We’re Booked

We’re booked was so strong, it outweighed his love for his children. She believed he would let them die rather than get them medical help. While never diagnosed, Tara shared her belief that her father had the characteristics of a person who had Bipolar Disorder. Not only did Westover endure erratic behavior from her father, she also endured violence from her older brother.

EDUCATED: A MEMOIR BY Tara Westover

REVIEW BY Misha Monnin Principal of Central Academy Middletown City Schools

Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover is a New York Times Best Seller and has been reviewed thousands of times. It is a highly controversial, highly emotional, and thought-provoking read. It is a story written in an almost lyrical prose that describes a girl’s love of her home and connection to her family.

Westover’s parents maintain that in the book, she falsely portrays their family as fundamentalist Mormons living in isolation in the mountains of Idaho with a paranoid, apocalyptic view of the world. Westover tells the story of growing up in a family who did not trust doctors or hospitals. Instead, they relied on the homeopathic remedies her mother created in the home. She shares her belief that her father’s hatred of doctors In addition to the family’s distrust of modern medicine, there was also a distrust of the government and public schools. Until Westover turned 16, she received most of her education by helping her mother create tinctures for her work as a midwife. At sixteen Tara decided with encouragement from one of her brothers to study and take the ACT. She was accepted at Brigham Young University. Her desire for an education led her to Harvard and Cambridge University. However, the further she went in her education, the further apart she grew from her family, but the knowledge she gained transformed her. She became educated.

As an educator, this memoir made me reflect on how important family connections are to a child’s educational experience. How a parent’s experience with education can be so influential on a child’s growth. My own experience was very different from Tara’s. Even though my mother never attended any schooling beyond high school, she insisted on nothing less than my acquisition of a bachelor’s degree and she set the expectation for academic excellence. When I reflect on these two vastly different experiences, I am reminded of the diversity within my school too. Each child is bringing to class a different perspective of school and education. Recognizing and respecting that diversity is paramount. This reinforces the importance of forming relationships with families and students, because those connections can be so critical to ensuring a child’s success.

SPARKS IN THE DARK: Lessons, Ideas, and Strategies to Illuminate the Reading and Writing Lives in All of Us BY Travis Crowder & Todd Nesloney

REVIEW BY Chad Warnimont, Ed.D. Principal of Frank Elementary Perrysburg Schools

Sparks in the Dark, written by Travis Crowder and Todd Nesloney, is a must read for all educators. Although the book focuses specifically on igniting a love of reading and writing within our students, the book shares practical strategies that all educators can implement in a meaningful, practical, and relevant way in any K-12 classroom. The book is written from the perspectives of two educators sharing personal experiences from the classroom, making this book relatable to a wide range of educators. This book is important for educators to read because it emphasizes the importance of student

choice, challenging students, and resources that can be used by all educators.

The authors do a tremendous job of highlighting the importance of student choice as a way to engage and motivate learners, as student choice allows the students to have a voice in the classroom learning and allows for opportunities for the students to learn from and with the teacher.

Challenging students is one of the key components of a solid education and one that is reiterated in this text. This book states that challenging students can take a variety of forms. This includes the idea of challenging the status quo by providing scaffolding to ensure that students are able to read higher level books, while also encouraging students to step out of their comfort zone and read books that challenge them to consider other cultures and perspectives.

The resources section in the book is a great starting point for any educator looking for ways to use authentic texts in the classroom as part of instruction. One of the best parts of the resources section is that it highlights professional books alongside fiction/ nonfiction books, picture books, chapter books, and young adult books. It also includes helpful websites and English/Language Arts experts to seek out online.

If you are looking for one book to read this year, I would recommend this one. This book would be ideal for a book study or a summer read. Additionally, one of the authors, Todd Nesloney, will be one of the keynote speakers at the OAESA Professional Conference June 13 from 9-10:15am. I would encourage you to read this book if you are attending the conference, because the ideas and thoughts shared in this book align perfectly with the conference theme, The Magic of Why: Stories of Purpose.

FROM STRIVING TO THRIVING: Strategies That Jump-Start Writing BY Sara Holbrook & Michael Salinger, with Stephanie Harvey

REVIEW BY Matt Bradley, Principal of Highland Middle and Amber Clay-Mowry, Curriculum Director Highland Local Schools OAESA PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE PRESENTERS

In their new book From Striving to Thriving Writers, authors Sara Holbrook, Michael Salinger, and Stephanie Harvey present ways to help “students harness the power of language to accomplish their own purposes for writing: to tell a story, to investigate an issue, to prioritize information, to persuade a reader, and to generally inform” (p. 6). Specifically, the authors present writing frameworks that serve as scaffolds to meet the needs of all learners.

The frameworks “zero in on practical writing strategies and creative elements, and can ‘plug into’ any existing writing resource or program” (p. 9). The conversational tone of the entire book truly honors teacher and student voice.

The “framework process” is designed around eight goals: 1. Discuss lesson goals 2. Analyze a model piece of writing 3. Write together/model writing process 4. Research and discuss in pairs 5. Compose version 1 6. Revise into version 2 7. Share with one another/the class 8. Transfer: combine frameworks!

The book can be read from cover to cover; however, this is not the intent of the authors. Readers can look for specific strategies for existing units or lessons, based around three topics: learning about language, learning through language, and using language to learn about self.

Each section/topic provides different strategies to address these writing needs. Within each strategy, the authors provide several resources: grade-level range, digital tools and lesson plans (slide deck to implement each framework), blank templates, and completed examples. Also included for each strategy are appropriate rubrics.

In addition to being authors, Sara Holbrook and Michael Salinger are also educators, poets, and “outspoken literacy consultants.” They are also keynote speakers at the OAESA Professional Conference June 13 from 3:30-4:40pm.

Reviewers Matt and Amber are presenting on “Every Student is Known: Meeting the Needs of All Learners June 13 from 1:40-2:25pm.

We’re booked

I AM ENOUGH WORDS BY Grace Byers; ART BY Keturah A. Bobo

REVIEW BY Joanne Bratten Principal of Fishcreek Elementary Stow-Munroe Falls City Schools

Even though this is categorized as a children’s book, I Am Enough is written for girls to empower them against the effects of bullying and contains a message that is universal. It made me smile. It reminded me that all the work we do as educators is important, because we should be

helping all of our students know that they are enough just as they are.

We often see girls struggle with self-worth as they compare themselves to others at school and in the media. We know that girls’ words to each other may be hurtful at times. This book celebrates that girls, no matter their background or appearance, are strong when they support each other.

Each page contains a positive image and characteristic that reflects strength and resilience. Girls are pictured in the many different facets of their lives, reflecting the hopes and dreams, as well as the struggles, that make up life. It encourages them to find the commonalities, rather than the differences, in each other.

The simple text and detailed, colorful drawings of girls of all sizes, shapes, cultures, and abilities send a powerful message that girls, “…are right here to live a life of love, not fear…to help each other when it’s tough, to say together: I am enough.”

SAVE ME A SEAT BY Sarah Weeks AND Gita Varadarajan

REVIEW BY Michael J. Sedlak Principal of East Woods Elementary Hudson City Schools

Ravi (rah-VEE) and Joe could not be more different from home to school, both academically and socially. Ravi recently moved to America from India, and Joe has lived in New Jersey his entire life. Like all of us, it is their likeness that brings them together—even if their likeness is being misunderstood by their classmates and teachers. The two eventually bond over a common enemy, the class bully. Ravi and Joe end up helping each other in the most unlikely ways all within the first week of the new school year.

This book would be a great addition to any school library or classroom collection. The character development of Ravi and Joe affords students the opportunity to make real life connections as the characters self-reflect and grow. Both characters are relatable to most students, as their struggles and hopes could be the same for so many students in any school. For teachers and administrators, Ravi’s and Joe’s perspectives allows us the opportunity to reflect on our procedures for learning about new students and cultures. The cultural connection is an added bonus! There is something in almost every chapter that will surely spark conversation in your classroom. The Scholastic Gold edition includes great bonus material including a glossary, kid-friendly recipes, author information, and an interview with the authors.

OAESA'S ANNUAL PROFESSIONAL CONFERENCE THE MAGIC OF WHY: STORIES OF PURPOSE Hilton Columbus at Easton June 12-14, 2019

SECOND-IN-COMMAND THE DEANS AND ASSISTANTS INSTITUTE Nationwide Conference Center October 1 & November 6, 2019

OAESA READING SUMMIT Nationwide Conference Center October 7-8, 2019

BUILDING CULTURE Nationwide Conference Center January 14, 2020

ELEVATE: WOMEN ON THE RISE Embassy Suites Du blin March 4-5, 2020

Call for articles for OAESA’s Fall 2019 Principal Navigator

At the start of the school year, you’ve got to establish your team, put your heads together, and work to do the best you can for your students. Working together and putting your ideas into action for students is essential for a successful year. Here’s your opportunity to share how you work with your colleagues for the betterment of your school community in OAESA’s Principal Navigator magazine. Our fall theme is Collaborate: Don’t Try This Alone! We’re looking for articles on the following topics:

-What are your strategies for success when it comes to collaboration? -When have your efforts to collaborate been successful? How did you know it was working? -Describe how you have overcome obstacles or forged unique collaborative relationships.

The submission deadline is July 1, 2019. Email submissions to navigator@oaesa.org.

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