It's not hard these days with blogs, facebook, and twitter to stay connected to the educational community and learn the latest in research and ideas. But part of that connecting also means belonging to professional organizations. Belonging makes you part of something much bigger than yourself, and there is always power in numbers. It ignites your passion and puts you in touch, face to face, with people you may otherwise never have met.

I belong to several organizations at the national, state, and local levels, and I can honestly say that the benefits of membership for me have been far-reaching. Yes, there are the journals, newsletters, and reduced conference registration fees, but there are also those intangible extras. Recently, the membership director of KSRA (Keystone State Reading Organization), Connie Unger, asked members to write about why they joined KSRA in the hopes of influencing other teachers to join. I responded by focusing on three things: passion, people, and perspectives. All are important, but to me it is the people I have met that stand out the most. Teachers, authors, researchers, and publishers have guided me to new thinking and challenged me to learn more.

Whether you are a new or a seasoned teacher, I encourage you to reap the rewards of becoming involved in a professional organization. If you already belong, I'd love to hear what you think.

You just can't deny the power of the read aloud to build community, reach into the hearts of students, model good reading strategies, and...simply share a good story. Most of my day is broken up into a whirlwind of half hour periods with small groups of students K-5. Although I try to share stories and poems as often as possible, sometimes the urgency of the needs of my students causes me to forget that I also need to make time for other things that are important. So today, in celebration of World Read Aloud Day, I made it a point to share a favorite read aloud with all my groups. We did our word sorts, practiced fluency, built vocabulary, and applied comprehension strategies, but we also shared a story - and that can make all the difference.

Be sure to check out the Stenhouse Blog where you can listen to several wonderful authors read from their work.