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...

 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...

 It is crucial, now more than ever before, to design and implement antibias instruction into ELA classrooms. An antibias education learning environment ensures that diversity is valued, stereotypes are challenged and social justice is promoted. In an ELA classroom, we can do this by praising and modeling critical thinking, empathy, and respect for diverse perspectives. There are many ideas that are relevant when designing an antibias ELA classroom. One of the most important things to consider is the texts that are being taught in the classroom. In order to achieve a classroom that values diversity, challenges stereotypes, and promotes social justice is to teach diverse texts from a wide range of cultures, time periods, and perspectives. Choosing diverse texts also allows you, the educator, to model what these behaviors look like in a classroom setting. When choosing texts, also consider the connection that these texts may have to your students' lives and communities. If we are able...

  Welcome avid readers and individuals who are interested in a growing mind. This first, initial, post is about myself and how my past will impact my future teaching. As someone who grew up in a small, rural town in the middle-of-nowhere, Kansas, I am aware of how different my education was compared to peers of mine who got a city education. While attending Stafford High School, the average class size was 12-16 people, my graduating senior class was 15 people. Having so few students allowed for a few benefits to happen, we got more directed one-on-one attention in and outside of class, students and faculty could also form closer relationship which helped tremendously in learning, and lastly, students could get to know their peers on a deeper level than just names. I can still remember the names of everyone in my class and the classes around me. You may be wondering, “What does this have to do with my teaching in the future?” Well, I am glad you asked. This story is part of who I am...