The Importance of Being a Good Teacher Slice of Life: Monday morning arrives. I begin to get ready for my week in the classroom by reviewing my lesson plan to prepare for my students. Suddenly, it is 8 o’clock and one by one my students begin to settle into their seats. The day begins with discussion relating to the text that we read during the previous week. I fill with excitement as my students are eager to participate in conversation. Furthermore, my students proceed with our class discussion by completing a writing practice. I believe that every student needs to establish effective writing skills. Therefore, in the classroom, I thrive to create an engaging learning environment so that my students are passionate about what they write about.
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Book, Head, and Heart strategy The novel, New Kid , by Jerry Craft tells the story of a student who has just entered an entire new world. The story is a graphic novel, from the perspective of all the characters but centered on the protagonist, Jordan Banks. The main character, Jordan, is artistically blessed, but his parent’s expectations and control lead him to a school that does not cater to his needs. He faces the wrath of a bully, his mother’s judgement, and a shady teacher all while trying to find his place at a new school. Meeting friends along the way, Jordan learns to bring together his support system, and even support seemingly undeserving characters. Craft, in this novel, is helping the readers understand this uncommon, yet common, issue, of being the only new kid at a school. Jerry Craft adds in the element of skin color and subtle, yet clear racism to realistically illustrate the hardships of being a new middle school...
READING AS THINKING As I read, I usually create images of characters and visualize the setting and the plot. Therefore, I also envision sounds and sometimes recall similar events that relate to my own life experiences and relate. Personally, things that are easier to see are descriptive images of elements within a story. If the setting is a time period I am familiar with and the author illustrates the characters with great detail, I am able to make richer pictures in mind like a movie. Furthermore, I am able to hear what I am reading through visualizing sounds and creating voices associated with characters based on how they are described. I picture characters as people and sometimes associate them with people I possibly know or have seen on TV. Therefore, the thoughts that I develop about a character are established by the qualities the author gives them in a story and the way they are perceived by other characters. There are a variety of ways ...