Sharing the Love

Today was a tough and frustrating day in teacher land.  Not awful, just long, exhausting, and trying.  Instead of complaining or reliving, I just wanted to share a tiny moment that was lovely today.  In college, my professors places a lot of emphasis on sharing your "reading life" with your students.  I make it a point to talk to my students about how much I love reading, the books I read at home, and how I make time to read and talk about books with friends.  Part of that, also, is sharing my favorite books with kids.  Today's little happy was passing on a personal favorite to a special kiddo:

I read this beautiful book a few months ago and this morning I passed it off to one of my girls.  Sharing books with my kids in a personal way like this (I usually leave them on their desks with a note) is one of my favorite things to do.  It takes just 2 minutes to pull a book and write a note, but recommending books to my kiddos not only encourages reading just-right books, but lets them know that they are SO special to me that I took the time to choose a special book just for them.  What better way to build relationships with your students?  Plus, just like adults, kids are more likely to read a book if someone says, "I read this!  I loved it!  I think you will too!"  Of course I let the kiddos choose their own books too, but once in awhile, this is something special.  If you don't do it, I recommend giving it a shot!