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.
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3 comments:
I love how you are really excited to teach poetry when you know everyone else hates it. I am not going to lie, I was not a big fan of poetry in high school. The main reason was because I never understood anything. It seemed like a bunch of big words put together. I feel if I would have been able to relate the poetry to my own life and be able to write poetry relating to my own life it would have been much more beneficial. I strongly feel that you will obtain positive responses from your students if you do your poetry unit in this way. I also liked how you stated that "Your personal voice is what makes you a writer, and you can only display your personal voice through grammatical stylistic choices." I feel everyone forgets about grammar when it comes to writing, but in order to truly get your voice heard, you need to present it in a manner that will be clear and concise to all readers.
I feel your two units you are most excited about will work out great for you. I wish I would have had you as an english teacher!
Kudos to you for wanting to teach poetry! I really like your approach to teaching it as well. High schoolers will definitely be able to appreciate poetry more if you can find a way to relate it to their lives (or even current events that they are keeping up with?).
I also like your approach to teaching composition. Being too strict about the rules and structure can turn students away from that area, or they might even feel creatively constrained. Showing them that the rules are bendable for stylistic purposes will really appeal to them, I think!
Your mother says with great joy that grammar is soooooo important. Learn hardy, share what you know, make a difference. Then people like me won't have to wander Wal-Mart aisles with a black magic marker to fix the signs.
Thank you.
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