Learning to Read Around the World

I couldn’t be happier to tell you that I have a blog series–and eventually a book–coming out about how children are taught to read in different parts of the world. As Justin and I have been traveling, I’ve been visiting elementary schools and talking with teachers. In each location, I learn as much as I can about the language, the writing system, and how schoolchildren are taught to read it. Let me tell you, it’s been fascinating.

You know where you can really see how a community is preserving its culture and expressing its values? In the local elementary school. I’ve been inside of many.

A classroom in Kenitra, Morocco.

The best part is that this series is on Reading Rockets, the fantastic, comprehensive source for all things related to how children learn to read. I relied on Reading Rockets when I was teaching, and it just keeps getting stronger in its vast archive of good information for teachers, parents, and everyone interested in the cornerstone of education–teaching children to read.

The first post is coming soon–from Bulgaria!

Read more about the series here, at Reading Rockets–a is a national public media literacy initiative from WETA.

Travel Book Review: Joan Frank’s Try to Get Lost

I tell everyone that I’m not teaching anymore so my husband and I can travel. That is absolutely true, and it is also true that I’m not teaching so I can have more time to write and read. Travel, reading, writing: the triumvirate for happiness. This puts travel writing–such as this collection of essays with a great title by Joan Frank–squarely in my happy place.

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12 Stops on my Book-Love Tour of New York City

I’ve been to New York City to see the big attractions and dazzling shows, but my trip last week was something quieter and so sweet: a book-love tour of Manhattan.

This trip was my own creation–self-guided, budget-friendly, and flexible enough for browsing, contemplating, reading, and writing. I missed a few gems, but I also stopped at a surprising number of great destinations in my few days in the city: seven book stores, three museums, and two libraries. I walked or took the subway everywhere. Each night I fell into my clean, no-frills hostel bed exhausted and happy. Can I recommend this 12-stop trip to my fellow book lovers? 100 percent. It was wonderful. Let’s start with the libraries, shall we?

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