#summertime and we have traveled to visit family in Minnesota. Of course I made it to visit Birchbark Books. I’m trying to only buy books I have already read and would like to reread. I’m reading Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel and it’s definitely holding my attention. It has an interesting structure and different subject matter. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book about teenage girls who box.

Altadena is never far from our thoughts though. And we still find ourselves on the phone every day trying to handle this or that and the other. But at least my kids are having a great time.

#teacheronsummerbreak #headshotbook #summerreading #momonsummerbreak #minnesota #stpaul

After the last kid left and I walked up to our space in old town Pasadena I saw my principal and just lost it. My body released all the things I was holding inside of me. I am at once relieved. Sad. Ecstatic and scared.

Because although this year is behind me, the road to recovery is long with no light in sight. Altadenans have lost so much and there is still so much uncertainty. A student who lost their home will not be coming back next year because the fire forced them to move far away. Her mother and I cried at pick up.

We have lost so much. We have been through so much. It still feels so surreal. I have never been more proud of myself than I am in this moment. Because although I lost so much I found the strength and will to come and be there at a time when my community needed me the most.

And so I will return. And little do these fourth graders know that a surprise awaits them next year. As I will continue to be there for them as a fifth grade teacher.

The world is full of uncertainty but of one thing I am sure, my place in this fight is right here. In Altadena. I’m not going anywhere. At least I hope…. Bc although we find ourselves at an end of sorts it is also a time to imagine something new. Something better.

Thanks bookstagram for all your support this year. This community has given me so much. May your summer be filled with resistance and strength. I am here. With you. In community.

#iteachfifth #summerbreak #altadena #teacheronbreak

March was a whirlwind. I went to visit a best friend and celebrated a friend’s fortieth birthday in New Orleans. I made a stop at the famous Baldwin and Co. bookshop, of course. I picked up *The Fifth Season* by N. K. Jemisin and *A Fortune for Your Disaster* by Hanif Abdurraqib. It was a lovely trip, but coming home felt like receiving whiplash. The adrenaline is gone. And the sadness is still overwhelming. Last night my son cried because he misses his old school. He wants to go back. But his school is gone. It’s such a horrible thing to have to remind your kid that their favorite place is burned down.

We drive up often to check on our property. I hate it. It’s like visiting a graveyard. It is a graveyard. All those homes. All those people. It’s all so bizarre. And with the current political climate, things feel so unsure. Unstable. There is no clear path forward. Should we rebuild? Should we not? Are we crazy for even trying? There are no answers. Only questions and loss. So I write shitty poetry to try and cope and just get something out. My brain is at once too crowded and a fog.

I am still reading. Delightfully Samantha Shannon has revised her famous Bone Season Series and it has given me comfort in these fraught times. I can relax my brain and escape for a little bit.

Take care my #bookstagram friends. I am holding yall close. Instagram fucking sucks but I do love all of you.

A love letter to you Los Angeles. And a huge thank you to everyone who donated to me. The kindness of this community is so staggering I can’t wrap my head around it. Only we will save each other. I am so scared about what the future will bring. But weirdly. Your kindness has given me so much hope for such an uncertain future. We’re truly all we’ve got. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Also please excuse typos. I didn’t have the energy to edit.

I have retyped this caption a hundred times. And I got nothing. 2024 was…hard. And gave me a greater appreciation for the little things. The older I get the more I relish in life’s more humble delights, a delicious cup of coffee, the tiny thrill I get when I get to bike to the farmers market after work with fresh fruit and a baguette strapped to my backpack, holding my kids close, laughing with my partner, randomly breaking out into song with my entire class…it goes on.

I go into 2025 again remembering that nothing is promised and all I can do is my best to leave this world better for those who come after me, as impossible as that feels to accomplish it’s the only thing that feels right. Cheers everyone. May you find peace and safety in the years to come.

#bestbooksof2024 #bestoflist #happynewyear #readmorebooks #books #middlegradebooks #bookstagram #bookstagrammer

What if we measured intelligence by how knowledgeable individuals are about their own environments? What if we measured intellect by an individual’s desire to know? What if we realized the best way to ensure an effective educational system is not by standardizing our curricula and tests but by standardizing the opportunities available to all students?” ⠀
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As a fourth grade teacher I don’t think anything infuriates me more than standardized testing. It is an insidious stain on public education that we should completely get rid of. It’s built on the ideas of white supremacy. I hate them. So Ibram X. Kendi’s chapter titled “Behavior” spoke to me. It was loud and clear. ⠀
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This book should be required reading for all Americans. He weaves the story of racist ideas through his own anecdotes. He lays bare the shame of the racist ideas he held in the past, coaxing you to do the same by showing you the history of those ideas and how they developed. He is an amazing teacher. This was inspiring and easily accessible. It made me feel like change is possible and Kendi gives clear guidance on how to be a better activist. I’m only disappointed I didn’t read it sooner. I’m ready to dig into “Stamped,” which I know people love

#bookreview #bookstagram