Announcing the Tag for September

[Amy]

Fantastic choice! HayJay, I know that you’re going to be starting school up again. It’s ambitious of you that you’re going to try to read in September. Is it just those two? Writers and lovers and peach blossom spring and may be a subdue? What’s realistic given your program?

[Amy]

After I pushed "click" I worried how that missive landed. But went straight into a few zoom appointments. I feel like my intended warmth and support may have fallen short in translation. We never know how we come off with our words sometimes. This was one of those times where it "hit" me that I may have landed off. Was trying to convey that I was impressed that you were back to reading and that it was so lovely that we have you back, but that I knew September might become complicated and busy. Was trying perhaps awkwardly to appreciate that. Gotta go, my 1PM who is running late on zoom is soon to appear. But glad I had a chance to share a little more thoughtfully?>

[Nicole R]

Hayjay315 wrote: "I’m going to be reading Writers and Lovers! I know Anita and Amy both loved this one plus reading a book set in Boston just feels right to welcome in Autumn!"

Add me to the love list as well! It made my Top 10 last year!

[Anita]

Hayjay315 wrote: "I’m going to be reading Writers and Lovers! I know Anita and Amy both loved this one plus reading a book set in Boston just feels right to welcome in Autumn!"

I really hope you love it as much as I did, Hayjay! So great to see you here!!!

[Hayjay315]

Amy wrote: "Fantastic choice! HayJay, I know that you’re going to be starting school up again. It’s ambitious of you that you’re going to try to read in September. Is it just those two? Writers and lovers and ..."

Lovely Amy! I will write you a much overdue message during this long weekend.

I have been absent these past three weeks as I started school again at the beginning of the month. Writers and Lovers and Peach Blossom Spring are among my priority books for the month. I also intend to get to Norah Goes Offscript which you so kindly moved me to in Subdue. My holds for The Reading List and Marjorie Post also came in at the library so I am hoping to get to those too.

Nicole, so glad to hear you loved this! I am encouraged I made a good choice of what to pick up in the limited free reading time I have.

Thank you Anita for your warm welcome upon my return! Hope you will feel less busy once you conclude your second job.

[Jen]

Amy wrote: "Fantastic choice! HayJay, I know that you’re going to be starting school up again. It’s ambitious of you that you’re going to try to read in September. Is it just those two? Writers and lovers and ..."

Start of semester/year isn't bad for teachers. All we have to do is write the programs and assessment tasks for the subjects we teach (oh and teach and get to know the kids I guess, but that's the good bit). The busy starts around week 4/5 when drafting and marking of 5 class sets of CATS starts. For primary and middle years the planning is worse than the marking (I've only seen primary, thankfully not taught it) and behaviour management takes a heap of time with middle years. For senior years the drafting and marking is the big job.....usually until about midnight every week day and at least 8 hours per weekend.

[Amy]

I am teaching a class at an Northeastern that starts in 10 days. I’m really excited about it. But of course I’m working with the old course and tweaking it to make it my own. So there is a lot to do to create an familiarize yourself with a new class. I couldn’t be more excited, but it is a huge project.

[Doughgirl5562]

Congrats Amy! Can't wait to hear more about your class.

I know that I am late with my recommendation, but really wanted to recommend a fairly short (192 pages) book that my book club recently read. It's very much literary fiction - and we all thought it was a powerful impactful novel Especially meaningful if you know anyone dealing with dementia.

The Swimmers

[Book Concierge]

Doughgirl5562 wrote: "Congrats Amy! Can't wait to hear more about your class.

I know that I am late with my recommendation, but really wanted to recommend a fairly short (192 pages) book that my book club recently read..."

Oh, I love Otsuka's writing. Thanks for the recommendation ... adding to my TBR

[Jen]

Amy wrote: "I am teaching a class at an Northeastern that starts in 10 days. I’m really excited about it. But of course I’m working with the old course and tweaking it to make it my own. So there is a lot to d..."

Good luck. Out of my 5 classes about 2 each year are completely new curriculum so have to be written from scratch. One of the ones which was completely new in 2021 doesn't even have a textbook until next year..... Marking and drafting still takes up way more time. It takes 4 hours just to complete the over 60 pages of paperwork to run an excursion now....things sure have changed. Excursions used to be fun now they are way too much effort unless it is something major.

[Joanne]

@ Jen, your are in Great Britain, yes? I am no teacher, but your profession uses different language, it appears to me, What are CATS and Excursion? I have not heard those term used in teaching here in the States, May be just me and being an outsider.

[Jen]

Joanne wrote: "@ Jen, your are in Great Britain, yes? I am no teacher, but your profession uses different language, it appears to me, What are CATS and Excursion? I have not heard those term used in teaching here..."

Nope. Australia but they were called the same when I worked in UK too. Excursion is when you take the kids out of school. CAT is a common assessment task so all the kids are graded comparably wherever they get educated and whatever class they are in eg Design practicals, exams and science as a human endeavour essays which all kids must do.

[Joanne]

Thanks Jen, I love when I learn something new.

[Robin P]

We would call Excursions "field trips".

[Jen]

Robin P wrote: "We would call Excursions "field trips"."

We do but only for a specific type of excursion. A trip to the mangroves or to do rocky shore zonation would be a field trip as they are learning bio in the field. The trip next weekend to the titration Competition is just an excursion because we will be in the uni labs. Ditto when the chem kids go to the uni to use the AAS equipment. Excursion is just the generic term for all taking kids out of school whereas field trip is always out in nature surveying something. Incursion is when they are out of classes for a specific activity but still on site (eg dress rehearsal day for the musical).

[Theresa]

But think of all those books you have read and removed from your TBRs!