Tag: literature

House Republicans Demonstrate the Dangers of Not Learning from Great Literature

January 5, 2023

“Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Sir Winston Churchill (paraphrasing a similiar earlier quote by George Santayana). I am biased, because I am a literature teacher, but I would make a similar statement about studying literature. Those who don’t learn the great lessons from great literature at least open … More House Republicans Demonstrate the Dangers of Not Learning from Great Literature

Inauguration Poetic Follow-Up Week 1: Amanda Gorman Makes Poetry HOT Again!

January 28, 2021

So, I know this should have been done yesterday, but it was supposed to snow last night (and it did!) so I ended up making a last-minute grocery store run and ended up running out of time. However, the point is still true this morning. National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman was the surprise hit … More Inauguration Poetic Follow-Up Week 1: Amanda Gorman Makes Poetry HOT Again!

How White Bias Gets Institutionalized in Literature Classes Conclusion: A Change Is Gonna Come

June 13, 2020

I believe that one of the major reasons for the current political conflict and strife is this chart above. As I explained in yesterday’s post, this shows projections by the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES) that in 2028, only 44% of public school students will be white. That white students are now a minority … More How White Bias Gets Institutionalized in Literature Classes Conclusion: A Change Is Gonna Come

How White Bias Becomes Institutionalized in Literature Classes: Part 4 – Let’s Look at Some Numbers

June 12, 2020

While I’m sure there are other factors I could discuss, I’m going to finish my series on ways that white bias gets institutionalized in literature studies by looking at some of the data about public schools today. Let’s start by looking at teachers. According the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES), the premier source of … More How White Bias Becomes Institutionalized in Literature Classes: Part 4 – Let’s Look at Some Numbers

How White Bias Becomes Institutionalized in Literature Classes II: Part 2- Teacher Work Load

June 7, 2020

EVERYONE in our house loves books! Preface: The following are my personal reflections on how white bias becomes institutionalized in high school literature classes.  I teach group literature classes to homeschool students, but have never taught in a conventional public or private school, so my perspective reflects that.  Also, I earned a Masters degree in … More How White Bias Becomes Institutionalized in Literature Classes II: Part 2- Teacher Work Load

How White Bias Becomes Institutionalized in Literature Classes: Part 1- Testing

June 6, 2020

Preface: The following are my personal reflections on how white bias becomes institutionalized in high school literature classes.  I teach group literature classes to homeschool students, but have never taught in a conventional public or private school, so my perspective reflects that.  Also, I earned a Masters degree in Education in Education and National Development, … More How White Bias Becomes Institutionalized in Literature Classes: Part 1- Testing

How White Bias Becomes Institutionalized in Literature Classes: An Introduction

June 5, 2020

“Do what you can, with what you’ve got, where you are.”—Squire Bill Widener (although usually attributed to President Theodore Roosevelt, who quoted Widener in his 1913 Autobiography) “Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”—Arthur Ashe (first African American tennis player selected to the United States Davis Cup team and the … More How White Bias Becomes Institutionalized in Literature Classes: An Introduction

Song of Summer

September 6, 2017

Man, where did the summer go? We had a great summer, although it seemed really packed with activities and projects and such, which made the time fly by. And here it is, Labor Day week, and just about everyone is back to school––or back to homeschool, in the cases of my students, for whom my … More Song of Summer