A Message to Teachers - Part I

Teachers - what is your role as a literacy teacher?  Some teachers believe that because they teach math, business education or any given high school course that they are not literacy teachers.  Some teachers are wrong!  Literacy encompasses the foundational skill set that makes all other learning possible.  Students with weak literacy skills are destined to struggle.

There are several factors that are imperative in literacy classrooms of highly effective teachers:

• A culturally responsive approach
• A reading and writing rich environment; and
• High expectations for all students

What does it mean to be culturally responsive?  Please do not correlate culturally responsive teaching with just another education catch phrase or as just "one more thing" that teachers have to do.  Being culturally responsive means that, as a teacher, you have a student-centered approach to teaching whereby the students' unique cultural strengths are identified and nurtured to promote student achievement and a sense of well-being.  Arguably, I believe that it is vital that teachers connect and develop relationships with their students.  How can this happen if you do not truly know your students?

To know your students, you must acknowledge their culture.  Culture is the totality of ideas, beliefs, values, activities and knowledge of a group or individuals who share common backgrounds.  Think of culture as an iceberg.  Many cultural attributes are obvious on the surface.  Yet about 9/10 of what makes a person who they are is seen beneath the surface.

 

So what are teachers to do?  Teachers must be intentional in their efforts to learn about their students and then respect and honor the cultural differences that students bring into the classroom. Before that can happen, a teacher must first know who he/she is.  With which racial/ethnic group do you most identify?  What about your upbringing defines who you are?  What biases do you bring into the classroom with you each day?  How comfortable are you with students who do not look like you or who identify with a different racial/ethic group?

 

Needless to say there are large bodies of research on the topic of culture and culturally responsive teaching.  Next month I am reading How to Teach Students Who Don't Look Like You by Bonnie Davis.  I will share my thoughts and address the other areas mentioned above in a future post.  In the meantime, I encourage all teachers to look within and then pick up a book and read.  Are you doing all that you can as a literacy teacher?  Remember, all teachers are literacy teachers!  Happy Reading!



A Message to Parents - Part II

Do you realize that as a parent, you are your child's first teacher?!  This is at once a challenge and a beautiful thing.  As children enter school, parents must understand that teachers do not have all of the answers and in fact we, teachers, rely on parents to a large extent to assist us in ensuring your child is successful.  This is especially true during those crucial early childhood years.

In a previous blog entry, I addressed the importance of reading to and with your child during those vital early years.  Did you know that incorporating daily routines involving reading can enhance your child's ability to concentrate and increase his academic discipline?  Initially, toddlers may squirm and lack focus.  He may be easily distracted.  Over time though, he will learn to sit and listen as you read a book in its entirety.  Along with reading comprehension comes a stronger self-discipline, an increased attention span and improved memory retention.  All of these attributes will impact your child positively when he enters school.

Being a teacher is a phenomenal honor and an enormous responsibility.  Being your child's FIRST teacher is the best gift that you can give your child.  His kindergarten teacher will thank you!  Happy Reading!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

In celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday, today is the 17th annual Read Across America Day!  This week kicks off a week of reading across the nation as educators, parents, volunteers, mentors and others come together to share their love of reading!  In considering this day, I can't help but reminisce about some of my favorite Dr. Seuss books.  In no particular order, I absolutely LOVED:

• The Cat in the Hat
• Horton Hatches the Egg
• Horton Hears a Who
• Green Eggs and Ham
• The Lorax; and
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas

What were your favorite Dr. Seuss books?  What memories do you have of reading or being read to from the many fun and colorful Dr. Seuss books?  Have you shared and help create these kinds of  memories for your kids or other young people?  If not, you should!  Happy Reading!

This is Not a Game!

Greetings! My March book selection is titled A Game Called Salisbury by Susan Barringer Wells. This book, hardly about a game, is a historical account of Southern tragedy and the myths of race in my hometown, Salisbury, NC.  Before I delve into this though, let me share my thoughts of one of my February books, Stepping Down by Michelle Stimpson.

This Christian fiction piece is a tale of a dedicated pastor, Mark, attempting to balance his commitment to his church and his roles as husband and father.  To add a bit of drama, his wife, Sharla, is harboring a secret that could potentially disrupt their lives and his position as pastor of New Vision Church.  This book read well and I enjoyed it.  I did anticipate the "drama" to be a bit more intense and life-changing. Still, it maintained my attention and had a positive and spiritually uplifting flow that I appreciated.  Want to know more?  Read the book!

This month, I'm moving to a much heavier and surely more difficult read.  I grew up in Salisbury, NC but left home for the Army right after high school.  Moving back home recently made me realize that I know very little about the history of my hometown.  Hence, my interest in A Game Called Salisbury.  Upon perusal, I discovered that this book will recount the events surrounding the murders of several citizens and the subsequent lynches of the suspected killers.  The author brings a unique perspective, as she explores her own family lineage and the roles played by her ancestors. 

I am stepping out of my comfort zone in reading this book.  First because it is a non-fiction, informational text but also due to the subject matter being extremely weighty.  I'm excited that my cousin Denise and my sister Felisa have decided to read it as well! I look forward to our discussions and to learning together! Feel free to join us.

  Reading is fun but in this case, it is also a serious endeavor. This is not a game.  Happy Reading!