Teachers: Our Invaluable Sponsors of Literacy

1. Teachers: Our Invaluable Sponsors of Literacy Tracy Lattarulo English 289 Dr. Andrus

2. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” –Eleanor Roosevelt • My job as a high school English teacher will be to make sure that my students go into the world armed with the knowledge and skills to be whatever they want to be, whether they go on to college or into the workforce, I will prepare them to achieve their dreams. http://www.123rf.com/search.php?word=teacher&start=720&searchopts=&itemsperpage=60

3. Teaching is a Discourse Community Any Discourse Community comes with its own expectations or “Identity Kit” • How to: • Act • Write • Dress “so as to take on a particular role that others will recognize”(Gee, 526). http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/teachers_4.html

4. “What Makes Teacher Community Different from a Gathering of Teachers?” It is Diverse • Grade Level • Subject Matter • Student Population It is Unique • Lesson Planning • Classroom Management • Grading (Grossman, Wineburg & Woolworth, 23) http://www.123rf.com/photo_5116462_three-wooden-books-with-reading-writing-and-arithmetic-painted-on-them-sitting-on-a-spriral-notepad.html

5. “What Makes Teacher Community Different from a Gathering of Teachers?” • According to teacher Ron Clark teachers need to build strong relationships with: • Their Students • The Students’ Parents • The School Staff (including: teachers, custodians, people in the lunchroom, anyone you encounter throughout the day) • All of these people are involved in making your teaching experience a success.

6. Sponsors of Literacy “Any agents, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy” (Brandt, 558). • Professors • Other Teachers • Parents • Students • School Staff http://www.123rf.com/search.php?word=teacher&start=660&searchopts=&itemsperpage=60

7. Professors Professors are our first sponsors of literacy before we go into the field and are positive sponsors. They sponsor us by: • Teaching us the subject matter • Preparing us for what to expect in the classroom • Instructing us on how to teach • Guiding, answering questions and imparting knowledge http://www.uc.edu/

8. Other Teachers (Our Peers are Positive Sponsors) “During the survival phase, most new teachers struggle to keep their heads above water. They become very focused and consumed with the day-to-day routine of teaching” (Moir). When overwhelmed “the one thing that seems to make me feel better is listening to other teachers share similar stories” (Clark, 176). Talk to your former students new teachers, they can help you to see where you prepared your students well and where they have weaknesses (Clark, 64).

9. Student Teaching • This is where new teachers learn hands on: • Expectations of Students • Consistency • Reasonable Rewards and Punishments • Lesson Planning • How To build Relationships with Students, Parents and Other Teachers http://www.123rf.com/search.php?word=teacher&start=660&searchopts=&itemsperpage=60

10. Parents • Can be both positive and negative influences: Positive • Supportive • Challenge us to be better • Help the students at home Negative • Question our methods • Too much involvement • Too little involvement http://www.123rf.com/search.php?word=parents&imgtype=0&t_word=&t_lang=en

11. Never Take Anyone For Granted • Custodians- A clean and appealing classroom is a productive classroom • Students- they have something to teach us too! • Angry Parents- make friends with them, they can be an adversary or your best friend when dealing with a difficult student

12. Students Positive • the student/teacher relationship can be reciprocal learning from each other • Working with the students can be rewarding Negative • They have the power to ““disrupt and destroy my classroom, and worse…the power to derail my career before it got started” (dole, 39). http://www.123rf.com/photo_9330591_three-little-students-with-books-in-park.html

13. Interview Results These are the most common answers from the people interviewed. The overwhelming consensus was that people enjoyed being challenged . From a student’s perspective, a great teacher has high expectations and helps their students to achieve them.

14. INTERVIEW RESULTS Again students wanted to be challenged. Students want structure in the classroom. They want to feel important and like their teacher believes in them.

15. Ron Clark(Tips for being a great teacher) • If you are in a profession where you have to instruct others, be as specific as possible about what you expect (Clark, 66) • Be Consistent • Don’t be afraid to act silly • “Approach education with the determination to affect each and every one of our students” (Clark, xxvi). • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1BTw8IPSHA&feature=related

16. Teachers are Sponsors of Literacy • “When teachers are committed to teaching all students, and when they understand that through their teaching change can occur, then the chance for transformation is great” (Delpit, 554). http://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/teacher.html

17. Works Cited • Brandt, Deborah. “Sponsors of Literacy.” Literacy A Critical Sourcebook.  Ed. Ellen Cushman, Eugene R. Kintgen, Barry M. Kroll, Mike Rose. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 555-571. Print. • Clark, Ron. “The Essential 55: An Award-Winning Educator’s rules for Discovering the Successful Student in Every Child.” New York: Hyperion, 2003. • Delpit, Lisa. “The Politics of Teaching Literate Discourse.” Literacy A Critical Sourcebook.  Ed. Ellen Cushman, Eugene R. Kintgen, Barry M. Kroll, Mike Rose. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 545-554. Print. • Doyle, Stephanie. “My Mia.” Chicken Soup for the Soul: Teacher Tales 101 Inspirational Stories from Great Teachers and Appreciative Students. Canfield, Jack, Hansen, Mark Victor, Newmark, Amy. Cos Cob: Chicken Soup for the Soul Publishing, LLC, 2009. 39-41. Print. • Gee, James Paul. “Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics:  Introduction and What Is Literacy.” Literacy A Critical Sourcebook.  Ed. Ellen Cushman, Eugene R. Kintgen, Barry M. Kroll, Mike Rose. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2001. 525-544. Print. • Grossman, Pamela, Wineburg, Sam and Woolworth, Stephen. “What Makes Teacher Community Different from a Gathering of Teachers?” An Occasional Paper co-sponsored by Center for the Study of Teaching and Policy and Center on English Learning & Achievement (CELA). 2000. 18 May 2012. • Moir, Ellen. “Phases of First Year Teaching.” New Teacher Center. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2012. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1BTw8IPSHA&feature=related • http://www.123rf.com/stock-photo/teacher.html

18. Appendix Interview Questions for Former Students • Do you have a favorite teacher from elementary, Jr. High or High School? • What subject did they teach? Was this a subject you typically like? • Did most students enjoy this class? • What were some of the qualities you liked most about this teacher? • Is there an example of something you can remember learning from that teacher? Is there a reason that you remember that specific piece of information? • What was the teaching style? Student participation? Lecturing? Structured or unstructured?... • Give some examples of how your class was conducted. • What were the rules in this class? Was the teacher strict or laid back? Were there any discipline problems? • What was the expectation work wise in this class? Did you find the teacher to be easy or did you feel challenged? • How did this class prepare you for future challenges? • Did you have a least favorite teacher? • In what ways did your least favorite teacher differ from the teacher you liked? Was the subject, teaching style, discipline or something else?