So, once again I am re-booting my blog efforts. This re-boot comes at a time of year that always holds the promise of renewal ….. the start of a new school year! I am hoping to focus this year on my intentions to support and study my 5th grade students’ development of independent reading habits and tastes. This is always challenging, and my students present additional challenges that come with teaching English learners in a high needs district.

The idea of Free Range readers appeals to me because I believe that children need to have lots of opportunities to explore books, and in the process explore themselves as readers. I got the idea of “free range” from Lenore Skenazy’s great blog, FreeRangeKids, which offers lots of great thoughts on child rearing practices. As I think about and plan for the year ahead, I am going to try to use my blog to share what’s working, what’s hard, and where I am finding help. Also, I do think writing about my experiences will help me better reflect on them. Stay tuned!