Green's Growing Minds

               Walking into a power lifting competition for the first time, I didn’t know what to expect. Opening the door to the gym, I hear it, metal crashing to the ground, the clapping of supportive guardians in the stands. When I enter, I am on the floor with the athletes, I scan the faces of the students around me, none of them I recognize. I step back out and go up the stairs on the left, next to them, a sign points that concessions are up there too. This must be where the audience is supposed to be. Reaching the top, I see parents, young children, and supportive friends lined up all around the upper level, looking down upon the competitors. Occasionally a few of them will clap, then go back to standing silently. I walk to the guardrail, following the gaze of the people around me, but searching for the student that had told me about this competition, the reason I am here. I notice the gym floor split between female competitors and mal...

"We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion." This quote from N.H. Kleinbaum's Dead Poet Society, which I just watched recently at the recommendation of my mentor, gives me plenty of reason to learn how to teach poetry and drama. Despite taking a poetry class and a Shakespeare class, the idea of teaching these topics to students makes me break into a (slight) sweat.  Poetry is vast and has multiple interpretations that the idea of trying to tell students that there is a "right" way to understand something seems counter-intuitive. This could be the reason students are also drawn away from poetry and drama. With so many interpretations, students may feel like they should match their ideas with their teacher's idea so that they can pass the class. There are also so many aspects of poetry when analyzing a poem, considering syntax, rhythm, tone, enjambment, etc. that makes this task seem more diffi...

 Every day is a chance to learn something new. We know this as educators, but how do we model this behavior in the classroom? Do we teach the same texts year after year because it is "safe" and it's "easy?" While reading Ambyr Rios' published piece in Kansas English , "The Kansas Literary Canon: A Study of Texts Taught in High School English Courses," it appears that many teachers forget trying to teach new, engaging books and opt instead of something they have done for years or something that has been done for many years by educators of the past. In a study done by Rios, the top 20 most popular books being taught in Kansas ELA classrooms are books written by white, (mostly) male authors (29-30).  As someone who wants to teach their students for the future, I would want my students to read diverse texts and expose them to unique ways of storytelling. Incorporating these diverse texts will help students feel seen and heard in a classroom that encour...

 Welcome all, This past weekend, November 1 and 2, I had the amazing opportunity to attend this year's KATE Conference. This year's theme, "Voices From Our Backyard," featured two keynote speakers: the Poet Laureate of Kansas, Traci Brimhall; along with author and educator, Jason D. DeHart. This was my first year attending a conference like this and I did not know what to expect, but it was something I probably won't forget anytime soon. I was fortunate enough to attend both days of this conference, I'm glad the rain didn't prevent my travels or lower anyone's spirit. The first ever breakout room I went to was regarding engagement strategies for middle and high school educators. This breakout room provided many strategies, from engaging students with reading or with different ways to start discussions. The title of the breakout room was creative enough to make me want to go, "Dismantling the Tortured Teachers Department: Secondary English Engageme...

 Language instruction may be one of my least topics to discuss in a classroom setting. With so many conventions, grammar rules, and diversity in the English language, it seems like a difficult task to pull off. While in school, many of these topics were covered on worksheets and handouts which were not that effective or impactful to my learning. I do not want to be THAT teacher who covers these topics with a single handout and expect my students to walk away with a complete understanding of the language "rules."  When starting to teach language, I think the best way to frame it would not be as "rules" but as tools for effective communication. Your writing may look different to a friend than to an employer, it's important to show the difference between the two. The English language is also unique in that when you understand the conventions and the "rules" that are present in writing, you can become fluent and use "break" the rules to show inte...

 Reading is often what pushes students away from an ELA classroom. I have heard students in my internship complain that they don't enjoy reading. I will make the comment to them that they just haven't found the right book to read. The more I think about ELA classrooms deeply and as I continue to reflect on my own educational journey, I also heard this comment when I was in high school. As someone who enjoyed a good book and would sit down next to my dad reading the Eragon series, I would get comments about why I liked to read or that they could never sit and read for hours. My enjoyment reading has slowed down the last few years and I often blame it on school and that most of my reading now is for classes that I am in. That doesn't mean that I don't have the love for reading, I've also grown more into my own life. Reading for my back then gave me an escape from my life and my troubles. Now that I am in a part of my life I love, I want to experience everything that I...