Ready or Not...

Here it comes!   As much as we may wish it away, the first day of school comes whether we're ready or not.  It's my favorite day of the school year.  I love watching the students standing at the bus stop with their crisp new school clothes, shiny school supplies, and nervous smiles as they greet one another.  They walk through the school doors with excitement and anticipation.  Each year is a fresh start, a clean slate. A chance to seize the opportunity.

Today one of my sweet third grade students from last year visited me.  He couldn't wait to return the summer reading packet I gave him.  He read all five books, completed every response sheet, and returned his packet on THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!  I'm super excited!  I know this is going to be a great year.  Happy school year, friends!  

National Book Festival

Have you ever attended the National Book Festival in Washington D.C.?  Each year the festival features authors, poets, and illustrators who meet on the grounds of the National Mall.  Those who attend can meet their favorite authors, listen to them speak, and get books signed.

This year the festival will be held on September 22-23.  I cannot wait!

I went to the NBF last year for the very first time.  I met my favorite authors and got many of my read aloud books signed.  It was fabulous!  Would you like to join us this year?

Here are some highlights in photographs...

Jane O'Connor, creator of Fancy Nancy, signed our copies of Stellar Stargazer.

We Love Clifford!  This is a photo of my good friend, Gail, and Clifford.  Gail took over my first grade classroom when I became a reading specialist.  She also adopted my classroom Clifford theme.  I hope to share pictures of her amazing classroom in an upcoming post.

Love, love, love, Tomie dePaola!  He signed each of his books in a coordinating Sharpie color.  We waited in line for hours to meet him and made some new teacher friends along the way. So worth it!

We waited and waited and waited so that I could meet Toni Morrison and get an autographed copy of A Mercy.  Toni was a trooper...there were fourteen super long lines of fans waiting for autographs.  Her two-hour signing turned into an all day event.  Can you say hand-cramp?

Author-illustrator, Harry Bliss, signed our copies of Bailey.  Harry personalized my book with a message for my dog, Bailey. (That's Gail hammin' it up in the photo.) 

Mrs. Frizzle offered us a ride on the Magic School Bus.

By the end of the day our make-up had melted off, the bottom of Gail's sneaker had fallen off, and we were officially pooped!  But we had met so many of our favorite authors and took home a ton of signed, hard-back copies of great children's books.  Score!  

So Many Possibilities

A year ago I accepted a position as an elementary reading specialist in our district after being a classroom teacher for a ton of years.  It was a great decision.  I get to do what I love most, teach reading, to those who need it the most. 

I thought I'd share a *before* picture of my classroom.  It's a big room for small group instruction.  I wish my old first grade classroom would have been this big.  I love it.  But I have to confess that I do share it with an awesome instructional assistant, Lisa.  I could not live without her.  We meet with our own groups of children for reading intervention each day.  I have big plans for this room.  It's a blank slate with so many possibilities.  I'll post an *after* picture once I have the room ready.

Welcome!

Thank you for visiting Read with Me ABC.  My first adventures in blogging began just this summer when I stumbled upon The First Grade Parade teaching blog.  That blog led to another, and before I knew it I was hooked!  I loved reading about other teachers' experiences, and I knew I just had to give blogging a try.  I can't wait to share my experiences with you as I take this journey.