Debbie Miller is soft-spoken, humble, and reminds me of the teacher down the hall from me without whom I could not have survived my first year as a teacher. To me, she is a Reading guru. Her latest book, Teaching With Intention, is a great book to put on your nightstand and read from a little at a time as this year winds down and you begin thinking about next year.

In this book, Miller challenges us to think deeply about our beliefs as teachers. She even goes as far as having us write our belief statements down. She then asks us if our practices are aligned with these beliefs. This is a difficult question. I think we lose sight of our beliefs because of the pressure we feel. Our practices end up all "cattywampus" compared to what we believe. Debbie Miller has a novel thought: Trust yourself. We can get so caught up in looking outside of ourselves for the answers-- we have to realize that the answers are already inside of us if we are intentional about our teaching and in touch with our students. We have to stay in the moment and be actively engaged in what's happening in any given moment. It's a big leap of faith, huh? If you are feeling up to taking that leap, pick up her book and give it a go!