For a literacy coach, the beginning of the school year can feel a bit off. We love our teachers and students, but we want classroom teachers to have time to get to their new kiddos, so we take a temporary hands-off approach leaving us in offices to tend to necessary administrivia. When we finally return to our beloved work with students and teachers teaching and coplanning, it’s like a chocolate-covered espresso bean right to our classroom-loving hearts. Hope your year has started smoothly. Here is the first roundup of literacy links in my new weekly series for some quick inspiration and tips:

• Mark your calendars.
• Where I got my idea.
• A great list to share with parents on back to school night.
• When no one is signed up to give a book talk…
• Inspirational mental health break with diversity and overcoming a challenge? Yes!