A deafening silence - AKA the day of the tornadoes

It's been a while since I have shared a good book on here with anyone, and I have read quite a few recently. Quite a bit has happened since April 15th, my last entry. The community in which I teach was devastated by the April 27th tornadoes. I had been weather aware for a couple of days. We were warned that what happened to the community was going to happen; the problem is we have been warned before with nothing coming to fruition. That was not the case on this day.

That morning began with tornadoes and ended the same way. School was delayed because of the storms coming in, and as I was a half-mile from arriving at school, the sirens were going off. Let me tell you where I do not want to be when a tornado siren goes off – the car. I drove to get to the parking lot as fast as I could because my husband told me it was in my area. I ran into the building just in time to see students being ushered in from the parking lot, students who were “just hanging out” while the sirens were going off. After all, how many other times had they heard the sirens?

I was able to hold a lesson together for one group of students; they were awesome. They went with the flow, were calm, and okay with what we were doing. By the time my third period came in, it was announced that we would send the kids home at 12PM, a time that would be too late. At around 11:15 the weather took a turn for the worse in our area. A co-worker came in and said, “Crys, wanna see something?” When I went out, I looked up and saw the clouds moving in one direction. When I looked ahead, I saw clouds moving in a different direction. In the middle, a big, beautiful, sun-filled hole…which quickly turned into a tornado on the ground. Students and teachers took cover, books covered heads, the building shook, lights flickered, the computer screen blacked out saying only “signal lost”, and round one was done. Not even a half-hour later we were in position for round two, and by the time the two rounds went through, it was too late for students to leave campus. Damage was already being reported from all around the area. The roads were blocked with trees, and it was a safety hazard to allow students on those roads. And thus began the waiting game…what time would we be able to leave the building.

After all, the worst was still yet to come.

The lunchroom provided chicken, biscuits, chips, and milk to all the students and all the workers in the building. It took a lot of patience from everyone, but we made it through and out. I was so proud of my students, who stayed calm the entire time. I, on the other hand, kept receiving texts from everyone telling me I needed to get out of that building because, as it was put to me, "Do you realize what is coming?" At the time, not in the least. 

I was able to leave campus around 3:30 or so, arrived home around 4:10, and as I closed the garage door the sirens started again. They were consistently going off for hours. This could be a hyperbole, but it did indeed feel this way. I am not sure if the storms had passed or if the sirens stopped because the power went out. All I know is that I was already aware that many of my students and coworkers were without power. This meant they were not able to see radar, so I began posting as much information on Facebook as I could. I knew many of them would use their phones for communication purposes, and I kept cranking it out because I was not sure if they had sirens with the power out in their areas.

The very last thing I read/heard before losing power was "Tornado emergency in Harvest." Let me tell you what two words should not ever be put in a sentence together, much less using one to modify the other. I had power long enough to Facebook that phrase to my FB friends and then the power was gone. I spent that night scared out of my mind. I could not sleep; I was sick with worry; I could not reach the outside world to know if everything was okay. All I knew was that there was a tornado emergency, and it was headed right for my school and right for my students and right for many of my coworkers.

When I was finally able to have outside communication via the radio, the reports were not good. Fatalities had been reported already and so many were injured. I just knew, with teaching 170 teens, that some of them were going to be my kids. I diligently listened to the radio and borrowed my neighbor’s paper, trying to find out if any of my kids were injured, lost their homes, or did not survive. I hunted down phone numbers and was able to text three of my students. The first text went out about 1:30AM. I was never so glad in all my life to hear my phone ding with a text message; I think it was around 3:15 AM or so. BUT, it was one my students replying that she was okay. That was the moment I allowed myself to go to sleep for the first time since the power went out.

For days afterward I posted furiously on Facebook begging for information about my students; I put my cell phone number out there begging them to text me that they were okay, that their homes were okay. I just needed to know. There was no television, there was no Internet, there was nothing but the radio. The radio was amazing, but it could not put me in touch with my kids, and at that point they were my #1 priority.

I do not believe I have ever been so scared in my entire life; if I felt that away nineteen miles away from the destruction, what was it like for them to watch, experience, and help those who needed it? It is a horror they will always remember, whether it affected them directly or indirectly.

People don’t realize that for teachers, this is our worst nightmare. Our school becomes the safe-haven away from the destruction, but the kids bring all of their scars with them; we see the breakdown, the difference, the light leave their eyes.

Our first day back in class – literally seven days later – was spent discussing and healing. I want to say this—on April 27^th lives changed forever in a variety of ways, but do you know what my students wanted to focus on during our three-hour talk? They wanted to focus on all the good they saw around them. They wanted to tell stories of kindness, of helping others, of community, and, as one my students said, proof of “southern hospitality.” I did have a student whose home was a total loss, and to hear her story just broke my heart. I cannot imagine being in that situation and having the type of attitude she had. Of course, she had seven days to come to grips with it, to realize that while the house was lost her family was okay.

All day long there were stories upon stories told – it was a day of remembrance for us all because for that one day, we were one. While the community continues to build, there is a lot of healing left. But, at the very least, the kids are up for the challenge.

Accept yourself and SHINE

When I headed down to Orlando, I took a few books to keep me company during the car ride. I read Trapped on the way down, and I read Shine on the way home. I could not put this book down. I found the plot and the characters absolutely captivating.

Lauren Myracle introduces readers into a world that many can never imagine. A world that steps beyond the "backwoods" of America and into the front door of that life. This novel is an important contribution to teen literature for many reasons. I expect to see this on school reading lists in the future.

My Thoughts:
 

Cat is a typical teenager with dreams of a life better than what she is living. She hides behind books because she allows herself to be afraid of those around her. Of course, there is a logical reason for it - a reason that unfolds nicely in the plot. When her childhood friend, Patrick, is attacked and a possible victim of a hate crime, Cat decides it is time to become a part of life again...and to investigate what really happened. Along the way she discovers another element to her "backwoods" life that leads to dangers she never dreamed, and to a discovery that not only endangers herself but also those around her. 

 
At the heart of this story is self-discovery and true friendship. Cat is lost, she's been lost for three years. It takes Patrick's attack to bring her back to life. But when she discovers who she really is, who Patrick really is, she finds peace within her soul.

Myracle presents the life of backwoods America from Cat's point-of-view, but we also learn of life from the church hall gossips to the meth dealer as well. She spared no expense in this novel - it is real, it is raw. Myracle also creates a solid mystery for readers. For avid mystery readers, the clues will be easy for you to decipher, but the point of the novel isn't the mystery, it serves only as a vehicle for its message. The plot is solid; the characters are solid; the message is clear. 

I would recommend this novel to everyone, especially teens. The book opens the eyes to tolerance, or in this case intolerance, and acceptance not only of those around you but of yourself as well. When you do not accept who you are, you become your own worst enemy - an enemy that can turn on yourself, your beliefs, your friends. Allow yourself to be free to Shine.

Who knew reading about someone's head could be this great?!

This weekend I spent my time reading two awesome books - Demonglass by Rachel Hawkins and Sean Griswold's Head by Lindsey Leavitt. I couldn't put either down, and I love when I am so enraptured in reading that everything else sort of happens around me.

With Sean Griswold's Head I got more than a love story; I got a story about a girl struggling with who she is and who she will become - all through her focus exercise. You guessed it - the back of Sean Griswold's head! What starts out as a harmless exercise turns into so much more - even more than love. It turns into a discovery that sometimes it is okay to mourn things we've "lost" as long as we celebrate what we have.

Brief Synopsis

Payton Gritas is dealt a blow when she learns that her father is suffering from multiple sclerosis and has kept it secret from her. While this seems harmless to the average teen, Payton is not the average teen. Her life is together, and organized, and ordered. This wrench sends her over the edge...and Payton discovers she is not the girl she thought she was.

Since her version of teen rebellion is ignoring her parents, she is sent to the school counselor. The counselor's advice is simple: find a focus object and keep a journal. The object should be something inanimate that she can concentrate her emotions on. Instead, she decides to use Sean Griswold's head. After all, it is huge. This single decision sends Payton on a trip of self-discovery, learning that it is not okay to keep those you love at a distance. 

Packed with a carefree best friend (Jac, who I think got most of the great lines), a possible "vampire" (Grady), and Seinfeld references (which I loved), you will find yourself lost in Payton's world - but in a good way.

Leavitt creates a solid plot that handles a teen dealing with her father's disease with care. This book is a comfort piece for any student who finds him/herself in a similar situation. Not since Side Effects can I remember a YA novel touching on subject matter as tender as this. There are not too many books written where a character becomes empowered in the way I saw Payton transformed while "dealing." Leavitt's creative plot reminds readers that suffering happens to all of us, just in different ways...and of course that the person sitting in front of you in class could just be the love of your life.

Sean Griswold's Head was a lovely surprise for me. I picked it for the YA Teacher Reader book choice for the month of March, and I cannot wait to hear if my colleagues enjoyed it as much as I did. I highly recommend this to all lovers of YA, all high school teachers, all high school teens.

That Hawkins really knows how to end a book...

I love YA. I especially love YA supernatural. I especially especially love YA that keeps me turning the page. And all of these are wrapped in Rachel Hawkins' second novel, Demonglass.

At a normal high school, having class outside on a gorgeous May day is usually pretty awesome. It means sitting in the sunshine, maybe reading some poetry, letting the breeze blow through your hair...

At Hecate Hall, a.k.a. Juvie for Monsters, it meant I was getting thrown in the pond.

And so starts Demonglass, one of the most clever YA books I've ever read. And by clever, I mean the dialogue. Hawkins really has a talent for bringing to the forefront what the average teen girl is thinking/saying, even if she happens to be a demon. 

Do you know what I love about this book? That Hawkins really knows how to develop characters; that she really knows how to pace the plot; that she really knows how to end a book. Last year she debuted with Hex Hall, and readers were introduced to Sophie Mercer, a witch who could not control her powers. As such, she headed off to Hecate where she was to learn about her "kind" and how to control her powers.

Brief Synopsis

In this sequel, Hawkins takes readers across the Atlantic to jolly-old England. Sophie will spend the summer with her dad to learn how to control her powers. Wait, wasn't she supposed to do that at Hecate Hall? If you read the novel, you already know how that turned out. (If you haven't read Hex Hall, I demand that you do so...and soon!) While at Thorne Abbey, the new headquarters for the Council, Sophie learns not only about her kind but also about the war that is just waiting in the wings to erupt between prodigium and the Eye.

The mystery for the summer is simple: find who is creating demons and stop him/her/them before it is too late. With Jenna and Cal by her side, can Sophie control her powers to save the day, or is this going to end in disaster like so many other elements of her life?

Hawkins mixes a bit of mystery with a bit of romance. The reader will be left wondering where Hawkins will take the Sophie/Archer/Cal triangle in the third installment of the series. But oh, is it worth it!

Why had my life suddenly become a Nancy Drew mystery from hell?

Most girls got flowers. I got a dirt pit used for demon raising. Nice.

If you love YA, if you love YA supernatural, if you love YA with delinquent prodigium, I highly recommend that you add Demonglass to your reading mound ASAP. If you have neglected to read Hex Hall, add it as well.

What if Jane Eyre fell in love with a rock star?

A very worthy question for a very worthy book. Jane by April Lindner brings this classic into contemporary times, staying true to the original plot while being clever in its face lift for a contemporary audience. Readers who are Jane Eyre fans will not be disappointed with this novel.

Brief Synopsis

Jane Moore is forced to drop out of Sarah Lawrence following the death of her parents. The stocks they left her turn out to be virtually worthless, and with money dwindling fast she must find a job. So, she decides she will be a nanny. After all, Jane is practical and stern, just what children need. She lands a position at Thornfield Park caring for Maddy, the daughter of a famous rock star. But, Jane is not impressed by the glitz and glamor of the rock star lifestyle, and this attitude is what makes Nico Rathburn fall for her. But Nico has a secret, one that could ruin his reputation as a rock star seeking a comeback; more importantly, that secret could cost him Jane.

Lindner stays true to the original plot throughout, providing us the answer to "What if Jane Eyre lived in contemporary times?" This novel will appeal to a plethora of readers and may even introduce the classic into their lives, a book they thought they would never read. While Lindner's inspiration for writing this book was a result of reading retellings of Pride and Prejudice, I feel that this novel is far superior.

If you enjoy a good love story; if you enjoy a good mystery; if you enjoy reading period, you must add Jane to your mound. I could not put this book down; I gave up grading to finish this book. I absolutely had to see how Lindner would tie up loose ends...and she did so amazingly and in a way that fits with the times. 

I loved this book, and I think many of you will too - Jane, read it today!

Before I Fall is worth every page!

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver was my pick for the YA Teacher Readers book club because of the glowing reviews it received, mostly from fans of Thirteen Reasons Why. I wasn't too sure how the teachers would receive the book, or how I would for that matter, by at the meeting it received raved reviews from those who attended. The number one word used to describe it - interesting.

I think the one thing that speaks to us as readers is the fact that we root for Samantha Kingston, no matter what the ultimate outcome. She's been a part of the "queen bee" group in high school and because of this affiliation, she loses her life at the opening of the novel. Oliver then has us relive Samantha's final day on Earth not just once, but seven times. Each day Samantha awakens to discover she is reliving that day again. What can break the cycle? How can she move forward into the afterlife? It is not until the end of day 6 that Samantha realizes what she needs to do, what she must do, and the reader is left thinking, "Don't do it."

While the reliving the day over and over again mirrors Groundhog Day, the plot is anything but. Each of those days is cleverly woven to give the reader a new revelation, one that helps connect the puzzle pieces from day one. To me that is the true craft of the novel - how all things really are connected, whether we realize it or not. Oliver has created a page-turner with Before I Fall, one that will leave its impression on readers long after the book is complete and added to the shelf. I have just one complaint: I felt that seven days was too long. I really feel that one of those days could have been cut and the book would still have been amazing. BUT, seven is a nice number - a week for Samantha to discover the truth about her self, her friends, and life in general.

Before I Fall - add it to your mound! If you do not have time to read this novel, you must go to your local library and check it out on audio - it is that good! I did not read this novel; I listened to it. The reader was amazing, and I feel that it heightened my experience with the novel.