by Maureen Hall, NJLA Board Member “Vocabulary is the key to the kingdom of reading and writing,” is a statement I frequently make as I bring professional development to various districts across the state of New Jersey. I’m a literacy coach at ‘For the Love of Literacy’, and I passionately agree with that sentiment. If you think about it, how much listening, speaking, reading and writing can any of us do without a solid and ever-expanding vocabulary? The explicit teaching

A Message from ILA President, Dr. Kenneth Kunz

by Shalonda Archibald, NJLA Board Member Joy is defined as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires. Author Robert Strand explains, “Joy is therapeutic to you who might be experiencing it as well as to others who may be observing or sharing it with you.” The Bible says it this way in Proverbs 17:22, “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.” Joy differs from happiness. O