One of my favorite children’s classics is The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.  The 1963 Caldecott Award winner,  “A small boy’s quiet delight upon waking one winter morning to find the earth covered with snow is captured with simplicity in The Snowy Day.  The use of bright colors combined with collage is as simple and fitting as the text.  The result is a well designed book for the young child with a warmth, a quietness, and a joy that mirrors what each child at one time may have felt.”  I love this simple story of something as universal (well, in certain parts of the world ) as playing in the snow, as well as the small parts that a child could guess at (what did he find sticking out of the snow that he made a new track with?).  And the artwork is wonderful — I especially appreciate the pastel snowflakes on the endpapers.  And another thing that impresses me about this book — it was one of the first full-color children’s picture books to feature an African-American protagonist. 

Because of his regular inclusion of minority characters in his books, some people assumed Keats was black.  In fact, Ezra Jack Keats was the white son of Polish immigrants who lived in a poor section of Brooklyn.  In an encyclopedia set we have at the library (Something About the Author), Keats shared what it was like to be young, poor, and artistic, including this story: 

His father continued to discourage young Keats from becoming an artist, however, warning his son:  “Never be an artist; you’ll be a bum, you’ll starve, you’ll have a terrible life.”  Keats ignored his father’s advice and continued to hide his paintings from him.  “My father would come in and smell the paints and say, ‘You’ve been painting.  Get out and play ball and stop making a fool of yourself.’  So I had to go out and play ball…Then one day he came home and said, ‘If you don’t think artists starve, well, let me tell you.  One man came in the other day and swapped me a tube of paint for a bowl of soup’.  My father put down a brand-new tube of paint.  I thought how lucky I was that the poor man had to make such a swap.  “The swap happened again and again, and one day my father brought home a package of brushes, very inexpensive brushes which no professional artist would have bought.  It dawned on me that my father was buying this stuff for me and had a terrible conflict.  He was proud of my painting and he wanted to supply me with paint, but at the same time he lived in real dread of my living a life that of the artists he had seen.”

Luckily for the world, Keats did grow up to be an accomplished artist, producing more than twenty beloved children’s books.  Check some of them out today!

Commire, Anne.  (1989).  Ezra Jack Keats.  In Something about the author.  (Vol. 57, pp. 77-87).  Detroit, MI: Gale Research, Inc.

Even though I was raised in a typical midwest small-town that was 99% white, it never occured to me to be racist.  In our household we were taught to judge a person on their character and their actions, not on appearance.  It was always uncomfortable to go to a friend’s house and hear racist remarks or jokes — that just didn’t happen at our house.  I still remember one racial incident pretty clearly; I was a sophomore in high school and was riding the bus home.  Each day the bus would wait in front of the junior high for those students, and normally you would see the same people milling around outside waiting.  But this day I noticed someone new, well-dressed and good-looking.  A new person was pretty novel, and as I was pondering who he was, from the back of the bus I heard:  “Who the hell does that [n-word] think he is?!”.  Wow, talk about shocking me to my core!  I’ve never forgotten that moment; it has always amazed me that such bigotry and hatred was shown towards a person simply because of the color of his skin.  Of course since then I’ve come to realize it was because they felt threatened.  Just as I feel that a lot of the negativity towards Obama is simply because some people have a problem seeing a black man in power, whether they want to admit it or not. 

Although I obviously don’t know what it is to be black, I still have experience with racism and discrimation.  I have seen men go from laughing and getting along fine with my black companion to complete disgust and disbelief when they realize that the guy with me is more than just a friend.  I’ve been ignored, profiled, called names, and occasionally feared for my daughter’s safety.   Race is a touchy, emotional subject, but I believe in being open and honest about it, and working towards a world where differences are at least embraced, if not overlooked.  One of the things I appreciate most about UIU is its diversity (it’s actually the most diverse private college in Iowa).  What a great chance to get to know and interact with people of different backgrounds, nationalities, ethnicities, beliefs, religions, etc.   

One of the nicest compliments anyone has ever paid me is that I have a “warm, colorful heart”.  I encourage everyone to have a colorful heart and to see beyond skin color and other differences.  I think along the way you’ll discover that we often have more in common with each other than not!

In recognition of Black History Month, I’m sharing an old blog post I wrote a few years ago:

The Poetry of Langston Hughes

 

from Wednesday, November 5, 2008

 

Today as I was searching the stacks for a class instruction session, I came across this 16 vol. set of the works of Langston Hughes. Hughes was one of the most important writers of the Harlem Renaissance; through his poetry, novels, plays, essays, and children’s books, he promoted equality, condemned racism and injustice, and celebrated African American culture, humor, and spirituality. As I paged through this volume, some of the poems seemed to leap off the page at me and seemed fitting to share at this important juncture in our history. I encourage you to seek out some of his writings for yourself!

 

Children’s Rhymes
By what sends the white kids
I ain’t sent:
I know I can’t be President.
What don’t bug them white kids
sure bugs me:
We know everybody ain’t free.
Lies written down for white folks
ain’t for us a-tall:
Liberty and Justice–
Huh!–For All?

Words Like Freedom
There are words like Freedom
Sweet and wonderful to say.
On my heartstrings freedom sings
All day everyday.
There are words like Liberty
That almost make me cry.
If you had known what I know
You would know why.

To You
To sit and dream, to sit and read,
To sit and learn about the world
Outside our world of here and now–
our problem world–
To dream of vast horizons of the soul
Through dreams made whole,
Unfettered free–help me!
All you who are dreamers, too,
Help me make our world anew.
I reach out my hands to you.

–from Rampersad, A (Ed.). (2001). The collected works of Langston Hughes. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press

Do you love crafting or trying new recipes?  Planning home design and do-it-yourself projects?  Do you like to keep up with the latest hairstyles or fashions?  Interested in frugal living tips or dream vacation spots?  Do you save pages from magazines or clip recipes or bookmark pages on the internet to look at later, and then if you’re like me, you can’t find them when you want them?  Do you find yourself exclaiming “Oh my gosh, that’s SO CUTE!” at crafty ideas you see?   If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then you may be interested in PINTEREST.

Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests.

How it works is basically this:  after setting up a Pinterest account (you have to request an invite), you create “boards”.  They can be about anything — some of mine include “Scrapbook Ideas”, “Recipes to Try”, “Easter Crafts”, “Just Some Cool Stuff”, and even one dedicated to “Beautiful Men”.    Once you install the “Pin It” button in your browser you can use the button to grab an image from any website and add it to one of your pinboards.  When you pin from a website, they automatically grab the source link so Pinterest can credit the original creator.

I’m still a novice pinner, but I think it’s a great idea.  I’ve been to conferences and read studies before where they say one of the most important things to do when you have a dream is to make “dream boards” with pictures on them, since having the concrete ideas right in from of you helps you to achieve them.  This seems to be the basic premise of Pinterest.  And it’s nice because you can follow your friends or people who have similar interests (it does have the option to link to Facebook & Twitter) to see what they’re pinning,  and then if you like, repin it to your own board.  Or if you’re just out surfing the web and happen on an idea or picture that you want to save, pin it right then so you don’t lose it!  But I have to warn you, you may lose a few hours looking at pins and adding your own boards (luckily I had a snow day to get better acquainted with it)!  I encourage you to go to www.pinterest.com and start creating your own dream boards today! 

 (This is an example of what a virtual pin board looks like, I wasn’t able to paste one of mine.)

I got ninety friends on Facebook, twelve of them are pending, but I got ninety friends.  — Ethan Tremblay, Due Date

 Have you taken the plunge and joined Facebook?  It has now become one of the most-used websites in the world (in the U.S. Google is 1st, Facebook is 2nd).  When Mark Zuckerberg launched it in 2004 as a directory with photos and basic information, membership was limited to only Harvard students.   Soon after it was opened up to other Ivy League colleges, and eventually anyone with a .edu email address could join.  I signed up early in the game just to see what it was all about, but wasn’t really active in it until a few years ago when it really took off, especially since they opened it up to anyone (13 or older) with an email address. 

In the library world, people have differing opinions on how much librarians should be involved — do the students want us in “their” world versus should we meet the students where they are?   I think that dilemma was more prevalent when it was still used primarily by students, but as its use has exploded I don’t think it’s quite as big of an issue anymore .  In addition to having our library presence there (it’s great to be able to do quick updates when we have weather closings, for example), I’ve seen that it can lead to a greater rapport with students.  For example, some students only contact me through FB, and sometimes it’s about confidential, non-library related matters;  I’ve had discussions on topics such as racism that would not have taken place otherwise;  and of course, it helps being able to match names with faces.

And I admit, it’s awesome on a personal level, too.  College friends, ex-boyfriends, 3rd cousins who live across the country — it’s a great way to keep up with people I never thought I would see or talk to again.  You can share pictures, join clubs, create events, and so much more, but what I really like it for these days is gaming.  I go through phases, but right now I’m obsessed with Words with Friends (like Scrabble), Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?, and $100,000 Pyramid.   I tend to stay away from those that are more passive — you basically have to log-in each day just to earn “stuff” — Cafe World, Farmville, etc.   I don’t think of myself as a competitive person, but I do enjoy the challenges of word games and trivia, and it’s kind of nice when I can win. 

Of course, as with everything, there are drawbacks:  privacy issues, possibility of future bosses seeing things you wouldn’t want them to see,  its addictive nature.  And there are even those who blame Facebook for the break-up of their marriage when a spouse reconnects with an old love.  But overall, I think Facebook has a lot of positive benefits and will remain the big name in social connections for quite some time (now if they would only listen to their customers and add a “dislike” button!  ). 

If you haven’t explored Facebook, I encourage you to check it out!  And for those of you with an account already, feel free to challenge me to a game of Words with Friends!

If you follow my blog at all, you probably know I LOVE books for children & young adults.   Sometimes I get strange looks when I check them out at a library or buy them at a bookstore, and sometimes questions:  “You don’t have little ones at home, do you?”; “Oh, you must be thinking of becoming a children’s librarian”; “You must be working on a project”.  Usually I just smile & say something along the lines of “I like to read them with my nephew”, but what I really want to do is shout “No people, I just like reading a well-written or well-illustrated book no matter what “age” it’s intended for!!!!”.   You would think librarians & booksellers of all people would be glad to see people enjoying the books they have chosen and not questioning them, but unfortunately that doesn’t always seem to be the case.  So the next time you go to a library or bookstore and get a “children’s” book that I’ve recommended & they look at you funny, just tell them Jodi sent you! 

But, I digress…..

What I really wanted to talk about is this latest book I read, Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt.  My review for it on www.goodreads.com (by the way, if you’re not familiar with goodreads, check it out–it’s a great place to keep track of books you want to read):

Wow! I loved this book! It includes so many topics: domestic abuse, art, the Vietnam War, the moon landing, baseball, the disabled. They all come together as Doug Swietek takes us through the year he moves to a stupid boring new town, which means a new junior high. Although he has to overcome a LOT of adversity — an abusive dad, a town filled with people who judge him based on his family, and a principal and gym teacher who seem to have it in for him — he stays strong just like the Audubon birds he goes to study and draw on Saturdays with the help of a caring librarian.
Realistically portrayed, I found myself cheering Doug along and hoping that he and his brothers could overcome the negatives in their lives and become who they were meant to be.

Okay for Now is a good example of a book that although its aimed at middle-schoolers (the main character is in 8th grade), it’s one that I think would have a wide appeal to adults too, no matter their age group.  And by the way, on Monday the Children’s Award Winners for 2011 will be announced.  I will be surprised if Okay for Now doesn’t walk away with the big prize, or at least an honor award.  That’s right, you heard it first here folks! 

I actually haven’t read many of the contenders so I’m basing my judgement on how well done Okay was.  Some other titles that have buzzing around the blogosphere as best of the year:

• Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming
• A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka
• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
• Divergent by Veronica Roth (the next “Hunger Games”, I’m anxious to get my hands on this one)
• Drawing from Memory by Allen Say
• Elephant in the Garden by Michael Morpurgo
• Grandpa Green by Lane Smith
• Heart & Soul: the Story of America and African Americans by Kadir Nelson (Nelson does wonderful art)
• I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen (popular picture book, with a bit of a controversy!)
• Inside Out & Back Again by Thannhai Lai  (a National Book Award winner)
• Junonia by Kevin Henkes
• Me . . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell  (lots of support for this picture book to win big)
• A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness
• Press Here by Herve Tullet (another one I’ve heard lots of good things about, but haven’t actually seen yet)
• Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman (she always has great poetry books)
• Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick  (from the creator of Hugo)

 So there you have it:  some of the best  books of the year.  I urge you to seek out some of these books and see how great children’s books can be!

I recently finished The Weight of Silence, Iowa author Heather Gudenkauf’s debut novel.  Although the book had its drawbacks — it really wasn’t very suspenseful, I couldn’t STAND the mother & how she put up with an abusive husband, and even though each chapter was narrated by a different character, the voices were all the same – it was still interesting to read a novel set in Eastern Iowa.  I thought it was actually well-written for a first time author.  Gudenkauf’s most recent novel is These Things Hidden, which I haven’t had the chance to read yet.

Donald Harstad, an Iowa author from Elkader, has several crime novels under his belt.  Harstad began writing after serving twenty-six-years with the Clayton County Sheriff’s Department in northeastern Iowa.  What has happened to Hardstad is a bit of a mystery itself — he hasn’t published anything since 2003, even though his books were well-received.  I keep hearing  rumors that he is still writing, so hopefully he comes out with something new soon!  He visited my previous library early in his writing career, and was just like his novels — matter-of-fact about even the goriest details (he recounted stepping on an eyeball at one crime scene).   So if you ever get a chance to hear him speak, I would recommend going!  I love when authors write about places I am familiar with, and especially when the books are well-written.  So, if you are looking for some suspense novels, I would recommend giving these 2 Iowa authors a try:                                                                                                                                                                           

Donald Harstad

1. Eleven Days — Donald Harstad uses real-life events to paint a jarring picture of crime in America’s heartland–where two-stoplight towns no longer offer refuge from modern-day brutality.  Life in Maitland, Iowa, is usually predictable, even for a cop. But all that changes the day Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman’s dispatcher receives the terrifying 911 call. The day cops find the mutilated bodies at a remote farmhouse. The first of eleven days Carl will never forget.
2. Code 61 — Investigating the apparent suicide of a colleague’s niece, Iowa Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman is startled to uncover a group that transforms the dark fantasies of vampire legend into grisly reality: they ritualistically drink small amounts of one another’s blood. As Carl is drawn deeper into this unnerving world, it becomes clear that the dead woman may have been the victim of a twenty-first-century Dracula.
3. The Big Thaw –  The pair of frozen corpses were found under a tarp in the machine shed of an empty farmhouse. Two males — brothers — both killed by bullets from a Russian automatic fired at close range. The cops have a suspect: a man Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman busted five years earlier and the county’s lead suspect in a series of recent robberies.  Houseman knows they have the wrong guy. He also knows they’ve got something bigger than a burglary gone bad … especially when the FBI starts showing up in Maitland. The brutal double homicide is just the tip of the iceberg in a case where a killer’s trail keeps disappearing like footprints in freshly fallen snow, and where one bad break can send a good cop into a deep freeze.
4. Known Dead — In the American heartland, someone is killing cops.  The ambush exploded in an Iowa marijuana field. The weapons were high caliber. The pot was high grade. And the reporters said afterward: “We have two known dead….”  Deputy Sheriff Carl Houseman knew the dead all right: One was a small-time doper, the other a good cop. But Houseman doesn’t know why they died, or who cut them down in a blaze of automatic rifle fire. Now, as the Feds descend on Nation County, Houseman and his fellow cops are suddenly walking point–searching for answers amidst the violence, treachery, and evil in their own backyard….
5. A Long December — Carl Houseman, deputy sheriff of the 750-square-mile county, dedicates his life to keeping his citizenry so secure that you can leave the door unlocked at home and walk his streets with a big hello and a smile to every stranger. On Houseman’s watch, the mounting terrors of the new world order stay far away.  But December 2001 could change all of that.   The eighty-odd-year-old Heinman brothers’ call comes in from their farm down in Frog Hollow. They’ve witnessed an execution-style killing not one hundred yards from their pig feeders. The victim’s awful dead and half his head’s been blown off. The boys haven’t seen nothing like it since Normandy. When Carl gets to the scene, he believes them.

Heather Gudenkauf

1. The Weight of Silence –  It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn’s shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night.  Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler.  Petra Gregory is Calli’s best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual, professorial demeanor.  Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets.

2. These Things Hidden — When teenager Allison Glenn is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls’ golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces whispered rumors every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It’s Brynn—shy, quiet Brynn—who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her.  But then Allison is released to a halfway house, and is more determined than ever to speak with her estranged sister.  Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.

The rest of the list:

• Snow Flower and the Secret Fan — If you’ve read this book, the movie will probably be a disappointment.  It’s the story of two laotongs; these “old sames”  (life-long friends) turn to women’s secret language to support each other throughout their lives, including being subjected to painful foot-binding in order to make them more desirable for a good wedding match.  The book was fascinating — the movie not so much.  Part of the reason was because the director decided to include a parallel modern storyline, which had no emotional “oomph”, and just took away from the historical aspects of the backstory. 

• Larry Crowne — A light-hearted look at an unemployed middle-aged man who decides to go back to college, and reinvents himself along the way.  It was OK — I wouldn’t spend money on this one or watch it again, but it wasn’t terrible.  I disliked Julia Roberts as the bitter, alcoholic professor, but Tom Hanks was his normal loveable self.  The film had some cute moments – Hanks cruising down the street on his baby blue scooter at about 10 miles/hour; the economics professor with a freaky smile taking Larry’s cell-phone away; Cedric the Entertainer’s daily rummage sale – but a bit too outlandish at other times.   

• Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows — I was not disappointed with this sequel of Robert Downey , Jr. as eccentric Sherlock Holmes.  I won’t go into details about the plot, but just say that I thoroughly enjoyed the clever humor, the non-stop cat and mouse chase, and Holmes’ crazy costumes.  After a full day, this movie kept my absolute attention, which is saying a lot!  By the way, it will be a disappointment if there aren’t Oscar nominations for at least the costumes.   

• The Way Back — Normally not a movie that would grab my attention, but it was on the new shelf at the library and I’m so glad I took the time to watch it!  Inspired by an incredible true story, The Way Back begins in 1940 when seven prisoners attempt the impossible: escape from a brutal Siberian gulag. Thus begins a treacherous 4,500-mile trek to freedom across the world’s most merciless landscapes. They have little food and few supplies. They don’t know or trust each other. But together, they must withstand nature at its most extreme. Their humanity is further tested when they meet a female teenage runaway who begs to join them on their quest. A compelling testament to the human spirit, a gripping wilderness adventure.…[from Amazon product description].   Watching something like this reaffirms how lucky we are, and how resourceful and resilient humans can be when the need arises.   

• Grave of the Fireflies — This anime set in World War II Japan has been known to make even hardy souls shed a tear or two!  My daughter originally got me hooked on this one, and we rewatched it over Christmas break.  This is the heartbreaking tale of the bond between siblings Seita and Setsuko, and an unflinching look at the casualties and horrors of war.  You won’t forget this one after watching. 

• Friends with Benefits — Ya, ya, another romantic comedy about friends who wind up being more.  Surprisingly, this one was pretty enjoyable!  I don’t know what it is about Justin Timberlake, but I actually like him as an actor.  The sex factor is definitely higher in this movie than others of its kind, but, as with the main characters’ other interactions, very believable.  It’s also got a great supporting cast including flamboyantly gay sports editor Woody Harrelson, and Jenna Elfman as Timberlake’s protective sister who takes care of their alzheimer-stricken father.   

 [during a scene where Mila Kunis admits she did a background check on a guy she dated]:

Timberlake responds: “Did you do a background check on me?”

Kunis:”How could you possibly max out an Old Navy card?”

Timberlake: “I was just out of college and really into cargo pants.”

• Half Nelson –  This is not the smooth, suave, well-dressed Ryan Gosling from Crazy, Stupid, Love.  Instead he’s a sloppy, hung-over, greasy-haired junior high school teacher with a cocaine addiction.   A white male teacher in an inner-city classroom; a caring drug dealer; a girl who doesn’t want to end up in jail like her brother, yet still agrees to run drugs, this is a look at the paradoxes of life and how nothing is ever black or white.  There are no easy answers in this powerful film about an unlikely, even unsettling,  friendship between a teacher and student. 

So those are the rest of the movies I’ve watched lately. I actually only made it to two movies in the theater over the break (but I’m really looking forward to seeing War Horse, Red Tails, and Underworld Awakening!).  What are some of the recent must-see movies you’ve watched?

I don’t have cable.  I don’t even get reception for the basic channels.  Sure, I could break down and buy an adaptor, but I really don’t mind not watching TV (especially missing out on all those negative political ads!).  However, I do end up watching quite a few movies.  So today I thought I would share some that I’ve recently seen (sort of in order from worst to best):

• Alvin & the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked — What can I say, I have a 4-yr-old nephew who loved the Squeakquel.  That’s about all I have to say about that one!   
• Breaking Dawn — Yes, I admit it, I follow the Twilight saga.  This one seemed to be a bunch of not a whole lot of anything. 
• Super 8 — Starts out with good intentions, reminiscent of Spielberg and movies such as The Goonies, E.T., Jaws, and Close Encounters.  The initial half of the movie seemed promising: a group of  kids making their own movie and witnessing a train derailment, but then it just seems to fall to pieces, turning into a mess of a monster movie.  And unlike those other movies, there are no memorable moments.  They would have been better off to stick with the kids and their relationships, leaving the “monster” out of it.  
• Fast Five — I think this is the 1st of the Fast & the Furious movies I’ve seen.  I don’t think I need to seek out any of the others.  But I have to admit the safe chase was something new; totally implausible, sure, but still kind of cool to watch.
• One Day — Critics of the film have a problem with Anne Hathaway’s accent, the exclusion of important events, and the lack of chemistry between the 2 main characters.  These were things that I could overlook (I actually thought the character development was well done), but the ending had me yelling at the TV.  I felt betrayed for having sat through 2 hours of a movie and then having something totally unexpected happen.  It reminded me of Roman Holiday in that aspect– thoroughly enjoyable until you get to the end!  Ugh, I guess I’m just a hopeless romantic, at least when it comes to movies! 
• Dreamland — An indy film set in a desert trailer park, which is more of dead-end wasteland than place of dreams for a father with agoraphobia, a teen beauty queen wanna-be with a terminal illness, an injured athlete, and a poetry-writing girl who is torn between following her dreams and staying behind to take care of those she loves.  Not a movie for everyone, but I enjoyed the characters and their interactions, and the beautiful cinematography.
• Rum Diary — Wasn’t quite sure what to expect with this one, but it’s Johnny Depp, so what’s not to love?!  Depp is in typical excellent form, paying homage to journalist Hunter S. Thompson.  This rum-soaked ride through Puerto Rico, and the contrasts between the haves and have-nots is eye-opening, artsy and intelligent.  I will definitely watch it again when it comes to Blu-Ray to catch things I may have missed the 1st time around.

Paul Kemp: I thought you said you had a TV.
Sala: No, the guy across the alley has a TV. I have binoculars.

Tomorrow, the rest of the list!

No, I’m not referring to the bustling holiday season.  I’m talking about FINALS WEEK!  In thinking about this topic, I went online to find some good tips to give, but what I found was that there is no magic formula.  Different things work best for different people.  Some people do well working with a group, some prefer to study alone.  Some listen to music while studying, some like complete silence.  Regardless of differences in studying styles, here are some general good pointers for everyone:

• REVIEW KEY POINTS — When I was in college, I remember one time my 2 roommates and I were studying for the same test.  We definitely had different studying skills — one of them could recite entire paragraphs from her textbook back word-for-word.  Her memorization skills were amazing, but when I asked her what it meant, she didn’t know.  So don’t worry about memorizing everything.  Focus on the important points — look at the chapter section headings, answer the questions at the end of the chapter, look back over your quizzes & tests & notes, but concentrate more on getting the main ideas & the big picture, not every miniscule detail. 
• DON’T PULL ALL NIGHTERS — Yes, I know this is a hard one.  But getting some sleep the night before will actually give you more energy & alertness.  As a bonus, studying followed by sleeping will help embed the material in your brain! 
• EAT HEALTHY & GET EXERCISE — Sugar may bring you up, but it’s followed by a big low.  It’s better to eat brain-boosting foods like almonds & carrots.  One of the articles I read suggested eating Chex Mix.  I like that idea so much I think I’ll try to have some on hand next Tuesday night for those who come to study in the library!  As far as exercise, take study breaks.  Study for an hour, hour and a half, then get up, do some stretches, walk around.
• SCHEDULE YOUR TIME — What a crazy time of year!  You’re studying for tests, finishing up papers, getting ready to go home for the holidays, trying to spend time with your friends, some of whom you may not see again for a very long time.  Make a schedule (and try to stick to it !) for when you’ll carve out time for studying, and really use that time for studying.  No texting, no Facebook, no chatting with your neighbor. 

And finally, don’t panic!  Prepare as well as you can, and then just do your best.  Good luck everyone! 

P.S.  What works for you when studying for tests?  PLEASE SHARE YOUR TIPS!