Hello, hello, Mary Lee! I’m so excited to have you join me for this super short and fun Five in Five. First I want to thank you for your dedication to the young people of our country. Teaching isn’t always rewarding, but I so appreciate you! It’s great to have you here as part of our month-long campaign #MGGetsReal where we spotlight books with tough topics for kids who need them most. But now, let’s have a little fun.

1. TV or strenuous hike?

As long as the hike is not on a sweltering summer day with 90 degrees of heat and an equal percentage of humidity, I will choose it over TV every time. TV puts me to sleep. Nature and exercise invigorate me.

2. What my students love about reading?

My students love my classroom library (especially all the graphic novels) combined with TIME to read and their CHOICE of what to read every single day.

3. If you could change places with any person for a day who would it be and why?

I would be Diana Nyad on her swim from Cuba to Florida…at age 64. What would it be like to feel the power of her swim, the power of the ocean, the power of her resolve, the joy when she walked up onto that beach in Florida, having achieved her life’s greatest goal?

4. Favorite thing(s) about being a teacher?

The kids. Plus read aloud, Poetry Friday, and genius hour – the times during the day/week when teaching and learning feel most natural.

5. If you could tag one other person (author, librarian, teacher, other) for this Five in Five, who would it be and what would you want me to ask them?

I would tag all of the 5^th grade teachers who are on Twitter and ask them, “What will be your first read aloud of the year?”

Love the answers here and especially hope that some of your 5^th grade teacher friends will stop by and reply to question #5. Thanks so much, Mary Lee. I wish you and your students a productive and fun year. Happy reading!

Mary Lee Hahn is an aspiring poet and beloved 5th grade teacher from Ohio.

Follow Mary Lee on Twitter: @MaryLeeHahn

Or check out her fantastic blog here