Teaching More Than Commas and Semi-Colons

Sometimes English gets complicated enough for someone who has always spoken the language. I am going to be an English teacher, and sometimes I question if something I have written or said is right. Now, think of someone coming into this world of pronouns and irregular tenses. Enough to frustrate anyone, right? I think this is one of these things as a new educator that has fallen into the... *dreaded* blind spot. My brain is jumping from task to task that I forget that students out there aren’t just struggling with the words to say, they are struggling concept of symbolism, on a deeper level . Deeper than symbolism? They are still grappling with the language on top of these ridiculous things English teachers ask them to do with their novel. Colorin Colorado provides a very informative overview of language acquisition: http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/language-acquisition-overview#h-stages-of-language-acquisition . If you’ve ever taken a linguistics course, s...

Recipe for Teacher’s Confidence Ingredients: 5 tbsp of Content Knowledge - The lesson cannot be taught if one does not know the answers themself. This ingredient is needed to really unite the different tastes of the dish. 2 Cups Passion - This dish will not taste good if you do not love what you are doing - a powerful ingredient, really creates a unique taste based on the chef’s skills and unique preparation techniques. 2 Cups Management Techniques - Perhaps one of the hardest ingredients to get your hands on and effectively use in this recipe. Allot yourself some practice preparing this one. You might have to search all kinds of places to get your hands on the perfect Management Techniques. 2 tbs of Mistakes - because nobody is perfect right? The best understandings come from a bit of slight failure. Some prefer not to include this ingredient, but once they taste the dish with it included, they realize it's necessary. Note: If you do not have any...

Wait a second, it is almost December already? Hold on. You mean Thanksgiving is only in a few days? Can I just take a second to stress that I can't believe this semester went as fast as it did? I still feel like it's August in my head right now. My body would probably tell you it definitely knows it's the end of the semester with all the stress, binge eating, and wine I've put it through though. I've spent the last two weeks sick, coughing up what feels like both of my longs. My poor body.  I definitely did not stick to my fitness goals too well this semester. There's always next semester. (I really need to get in shape, but hey, New Years will be closer than ever in a month... right?) When I reflect back to all of the assignments and projects I've done this week, I realize, man - I have accomplished quite a bit in a short amount of time. I've read almost 10 YAL books, written a reading autobiography, composed a literacy narrative, went to a conferen...

As part of our professional development, students in Core 3 were asked to attend the KATE conference at the Marriott this year. This conference consisted of multiple breakout sessions and keynote addresses from Sarah Smarsh and Michelle Cuevas. I put on my slacks and laced my Sperry's - I was ready to grow as a professional. Erin Downey Howerton initiated the conference following a breakfast filled with fruit and bagels. She discussed many different books flying off of her shelves at the public library from all different genres. I found this presentation very exciting because it was like getting multiple book talks that ignited curiosity in my own reading life - I had some students in mind from my placement for some of the texts too. I found her examples of graphic novels very intriguing; students at my placement LOVE graphic novels. I was excited to learn more about a few titles that I could in turn recommend and read myself. I also attended many breakout sessions. One of...

Here is a poem I composed for a Genre Reflection assignment about a student and his food narrative that he wrote about a Burger King Whopper. Enjoy! The Power of a Whopper Oh, Freshmen 8am Composing food narratives Failing to enjoy any feedback I give Some blank stares Even lesser cares Carnitas, sushi, cannoli’s, and pizza “Wow, nice word choice, Lisa!” There’s side conversation galore I’m really trying to make these students less bored But then one student eagerly raises his hand He has a plan and demands His eyes flickering with excitement As he asks me to read his content Four whole pages describing a Whopper Now, this comes as a shocker, I did not expect to read so much passion poured into a burger And he’s been a hard worker I notice the variation of his capitalization So, I inform him of my realization In which he replies, “Whoppers are Burger King’s signature prize, Of course, they should be capitalized!” He instantly regret...

My anxiety lately: How can I be the best me I can be, but still be content with my failures? I don’t want to let my students down, but do any of us want that? This semester I am taking a lot of teaching classes all at once. I am classes regarding adolescent literature, theory and practice in composition, literacy strategies, and a methods course.   I have found that taking all these classes together right now has been very helpful in connecting some of the same schools of thought with different texts and strategies. Last week most of my courses were focused on questioning techniques all at the same time. Sometimes it can be incredibly helpful to have all the different ideas of teaching all in conversation with each other. I feel like a big light bulb appears over my head when it all just clicks. Other times, my brain is working so hard to connect it all that I just get so confused and feel like my brain runs in continuous circles. Does anyone else feel like this? Like, ther...

As the semester neared its end last year, I finally faced reality. It hit me that in a year I would have a diploma, spent a year in a classroom coteaching, planning, and even leading class myself. Whoa. I couldn’t even keep my papers in an organized fashion in my binder. In fact, I was notorious for not being able to find my papers or notes. How was anyone going to trust me with little adults if I struggled to adult myself? What if I wasn’t cut out for this whole teaching thing? Flash-forward to August 2018, planner in hands, color coordinated tabs and labels, and papers actually correctly placed in the right section: I am ready to conquer this whole teaching thing. Well, at least on paper. However, I realized that through the excitement and my new persona as an organized adult, I needed some professional goals. Getting organized was one thing for me, but it’s only a small piece of my future as an educator. The first thing I have realized I really need to polish in the next yea...