The World of Alvin Ho

This 4th of July weekend, it was Alvin Ho's weekend. I read Alvin Ho Allergic to Girls, school, and other scary things and Alvin Ho Allergic to camping, hiking and other natural disasters by Lenore Look. And because I am writing about Alvin Ho, it only makes sense that I write a list of why I enjoyed his company and stories this weekend...

1. He is a big fan of Henry David Thoreau

2. He has all kinds of phobias and is "not afraid" of sharing them in public.

3. He always says things like "in account of..."

4. His heart melts when his dad calls him "son"

5. He believes that crying is great because you feel better afterwards

6. His parents are so understanding and supportive

7. Alvin Ho is terrified of all kinds of adventures but his life is all about adventures

8. Alvin's little sister Anibelly finds tremendous joy in digging holes

9. Alvin enjoys History!

10. Alvin's best friend at school is a girl, who is energetic, fun and optimistic

11. There is a very scary glossary included in the back

12. Alvin's loves making lists (and they include some doodling as well).

I was also happily surprised to see that both of Alvin's books are now available in an audio format. I love when a book is available on AUDIO CD because my ELLs benefit so much from listening and following the story along at their own pace. Not only the ELLs students are learning correct pronunciation and intonation when listening to books on tape, but they are also learning and understanding so much more when they don't have to worry about pronouncing or decoding each word, but just listening to the book for enjoyment. That's when comprehension happens. :)

I can't wait to share these books with my students. I think they are going to enjoy Alvin's trouble and honesty so much. Plus, HOORAY for another book with great boys characters!

POETRY FRIDAY

Today I wrote a poem of my celebration of eight years living in the USA. Eight years ago, I left South America to make dreams come true. I am one of the many million of immigrants that come here to make things happen, to live their dreams as we have imagined. Nobody warns you of all the things that are will come your way. But that's just life. It comes with no warning signs at all. Next time you meet someone who left home to be here in the USA, just remember, it is never easy, it is a leap of faith. I love this country very very much. I am grateful for the memories that keep accumulating in my heart. Someday when I walk away from here, I know I am taking with me some of the most significant moments in my life. And that, my friend, is a blessing all by itself. Happy 4th of July My Dear USA! Happy Eight Years to me!

This Poem was inspired by the lyrics to the song "Seasons of Love" from the Broadway Musical RENT (one of my favorite Broadway Musical of all times!)

EIGHT YEARS

by Stella Villalba

How do you measure eight years

when you live overseas?

Do you count the sunsets

you didn't miss?

Do you count the times

you heart was so full?

Do you count the nights

you wish to repeat?

Do you count the beauty

your eyes didn't even know it exist?

How do you measure eight years

when you live overseas?

Do you count the lives that you touch

or that it touched you?

Do you count the road trips

you wish they never stop?

Do you count the times

the moon was your only witness?

Do you count the blessings

you have received?

Eight years living overseas

Eight years growing every day

in a different kind of way

missing

wishing

learning

playing

forgiving

giving

but most importantly...

LIVING.

Happy Anniversary to me!

Poetry Roundup at Tabatha A. Yeatts

I press the RESET button...

in my life and now I am back. There is a time in everyone's life where you may need to pause, step back, reflect and refocus. I do struggle sometimes with the fast pace of life in the United States so pressing the reset button works for me. So what does this mean?

It means...

stepping away from the computer and the internet world for a while

calling friends whom I haven't talked for a while, reconnect with them

spending time alone in my place, organizing & cleaning

having long heart to heart conversations with friends

not letting the distance affect the strong bonds with my family

getting out of my comfort zone and try new things

not being afraid to take a leap of faith

going on a vacation with my long time friends and reminiscence good times, without forgetting our present.

I went to Marco Island, Florida with my 2 of my dear friends from Paraguay. It was a series of magical moments, so strong and special to describe it with words. These friends have been part of my life for the last 15 years, and this trip was a little reunion to make sure that we are taking care of our friendship. It did wonders to all of us. We talke

d about our lives away from home, our blessings and our struggles, our successes and our failures. It is amazing what it does to your heart and your soul to be able to be as honest as

you can. By the way, have you ever been to Marco Island? What a precious little hidden treasure that place is. I felt like I went far, far away, but I was just actually in Florida. It felt very different to me. The warm water was an invitation impossible to resist. The white sand is your ally in your morning or evening walks.

The amazing sunset is your witness of beauty on earth.

One of the books that traveled with me was Umbrella Summer by Linda Graff. Instead of spending too much time writing about this book, I'd like to invite you to head over A Year of Reading where Franki reviewed this book. I agree with her in absolutely everything she described about this book. Once again Lisa Graff, BRAVO, BRAVO! Another book so beautifully written!

So what else is going on this summer? Well, I am teaching Summer School like I do every year. My class is a 1st and 2nd grade ESL combination. I introduced the little Flip Video Camera to my new students so they would get used to seeing it during our time together. We had such a blast with that little thing. Today the students performed the book Yo! Yes! by Chris Rascha.

There are so many reasons I LOVE LOVE this book. Through this book, I get the chance as a teacher to teach them in a FUN way about question marks, exclamation points, proper intonation, inferring, acting and interpretation through body language. The child

ren had an absolute blast and so did I. Oh the amazing possibilities when creativity is involved.

Speaking of creativity, my little studio is ready for me this summer. One of the things I am being very intentional about is my personal writing. I have been spending a good amount of time writing on my writer's notebook. I know my students always ask me to share with them my summer, my memories, so I love to refer back to my notebook for these occasions.

I am also rereading Notebook Know-How Strategies for the Writer's Notebook by Aimee Buckner. This useful book is packed with tons of strategies to try either as a writer or a teacher of writing. I have always enjoyed trying a certain strategy myself first, then ask my students to attempt it so we can all share our thinking, challenges, and different ways to try it.

I hope that you are my dear friends having a relaxed summer doing whatever makes YOU happy. That's what summer is all about, reseting and recharging.

End of the Year...

Dear Blogger friends,

I finished another school year. Wow. It is amazing and thrilling to know that I have been teaching for 11 years! It is a relief to know that I feel so passionate about teaching and learning as  I did when I started. I learned so many things every year, from my students, from my friends, and now from this blogging world. I love this life and I wouldn't change it at all. Every year I send a thank you letter to all my dear ESL families thanking them for another great year and their unconditional support in their child's education. This year I added a little extra to the thank you letter. As many of my friends know, I love to take pictures. I always, always carry my camera in my purse. Throughout the year, I take tons of pictures of my students engaged in all the different learning and fun experiences in their ESL class. This year I thought I would put all the pictures I have taken of my students into a DVD for the students to take home. I learned how to use iDVD and iMovie on my Mac, so over the course of one weekend, I created a movie with the pictures, set background music and burned over 70 DVD copies in the course of a weekend. I can't tell you how personal satisfaction I felt during the course of this project. I learned to do something new AND most important I knew that those dear ESL families would get to keep a little treasure, a peek into their child's life at school through that DVD. Don't you love the possibilities that technology can offer to our students? I do!

I Want to Be Free

"Before I die, I want to be free.

But the Big Man says, "You belong to me."

That's how the story "I Want to Be Free" by Joseph  Slate starts. My heart feels uneasy as I start reading this book because I know that this story, although fictional, is part of our history in the USA. It happened. It did and we can't change it now, but we can definitely avoid making those same mistake twice. How many men during slavery dreamed of being free, of making their own decisions, of watching after their own families? How many tried to escape and couldn't? How many people dreamed of the day to be free but that day never really came? Many people indeed.

I Want to Be Free tells the story of a slave who escapes from a plantation with an iron ring attached and locked in his ankle. As he is escaping he runs into an orphaned slave child whose lost life he decides to saves. In this way, he is not only escaping for himself but also for the child's life. This child ends up being and representing so much more than " an orphaned child" but turned out to be his rescuer.

Moving text and  illustrations make this books stand out right away. This story is a vivid example of a story that does not need too many words to convey its powerful meaning. 

A Post Way Overdue

I agree with Franki, the 48 Hour Reading Challenge is also one of my favorite "holidays" but this year it was not a successful event for me as I hoped for. May be the migraine had something to do with it, and the fact that we are still in session at school (this week is our last week!!!). All I could manage to read was one book although there were five books in my pile. I missed seeing my blogger friends on Saturday for breakfast but I know that we can always find an excuse to get together.

Mary Lee: we are all very proud of you and the effort you put in participating at the Ohio Casting For Recovery Fish-a-Thon. You can read about her adventure right here. Even though I read only one book, I will count all the books in my pile as part of my donation.  We are very proud of you.

Let me make it through my last week of school and I will be writing about the book I read this weekend. Most of  you are already in Summer vacation mode so I hope you are enjoying it fully!!!!

Poetry Friday

Today my dear group of 5th grade ESL class are graduating from Elementary School. When I started working at Beechwood Elementary, they were in Kindergarten and I knew then that this group of students were going to mark my life in many ways. I was not wrong. They did. I am so thankful I had a chance in this life to be their teachers. I am so thankful for all the things they have taught me year after year. I am so thankful for our tears, our parties, our laughs, our book clubs, our picnics. I am thankful that life has been so good to me to put these amazing little people in my life. Off they go now to touch somebody's else lives. My poem is dedicated to them...

What Is To Say Good-bye?
by Stella Villalba

What is to say good-bye?

is it a long pause

or just a little one?

What is to say good-bye?

to be thankful that it happened

or to want some more?

What is to say good-bye?

To know that no matter what

you will have them close by.

What is to say good-bye?

Is it to fear new beginnings or

is it an invitation to embrace change?

What is to say good-bye?

to make you realize that you

are just saying, I hope I see you SOON.

I don't know what it means to say good-bye

all I know it's the deep gratitude I feel in my heart.

Poetry Friday round up is at Read Write Believe. Please stop by to check out what other bloggers have done!