TBD Teacher - Teaching By Design....Teaching Buttheads Daily...Tortured But Determined...Tiny Bit Dorky...Totally Brain Dead...Too-busy Disorder. You can decide what the TBD stands for. Visit my old blog at http://tbdteacher.tumblr.com/

Target Acquired: A SWAT Team Suspense Novel with Christian Romance By Lynette Eason

09.17.2024 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

4/5 stars ★★★★☆

If you are looking for a badass female character, then Target Acquired by Lynette Eason should be your next read. The book is filled with suspense and action. It also has some romance and light Christianity thrown in.

Kenzie is medic on the SWAT team filled with men, and not everyone is happy about it. In fact, someone is trying to get her to quit or kill her. Cole, her SWAT team leader, is NOT one of those people. He wants her closer, not far away.

My Thoughts:

This was an easy read. It is told from the viewpoints of both Kenzie and Cole, and they are both very likable characters. It has some action, romance, friendship, and I appreciated the parts that showed Cole’s strong faith.

It is the second book in the series, but it is a stand-alone book. There are parts that flash back to a woman in a mental hospital in the 1940s. I thought that part of history was interesting to read, but it also wasn’t a necessary part of the book.

It definitely isn’t a thriller, but it was an enjoyable story line. If you like books by Dani Pettrey or Kristen Heitzmann, you would enjoy this one also. Both authors write Christian romance books.

I gave this book four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Revell, and Lynette Eason for my free copy of the book. This is my honest review.

If you would like to read more book reviews, you can find them at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/

What You Wish For by Katherine Center Book Review

09.13.2024 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

4/5 stars ★★★★☆

https://amzn.to/3MOJK2w

“Joy is fleeting. Nothing lasts. That’s exactly what courage is. Knowing all that going in – and going in anyway.”

This line really stuck with me as I read the book What You Wish For by Katherine Center. I have a tendency to want to play life safely because I know that joy won’t always last. That scares me.

This book started as a slow burn, true to most romance novels. Soon enough, I was happy that it also started to deal with real-life issues.

I loved the character of Sam, the librarian at an elementary school. Center made her character realistic with a tough childhood, a long-lost romance, along with having epilepsy. I also liked Duncan. I easily pictured him as both a teacher and later an administrator. Both were very likable characters.

I found myself highlighting so many of Center’s phrases more towards the end of the book. Another one of my favorite lines is “…joy was cumulative. That it wasn’t about finding one big thing – but about collecting as many tiny pieces as you could.” It made me think. My sisters and I always say that joy is about the small things in life. Sam learned that she needed to focus on the small things that bring her joy. These included drinking tea, taking walks on the beach and wearing bright colors.

What You Wish For is a romance novel. However, there are some triggers that I wasn’t expecting. These include school shootings and grief of a loved one. Center did a great job of dealing with both of these issues in her book.

I gave this book four out of five stars. I’m becoming a fan of Center’s books, and I look forward to reading more.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Katherine Center for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

If you would like to read more of my reviews, you can find them at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/

Engaging Brain Break: How to Play ‘Lie To Me’ and Enhance Storytelling Skills

09.12.2024 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

Do you ever wonder what to do as a teacher with those last five or ten minutes of class? Do you wonder what to do on those days when your kids need a brain break in the middle of class? IF you want to get the attention of your class, tell them you are going to let them lie to you!

How To Play “Lie To Me”

You have two choices on how you want to spend this time. You can use it as a review of your material with the whole class at one time. Alternatively, you can have two to three people come to the front of the room. I normally started with just 2-3 people up front.

Give them a relationship. You could tell them that they are best friends. Or they are siblings. Or there might be two parents and a child. It just depends. If you are doing a review of your history lesson, they could be two people from history. They might be George and Martha Washington. If it’s for science, they could be a y chromosome and an x chromosome or two different planets.
Explain that you will ask them a question about something they did. They have to work together to work out their answers. One player starts and they have to build on their story. This is a great technique if you are teaching story writing also. For example: Two of them could be siblings. You could ask, “Why did I wake up with a mustache drawn on my face?” Since I teach middle school, I always got laughter if I had two boys up front, and I asked one of them, “Why are you wearing my wedding dress?” Shockingly, they came up with a story quickly. I couldn’t believe how they thought of great answers on the spot.
When their story starts dying down a little, you could have the audience raise their hands to ask questions. If you are teaching about hyperbole or tall tales, this is a great way to introduce it.
It’s important to emphasize that they work together to craft their story. It shouldn’t be a he said/she said deal. Their story should be collaborated.

5. At this point, I break the kids into group of 3 or 4. This way, everyone can do it at once. They can do it at their tables or spread throughout the room. You can let them come up with their own questions. One person asks the questions and the rest of the group acts it out. Then they switch. You might turn it into a competition. Have two groups present on the same question to see who came up with the best explanation. It would get boring if you did more than that, though.

Why Do This?

You are working on a lot of skills for this quick brain break or ending activity. You are teaching collaboration, storytelling, creativity, improv, and questioning skills. It can also be a review of your content. If you bring the kids to the front, they will also learn to be more at ease in front of others.

What Are Some Examples of Questions?

Why is the principal doing ballet in the library?
Why is there a hole in the window?
Why did Saturn just crash into Earth?
Why are your eyes glued shut?
Why did everyone’s eyes in this class just turn to green?
Why did you just cross the Sahara Desert?
Why is the school marching band in front of our house?
How did a penguin get into our classroom?
Why did George Washington wake up with cherries hanging from his ears?
How did all of these plants lose their chlorophyll?

This Will Work For Any Age

It doesn’t matter if you teach elementary, middle or high school, students will enjoy this activity. I think it’s important to always tell them what skills they are working on before you have them participate. It lets them know what to focus on and it gives them “the why” of the activity.

If You Are Looking For Other Brain Break Games:

Check out my other posts that are helpful:

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty: Full Review & Rating

09.11.2024 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

3/5 stars ★★★☆☆

https://amzn.to/3MFY65h

If you could know your future of what age you will die and how it is going to happen, would you want to know? This is common question that I have asked friends about, so I was excited to read a fictional book about what that look could like in life.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty is based on this premise. Many people on an airplane are headed to their different destinations when an unknown older woman starts walking down the aisle telling each passenger how and when they will die. They didn’t get the choice of whether they wanted to find out this information or not. Is the character of Cherry a true psychic? Will her predictions come true?

I am a big fan of Liane Moriarty, but this was not one of my favorite books by her. There were times I was engrossed in the book, but there were just too many characters to become attached to them. It was like watching a reality television show with all of the backstories that went in many different directions. About halfway through the book, I found myself just wanting to know what happens at the end. Since it is a book of over 500 pages, which I usually love, I just wanted to skim through parts and characters that didn’t have much meaning to me.

I liked the story of Allegra, the flight attendant, and Leo, the father who was just trying his best.

Although this wasn’t my favorite book of hers, many other readers loved this book. I think I was expecting more of a thriller from Moriarty.

I gave this book three out of five stars. The premise was interesting, but the storylines of the characters were a little too disconnected.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing and Liane Moriarty for my free copy. This is my honest review.

You can find more of my book reviews at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/

Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann: A Captivating Coming-of-Age Love Story

09.06.2024 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

5/5 stars ★★★★★

https://amzn.to/3Zj2aA3

5 STARS!

Catch the Sun by Jennifer Hartmann is my favorite book of the year so far. My husband even read it in one day, and it’s not a short book!

Maybe it’s the coming-of-age love story that made me enjoy this book so much. It could be the well-developed characters or the intense storyline at times. All I know is that I didn’t want this book to end. There were so many times that I laughed out loud, and I could tell exactly where my husband was in the story when he did the same. Max and Ella, the main characters, were friends as kids, torn apart by distance, and brought back into each other’s lives as teenagers. This is when most of the story takes place. Ella is the brooding teenager, and Max is trying to hold his family together.

I loved the quotes throughout the story, and I found myself looking up and listening to songs that were mentioned throughout the story. The ending was perfect and definitely not disappointing. I would love to see a sequel or movie made about this book. I haven’t read other books by Jennifer Hartmann, but I can’t wait to read them now.

Although this book is touted as a young adult book, I think it’s more of an adult book because of some mature parts of the book.

I gave this book five out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bloom Books, and Jennifer Hartmann for my free copy. This is based on my honest review.

You can find more of my book reviews at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/

House of Glass: A Compelling Thriller by Sarah Pekkanen Book Review

08.28.2024 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

4/5 stars ★★★★☆

https://amzn.to/3X7XsCu

Why is the nanny always the evil aspect of that “perfect home” in books? This time, in House of Glass, it was the nanny that fell to her death out of a three-story window. Was it the mother, father, grandmother, the nanny’s boyfriend, or the child that caused the death?

I’m a big fan of Sarah Pekkanen, especially those books that she co-authored with Greer Hendricks , and House of Glass didn’t disappoint. It was fun to read something by Pekkanen alone.

Pekkanen does a great job of keeping the reader guessing throughout the whole story. The book is fast-paced and drops little hints along the way. It is more of a “whodunnit” story rather than one with many twists and turns.

I liked the character of Stella, who was the court-appointed attorney and hired to decide where Rose, the mute child, should live after the divorce. The story is told through her perspective.

Just when you think you figured out the murderer, the story changes on you. I love that kind of book. If you like books by Alice Feeney, B.A. Paris, or Ruth Ware, you will enjoy this book also.

I gave this book four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Sarah Pekkanen for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

For more book reviews, see my book review page at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/

In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan Book Review

08.16.2024 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

4/5 stars ★★★★☆

https://amzn.to/4fQAaJO

I have been looking for a good police-procedural book for some time, and In the Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan didn’t disappoint. I love trying to figure out mysteries in a book, but when the book shows how police detectives might solve a case is truly intriguing.

When Detective Chief Superintendent, Kat, is approached to pilot a new program pairing her with an AIDE (Artificially Intelligent Detective Entity), Lock, she is hesitant. She is determined to prove human instinct takes precedence over a machine when it comes to solving cold cases.

My favorite part of the story is Lock, of course. He made me laugh in his responses, but it also made me wonder how much AI is actually used in police work these days. It was obvious that the author, Callaghan, had done her research about AI and genomics to write an interesting book.

I loved the twists at the end, and the book wrapped up nicely.

I gave this book four out of five stars. Callaghan is a strong writer and definitely kept me entertained.

Thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster, and Jo Callaghan for my free copy of this book. This review is my honest opinion.

For more of my past reviews, you can find them at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/

Spelling Matters

02.10.2024 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

Can you imagine being the person who realizes all of your printing is spelled wrong? Or did they actually mean “wating?” 🤔

Teaching Tip: Talk to Your Students About Friendships

02.04.2024 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

A Student Asked: ”Is it okay to only have one or two friends?”

The other day, I received an email from a past student. She had moved up to 7th grade this year, and she was worried that she only had one or two friends. As everyone knows, friendships during your middle school years are one of the most difficult to navigate. Do I have enough friends? How can I get more? Do people think I’m cool? How do I get to hang out with THEM?

I asked her to tell me what she meant by “friends.” Did she mean the people she could text with after school? Someone to call on the weekend to hang out? Or just someone to eat lunch with at school or talk to in class?

Why Don’t We Talk About Friendships in Class?

Becoming adept at social relationships is half of the “fun” of middle school. When you have accomplished this, sometimes the rest becomes easy. But this is also a time when you are constantly questioning yourself.

So, why aren’t we talking about what defines a friend and how to cultivate these relationships, if it is such an important part of growing up? Let’s not leave kids hanging and constantly worrying whether only having one or two friends is okay.

Levels of Friendships Activity

I learned this activity from one of my friends. I believe it originated with Terry Bradley, a GT guru. It doesn’t take any prep (of course, my favorite part), but it’s a great way to get the conversation started.

Give your students a blank sheet of paper and show them how to draw 5 concentric circles on it. You could prepare this for them ahead of time, if they are younger, or you could draw it on the board to show them what you are looking for.
Explain that people have different levels of friendship throughout their lives, and their friends will probably change throughout the different stages of the lives.
In the smallest circle, have them write their name.
In this next size circle, tell them this is the “intimate circle.” If you teach middle school, you will hear giggles. You can do this with elementary kids too. Tell them that these are the people closest to you. You express love, hurt, sadness or whatever else is going on with you. This is where you have the highest level of trust. These relationships have developed over time. Have them write in the names of these people. They could even be family members.
In the third largest circle, these are your “friends.” These are the people you call your friends and still share your feelings. You seek out advice from them and you enjoy being with them. These relationships could be newer and not as intense. Have them list these people.
In the fourth largest circle, these are your “casual friends.” You give these people a sense of who you are by revealing your opinions. It’s where trust begins. You talk about schoolwork or your outside activities and share your feelings about them. You wouldn’t necessarily hang out with them every weekend, but you are excited to see them at school/church/sports/club, etc. Have them list these people.
In the largest circle, these are your “acquaintances.” The conversations with these people are more about facts. You share safe, non-threatening, non-personal information. “I hope we have a snow day.” “Did you study for the test?” Have them list these people.

Now What? Have a Discussion:

If you want to have them share with a neighbor first you can. However, this could be embarrassing for some students, so I didn’t start there. I just started by asking questions and calling on those that wanted to share. Here are some possible questions:

What did you learn about yourself in this activity?
Were there any surprises?
Is it important to have relationships at all 4 levels?
Why are there usually fewer people in the inner circles?
From your list, are there any people you would like to see move further in? (Use arrows by their names to point inward toward you.)
Are there any you think should move farther out? (Use arrows by their names to point out away from you.)
Do you think relationships look differently for people your age than for adults?

So, Is it Okay to Have Just One or Two Friends?

The answer is a resounding “yes,” if they fall in your smaller circles. My worry would be for the child that can’t fill out the smaller circles. Here is a tip: as a teacher, make yourself more aware of this child. Can you pair them up with someone that has similar interests or capabilities? Can you recommend clubs or groups where they can make more friends? Can you put them in more of a leadership role in class?

Did you know that when teachers exhibit positive feelings about a student, others will probably feel the same in your class? Can you have conversations with this child about how to cultivate friendships? Heck, it’s not easy as an adult to do this and why so many books are written about it. JUST DON’T IGNORE IT. This child needs you.

For Parents of Gifted Kids:

If you are the parent of a gifted child, you know that your child may struggle with cultivating friendships. Since your child may be more advanced in their intellectual development, they may struggle relating to others their same age. Here is an article that you might find helpful from the Davidson Institute: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Q2clgZXsGfEF3DizIX20WTbe4GHGtAURETmgBrNB4ew/edit?usp=sharing

Sometimes you find your friends in the strangest of places!

First Day of School Ice-Breaker: Ask Me Anything

08.14.2023 by Judi Holst // Leave a Comment

What is an easy ice-breaker for your first day of school?

Do you want a no-prep, easy activity to engage your students on the first day of school? Seriously, this takes no preparation at all, which is why I loved starting the school year this way.

Whenever I went into a new class as a student, I would always have a million questions going on in my mind. Most of them weren’t about the actual class. I wondered why something in particular was hanging on the wall. I wondered if the teacher loved dogs as much as I do. I wondered if the teacher was married. I wondered if the teacher had a good sense of humor. I wondered if this was my assigned seat. I wondered the cute boy’s name sitting next to me. 🙂

However, most of my teachers wouldn’t talk about this stuff, and I left class with just as many questions as I had when I entered. This is why I love this activity.

Cute boy sitting next to me

Ask Me Anything: The Teacher

After attendance, I would sit on a tall stool in front of the classroom, and tell the students that in a moment, I am going to set a timer for five minutes. I told them that they needed to think of at least one question that they wanted to know the answer. Do they see something in the classroom that they wonder about? Do they have a question about the class and what it involves? Do they have a question about me personally? (I also told them that I can refuse to answer any question.).

I teach middle school, so they always asked me my social security number and address. If they asked me age, I told them I was 80, and then said, “Don’t I look great for my age?” Of course, you would find out the instant charmer who would reply that they thought I was only 25. Then I would start the timer and call on people. If there weren’t a lot of questions, I gave them the challenge that I was looking for the most creative person in class. The hands instantly went up, but then I had to be prepared for some weird questions.

Ask Me Anything: The Students

Next, the students are going to do the same activity with each other. My students already sit at tables, but if yours don’t, put them into groups of four. I have them figure out who is the oldest in the group, or whatever question you want to use. Have that person raise their hand. This is a good way to see when each table is ready.

Tell them that as a group, they are going to ask the person with their hand raised any question that they want for one minute (or two minutes if you have enough time). Obviously, that person can refuse to answer a question. I also tell them not to refuse every question, or the people at their table will think they are lame. I role-play this with one table because I also want them to see it isn’t about talking about yourself, if you are the one asking questions. As a teacher, you need to stress that the whole table should ask questions to only the person answering the questions.

Before You Begin

Before you begin, you might want to brainstorm possible questions. I also put up a list of possible questions on the whiteboard, in case they can’t think of any. I usually use my list of attendance questions. I wrote about my attendance questions here: https://judiholst.com/teaching-tip-build-your-culture-and-climate-with-attendance-questions/. You can find a link to the questions at the bottom of the blog post. If you don’t to use the overhead, you could give them examples such as:

What job would you like to have when you turn 16?
What. is the best thing that happened to you last week?
What is your favorite thing in your bedroom?
Who do you wish was in this class, but isn’t?

After Each Student Goes

Then I start the timer for 1-2 minutes, and when the timer stops, I call on a student from each table. They have to tell me who they interviewed and one thing they learned about them. Yes, I make them say the student’s name because it’s important to learn each other’s names as quickly as possible. Then you tell them that the next person to go is sitting clockwise of the last person answering the questions and you start over.

Wrap It Up at the End of Class

At the end of class, you could wrap up this activity by calling on a student and telling them to raise their hand. I use my attendance sheet, since I don’t know their names yet. “Mary Kay, raise your hand. Okay, who can tell me one thing they learned about Mary Kay?” I try to call on people that are not sitting at Mary Kay’s table.

The “Why”

It’s important for students to feel comfortable as quickly as possible in your room. There is time to go over the rules and syllabus another day. This stress-free ice-breaker doesn’t require students to walk around the room and talk to a bunch of people that they don’t know. My introverted side cringes when I have to do this on the first day of anything. Many students have said that they became friends with another person in my class just from this very first activity. As a bonus, you don’t even have to prepare any materials!

If you would like to read about more first day activities, you can find my blog post here: https://judiholst.com/?s=first+day