Yesterday my friend Stacey, a fellow school librarian, reader, presenter, and blogger with a sweet tooth wrote a post about some of her recent wins. Part celebration and part encouragement to keep on going when things seems so dim, she posed the question to readers about what wins they’ve had recently. Here are a few of mine.

Win #1

Reading a newly-graduated student’s published book after buying it from Amazon. Really, a published book and it was an atmospheric one-sitting read that I’ll be covering soon. This reminds us why we’re educators.

Win #2

I’ve continued my personal challenge to read a book a day since the last day of in-person instruction on Friday, March 13th. Beginning on the 14th, I’ve read at least a book a day and share the titles on Instagram. Where some have been unable to concentrate on reading during the pandemic, I have found comfort and routine in the completion of at least one book a day.

Win #3

Every summer, I run several professional book groups for staff at my high school to the point that it’s become part of the culture. Not only is completion rate high, but the camaraderie adds to summertime joyousness and we all get something out of it. Last week, one of the math teachers posted that if it wasn’t for these book groups, she wouldn’t be reading at all, so she was appreciative of the work I put in to crafting the groups and selecting the books each summer.

And I’ll ask you, what wins have you had recently?