Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you to Margo at The Fourth Musketeer for nominating my blog for the Versatile Blogger Award.  WOW! 


Here's how this award works:
1. Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award along to 15 bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic for whatever reason! (In no particular order...)
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked and let them know about the award.


Here are 7 things about me...whether they are interesting or not will be up to you I guess!

1.  I knew I was going to be a teacher on my very first day of nursery school...and I NEVER changed my mind! 

2.  My teaching methods were cutting edge...even at the ripe young age of 7.  I would lock my brothers in my classroom...I mean bedroom...and teach them 'sight' words in Frog and Toad by telling them the word and having them repeat it several times with me.  I would then 'erase' the word (until there was a hole in the page) and ask "Now, what was that word?"...using the 'cloze' method before I knew it was the 'cloze' method!  

3.  My teaching roots run deep!  My grandmother taught in a little one room school house in the mountains of West Virginia.  I actually have the hand bell she used to call the children in from recess and her textbooks (with her hand written notes) from Normal School.

4.  I can sing...on key...in my sleep!  Oh, by the way...I can sing on key when I am awake too! ;-)

5.  I have no need for a TomTom or Garmin.  I have an internal GPS thanks my mom who taught us all how to use maps, road signs, and landmarks, instilling a GREAT sense of direction! Thanks Mom!

6.  I went to grade school with Olympic Gold Medalist Mary Lou Retton.

7.  In my next career I want to be a school librarian because my favorite part of 'teaching' literacy is connecting kids, teachers, and parents with books!

15 Blogs that I enjoy visiting:

Playing by the Book

Write for a Reader 

Teach Mentor Texts

Literate Lives

From the Mixed Up Files

Look at My Happy Rainbow 

Creative Literacy 

Reflect and Refine:Building a Learning Community

Read...Write...Talk 

Kit Lit Frenzy

A Patchwork of Books

A Year of Reading

TWRCtank.com

Sexy Naptime

Book Muse

Happy Reading!

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

Today, July 7, 2010, is the final day to register for Book Blogger Appreciation Week (of BBAW).  You can register to be considered for an award in a specific category or you can register to just have voting privileges.

When I first become aware of the event via Twitter, I considered registering but then thought I was really too new at the whole blogging thing to really put myself "out there" so speak.  After all, I only started my blog in late February.  I didn't want to appear like I was being boastful or self-promoting by registering.  So... I kept reading posts of those who had already registered.   But the funny thing was, I didn't think that about a single one of them!  Aren't we the hardest on ourselves?  Well...at least I know I am my own worst critic!   I have, however, received a lot of great feedback from other Kit Lit book bloggers, friends, and colleagues about the usefulness of my posts and links.  Then I read this post at the BBAW blog site that I found via YA Book Shelf  and realized this event is really a way to connect with more bloggers and readers,  so today I finally decided to go ahead and nominate myself for two different categories: Best New Book Blog and Best Kit Lit Blog.

After a lot of thought and suggestions from a few close advisors (you know who you are) I am submitting the following posts to represent the content, purpose and target audience of my blog:

Igniting the Fire

Librarian Love

A Nest for Celeste

The Power of Word~less Books

A Fabulous Fair Alphabet

Best of luck to all the BBAW participants!  I am looking forward to all the connections this event will bring!