Photo Credit: Erminig Gwenn via Compfight cc
So, I’ve spent my summer reading. Some “beach reads” but also some good professional stuff, like Damian Cooper’s Redefining Fair and Ruth Culham’s 6+1 Traits of Writing for the Primary Grades. But I’ve recently started a new read and I was sold on the book before I even got through the introduction because of a part of a paragraph that I LOVED!
If you know me, you know that I have a pink skull and crossbones sticker and a “Pirate Girl” sticker on my vehicle. I think pirates are cool. I love celebrating Talk Like a Pirate Day (when my Grade Two students mutinied the Vice Principal’s office last year, in fact!) and I smuggled a whole lotta Pirate Paraphernalia onto a houseboat a couple of years ago for our annual family reunion and made everyone honorary pirates!
So, while browsing http://www.amazon.ca a couple of weeks ago I stumbled onto this book:
and I HAD to have it. Because even if it was a crappy book, it’d still look hella cool on my bookshelf!
Now, in all honesty, I have only started the book, so I haven’t gotten far enough into it to make any judgement on the overall content but as I got near the end of the Introduction, on page xii, I found the following paragraph and I found an amazing description of how I teach.
Pirates are daring, adventurous, and willing to set forth into uncharted territories with no guarantee of success. They reject the status quo and refuse to conform to any society that stifles creativity and independence. they are entrepreneurs who take risks and are willing to travel to the ends of the earth for that which they value. although fiercely independent, they travel with and embrace a diverse crew. If you’re willing to live by the code, commit to the voyage, and pull your share of the load, then you’re free to set sail. Pirates don’t much care about public perception; they proudly fly their flags in defiance. And besides, everybody loves a pirate.
I’ll get back and post my thoughts about the book after I’ve finished it but really, that quote alone was worth it for me.
And just a reminder: Talk Like a Pirate Day is on September 19. If ye be in the area of me pirate crew on the day, bring us a handful o’ doubloons and join our motley group. Fare ye well. ‘Till th’ morrow. Arrgggggg!
(And the family pirate tradition continues. . . note the Jolly Roger hanging during our family reunion this summer!)
UPDATE: I finished this book a long time ago. It’s excellent! Lots of great ideas to create engaging, exciting lessons to hook our students and create enthusiasm in our classes. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is feeling in a bit of a teaching slump or to pre-interns and interns who are trying to create amazing lessons. I’ve also recently discovered that there is a whole Teach Like a Pirate (TLAP) community out there. Check out the Twitter Chat on Monday evenings at 7 p.m. #tlap. Amazing group of educators with fantastic ideas to share.
To Learn and Connect ~ Trina Crawford 