Book Recommendation: Paper Towns by John Green

Being the dutiful English teacher that I am, I always try to be reading at least one book for enjoyment. Usually I actually have about three or more started at once... Most recently I've been on a John Green kick. After finishing "The Fault in Our Stars" and proceeding to ugly cry for the entire second half of the novel (yes all the internet hype is true) I couldn't imagine any other author could cure that book hangover. 

I started with "Looking for Alaska" and was officially hooked on this nerdy looking author. 

My personality functions in a polarizing way; I can either be lukewarm and uninterested -or- completely and utterly obsessive. John Green as an author has worked his way onto my obsession list through his lively characters, intriguing quotes, and his talent for sewing together hilarious moments with thought provoking questions about various aspects of life.  

"Paper Towns" perfectly illustrates everything I've fallen in love with about Green's writing. The main character, Quentin, is perfectly real. Green allows readers to understand and empathize with Q without making him overly romanticized or perfect. Readers know Q (and the other characters) as realistic individuals. Characters that you can get annoyed with in one chapter only to have them redeem themselves in the next. I have loved each of Green's characters both for the moments that they live up to their potential and the moments that showcase their flaws.

This book is also fantastically funny, and addictive. I was caught laughing out loud on several occasions, and that is a literally laughing out loud. I swear I had a family friend tease me about it because it happened that often and that obviously. I'm not going to spoil the ending, but the final part of the book is packed with anecdotes and imagery that would make even my apathetic 7th graders giggle. Once I reached the final third of the book I could not put it down (which seems to be a trend with Green's books). I raced through the pages, anxious to see what the plot had in store as well as to reach the next joke. 

Overall a stupendous read from a great writer - a perfect summer read.

Teacher Bonus - I get to teach BOTH "The Fault in Our Stars" and "Paper Towns" next year!!!! I am so excited!!!!

Here is the description of the novel taken from Green's website... because who better to explain a book and spark interest from readers than the author himself? 

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Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life–dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge–he follows.

After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues–and they’re for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees of the girl he thought he knew.

Paper Towns debuted at #5 on the New York Times bestseller list and won the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery. It is taught in many high school and college curricular, often in conjunction with Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, which is an important text within the novel.

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This is truly one of the best books I've read this year and John Green is quickly working his way up my list of favorite authors.

On the Road - Part One

Throughout my entire first year of teaching I was caught saying one thing repeatedly

"The school year is just so busy and stressful, I promise I will (fill in the blank) over the summer." 

Of course this was 100% true and was said with very genuine and honest intentions. A couple of weeks ago I actually took the time to map out my summer and make sure that I could follow through with all of my commitments. I quickly realized that literally EVERY weekend of my summer was booked before school had even ended. These events ranged from brewery tours, to graduation parties, weddings, and visiting friends and family. Although I was/am so excited for each and every one of them, it is also daunting to have that much activity to juggle.

That being said I have literally been bouncing between states for an entire month, and I am not exaggerating (although, to be fair I do exaggerate often). 

June 10-11 - My summer started with a work day at my new place of employment. I am lucky enough to have coworkers that have already welcomed me into their social circles and homes. I spent a day and a half working on literacy stuff with my new peers. I also got to watch trap shooting and get to know my future home. It was fantastic and really set the tone for next year in the most positive way. I am over the moon excited for this next step in my teaching career! It's gonna be AWESOME!

June 12-13 - After that I spent some time at my dad's house in central Wisconsin, which was pretty low key and uneventful. 

June 14 - I had been promising my aunt and uncle that I would spend time with them all school year, and I had been encouraging them to come for a Leinenkugel Brewery Tour for just as long. They ended up picking the perfect weekend for a visit! Turns out every year Leinenkugels hosts a "Family Reunion" which includes live music, ongoing tours, free food and beer! It was one of my favorite days in the past year and it was completely free!!! I highly recommend it, and we decided to make it our own family tradition. I can't wait till next year!

June 15 - After the great day at Leine Lodge I turned around and drove to Illinois to visit my mom and see my favorite band play an epic concert at the Chicago House of Blues. For years Needtobreathe has been my go to music for just about everything. Their songs are particularly suited for blasting in the car and singing at the top of your lungs. I have seen them live a couple of times and they never disappoint! This concert was special because I got to go with one of my closest friends, Chrysan, who I hadn't seen in what felt like a lifetime. It was such a fantastic experience and I loved every second of it. I know this is gonna sound cheesy, but I can't even put it into words... If you every have the chance to see them live do not hesitate!

This is one of my favorite parts of their show. For their final encore they come out and completely unplug - no microphones and just guitars. Then the crowd sings along but not too loud that you can't hear them... it's basically the most epic thing I've seen happen in a concert. Bonus, this is actually from the concert I was at... Enjoy!

June 16-26 - I proceeded to spend a couple weeks catching up with my mom and my sister, who came in from Boston for a few days. It was great to have some extended time with family. Usually I'm in town for a couple of days so it can feel rushed and stressful trying to see all the people I want to in such a short window. It was fun to relax and really have intentional time with so many of the people that I love. 

Not to mention the fact that I got to see James Taylor in concert with my mom! That was also a great show, and something I always wanted to experience. Having my parents (especially my mom) instill a love of music in me from and early age it was a dream come true to share a concert experience with her. Knowing that she introduced me to James Taylor and remembering listening to his albums while spring cleaning or driving to school gave a special layer of meaning to watching him play those same songs live with my mom standing and singing along next to me.

June 20-23 - There was also a long weekend at my dad's sandwiched in between the weeks with my mom. I was not joking when I said I bounced between states. We played host to a reunion with some life long friends that I hadn't seen in years. It was so much fun to have a house full of people. I am a textbook extrovert and after living alone for a year I forgot how much I enjoyed having people around. It was a perfect balance of activity and energy without being chaotic. The weekend included a couple stupendous bonfires, some painful sunburn, and delicious food. Basically the perfect mini vacation within a vacation. 

If you've been paying attention you probably noticed that the title of this entry includes "Part One". I still have about a week and a half to document, but I don't feel like writing it all at once, and I'm assuming that you are probably tired of reading this too... Honestly I commend you if you made it this far, I've been rambling a bit. 

"Part One" of my travels mostly centers around my family and trips between Illinois and Wisconsin. "Part Two" will include more about college friends, Milwaukee, and Minnesota... 

Stay tuned! (or don't, I'm not gonna tell you what to do...)

Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginnings End.

Yes. I did just quote "Closing Time" by Semi Sonic, and I do realize how cheesy that is... but it also fits by feelings right now almost perfectly.

This past Friday I finished my first year of teaching and I can tell you that day was an emotional roller coaster. My first year as a teacher basically proved all the tired cliches I heard throughout college true. It was one of the most difficult, rewarding, and exhausting years of my life.

I spent the better part of the past 8 months with about 75 teaching and learning from 7th grader students in a rural Wisconsin town. Even though I loved my students, coworkers, and the unique challenges of teaching middle school I made the difficult decision to move to a new district and a new challenge for next year. Leading to the tear-soaked, emotional last day of school that was Friday.

I love all my 7th graders, even those that challenged me on a daily basis and I will miss them so much. I have such high hopes for their futures and I know that each of them has the potential to achieve anything that they put their minds to.

On the last day of school I showed my students a clip from "The Buried Life" (included below) and I asked my kids to come up with their own list of things they wanted to accomplish in their lives. It was the perfect send off, and I loved hearing the goals of each students. I was pleasantly surprised with the depth and creativity in their responses.

Leaving my first position was one of the most difficult things I had to do.... maybe that is why this blog entry isn't coming out quite as smoothly or eloquently as I had hoped. I'm still processing through all the bittersweet emotions of that day, as well as re-hydrating from all that crying.

Really the title of this entry/cheesy song lyric sums everything up pretty well... I am sad to be leaving my students, coworkers, and friends that supported me, listened to me, and taught me so much about who I am and who I want to become. I am also so excited to start the next stage of my teaching career at KHS (I'm not going to actually tell you the name of my new school just in case any of you are creeps). I have already received warm welcomes from so many of my new coworkers and the curriculum outline already has my creative juices flowing!

This new beginning at KHS is going to be fantastic I know, but it has had to come through the end of another great beginning....

I may have overreached on the poetic wording of that last bit, but I'm trying to stretch my artistic limits... even though I'm an English teacher writing has never been the strongest skill in my repertoire....

In Which I Explain Myself:

Hi.

My name is Megan Scapin, but if you read my profile thing you probably already know that.

I am a recent graduate of St. Norbert College (Class of 2013) and have just finished my first year as a full grown adult person. I was lucky enough to find a full time job as a 7th grade Language Arts Teacher, which allowed me to move into my own apartment, have my own insurance, pay my own bills, and basically enter real life.

I have decided to keep this blog for a couple of reasons...

1. During my senior year I was able to spend about 2 months abroad teaching in St. Lucia. While I was in the Caribbean I kept a blog and I really loved it. It was a great way to reflect and share my experiences, whether people actually read them or not.                                                                                  
2. I have family and friends spread throughout the United States, and even the world... and I am supremely awful at keeping in touch through phone calls, emails, and especially text messages. This seemed like a solid alternative to feeling awful every time I leave a voicemail in my mailbox and still forget to call someone back.                                                                                      
3. Hopefully writing on a regular basis will help to improve my writing skills. Since I no longer have 10 page papers I'm scrambling to finish the night before they're due I need someway to continue to grow and develop the skill I'm supposed to be teaching my students.                               
4. This will definitely be an entertaining thing to look back on in years to come. Almost like a mini, digital time capsule, capturing my voice, opinions, and daily musings as a 23 year old.          
5. Maybe this can serve as a source of inspiration, encouragement, or just humor for others out in the world trying to find themselves and survive real life. 

I make no guarantees about what this blog might contain on any given day... I am assuming that you can ancipate almost anything from funny teacher stories, to the struggles of being a 20 something, to different crafty projects.

If you choose to continue reading thanks! It's sure to be an interesting ride.