where did the year go?
...the longest year of my career (+giveaway)
At times, this has felt like the longest school year of my teaching career. Having to move our entire school to a new building, while merging with two other schools, in the middle of the school year, was wild.
But somehow we did it.
It hasn’t been the smoothest of rides. Trying to teach new routines and procedures to a group of kids trying to adjust to going from a school with 75 fifth graders to a school with 210 fifth graders was taxing on all of us.
The one thing that has seemed to be steady and smooth has been our reading. My kids have read so much this year, and we have shared so many stories through read aloud. A lot of our days have felt a little chaotic, but when we dive into story, we have been able to keep alive that magic.
That is part of the beauty of reading. It is always there for us when we need it, when we want it, when we crave it.
I’m not sure we would have made it to this point in the school year without books, and I am so thankful that we didn’t have to try.
Check out this short video of the books we read aloud this week of school!
It has been a minute since I gave away some books here. I’m giving away some of my favorite books of 2026 (pictured below). To enter the giveaway, leave a comment with the title of a book you’ve enjoyed sharing with kids this school year. I’ll randomly select a winner and mail them these books.
Thank you for reading and subscribing to my newsletter. I hope the end of your school year goes smoothly!
A book I loved sharing with my this year class was “Bud Not Buddy.” I loved it because they didn’t start the year really loving reading, but I think this book helped to change their minds!
One of our absolute favorite chapter books this year was Ferris by Kate DiCamillo. An American Story was one of the best picture book discussions we’ve ever had.