Book Review: SECRET OF A THOUSAND BEAUTIES by Mingmei Yip

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author, Book Club, book review, books, Mingmei Yip, Pi Beta Phi, reading, Secret of a Thousand Beauties, Spring Swallow, World Lit

Book image from goodreads.com

Spring Swallow was promised in marriage while still in her mother’s belly. When the groom dies before a wedding can take place, seventeen-year-old Spring Swallow is ordered to become a ghost bride to appease his spirit. Under her in-laws’ protection, she will be little more than a servant, unable to know real love or bear children. Refusing to accept her fate as a “bad-luck woman,” Spring Swallow flees on her wedding day.

In the city of Soochow, Spring Swallow joins a community of renowned embroiderers. The women work for Aunty Peony, whose exquisite stitching once earned her the Emperor’s love. But when Aunty Peony agrees to replicate a famous painting–a lucrative assignment that will take a year to complete–betrayal and jealousy emerges within the group. Spring Swallow becomes entangled in each woman’s story of heartbreak, even while she embarks on a dangerous affair with a young revolutionary. On a journey that leads from the remote hillsides around Soochow to cosmopolitan Peking, Spring Swallow draws on the secret techniques learned from Aunty Peony and her own indomitable strength, determined to forge a life that is truly her own.

(Story synopsis from goodreads.com)

Secret of a Thousand Beauties by Mingmei Yip was the March read for the Pi Beta Phi book club. Normally I would say that the subject of this book, Chinese culture, was perfect timing.

Find the Silver Lining

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ACT, Education, freezing rain, high school, high school classroom, icy conditions, Life, school, seniors, Siilver Lining, students, teacher, teaching

Today the district that I work in had a 2-hour delay. This was due to the icy conditions from the freezing rain overnight. Originally today we were scheduled to administer the ACT to the juniors and the sophomores were going to take a practice ACT. This meant that the seniors were not going to be in class.

With the 2-hour delay we were changed to a regular attendance day for all students. While many of the seniors were disappointed that their plans changed, it’s always important to try and find the silver lining. 1) By not cancelling school, we won’t have to make it up later. 2) Seniors will get an opportunity to have college visits on the 17th when the ACT is rescheduled for the Juniors and Sophomores. 3) All of the students had the opportunity to sleep in extra before coming in to school. 

Happy Sunday

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Life, pug, Pugsley, Sunday

I get to spend this Sunday with this cute guy. My furry kid, Pugsley, makes a great lazy Sunday companion, but he’s not great at helping with the laundry. :)



Practice What You Preach

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classrooms, Coaching, Education, Edutopia, English teacher, high school, high school classroom, Life, modeling behavior, Practice What You Preach, school, social media, SSR, students, teacher, teaching, Twitter

So this morning I woke up, and of course because it’s a Saturday, I started off checking social media as I waited for my coffee to finish brewing. As I was scrolling through Twitter though, I cam across this post from Edutopia:

edutopia ‏@edutopia

“We can’t expect students to be excellent if we don’t model that for them.”

This quote really struck a chord in me as soon as I saw it.

Book Review: DELIRIUM by Lauren Oliver

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author, book review, books, Delirium, Education, English teacher, English Teachers, high school, Lauren Oliver, Lena Holoway, Literature, reading, school, SSR, students, teacher, teaching, writing, YA Lit

Book cover image from goodreads.com

They didn’t understand that once love — the deliria — blooms in your blood, there is no escaping its hold. Things are different now. Scientists are able to eradicate love, and the government demands that all citizens receive the cure upon turning eighteen. Lena Holoway has always looked forward to the day when she’ll be cured. A life without love is a life without pain: safe, measured, predictable, and happy.

But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena does the unthinkable: She falls in love.

(Story synopsis from goodreads.com)

Delirium by Lauren Oliver has been on my (very extremely) long list of Books to Read for a while.

Finding Inspiration

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author, cold weather, Inspiration, Life, Mary Oliver, Quote, teacher, writing

Today where I’m at, we have freezing cold temperatures (as does most of the country right now) and I was letting the cold weather get to me. Then I came across this quote and it gave me the inspiration I was looking for. I hope you enjoy as well!

Instructions for Living a life:

Pay Attention.

Be Astonished.

Tell About it.

-Mary Oliver