Kistner's Kollection

I have been reading and reading.  So want to share some great titles to add to your collection or for your kids to read in class. The Shadows We Know by Heart by Jennifer Park This book is a mystery and romance all rolled into a big myth of the East Texas Woods.  Are the Sasquatches real?  Why does Dad only have one rule?  Don't Go in the Woods?  Leah longs to escape a home life filled with grief of her missing brother.  When she escapes into the woods and finds a boy who can't remember his past and has difficulty speaking. But he is living with the Sasquatches and she knows if she is not careful someone will find them and then who knows.  So she must be careful, but she also must find out what this boy knows or remembers.  But who else is watching? The Stacks of reading continue.  Next book I really loved this summer was Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel by Kimberly Willis Holt. "Soulful and Satisfying"- Kirkus Review and I have to agree.  Holt ju

Starting this August 2017-2018 school year and I want to share more.  So I have challenged myself to share what I learned this year. I learn a lot every day.  I am an expert at nothing.  I know I learn new things every day about every part of my life. I presented the following presentation for I3 in Everman ISD.  Teachers across the district came to learn new tools to use in the classroom. I learned to work faster.   I forgot like 3 slides, one whole tool.  But we all learn from our mistakes.  I was thinking I wish I could tell them all this. That thought is what made me build this blog.  I need to start sharing my learning with others. Here is my presentation if you want to learn more:  Top 10 Tech Tools to Use in Your Classroom

Toss the Testing Negativity This year let's make a challenge to our teacher friends and students.  We will toss any negative talk about the TEST.  Here is what I have learned recently about this issue.   Life has tests.  We are all worried if we are good enough or not. But there is no reason to let that pull us down. I believe confidence is what will help us more than anything.  Our students look up to us and if we believe in them, their confidence will grow. I heard a teacher speak last week at a Writing Conference about how she addressed this in her class. Think about this scenario, if you are on an airplane waiting to take off, and the stewardess comes by like 10 times to check that you have put on a seat belt, because, "OMG we might have to test it"  We might need that. Please put on your seatbelt, it is the hardest ever this year.  Holy Cow another seatbelt rule.  Just keep practicing because that Seatbelt is so important you must use it.   It is so scary