A Balanced Diet of Reading

I love nonfiction, which is something not many English teachers proclaim. They presumably admire Shakespeare, cherish traditional novels, and value plays. I enjoy reading most literature, no matter its form or age, but I don’t favor “the classics.” I prefer nonfiction but I can respect the fact that a balance between the two is necessary. It may not come as a surprise that I was torn between History and English when I was choosing my content area for my major. Since I declared English, people assume I have a favorite author or that I admire Shakespeare. I don’t and I don’t. When I imagine myself teaching high school English to seniors, I imagine preparing them to understand real-world literature. Literature like lease agreements, news stories, reviews, or manuals. I want them to be prepared for college books, a job, and/or independent living. I don’t think textbooks prepare them for the literature that they will encounter outside of high school.

Therefore I appreciate that Daniels and Zemelman advocate for more nonfiction texts in classrooms. The amount of information is growing so fast that it would truly hinder a student if they only learned how to read from a textbook or novel. Real world information is not solely presented in textbook or novel form. I believe it is very important to introduce students to some of the other formats they will encounter as adults.  It will make them become more independent as readers instead of feeling like they need an interpreter to understand English.

One thing I had a hard time agreeing with is that Daniels and Zemelman state, “kids don’t always have to read the whole thing. Dipping in for a chapter or two works just fine . . . ” but I disagree. Maybe the word is not “disagree” because it is not clear what they mean. For example, if they mean it’s ok to use just one chapter from a book to excite students about an upcoming unit then I understand and agree. But if they are referring to a student who picks up a book, reads a chapter, then gives up and that’s ok because something is better than nothing, then I don’t agree. It’s hard for me to permit a student to give up on a text. If it’s a challenge for them, I would like to help them work through it instead.

Personally, I didn’t get to read that many nonfiction texts in high school. We had a library in the school and computers in our classrooms but we never used them to search for nonfiction texts.  I did not encounter a review, manual, or contract until I had already graduated from high school and was in the “real-world.” It took time to understand the language in these texts, recognize the format, and decipher its purpose. I hope to prepare my students better for such encounters.

Learning How to Assign Meaningful Writing Assignments

In the beginning of Chapter 6, Strong illustrates a scenario narrated by Darth Vadar. The teachers are called “instructional managers,” which implies that the administrative tasks that teachers are responsible for make up the majority of their identity. It is true that they must manage attendance records, core standards, work trackers, homework, a grade book, assignments, and much more, but Strong suggests that this has become our general image of teachers. Writing assignments have become meaningless and bland. Students are not encouraged to think critically or creatively. Although this is not always the case, I can understand how easier it could be to assign a writing topic or administer a multiple-choice test that is quicker to grade.

I think what makes a good writing assignment for students to write also makes a good one for teachers to read. For example, by letting students choose their topic, allowing drawings to support their writing, or having them write for an audience beyond their teacher, the assignments will be fun and interesting to read. The writing would be more colorful. A mixture of the 10 design principles would certainly elicit critical thinking as well as critical enjoyment.

The Table of Raft Assignments on page 100-101 are so inventive. They actually sound like assignments I would enjoy as a student. If I’m being honest though, it is daunting to think about making every assignment that creative. Of course that is the kind of teacher I want to be, like every other teacher (candidate), and with the resources out there, I should be able to. So why do we end up with teachers who assign disappointing work? I’m sure they did not strive to become that kind of teacher on purpose.