“You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political and spiritual leader (1869 – 1948)
For educators, making the decision to go public with your work can be terrifying. Gnawing whispers of doubt that paralyze any new author are made worse when you realize that you are labeled a supposed expert in the eyes of hundreds of students each year. “What if no one reads my books or posts?” Worse yet, “What if a student buys a copy and hates it?”
Despite this, it is a teacher's responsibility to be an avid reader and writer. This doesn't just mean the English/Language Arts department, either. If our teaching goals include cross-curricular instruction, then all teachers from all subjects should showcase their literacy.
Effective educators model writing and reading skills in the classroom. Many do just that and stop there. That isn't to say that most teachers aren't voracious readers and writers. I know several who are. I know many more who don't take the small step forward to model to students how integral reading and writing is in their lives.
Don't misunderstand me, not every teacher has to write a book, post a weekly blog, or read a book a day. Some may be able to keep up that schedule, but I know I can't. Every teacher should, however, invest time in sharing their appropriate personal reading and writing interests with students. This isn't a request to deviate from your curriculum. Part of building a constructive classroom environment is to establish a culture for learning.
Every teacher should put their literacy on display. If not, are we really modeling the importance reading and writing?
The two most influential books of my teaching career aren't found in college curricula, nor were they written by theorists. These books on practice were written by teachers for use in the modern classroom. Each book contains methods and techniques for engaging students by being “the change” that our world of education needs to see.
The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child
Donalyn Miller
Book Summary from Amazon: Donalyn Miller says she has yet to meet a child she couldn't turn into a reader. No matter how far behind Miller's students might be when they reach her 6th grade classroom, they end up reading an average of 40 to 50 books a year. Miller's unconventional approach dispenses with drills and worksheets that make reading a chore. Instead, she helps students navigate the world of literature and gives them time to read books they pick out themselves. Her love of books and teaching is both infectious and inspiring. The book includes a dynamite list of recommended "kid lit" that helps parents and teachers find the books that students really like to read.
Writing for Real: Strategies for Engaging Adolescent Writers
Ross M. Burkhardt
Book Summary from Amazon: In Writing for Real, Ross Burkhardt offers a wealth of writing strategies--collected over his career as a classroom teacher and key figure in middle level education--that give kids real reasons to write. By keeping the strategies grounded in the real world and in students' interests, kids become more engaged than they would from canned exercises. Teacher/student dialogues introduce concepts in an authentic setting. The strategies are also designed to be developmentally appropriate for young adolescents. Throughout the book, examples of student writing represent a range of developmental levels and a variety of forms, such as free-verse poetry, interior monologues, and personal essays. Combining a deep passion for both teaching writing and educating adolescents, Writing for Real offers readers a window into a master teacher's classroom. Whether you work with struggling writers or kids who already love to write, these strategies will engage your students in meaningful tasks that teach them the thrill and power of good, effective, purposeful writing.
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