Links I Loved Last Week: A Round-up of Online Reading 2/1/15

The Teaching Life

Sarah Gross shares her testimony at a PARCC hearing in New Jersey. It’s a powerfully written, thoughtfully crafted argument.

Leigh Anne Eck asks a question that is on many teachers’ minds as they struggle to keep their jobs and do what is right for their students: when is enough enough?

Kendra celebrates teachers in an open thank you letter inspired by her sons’ excitement over school.

Pernille Ripp gives us permission to plan for fun in our classrooms.

The Reading Life

Betsy Bird celebrates all things Mock in a post compiling the results of many Mock Caldecotts, Mock Newberys, and more.

Kelly Jensen speculates on the Printz and other ALA Awards in this prediction post.

Katie shares schoolwide Mock Caldecott results. I loved seeing the different choices in each grade level.

Carrie Gelson’s students also completed a Mock Caldecott this week. She celebrates the process and results here.

And finally for something not Mock. Rebecca Mead looks back at a reading journal she kept as a teenager and examines the many pleasures of reading.

Lee & Low puts together a list of 15 Diverse Authors You Should Read in 2015. There’s something here for every reader.

Long Form

One of the best pieces of writing I read this week was Dashka Slater’s “The Fire on the 57 Bus in Oakland.” It’s a moving and balanced look at the aftermath of a hate crime. A powerful story and an incredible mentor text for writers.

Another piece I loved this week was poet Saeed Jones’s personal essay about becoming a poet.