The Literate Teacher's Manifesto

Today's prompt was to write a poem inspired by something you've learned. It is 9:25 pm, and I am just now sitting down for the first moment of free time I've found today, if you don't count the 5 minutes during 2nd period that I sat down to read over a few poems in search of a theme collection. It's been a busy day, and my brain isn't wanting to settle to write. I've learned that foggy brain becomes a more frequent occurrence during the spring. I spent quite a bit of time today reflecting on the experience my kids have had with inquiry circles. It was clear from their responses on the K-W-L chart we completed in class today that they are frustrated with my vague instructions. Learning for learning's sake doesn't have a stopping point. It's not something you can do the minimum on, and spend the rest of the time fiddling around on Youtube or playing a game. I've learned that students don't understand the point of learning if it...

I am so over series novels. I blame JK Rowling for this phenomenon. It used to be possible to go to the library, pick up a novel, read it, get to the end, and be done. Now, it feels like every time I pick up a new book, it's making a lifetime commitment!  Booksellers: Do you promise to love, cherish, and buy every book in the series as long as you and the author both shall live?  Me: Ermmm, maybe? I'm not about contract reading. So a few years ago, I decided I was NOT committing to any other series novels. If it had a sequel, I was not buying. Then they got tricksy (OOoohhh, tricksy authorses!) The first one to fool me was Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Which was followed a year or so later by Dawn of the Dreadfuls .  A sequel?  To Pride and Prejudice ?  Are you kidding me?  This was shortly followed by Neal Shusterman.  His novel Unwind  is absolutely phenomenal.  I loved the ending.  No further closure necessary, Mr. Shu...

Today has been a frustrating day.  (Sorry, I realize this post is not strictly literature related, but it does apply.)   Yesterday my Social Studies classes began a close reading of the Declaration of Independence.  Just the first paragraph.  Really, just the most famous sentence in the first paragraph.  ("We hold these truths to be self-evident...") My intro to this has always been pretty effective, you know, that this is possibly the most important sentence in American history... that this sentence sums up the foundations of our government... that the idea that all people owned these rights was truly revolutionary , and in many ways still is! *insert crickets chirping here* Me:  Well, okay.  Let's look at the text here.  What rights did the authors believe all people have? *chirp chirp* Me:  Look at the text!  What rights are all people given by God? Random student: Uhhhhhh, the right to separate from the British? Me:  No! ...