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Thinking of home


I am writing this at a local café, near the university, as I hover over the Radio New Zealand website to hear news of the mission to retrieve the deceased from Whakaari White Island. News of this tragedy has really been affecting me, somehow the more so because I am so far away. I cannot imagine the pain of those in hospital and their families.
Here at Worlds of Words, today we are preparing for an annual book sale where extra books are sold to staff. I have just been helping wheel out hundreds of books in preparation for tomorrow morning when the sale starts.
This week is the last week of lectures for students who are all busy handing in assignments. My colleagues who are teaching are all busy marking portfolios and tests. It’s a busy and intense time. My main work at the moment is writing and preparing for data collection in the New Year. My colleague Kathy and I will be running two picturebook clubs, one with school children and one with pre-service teachers, using bilingual picturebooks. I’m really looking forward to it. I will also be running bilingual picturebook workshops in a range of locations, including Arizona and Georgia. There’s lots of exciting work ahead now that most of my lectures have been given.

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