Harvard Educational Review Spring 2008: Adolescent Literacy (#1)
““To engage adolescents, literacy instruction must capture their minds and speak to the questions they have about the world as they contemplate their place within it””
At the moment, I have a student teacher. Having a student teacher allows for me to reflect on my craft as an educator is an intentional way, as well as seeing a new educator figure out how education works. From the time I began thinking about teaching, I vowed to myself that I was to not be just a teacher. I was to be an inspirer and a motivator. I thought of the great people who had gotten me through this life in an enthusiastic way, and I wanted to share that same opportunity with others. It has been through connections that I have been able to reach my learners in meaningful ways. How can you teach a new teacher this area of craft in the profession?
I have noticed new teachers coming in and being eager to teach the content they are so passionate about, only to be let down when their learners are not as passionate as they are when reading Poe or Bradbury. However, this quote effectively points out that it is not about you. It is about the learner. What you teach, inspire, and motivate them with, and how you teach, inspire, and motivate them, is about them.
Harvard Educational Review Spring 2008. Adolescent Literacy ISSN #0017-8055