A Short, Older Supermodel, Rock Star Music Teacher

Even though things are crazy right now at school, we're still plugging away in the music room. I'm doing my best to stay healthy and keep the kids healthy and to focus on the funny stuff. And some of these kids provide non-stop material.

 

One morning before school, I heard some sixth grade boys wandering the hall, exclaiming, "Mrs. Duggan IS in here, guys!" 

 

"Mrs. Duggan is busy!" I called out to them, refusing to get up from my desk.

 

The boys peeked their head in my door. One of them explained they didn't know who was in the Jaggy costume that morning, and they were trying to figure out which teacher it was. 

 

(Jaggy is our mascot. He graces us with his presence almost every Friday. Half the time, I don't even know who is in the costume.)

 

"We thought you were Jaggy today because he looked short.” 

 

Later a fifth grader reported, "You look so young, but that could be your height."

These upper grade kids love it when they figure out that I'm not nearly as tall to them now as I was when they were six.

 

 

 

The second graders think I'm a rock star when I play my guitar, even though I only play three chords. (Of course, so do most rock stars.) 

 

The kids were raving over my mad guitar skills the other day. I had just played the ROAR song, a parody inspired by Katy Perry that teaches our school rules. 

 

Out of the blue, one boy announced, "My friend has $0, but he has an electric guitar!"

 

 

I wore this outfit the other day and felt super cute. I guess my instincts were right because the fifth graders told me my clothes looked like something Ariana Grande would wear.

 

"Yeah! You look like an older supermodel!" one of the students chimed in.

 

 

And if my ego wasn't boosted enough . . .

 

It was the end of music, and one of my third grade classes was lining up. They have a tendency to crowd me out so that I can't stand in front of them and monitor their behavior. I instructed them to move back so I could have "THIS MUCH SPACE!" and I accompanied that with a really weird gesture, waving around my arms and legs.

 

"Why do you need that much space?" the kid at the front asked. "You’re skinny."

 

 

I hadn't heard that one before! It's my new favorite.

 

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Reading Challenge: Becky's Twenty-One in 2021

 

In 2020, I started matching the number of books in my reading challenge to the year. I couldn't resist. 2020 seemed like the perfect time for that kind of cheesy life hack.

 

So . . . I read twenty books in 2020. Then I challenged myself to read twenty-one books in 2021. 

 

And guess what, friends? 

 

I did it! Mic. Drop.

 

Yes, I have challenged myself to read twenty-two in 2022 as well. It might get a little trickier this year. Not only does 2022 require more books, but I will be taking on a few more extracurricular activities with some music and theater performances here and there now that vaccinations and boosters are a thing. 

Before I share my twenty-one books of 2021, here are a few fun facts, according to Goodreads, from my reading adventures: 

 

 

 

 

Becky's Twenty-One in 2021 

 

JANUARY

1. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes
Notes and Favorites: The audio book version was recommended to me by a friend who also loves The Princess Bride. It was fun to hear the content read by Cary Elwes and several members of the cast and crew. I also gained a great respect for Rob Reiner as a director after listening to this.
 

2. The Good Lord Bird by James McBride
Notes and Favorites: The whole time I was reading this, I kept thinking how much it reminded me of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Then I found out I was not alone in my comparison and that McBride had been compared to a modern Mark Twain. And it’s such a good book!

FEBRUARY
3. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
Notes and Favorites: It was an interesting read, keeping in mind the context of the essays being broadcast during World War II.  

“Now is our chance to choose the right side. God is holding back to give us that chance. It won't last forever. We must take it or leave it.”

4. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Notes and Favorites: It is rare that I know within the first couple of pages that I will love a book. This book drew me in from page one. Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors of all time for a reason.

MARCH
5. Kindred by Octavia Butler
Notes and Favorites: Although this book was written a few decades ago, it feels very progressive and still rings very (and too) true. Butler vividly depicts the way the insidious act of enslaving people affects and traumatizes society both in its past and its present.

APRIL
6. I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are by Rachel Bloom
Notes and Favorites: She performs a one-person musical in the audio version. Enough said.
 

7. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Notes and Favorites: Part coming of age story, part American tragedy, part making the case for justice reform and reparations, this book is haunting and so very relevant.

MAY
8. The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis
Notes and Favorites: This book makes Chess into an edge-of-your-seat thriller. If you watched the Netflix series that was based on Tevis’ novel, you know what I’m sayin’.

JUNE
9. Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: I'm rereading most of Beverly Cleary's books since her death earlier this year. I like this book, from the perspective of Beezus, the older responsible sister to whom I always related (a little more than Ramona).
 

10. Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: I have a deeper understanding of some of my kindergartners' antics after revisiting this book!
 

11. Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: I love the descriptions of Beezus' and Ramona's teachers in these books.

JULY
12. The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
Notes and Favorites: This is a story of ghosts and being haunted by the consequences of our actions and the actions of others.
 

13. Ramona and Her Father by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: I remember this being one of my favorite Ramona books as a child. My father also experienced job loss as does Mr. Quimby in the story, and I think, at the time, it helped me make sense of what my family was going through.

 

AUGUST
14. Ramona and Her Mother by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: The scene where Ramona threatens to run away and her parents answer with, "I'm sorry to hear that" and "When are you leaving?" is a pure Love and Logic moment.

SEPTEMBER
15. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: I laughed out loud at the introduction of one of the characters, "Bruce Who Doesn't Wee Wee In The Sandbox."
 

16. Ramona Forever by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: A friend of mine mentioned how much she was enjoying Stockard Channing's interpretation of these books. She must be doing the same thing I am right now! (She's right. Stockard Channing's readings are fantastic!)

OCTOBER
17. Ramona's World by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: This was the only Ramona book I didn't read as a child. It came out when I was in college, and I had outgrown Ramona books by then--ha ha! It was fun to discover it for the first time.
 

18. "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde
Notes and Favorites: For the last few years, I have been reading a classic ghost story every October. This year, I went a little lighter.
 

NOVEMBER

19. Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: When I read this as a kid, I don't think I appreciated the creative structure of this epistolary novel. This was a fun adult reread.

DECEMBER

20. Strider by Beverly Cleary
Notes and Favorites: Little did I know there was a sequel to Dear Mr. Henshaw even though I would have been about the right age to read this when it came out. This is a heartwarming sequel to the darker first book.

21. The Mirror and the Light by Hilary Mantel
Notes and Favorites: I did it! I mean that in two ways. I completed my twenty-one in 2021 reading challenge, AND I finished the Wolf Hall trilogy. I have been waiting for the final installment for a few years. It did not disappoint, but it was a tome, over seven hundred pages. I did it though, all the way to Thomas Cromwell’s beheading. 

 

 

For the latest blog updates, visit and "like" Rebecca Turner-Duggan.