Mr. Welsh’s Blog

With the school year in full swing and me being busy with school and getting my prospectus ready for defense at UNLV, I have to admit my reading time has been a bit limited.  However, here are some new titles I’ve gotten through you might want to check out:

The Protector- Jen Ruth:

(fiction, quick read)  It is *so* cool that one of our own teachers at Esco is a published author!  I recently read Mrs. Ruth’s book The Protector and, although I am not known as a big fan of fiction, I could not put this one down. This book has a little bit of everything; fantasy, action, romance, and mystery.  Set here in Vegas, the main character uses her magic skills to fight off bad guys both corporeal and spiritual as she continues to fight off a mystery villain intent on  wiping out anyone in town who uses or promotes magic.

Shift- Jennifer Bradbury:

(fiction, easy-read, mystery) The by-line on this book says it all:  “some friends fade away…others disappear.”  Two friends graduate high school and decide to go on a cross-country bicycle trek before heading off to college, only one of them never makes it back.  Agents are investigating and clues are surfacing as to what happened to Winston (Win) that day he passed Chris and was not seen again.  Not only does the pair go on a great adventure, but you are compelled to keep reading on to get the details of what really happened.

I have a couple more interesting titles I’m working on, one by Eoin Colfer, the author of the Artemis Fowl series, and a really interesting one called “Mexican White Boy”, about a Hispanic boy trying to fit in and figure out his cultural identity.  Until next time…

3 Comments »
Filed under: Escobedo MS (General)

Now that we are a couple weeks into school, I figured it would be a good time to share some of the fun books that I read over the summer.  Sure, I read lots of other educational stuff, but these were ones just for fun.  If you are looking for some good books to read, here are the latest that I checked out:

Thoreau at Walden- John Porcellino:

(graphic novel, poetry, easy read)  I admit it.  I don’t think I ever read thoreau as a student in middle or high school.  I’m pretty sure I thought, “Poetry- how boring.”  But, I actually wanted to read this one.  This author took the writings of Henry David Thoreau and put them in the format of a cartoon/graphic novel.  If you’ve never read Thoreau, this is your ticket into reading one of the best American poets.

The Surrender Tree- Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom- Margarita Engle:

(poetry, non-fiction)  This book uses poetry to tell the story of Cuba’s struggle for independence.  The main character is Rosa who is a healer who uses natural remedies from wild plants, using hidden caves as hospitals.  It is a unique approach to painting the picture of a war-torn country fighting for its independence from Spain.

Before Their Time- The World of Child Labor- David L. Parker:

(non-fiction, pictures, easy read)  They say a picture can speak a thousand words.  This book would be saying a lot.  Each chapter gives a brief background into an area of labor such as mining, agriculture, textiles, garbage picking, etc. and then gives some realistic and sometimes frightening black and white photos of children workers working dangerous and laborious jobs.  Did you think that child labor was a thing of the past?  Guess again.  These photos for the most part are all less than 10 years old.

For Boys Only- The Biggest, Baddest Book Ever- Marc Aronson & H. P. Newquist:

(non-fiction, easy-read, illustrated)  Are you that person in a group who knows all kinds of random facts about things?  Do you wish you were?  This book is a lot of little pieces put together, covering all sorts of things from the most venomous snakes, to the fastest supercars, to how to get out of quicksand, to the only four sports dynasties worth mentioning, to how do IPods work.  This is right up my alley as far as books go.  This book captured my attention and I kept saying to myself, “OK, I’ll read one more page.”  I love all the cool stuff in here!  This book may say it is for boys only, but I bet a lot of girls should know this stuff too.

The Trouble Begins at 8: A life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild, West:

(non-fiction, easy-read, illustrated)  How did I not know that Mark Twain spent time in Nevada before becoming a writer?  This books does a great job of including the interesting parts of Samuel Clemens’ (a.k.a. Mark Twain) life and adventures without getting mired in any boring details.  I also didn’t know that he used to be a full-fledged riverboat captain and was involved in a few get-rich-quick schemes.  Good thing he never hooked up with Bernie Madoff!  Mark Twain’s quick, witty comments are some of the best quips ever.  As he once said, “It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.”

No Comments »
Filed under: Escobedo MS (General)

In case you are looking for a couple of cool books to check out over the summer, here are a couple I just read that are *perfect* for easy summer reading and will definitely hold your attention:

What the World Eats- Peter Menzel & Faith D’Aluisio:

(easy read, non-fiction, pictures) This book really gave me a new appreciation for the living conditions in many parts of the world and how fortunate we really are to live in the United States. With LOADS of photographs and graphics, this book documents what a typical family in 25 different parts of the world eats. It tells how much is spent on groceries and gives a unique insight into daily life for the people. It is a quick read for all reading levels. My favorite part was looking at all the prepackaged and junk food the typical families in eat in each of the developed countries.

Far From Home: Latino Baseball Players in America- Tim Wendel & José Luis Villegas:

(easy read, non-fiction, pictures, sports) Calling all baseball fans! If you root for Manny Ramirez, Albert Pujols, David Ortiz (GO RED SOX!) or Vlad Guerrero, this book will walk you through the humble history of latino baseball and the rise to prominence of latinos in the major leagues. If you claim to know about baseball and don’t know who Roberto Clemente, Luis Aparicio, or Tony Oliva are, then pick this book up! Filled with lots of gritty, real-life pictures of baseball in the farm leagues and the developmental leagues outside of the U.S.

WAR IS- Marc Aronson & Patty Campbell:

(non-fiction, adult language) Without taking any sides or espousing any political views regarding war, this book talks about the realities of enlisting, fighting in battle, war wounds, and the after-effects of fighting in a war. WARNING- there are a few instances of inappropriate language in this book, but such are the realities of war. There are lots of first-hand accounts of people’s experiences, letters from the battlefield, and stories of heroes who gave the ultimate sacrifice. My favorite part is where the book answers questions like: “How will my body react to combat?”, “Will it feel like a video game?”, “What does it feel like to kill someone?”, and “Will I be afraid?”. Tough questions and tough answers.

Read any of these books?  What do you think about them?

No Comments »
Filed under: Escobedo MS (General)

The presidential election is just a few weeks away and the polls are close, with Obama having a slight lead over McCain.  With the economy and energy being the big issues on everyone’s minds these days, there has been political talk about little else.  Still, there has been a little talk about what the candidates would do to support education and how they would address the requirements of No Child Left Behind.  What’s your take?  What do you think the president (whoever it may be) should do to help support education at the federal level?

No Comments »
Filed under: Escobedo MS (General)

As the school year winds down, it is a good time to reflect upon what really matters most, what works, and what we might try and do better next time.  I know we will be setting our goals and objectives for next year to make Escobedo even better.

As parents, sometimes we might feel like there is not a lot we can do to help our kids be successful in school if we are not comfortable with the curriculum.  Did you know that the smallest things can make a huge impact in your child’s success?  A recent study out of the University of New Hampshire shows that students do much better in school when their parents are actively involved in their education.  Just talking about what’s going on at school, what they learned in class, attending school meetings, or volunteering at school has the same impact on student achievement that an additional $1,000 per student would have.

So, as you think about what you could do next year for your student, the best answer is to get involved.  You may be surprised at the results.

No Comments »
Filed under: Escobedo MS (General)