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Coming to terms with winter now that the holidays are over | Modern Mrs Darcy

Happy weekend, readers! Every week I like to share a few of my favorite finds from around the web for your weekend reading list …

My favorite finds from around the web:

• How reading rewires your brain for more intelligence and empathy.

• Inside one of America’s last pencil factories. The photos in this article are incredible.

• Encouraging a love of reading in a culture of assessment.

• 9 podcasts about books to help you figure out what you want to read next. A great list of bookish podcasts, including What Should I Read Next?. It’s an honor to be on any list with LeVar Burton.

• I just ordered this dress. Not my typical style, but at that price I couldn’t resist. I’m sure it’ll be perfect for a fun event in the future. .

Favorite instagram:

I was on the Oregon coast for the first time last week for work and it blew my mind, like this incredible sunrise. (Follow me on instagram @annebogel.)

On the blog:

One year ago: 45 sources for great decaf coffee.

Two years ago: It’s hard right now.

Three years ago: My accidental capsule wardrobe.

Four year ago: Creative habits and daily rituals vs. day jobs and family life.

Five years ago: A shortcut to instant habits.

Six years ago: 7 books that changed my life.

Have a great weekend!

18 comments

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  1. Jennifer N. says:

    Yup, I bought the dress, because how could you not at that price? I love that it’s a classic cut and the print is understated enough to show your book love without seeming like a crazy book lady :-).

    I can go on and on with my opinions on “reading assessments.” I realize there has to be a way to ensure all students are getting a proper education, but really. I love the article you shared, and will try some of the things the author suggested to help foster my son’s love of reading despite the competitive nature of school assessments. I will say haven’t timed his required reading in quite awhile and he generally ends up reading longer than he has to.

  2. Missy Hatfield says:

    I absolutely loved “Encouraging A Love Of Reading In A Culture Of Assessment”! As an elementary school librarian this is a subject near and dear to my heart. I would have missed this one if you had not shared it. Thank you again!

  3. Allyson Wieland says:

    I bought the dress too.
    The pencil photos gave me new appreciation for 150 colored pencils my husband gave me for Christmas.

  4. La Buice says:

    Speaking of empathy, since you are a highly sensitive person, I am surprised that you are not a vegetarian. The thought of helping to cause suffering or of not doing all I can to end suffering of others is a huge part of my hsp personality. Would love to hear your thoughts on this. Some really good books out there in this subject. Thanks!

  5. Casey says:

    Wow, “Encouraging a Love of Reading in a Culture of Assessment” was an eye-opening read for me. As the mother of a three year old and a one year old, that’s precisely the kind of school I DON’T want my kids to end up at – but how does one avoid schools like that? I’m so glad the boy’s father found a way to subvert the school’s influence.

  6. Jamie says:

    I loved the article on encouraging children to read in a time of assessment. I am currently in a reading course for college to become a teacher and I had to share this article with my classmates. We were discussing how some of them wish they had been given levels to read at when they were young to help them understand books better. My point of view is more like the author, and father, in the article. I believe students should read what they love, not just worry about their assessed level. Thank you so much for sharing it!

  7. Kristian says:

    I LOVED the article about encouraging a love of reading in an age of school assessments. As a former teacher, and a new parent, it gave me so much to think about and helped me articulate some things that have been bothering me (such as the time logs, which recently became a big thing in schools I worked at). On the one hand, I loved what the author of the article did as a parent. She can’t change what is happening at schools; to a certain extent teachers can’t either. There are often district wide requirements or state or even federal ones they may be required to meet by way of assessments and time logs etc. Her advice to read along side the child was really powerful (there’s a lot of research that shows most young kids love reading with parents for that bonding time and that the love of reading can decrease once parents stop spending that quality time because kids can do it on their own).

    The trends she noticed in her child and the need to “complete” the task of reading is really interesting and articulates something I’ve seen in some students. One thing I loved about the school I worked at was they did a lot of work with Eileen Keen. One part she coached a lot of teachers on was conferencing with students (which sounds fancy but was really just talking to the kids about what they were reading- which were almost always the students’ choice). As teachers, they can still “assess” students’ understanding of various literary or reading concepts etc. but for the kids those conversations become a way to talk about the books, and focus on the journey of reading, over the task completion. It was a school with a higher rate of kids with harder home lives, and watching over the years as kids love of reading tangible grows was really heartening.

  8. Kate says:

    Um, yeah, had to buy that dress for myself too! The perfect English teacher/book lover outfit. Also, that article about reading–I am SO struggling with this as a teacher. How do I foster a love of reading when my students’ ability to answer multiple questions is the way we’re measured? I don’t know the whole answer. But I do hope it is encouraging to parents to know that teachers, also, want to foster a love of reading. We just have to figure out how to both identify/use reading levels AND let students have lots of freedom to read what they wish.
    Besides, the only way students will become better readers is by reading! So everyone wins there: kids find books they love and they become better readers. There’s a great article on Cult of Pedagogy about this topic, from a teacher’s point of view, that I read today. It’s worth reading!

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