Ready to do battle

Yesterday I was working on family history and was having one problem after another.  I couldn't find anything out for sure and kept getting more and more confused.

Eventually I gave up and finished reading the Battle of the Books books.

Every year at my school there is a Battle of the Books (last year we were online before a champion team could be awarded which was tragic for many).  The students who enter the Battle of the Books are assigned a team and they commit to reading a portion of the books on the list.  The teams compete against each other, answering questions about the stories.  The champion team competes against a teacher team.  Last year I signed up to be on the teacher team but I was too slow and they already had a teacher team.  This year, they created several teacher teams and I made the cut!  

I already read The One and Only Ivan to my class.  I decided reading the Battle of the Books books to them would help more students access the list.  (Some of my students, pure and simple, can't read.)  I checked out a stack of books from the school library for during the break and thanks to the head-ache I encountered with family history, I got them all read.

There were three dog books and not one of them ended in a dead dog so that was something.

Lincoln and Kennedy by Gene Barretta

You never heard of Sandy Koufax? by Jonah Winter and Andie Carilho

Bobbie the Wonder Dog by Tricia Brown

Boxes for Katje by Candace Fleming

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

Tornado by Betsy Byars

Freckle Juice by Judy Blume

The Infamous Ratsos by Kara LaReau

Phineas L. MacGuire Erupts by Frances O'Roark Dowell

My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies

Mr. Popper Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Clementine by Sara Pennypacker

Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary

I liked some of them way more than others.   My Father's Dragon was a Newbery honor book from the 40s and Mr. Popper's Penguins was a Newbery honor book from the 30s.  Children's literature from that time is mostly a little weird and those two were no exception. 

Most of the books were about children who for some reason didn't feel successful or who struggled in some way to make friends or get along with others.  It was a good reminder to me that each little person in my class is fighting their own little real or imagined battle.

I read the books to be ready to compete, but consuming so much children's literature made me feel ready to teach in some ways too.

My laptop is charged, my mask basket is full, my mittens are located for when I have recess duty. I have been reminded that they are first of all children. 

This morning my alarm went off way earlier than I've been getting up during Christmas break.  The house was cold and dark and I staggered around and told myself that I like my job.  I almost believed myself.  Then I flipped on the fireplace and took a (really) hot bath.  When I got warmer, I did believe myself.

I like my job.

Let's do this!