Burton's Blog

Friday, February 15, 2008

New Students

Well, in the last week or two, I've gotten two new students. One in each district that I work in.
Both girls. One a Korean speaker, the other an Arabic speaker. One Asian, one African (Egyptian, actually).

Never a dull moment.

Latest Reading List

This is for Rabia--because she actually asks me what I'm reading. :-) It's also for those of you who were wondering if I'd ever update my blog. ;-)

Lisa's Current Reading List:

1. The Bible--I've been working my way through Psalms. Today I read Psalms 115-117. Also slowly working my way through 2 Corinthians in Bible study.

2. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway--I'm currently two chapters from the end. One of my students is (supposed to be) reading this for his English class.

3. Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Yes, that Hamlet. Yes, one of my students (the senior in high school) is reading this for English. I was impressed during the class I observed; she read the part of Ophelia and seemed to be following the class discussion pretty well. Still--not easy, even if you're a native English speaker!!! Not to mention, I haven't read it since A.P. English in high school. I'm currently at the beginning of Act 4.

4. The Story of Christianity by Justo Gonzalez. This is my "fun" reading. It's a book on church history that is easy for a layman like me to read. I'm enjoying it. I'm currently reading about the Imperial Church (4th century AD or so). Mostly reading it on Sundays.

5. Still reading the two U.S. History textbooks. In the 5th grade one, I've finished Chapter 3 (on European exploration of the Americas). In the 11th grade one, I shall soon start Chapter 19, on the Kennedy and Johnson era (excluding Vietnam, which gets a chapter of its own).

Lisa's Future Reading List:

1. Maus by Art Spiegelman. This is a graphic novel about the Holocaust which portrays the Nazis as cats and their victims as mice. So I've been told by an English teacher. Apparently, it also won a Pulitzer Prize. This will be read by one of my students after he finishes a research paper for English class.

2. Dead Man Walking by Sister Helen Prejean. Same English teacher, different student. A new one.

3. Into the Wild by ????

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I should say, I'll be re-reading this. One of my favorite books ever. Also the only book so far other than Hamlet that I studied in high school. Apparently, they're not reading the same books these days. Okay, maybe Shakespeare. . .

5. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Okay, so I studied that one too. Only time I've ever read it. Don't remember much.

6. A Stranger in the Kingdom by ????

Sometimes it feels like I'm going through high school English all over again!!!

7. A Time to Die by Elizabeth Elliot. Hopefully, at some point I'll get to read this biography of Amy Carmichael. I've heard it's good.

Okay, gotta go read!