Hello Book Bums families!
As February begins, we are thinking about hope, because teaching and writing are all about hope for the future. This week in the newsletter we share two books that have inspired Dr. Christy in different ways, and we reflect on the work of Book Bums and the families we serve. We even have a holiday idea for working on handwriting. To begin, we offer a poem about the intersection of hope and work.
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Pause for Poetry
To be of use
by Marge Piercy
The people I love the best
jump into work head first
without dallying in the shallows
and swim off with sure strokes almost out of sight.
They seem to become natives of that element,
the black sleek heads of seals
bouncing like half-submerged balls.
I love people who harness themselves, an ox to a heavy cart,
who pull like water buffalo, with massive patience,
who strain in the mud and the muck to move things forward,
who do what has to be done, again and again.
I want to be with people who submerge
in the task, who go into the fields to harvest
and work in a row and pass the bags along,
who are not parlor generals and field deserters
but move in a common rhythm
when the food must come in or the fire be put out.
The work of the world is common as mud.
Botched, it smears the hands, crumbles to dust.
But the thing worth doing well done
has a shape that satisfies, clean and evident.
Greek amphoras for wine or oil,
Hopi vases that held corn, are put in museums
but you know they were made to be used.
The pitcher cries for water to carry
and a person for work that is real.
Word of the Week
catalyst (cat-ah-list) noun/person, place, or thing - something that creates or instigates change
Warmer weather is a catalyst for many people to get outside.
Literary Calendar
- February 12 is the birthday of author Judy Blume.
- Born in 1938, she is still with us and owns a bookstore in Key West.
- You can learn more about her life, her books, and her work fighting censorship at her website.
From our Bookshelves
I adored this book. Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi, is a heartwarming tale. It’s about an elderly man, Theo, who uses art as a catalyst for connection. What I loved most was how Theo skillfully ushered strangers from all walks of life into intimate conversations. Theo has the gift of seeing greatness in people, and he shares it with them in such a way that they come to see it for themselves. Not just people with obvious greatness—everyone.
This is not a page turner. Rather, it’s cozy and quietly heartening.
I had purchased a copy of the novel, but during the great snows and low temperatures of January 2026 in the greater Cincinnati area, I had an uncommon instinct to (finally) tidy some closets, so I listened to Theo of Golden on Audible. Astoundingly, it was only $1.99, and I cannot imagine a better investment.
There’s a movie quote from As Good as it Gets with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt, where Melvin (Nicholson’s character) says, “You make me want to be a better man.”
I love that scene.
Reading Theo of Golden made me want to be a better person.
I want to shine a light into those with whom I have contact.
I was thinking that if we all read this book, perhaps our nation can finally begin healing.
Tips for Families
I’ve shared, many times before, the book that changed my world as an educator. It’s called Transforming the Difficult Child: The Nurtured Heart Approach by Dr. Howard Glasser. I recommend this book to anyone who’d like to transform a relationship that’s troubled. Specifically, Dr. Glasser is talking about how to best navigate intense or difficult children, but I’ve found the approach to be beneficial for most any relationship.
If you’ve ever seen me working with a group of students and a child is mildly misbehaving, you likely have heard me respond by saying something like, “(Child’s name), what you did was disrespectful. I don’t believe you wanted to be disrespectful, but you were. Would you like to apologize? If they don’t apologize, there is no negative energy from me. If they do apologize, I smile my most genuine smile and say, “Thanks! You’re a great kid,” (or something like that), and we move on with no ramifications or consequences—just genuine excitement for the good behavior that I truly believe will follow.
One of the primary premises is that we are in charge of our own emotions. Our kids cannot make us feel or respond in a particular way. We are the adults. We’re in control of our own energy and the energy we bestow on others.
Glasser says that we must determine to allow energy to flow from us only when we’re experiencing desired behaviors. Kids yearn for our attention and big responses from us, and they’ll take it any way they can get it. Positive? Negative? No matter. Energy is energy, and it fuels kids’ behaviors. The task is to decide that nearly no energy comes out from us in response to negative behaviors. Instead, we determine to lavish them with lots of energy for desired behaviors only.
Tips for Raising Readers and Writers
What if you used Valentine’s Day to promote writing well with your kids?
I learned that many teachers today no longer provide a class list of students in their classrooms—preferring their students only sign their own names to their valentines to save distribution time.
I believe this represents a lost opportunity.
Kids who are of the age where they’re buying valentines for classmates would likely benefit from some explicit instruction around writing their classmates’ names.
Imagine coaching kids to write their classmates’ names using their best tidy letter formations.
We have one week before February 14th. If you took four days this week to sit alongside your kids to write, say, six names a day, you’d have those valentines ready, and your children’s handwriting will certainly have improved.
I’d organize the students’ names so you’re addressing names that begin with the similar formation strokes, together.
Day One: Write the name of kids whose names begin with C, G, O, Q, S, U, and J*.
These capital letters start like a c.
Day Two: Write the names of kids whose names begin with D, P, B, and R.
These capital letters start with a straight stick, then we lift the pencil to make a curved stroke toward the right.
Day Three: Write the names of kids whose names begin with N, M, T, I, F, E, L, H, and K.
These capital letters start with a straight stick and add another straight stick (horizontal or diagonal).
Day Four: Write the names of kids whose names begin with V, W, Y, X, A, and Z*.
These capital letters start with a diagonal line.
Here’s a document with handwriting paper you can use. Your kids can simply cut the names apart and glue them onto their Valentine’s Day card envelopes.
Wordology Workshop
- The word horizontal includes the Greek root hor.
- This root means boundary or limit
- You can find it in the word horizon, which refers to the seeming boundary between the earth and the sky.
Practical Grammar
The tutoring offered at Book Bums positively affects our students’ reading achievement.
The word effect is usually used as a noun that refers to a result or a result of a change.
The positive effects are long-lasting and are evidenced even on nationally normed assessments.
Here’s where it gets a little trickly:
The word affect (pronounced as AF-fekt, with the accent on the first syllable rather than the last), is a noun used in psychology to describe an emotional response.
News from Book Bums
I knew, when I received the kind note with nothing but extraordinarily kind things to say about us and noting that the tutors their kids had had been excellent, that I have not done a good job of sharing that what we do at Book Bums IS for kids with dyslexia.
The explicit, systematic instruction we offer is exactly what benefits kids with dyslexia, but it benefits everyone whether they have dyslexia or not.
Here are the Mayo Clinic Treatment Recommendations:
- Learn to recognize and use the smallest sounds that make up words (phonemes)
- Understand that letters and strings of letters represent these sounds and words (phonics)
- Understand what is read (comprehension)
- Read aloud to build reading accuracy, speed and expression (fluency)
- Build a vocabulary of recognized and understood words
I didn’t create our Foundations for Literacy programming according to Mayo Clinic recommendations. Rather, I built our program upon the plentiful research that makes clear what struggling readers need to become skilled readers and spellers.
Tips for Teachers
Here are five to-dos that will foster your students’ success (and your joy):
- Listen to your students. Really listen to what they have to say.
- Ask about your students’ lives outside of your instruction and acknowledge the whole child.
- Create a space where everyone (even you) feels free to share his or her experiences and interests.
- Help your kids to set their own goals and to continually observe their own progress.
- Be real. Kids know when we’re faking.
Just for Fun
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