/National Writing Project conference in Las Vegas in November. Hopefully, more events will come together. Stay tuned.

Book Release and Reading

Come to the Bookworm at 87th and Pacific in Omaha on Friday, April 27 to hear seven teachers from Nebraska and Minnesota read from What Teaching Means: Stories from America's Classrooms. Reading starts at 6:00 PM.

And, while you're here, check out excerpts and reviews.

Be great to have as many as possible join in on what is sure to be a great public conversation about teaching and education.

Excerpt from "I Am Helen. You Are Annie" by Katie Schrodt

Our little classroom family began to notice, to wonder, to observe, to realize, and to hide all of our treasures in our writer’s notebooks.  We began sharing stories, talking about family vacations and soccer practice.  We began laughing at the time we saw the smashed diaper in the parking lot when we were walking to the playground.  We stopped and observed the Stick Bug that Solomon found hanging on a tree limb.  We listened to the fears and hopes of our friends and shared our own dreams as well.  We were being hemmed together as a class, and the thread was writing.  These fragile five year olds were writing about everything from funerals of family members to their latest injuries to cooking with their moms to playing “Ninja” at recess. 

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Katie Schrodt received a B.S. from the University of North Texas and is currently working on her M.Ed. in literacy at Middle Tennessee State University.  She currently works in Franklin, Tennessee, at New Hope Academy