Me, The Struggling Student

Big Question 24 - What subject(s) did you dislike or struggle with as a child? Was there are definitive reason why you disliked this subject(s) -- what were the factors: teacher, learning environment, techniques used, boredom, etc?


I don’t really know what this says about me (now becoming an English teacher), but all throughout school, I struggled with English classes. I was, and still am, a slower reader. I always had trouble keeping up with reading outside of class. I really had trouble reading out loud in class, as well. I can even remember a time in seventh grade when the other students in class would purposely make me have to stop reading out loud because I would have trouble starting again.

So, I guess it all centers around my reading ability.

Later, I realized that the reason I took so long reading was that I really stopped to think about everything. I had to understand what was going on and try to apply the scenarios to my experiences in order to remember them. Another thing that happened later in high school was people coming up to me to have me proofread their papers. I didn’t even realize it until then, but I knew grammar.

I disliked journaling about myself and my feeling when I was in grade school, and I still do. But besides that, it was never really the subject, techniques, teachers, or boredom that made me struggle in English. It was my different way of learning and the environment of the classroom where I always felt like couldn’t read as well as everyone else.

My teaching strategies are focused on the classroom as a safe learning community. It took me understanding myself to realize that I actually was a good English student. I don’t want my students to have to struggle to figure that out on their own.

Learning Environment

Big Question 22 - On any given day, if a stranger entered your classroom what would they think about the learning environment you create? What would it tell them about you as a teacher, or your relationship with your students?


The baseline is: I want my classroom to be the safest environment that my students will be in during the day (besides, hopefully, their own homes).

I know that sounds really happy and cheery and everything, but that is honestly how I want to function.
I want my students to argue with each other in a civilized manner.
I want my students to bounce ideas off of each other.
I want my students to work together.
I want my students to be able to come in, sit down, feel absolutely physically comfortable, and know that they are going to be absolutely intellectually challenged.
I want my student to be able to present their work knowing that their efforts will be heard and appreciated.
I want my students to be a community of readers and writers.

That said, my question to the reader is: Where does one go to argue with colleagues in a civilized manner? Where does one go to bounce ideas off colleagues? Where does one go to work together with colleagues? Where does one go to be absolutely comfortable? Where can one go to be intellectually stimulated in all sorts of ways? Where does one go for community?

I submit that best answer to this series of questions is: A Coffee Shop

That is the atmosphere I want in my classroom because I feel that that is the atmosphere where literary discussion and presentation will be exemplified! If my students can come into my classroom knowing that they are going to be able to sit down with their favorite delicious hot beverage and discuss ideas that are floating around in their heads about what they have read or present a presentation to an audience of peers… I believe that they will learn!

I would hope that this type of atmosphere would say that I am a teacher focused on the idea of classroom community, who is willing to try outside-the-box thinking and be a little crazy while at the same time remaining real and relaxed with my students.

If a stranger came into my classroom, I hope his or her response would be something like, “Can I grab a cup and stay a while?”

Excited to Teach

Big Question #19 - Name 2 topics in your discipline that you are excited to teach about and tell us why?

The teaching of English and Language Arts is typically divided up into two topics. These are Literature and Composition. Literature can further be divided up into many topics: classic or modern, by genre (mystery, fantasy, romance, etc.), or by a different genre (poetry, short stories, novels, etc.) Composition can be further divided up into two more topics: grammar and style.

As far as literature is concerned, I am very excited to teach poetry. I like poetry because everyone hates poetry. People seem to just write poetry off as some mystical entity of writing that isn’t supposed to mean anything, or is just written all flowery and showy. Normally when poetry is taught, it is taught as its own entity. This just furthers the separation of this genre of writing from actually meaning anything. I am going to teach poetry as part of the units that relate to students’ lives. The great thing about poetry is that, when you really look at it, and find meaning in it, then it speaks to you in a personal way. It is this voice that I want to show to my students.

When teaching composition, I am really looking forward to showing that line between grammar and style. Yes, there is a right way to write. There are rules, and those rules have meaning. However, once you know those rules and how they function, then you can bend or break some of them for stylistic purposes. The key is knowing what rule you are breaking, why you are breaking it, and how it is going to affect your writing. Your personal voice is what makes you a writer, and you can only display your personal voice through grammatical stylistic choices.