Green's Growing Minds

 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...