The Official Website of Alan Lawrence Sitomer - Latest Comments

Re: The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez

Alaisha wilson — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:31:08 -0000

OMG i love it

Re: Common Core: The David Coleman Dilemma

Alan Sitomer — Tue, 08 May 2012 11:56:59 -0000

Thanks for the comment, Lori. It really is a war for the soul of English which is being waged in front of our eyes. And this summer, we'll learn a lot more about the assessments which should sprinkle in a whole lotta new angles to all this.

May you live in exciting times, right?
*

All my best,

Alan

Alan Lawrence Sitomer <http: www.alansitomer.com="">*
*California Teacher of the Year, 2007 *
*& author of Disney's New Picture Book*
*DADDIES DO IT DIFFERENT!*
*(a GREAT GIFT FOR FATHER'S DAY)*
*Learn more about all of Alan's books at www.AlanSitomer.com <http: www.alansitomer.com%c2%a0="">
*
*
*</http:></http:>

Re: Common Core: The David Coleman Dilemma

Lori — Tue, 08 May 2012 07:15:41 -0000

Ditto, Alan. My first thought after hearing David Coleman speak is that he is advocating the worst of high school English instruction from thirty years ago. Also, I am wondering whether these folks have ever heard of the gradual release of responsibility, not to mention reader response, etc. Where is the research behind what he is saying? In a podcast, he said he has spoken to "many authors" who say their work stands alone and provides all the background information needed. I don't know to whom he has been speaking (perhaps he could name a few names), but I belong to a national organization of children's authors and we agree that we generally expect our readers to bring some background knowledge to the reading.

I agree that the CCSS have potential, but the message about instruction needs to honour the professionalism of teachers.

Re: Hip-Hop High School

Alan Sitomer — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:02:29 -0000

You are AWESOME! Thanks a ton for the nice note!!

(Did you read THE SECRET TORY OF SONIA RODRIGUEZ? Tee-Ay is in that book a lot as well.)
All my best,

Alan

Alan Lawrence Sitomer
California Teacher of the Year, 2007
& author of Disney's New Picture Book
DADDIES DO IT DIFFERENT
(a GREAT GIFT FOR FATHER'S DAY)
Learn more about all my books at www.AlanSitomer.com

Re: Hip-Hop High School

Yasmine — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 17:32:39 -0000

I really really loved this book I truly do love this book I have read this book 10 time within this year all ready and Im happy you wrote this book because Theresa wants to go to the same colleges as I do so this book tells me to keep giving it all you got and if you try hard enough you can truly succeed in what ever you put your mind to so I trurly thank you for writing this book :)

Re: Homeboyz

Alan Sitomer — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 23:12:56 -0000

Thanks a ton for saying such nice things about HOMEBOYZ. Keep fighting the good fight - I appreciate the note to me.

Re: Homeboyz

McCoygirl — Sat, 28 Apr 2012 22:34:32 -0000

i live in Detroit and I hate all of this gang violence that goes on and I'm only 14 and I'm lucky to still be alive from some of the stuff that I've been through I love homeboyz you should make a second one cuz I love how Micah changes so much and learns to trust teddy and help teddy out

Re: A note to aspiring writers

Alan Sitomer — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:54:54 -0000

Keep swinging the bat, Mike. Being an agented writer is already SO FAR ahead of so many folks. Try, try again, right?

And I have a drawer filled with rejection letters. For books that someone else decided to publish and turned a profit on as well. One never knows.
Best of luck.
*

All my best,

Alan

Re: A note to aspiring writers

Mike Winchell — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:47:44 -0000

Teacher and agented writer here. Thanks, I needed this. I've been swinging and knocking down fielders with a swift breeze a little too much lately. Got a manuscript out there now, but regardless, I'mma keep swinging. Thanks again and congrats on the home run power you've had recently. Like you said, you swing enough and you start making solid contact. I hope to follow you in the lineup.

Re: Common Core: The David Coleman Dilemma

ChristelS — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:26:18 -0000

http://utahnsagainstcommoncore... Sign the petition if you are from Utah.

Re: Common Core: Kan U Speel IT ouut pleeze?

Alan Sitomer — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:24:55 -0000

Great, thoughtful reply. Wild card factor in all this is merit pay and teacher evaluations tied to student performance. All those kids who get a "blank slate" shot at school are not gonna see that kind of tolerance from teachers who "inherit" kids that are not up to snuff.
Cause how can you meet the demands of a fast paced, challenging curriculum if your students aren't prepared to do such a thing.
Lots of friction coming in the near future on all this stuff. But thanks for the comment.
All my best,

Alan

Alan Lawrence Sitomer
California Teacher of the Year, 2007
& author of two new YA comedies
Disney Book Group's
NERD GIRLS
& Penguin Putnam's
THE DOWNSIDE OF BEING UP
Learn more at www.AlanSitomer.com

Re: Common Core: Kan U Speel IT ouut pleeze?

Gerard Sukhram — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:19:11 -0000

I feel like the overzealous K teachers are just going to assume that they are starting with a clean slate; "My kids know nothing, and I have to teach them everything." I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing, and to be honest, as a pre-service teacher, I don't know much about the assumptions that K teachers make about their students on the first day. I mean, don't some overzealous secondary teachers do the same thing? I remember the first day of my 7th grade math class, we took a test on addition and subtraction and half the kids failed it. Honors class in a good school district, too. So does the clean slate rule apply there?

Here are some problems I foresee: we analyze these ideas and realize that K students should be able to do such and such by K. Then companies open up these drill-and-kill centers to build those skills and by the time those students reach kindergarten, they have already had a negative experience with learning. I've worked at one of these centers, and this is exactly what I see. Employees of these companies rarely have knowledge of childhood cognitive development, and sometimes they are just too hard on kids.

Re: Common Core: The David Coleman Dilemma

Alan Sitomer — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 19:50:52 -0000

It certainly is an interesting world in which we live. I have a feeling that before CC actually hits, there's gonna be a lot more discussion about this.

Re: Common Core: The David Coleman Dilemma

Karlyn Wood — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:55:05 -0000

If, as you explain, Coleman has never actually taught in a public school classroom, then he probably should focus on the "what" and leave the "how" to successful teachers and specialists in the reading field. I hope some of those specialists will weight in before long. Coleman's audience appears to be mesmerized by his "revelations" about how to study informational text.

Karlyn Wood - Professor Emeritus - Author

Re: Common Core: Kan U Speel IT ouut pleeze?

Alan Sitomer — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:07:01 -0000

Phonetics in the womb... That's brilliant!! More energy into early childhood education is, to mu way of thinking, a good thing. (Certainly beats trying to go "plug holes" once they are older and weighed down with baggage.) Yet if this deacends into drill-n-kill worksheets, YIKES!

Re: Common Core: Kan U Speel IT ouut pleeze?

Christy Rush-Levine — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:18:39 -0000

This post and your previous post bring up such a good point, and so well-put. In our district, a k-12 unit district, most of our resources are being shifted to address the needs of moving towards common core standards k-3. We are even spending millions of dollars as a district to implement all day kindergarten to try to somehow get all kids to the same place within that one crucial year. As if all day kindergarten will do the trick.

I wonder if the reason the authors of the CCS did not address pre-k skills is that they just didn't know where to stop. They would've had to put CCS in place for promoting proper child care to foster healthy future intellectual growth for babies when they are still in the womb.

Re: Homeboyz

Annrhea1516 — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:17:36 -0000

i'm reading the book now and so far i think you've done and excellent job on it

Re: The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez

Alan Sitomer — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 15:16:36 -0000

Thanks a ton for the nice words about my book. I am so glad it really touched a good nerve for you. Keep fighting the good fight!
All my best,

Alan

Alan Lawrence Sitomer
California Teacher of the Year, 2007
& author of two new YA comedies
Disney Book Group's
NERD GIRLS
& Penguin Putnam's
THE DOWNSIDE OF BEING UP
Learn more at www.AlanSitomer.com

Re: The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez

Rebeca — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 22:53:59 -0000

Wonderful, simply incredible! Truly encompasses the spirit, the passion of what it's like to be Hispanic. All the struggles, too, not just the positives. I read this a while back and practically forced my mother & friend to read it. I haven't met ANYONE who doesn't love it. Thanks, Mr. Sitomer, just thanks.

Re: The Hoopster

Jmersnfortuno — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 19:32:06 -0000

help me with this book
i dont want to read this

Re: Student assemblies prove something. (I just don’t know what.)

Alan Sitomer — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:56:03 -0000

Great reply, Lisa. (Not a rant at all.) READICIDE rocks... And it taps into SO many different things.

Reading for points - and pretending to take 10 question quizzes - leaves a bit to be desired but promoting reading as a positive thing is a good thing in my opinion so I am a bit torn on that subject.

Re: Student assemblies prove something. (I just don’t know what.)

Lisa M — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 18:15:39 -0000

I have to get that book READICIDE! Yes, we are killing reading, I agree completely! I don't know how others feel, but reading for POINTS (I won't mention any program names), is ridiculous. When the Reading specialist told my class, "No matter how many books you read, you won't catch up to the other classes points". it makes me angry. You know why they don't have a lot of points, because they are reading novels, not 15 page books for POINTS! Sorry for the rant, keep up the great work you are doing. My 17 year old read the Hunger Games in the car, yes I said it, in the car! Give them something they WANT to read, and they will read!

Re: Homeboyz

Alan Sitomer — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 14:21:46 -0000

Thanks a ton for the nice words!

Re: Homeboyz

ironcrosssurfboards.com — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 13:53:34 -0000

I have read the book three times. It's a very well done book.

Re: The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez

symon — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:53:02 -0000

want to read iit