A book is good company.

I loved this book!!! It was a freebie at the library conference along with another book in the series. This is James Patterson’s first Young Adult thriller. I was captivated from the first page. Patterson’s writing style is so easy to read, and he keeps the plot moving along to match the short chapters.

Maximum Ride (Max for short) is a fourteen year old mutant - part human, part bird - and yes, she flies. She’s the leader of her family of five other mutants or experiments, as they refer to themselves - Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel. They are on the run from the Erasers, another group of wolf-like mutants who are out to get them. Max and her family are trying to find out who they are, who their parents are, and why they are the way they are. Angel is kidnapped by the Erasers and is taken back to the Institute where experimentation continues on other children and beings. As Max and the others struggle to find Angel, they encounter a group of hawks who adopt them and teach them new flying techniques. Max also meets Ella and her mom, a veterinarian, who help Max recover from a gunshot wound. The group eventually winds up in New York where they find answers to some questions but many more are left unanswered for the next installment of Maximum Ride.

Like I said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’ll read the next book in the series, and I’ll probably pick up some other James Patterson books this summer.

This was my final required professional reading for my certification classes.  It wasn’t my favorite book, but it had a lot of good tips.  Here’s my report that summarizes each chapter.  I can see using the information in the book when I become an administrator. 

Introduction

Purpose of Professional Growth Plan is continual improvement of educators’ skills, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors with the resulting increase in professional competence enabling educators to identify and implement activities that improve student achievement.

For teachers to acquire the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and beliefs necessary to improve their practice, they need to assume primary responsibility and accountability for their own professional learning and growth.

This plan describes a formalized growth process by providing a clearly defined focus for learning then by promoting the actual growth through its directed and monitored implementation.

The book takes school leaders step-by-step through the Professional Growth Plan Process from its introduction in the district or campus through its development, implementation, evaluation, and completion.

Chapter 1 – Professional Growth:  Defining the What, Why, Who, and How
A Professional Growth Plan is a staff development tool that provides a clearly articulated plan of study that, when completed, results in the acquisition and application of new knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors that improve the professional proficiency of those using the plan for the purpose of improving student achievement.

The Professional Growth Plan Process promotes learning that is standards driven, self-directed, inquiry based, and lifelong.  It is learner centered, goal oriented, results driven, experience based, collaborative, and job embedded with flexible pacing and promotes reflection.

Chapter 2 – Managing the Professional Growth Plan Process
Addresses operational matters and offers tips on introducing the process to participants

Chapter 3 – Identifying Areas for Professional Growth
Phase 1 – Participants target professional growth by identifying and understanding the areas in which they may have deficiencies and their need for professional growth.

Chapter 4 – Designing the Professional Growth Plan
Phase 2 – Participants define a very specific plan of study and action that ensures they acquire the new knowledge, skills, behaviors, and attitudes identified in Phase 1.

Chapter 5 – Professional Growth Plans in Progress
Phase 3 – The school leader assumes responsibility for ensuring that participants make progress toward their established goals. (Plan implementation and monitoring)

Chapter 6 – Completing the Growth Plan Process
Phase 4 – Evaluation occurs throughout the process, but is most prominent during the final phase.  Formative evaluation occurs through the entire process with summative evaluation by both the participant and the school leader at the completion of the plan.

Chapter 7 – The Process Continues
The growth plan process continues into second generation plans.

Blackline Masters for both School Leader and Participant

One of the first things I look at when I get the Texas Library Association Annual Conference Preview Guide is the list of featured speakers.  This year, Kathy Patrick was listed as the speaker for the closing luncheon.  I immediately made plans to attend the luncheon to hear Kathy speak.  Kathy is the proprietor of Beauty and the Book, a hair salon/book store in Jefferson, Texas.   I’ve heard about Kathy and  her store, but her biggest claim to fame is the book clubs she has started and has inspired others to start.   When our school nurse had Kathy’s book at school one day, I asked to read it so that I’d be familiar with Kathy and her story before the conference.

I liked the book.  It was autobiographical, and it was as if Kathy was sitting beside me telling the story of her life.  There were parts that were laugh-out-loud funny, and there were parts that made me cry.  It was a great ride.  The best bonuses in the book were the lists of books that Kathy has read that inspired her.  Each chapter closed with a list of books that fit the theme of the chapter.  An additional bonus was recipes!  Kathy included recipes that she and her Pulpwood Queens have shared during their book club meetings.  I can’t wait to make the Southern Pulpwood Queens Pecan Trifle for Chris.  He’ll love it!  Kathy also included advice for starting a book club and sharing the love of books. 

My friend Kay was thrilled when I returned her book complete with Kathy’s autograph.  What a great way to repay a friend for loaning her book.  I might just have to get a copy for myself!

She’s seventeen.
She’s been abused.
She has a child.

And she’s HIV-positive.

These words found on the inside of the book jacket let us know that this is no ordinary story about a teenager.  What a compassionate book!  Jenna Bush tells the story of Ana (not her real name), a girl she met while interning with UNICEF in Latin America and the Caribbean.  Ana was born infected with HIV, lost both of her parents to the disease, and lived with relatives and in group homes most of her life.  The book tells her story without judgement, and it tells her story as one of hope.  It’s amazing to see how Ana deals with her disease - both her shame in having it and her maturity in the way that she takes care of herself.  It left me with nothing but admiration for Ana and for the author in the way that the story was told.

A wonderful bonus to the book was the beautiful photography.  Mia Baxter, a freelance editorial and documentary photographer who also was an intern with UNICEF, contributed stunning photographs that illustrated the book.  The pictures set the scene in Latin America by showing the everyday beauty of the area.  Pictures of people are always from the back or in shadows or only half-face to preserve their anonymity.

Bush includes several sections at the end of the book for readers to continue discussion and to find information about HIV/AIDS and abuse.  It includes a list of websites and telephone numbers for thoser who need help, and it lists ways we can make a difference in the lives of others.

This was a wonderful book.  I heartily recommend it to both students and adults.

I attended a Women of Faith conference last fall in OKC with two of my buddies.  We had a great time laughing and getting inspired to truly become the women God intended us to be.   We splurged on a set of five books that we’re going to share.  Marilyn Meberg is one of my favorite WoF speakers, so I grabbed this book that she co-wrote with Luci Swindoll as my first read from the set.  Marilyn wrote Part 1 - Free on the Inside, and Luci wrote Part 2 - Free on the Outside.  They both wrote the last two sections - Free to Express Yourself and Free for a Lifetime.  Reading the book was like having a conversation with Marilyn and Luci.  It was thought-provoking, funny, inspirational, and just plain good.  I’m looking forward to passing this one along to my friends and reading one of the other books from the set.  And, I’m already looking forward to going to the 2008 WoF conference in August!

We’ve been assigned two professional books for this semester - one on team-building and one on staff development.  I was pleased with this choice for my team-building book. 

This is meant to be read and studied independently or, better yet, collaboratively among members of a school leadership team.  Glanz has a knack for getting down to the nuts and bolts of how leadership teams should work together to improve instruction and student achievement.  Each section has a set of reflection questions to help leaders think through ways to utilize the information presented.  The book also contains several surveys meant to be used with both leadership teams and with school staff members.  Glanz focuses on best practices in team building, shared decision making, and using action research as a best practice for collaboration.  I found this book extremely useful and one that I’m sure I will use when I’m in a leadership position.

Sarah Jackson is intrigued by James Olson, the new student from Jamaica.  He’s attractive and smart, and he is Sarah’s lab partner in biology class.  He’s just about too good to be true.  Then, people and animals start disappearing, and no one can figure out what’s going on.  There’s an out-of-this-world twist that readers might not anticipate.

This was one of those great new books I got for the library during the summer.  I bought several books by Schraff, and they’re flying off the shelves.  They’re quick, fun reads with just enough mystery to keep readers interested, and they’re written at a level that fits a need in our library. 

We have several students who read manga all the time.  I’ve purchased a few for the library but not enough to satisfy them.  They’re always asking if we have any new manga.  They’ll just about tackle someone to be first in line for the new books.  Since it’s a form of art/literature that I hadn’t read, I decided to read one.  I didn’t get it.  According to the summary on the cover, the plot deals with a lonely boy whose brother’s ex-girlfriend bothers him while alien robots are attempting to destroy the Earth.  Huh?  I even visited the FLCL manga website to see if I could figure it out.

I attended a videoconference last month and saw a presentation on manga.  The librarian had lots of recommendations for age-appropriate titles for middle and high school kids.  I’m planning to take her recommendations and get a few more titles.  I’ll read another one soon, and hopefully, I’ll “get” the next one. 

Obviously, this isn’t a YA read, but it was a good read to start 2008.  Paula shared this one with me when I loaned her #25.   It was a good trade.  Nora Ephron is a screenwriter whose work includes When Harry Met Sally, Silkwood, and Sleepless in Seattle.  Obviously, she’s a great writer.  She talks about the trials and tribulations of being female in the over 40 crowd in a self-depreciating, funny, and very real way.  It was great fun, and I probably would have appreciated its understated humor more if I had read it before #25.  Nonetheless, it was quite fun, and I’ll admit that I saw myself more than once.

One of my favorite chapters was “On Rapture” which describes the state of rapture she feels when reading a great book.  It was wonderful to read that someone else experiences the same thing I do when I read.  Another favorite chapter was “Blind as a Bat” which pretty much describes my eyesight these days.  She particularly wrote about that point most of us reach when we can’t read anything without reading glasses.   Fun, isn’t it?  This was a fun read that those of us in the over 40 crowd will enjoy.

I’ll admit that I’m conflicted about this year’s reading.  My goal was at least 50 books, and I didn’t get there.  I did read quite a variety of books which I’m pleased with.  I read and blogged 13 YA books, 9 Adult books, and 5 professional books.   Not bad, but there is room for improvement.   I don’t think I’ll set my goal quite so high for 2008 - maybe 40 instead of 50 - but I do want to read more YA books.  I know that I’m reading two professional books in the next couple of months as I finish my last semester in the principal cohort, but  who knows what else is in store.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog.  I’ve enjoyed sharing the books I’ve read this year, and I’m looking forward to reading even more in 2008.