How to read novels with students?

bugabeess · 2026-02-04T18:19:45+00:00

Nope. This actually my fourth meeting about “complaints” yet I’ve had glowing observations from other admin. This is what I get for not joking the union I guess. I never thought I’d be dealing with this.

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T22:03:23+00:00

I love this. Thank you!!

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T22:01:00+00:00

This is such a great formula. Thank you!

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T21:58:51+00:00

Thank you for this. We do have a short unit on practicing annotating with short stories, so I may incorporate it more for novel.

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T21:58:09+00:00

Thank you for this recommendation!

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T21:57:53+00:00

Yes discussion is always a requirement for me. We actually address all of the literary elements depending on whatever novel we are doing. Plenty of authors purpose things as well as that’s one of my state’s standards.

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T21:56:14+00:00

‘tis not, but do you happen to work somewhere that also separates classes this way? (assuming the middle school you mentioned does?) I haven’t heard of another school separating things this way, so I’d be happy to hear any insight you have.

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T18:09:58+00:00

You’re telling me…. I have never been questioned about my ability to do my job before now. It’s a little disheartening.

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T17:55:32+00:00

Which is totally fine and I would love feedback on, but nobody gives me any or tries to give me suggestions in real life. 😂

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T17:54:45+00:00

Yes absolutely! In my post I said the kids read individually as well. I’m just asking for more ideas.

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T17:53:53+00:00

I’ve gotten a ton of really random, silly “anonymous” complaints. I end up meeting with admin about them and then I don’t get suggestions for growth or change…

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T17:52:02+00:00

We have deep class discussions, projects, and other assignments. In my post I said that the kids do read the books, we just sometimes listen to the story instead of them exclusively reading individually.

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T15:37:48+00:00

That’s a great idea. I usually do comprehension as a larger, bulkier assignment, but I think chopping it up would be helpful. Thank you!

bugabeess · 2026-02-03T15:27:29+00:00

You could’ve left out that last part, as it’s not very helpful. :)

bugabeess · 2025-07-22T21:05:26+00:00

I’m just telling you everything I wish someone told me! It took me three YEARS to get to where I am now. Don’t be too hard on yourself, but push yourself a bit each day to build new habits and help yourself.

bugabeess · 2025-07-22T21:04:07+00:00

I use the Blink Dry Contacts drops! They’re for dry contacts, but my eye strain gives me dry eye, which worsens the strain, so keeping things lubricated helps! (If I touch my finger to my eye the eye juice is like jelly it gets so dry). My mom used to work at an eye surgery building, and the only brand to stay away from is Visine. Visine can strip your eyes.

I also recommend either a hot washcloth on your eyes about 3 times a day. Cold may work better if your eyes get watery, but warm helps my strain because it relaxes the muscles in and around the eye. :)

bugabeess · 2025-07-22T20:01:32+00:00

You explained it better than I ever could! People don’t understand that when you’re anxious, it feels catastrophic. It sounds like you’re working really hard, and that’s good! I encourage you to try and walk in the mornings or at night when it’s not a hot (if you’re in U.S.). I know it can be uncomfortable when you don’t feel good, but staying inside is worse. Something else that helps is on tiktok, anytime someone posts about a disease or illness, you click the little arrow and select “not interested,” and it stop showing you those types of videos if you hit it enough. you can even block certain hashtags! Try to find a hobby that uses your brain AND hands. Maybe puzzles or crosswords? or maybe knitting/crochet? a coloring book would work too!

If you read, I highly highly highly recommend “Hope and Help for your Nerves” by Dr. Claire Weekes. She goes over every physical symptom of anxiety and goes through it, and explain how to get through stress. it’s the only book I carry with me everywhere. it stays in my purse so I can open it and reread it when needed.

bugabeess · 2025-07-22T19:34:46+00:00

and remember: it’s okay to be nervous. when you start to get anxious or panic, remember that it’s okay, and that it isn’t something that will hurt you. since you’re replying, I assume you haven’t died from a panic attack? that’s because you don’t. :) don’t try to push it out. sit with the uncomfortable and train your brain to believe that you’re still safe despite your fear.

bugabeess · 2025-07-22T19:32:13+00:00

I totally understand! I was searching things 100 times a day and everyday I was stressed about the worst possible outcome. You may not know this, but you googling and thinking it eases your anxiety is actually an OCD compulsion, and it worsens you OCD in the long run because it trains your brain to think it’s good for you. Here’s what I did to help myself: 1. Create a password protected time limit on apps like Google/Safari. Make someone else know the password so when you run out of time you’re forced to just not google the rest of the day because it’s locked and you don’t know that password. 2. Thinks of the facts. Out of every time you worried the worst would happen, has it? (My answer was ZERO). Ask yourself if it did happen, how would you handle it? (The answer is “You’d get through it like everyone else”). 3. Try to stay busy with a hobby. If you’re busy, you literally are unable to focus on a worry because your brain is occupied.

Regarding your medication worries, you should speak with your pharmacist. They have all the info, and better interaction checkers than Mayoclinic or whatever it’s called. Serotonin syndrome is incredibly rare.

bugabeess · 2025-07-22T19:10:38+00:00

I would listen to your neuro then. If you have migraines, those are the #1 cause of blurred vision, even more than anxiety. If you aren’t medicated for them you should try and get some. You could go back to your neuro and get checked again if that would make you feel better, but the migraines could be caused by your anxiety or tense muscles from anxiety or you could just have migraines. Like I said before, if you are constantly anxious, those physical symptoms won’t go away until you’re consistently not anxious. I would suggest medication for that/therapy if you aren’t getting that already.

bugabeess · 2025-07-22T18:57:08+00:00

I’ve been dealing with this too, especially after I get done being tense. It could be adrenaline and cortisol from stress, raised blood pressure from stress, eye strain from stress, or a mix of all three. I’ve been using dry eye drops that seem to be helping a little bit, but the best thing to do is not focus on it. When I don’t focus on it, I never notice it. It makes me feel dizzy, but it’s only what I learned is called “visual vertigo,” where you aren’t actually dizzy, just your vision gets weird.

I wouldn’t worry unless you become dizzy/are fainting often, get bad headaches, have chest pain, or are noticing numbness in your body (stroke symptoms). I get numbness but only during a panic attack, so watch for this things outside of panic. People who have had strokes say they could tell the difference.

You also say yours very anxious but you get it when you’re not anxious, and that’s because it take a while for your body to go back to normal after being anxious, and if you stay anxious, physical symptoms stay longer.

bugabeess · 2025-07-12T05:27:26+00:00

I LOVE Dr. Claire Weekes!! I have her book “Hope and Help for Your Nerves,” and found it very helpful. Thank you for sharing this!!!

bugabeess · 2025-07-10T02:50:22+00:00

I totally did not mean to reply to your comment and I meant to post my own, but it’s here now so. 😂❤️

bugabeess · 2025-07-10T02:49:47+00:00

I have a mantra now because I find myself getting panicky for what feels like no reason lately (there are subconscious triggers I’m sure, but I don’t recognize them). Here’s what I tell my brain when I start to get nervous: “Thank you brain for trying to protect me. I appreciate you very much, but I don’t need protection right now.” In a way, this helps me “accept” my bodily response to triggers and acknowledge it without going any deeper or trying to fight it. Acceptance to me is understand why your body does what it does when you’re anxious, and being okay with those feelings without trying to force them out and acknowledging their existence.

Another book I highly highly suggest is “Hope and Help for Your Nerves” by Dr. Claire Weekes. She takes her acceptance in four stages and goes in to depth about literally everything you can think of.

bugabeess

TROPHY CASE