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The Road Less Traveled
After the privilege of staying at home for 30 years raising our children, I have enjoyed the opportunity to attend North Georgia College in order to complete my degree in Education. I am married to a football coach, so between him and our six children I have been very involved in the educational process over the years. When I decided to return to college I realized my greatest passion was for the reading of great literature and writing about it, so I switched from Elementary Education to English Education. I had the thrill of teaching my children to read at home using a strong phonetic program and have been very involved helping them complete various assignments for school. My goal is to take what I have learned in my English and Education classes, add a touch of motherly devotion, and create a classroom in which learning is an adventure. My hope is that my students will look forward to coming to class and participate enthusiastically. I believe this is possible in an atmosphere where all ideas are considered valid and respect is shown between students and teacher. |
| This past year, my husband and I became grandparents for the first time as our son Robby and his wife Joanna had a beautiful baby boy! This has added a wonderful new dimension to our lives, as he has brought so much joy to all of us. So… as most of my teacher friends are counting down the next few years to retirement, I plan to launch a brand new career. I have definitely--joyously!--taken “the road less traveled.” |  |
Concern for literacy in our country is not a new phenomenon. It is as old as the country itself, and has new implications as we endeavor to meet the needs of culturally diverse students. In the teaching of English, literacy is absolutely essential. Once students master the basics of reading, we quickly move on to reading for understanding. A student in middle or high school must be able to read to grasp the meaning of a text, then be able to move beyond that to recognizing literary techniques and implied meanings. Though we tend to focus on reading and reading instruction, it is equally important to provide instruction in writing, as the ability to express oneself with the written word is essential in the exploration of literature of all genres. To this end, instruction should be provided that teaches the process of writing, balanced with regular opportunities for personal expression through freewriting and journaling. These activities allow a student to express himself freely, without a grade being attached to the writing, with the goal of developing more proficient writers over time. By providing instruction in reading and writing in the context of the English classroom, we should move closer to the goal of a completely literate society, beyond our concerns as teachers of English. | |
