Sunday, August 26, 2007

This I Believe

I believe that English teachers have the opportunity to prepare young people for the world outside of the classroom by teaching them literacy strategies and by strengthening the literacy skills that they already possess. I believe that reading is one door that opens students to the “outside” world—a professional realm where relationships and communication are among the keys to success.

I believe English educators should be inviting, that is, they must make reading exercises and literature relevant and interesting for students. Activating prior knowledge in young minds engages learners in new material. Students will find the most meaning in pieces that can connect to past experiences or previously learned information. For instance, I can remember struggling through Stephen Crane’s famous short story, “The Open Boat,” as a senior in high school. I remember asking myself, “Why should I care about this piece?” Only years later, after sitting through extensive history and literature lectures, do I now understand the story’s naturalism and the ways that Crane weaves historical accounts throughout the piece. I believe that effective teachers remember their own reading experiences and help their students navigate similar situations.

I also believe that English teachers should give students choices. As I mentioned earlier, English educators must encourage students to find meaning and relevance in all forms of writing. However, students may not make these important connections if all of the materials they experience are chosen by the teacher alone. Just as all the decisions in the world outside of the classroom that affect young people, all of the decisions in the classroom that affect them should not be determined by an authority figure. By offering choices in areas like reading, English educators can help students take control of their own learning experiences. One of our goals as educators is to have our students engage themselves in a text. In giving students a choice, young people are likely to pick a text that has the potential for optimal engagement. Students are also aware of their individual reading levels, and, when given the chance, they will choose suitable pieces of writing that they can read, understand, and explore.

Finally, I believe that English teachers connect students to the human experience—the situations that all humans find themselves in at some point in their lives—through reading. When English educators teach literature and poetry, they reveal different scenarios and emotions to a class that can provide insight into personal struggles or problems that some students may be facing. English teachers also reveal various perspectives to students to show them that no two minds think alike, and each human is influenced in unique ways by their gender, culture, background, ethnicity, etc. Through various genres, English teachers show young people the diversity that exists among humans across the globe, while also revealing the common links among us all.