Teaching LiteratureThere are many different genres of literature to immerse my students into and I can't wait to do so! The classics are great and they will always be used in my classroom, but I would also like to include a variety of different genres of texts as well. I know that the first time I ever encountered a graphic novel was while I was in college, and I don't think this should ever happen with my students. Commics and graphic novels missed the cut off in my high school, so I grew up and graduated high school without even knowing that these genres are even considered literature. This is a big reason why I wanted to become a teacher. I want to open my students' eyes to all sorts of different texts and encourage them to read outside of class.
It took me many years to figure out that my taste in literature is different from most of my peers' tastes. I always enjoyed reading my history textbook and when I would enter a bookstore, I went straight for the nonfiction section and never ventured out to the fantasy section or the fiction section because I loved learning about facts and real stories about real people. I felt disconnected from my peers because all we ever read in school was fiction or fantasy, which they loved but I didn't care for, and they never understood me. I didn't really have the chance to read anything I wanted to read, and because of this, I started to lose my love for reading. My teachers didn't offer a plethora of genres, making me lose interest in literature all together until I came to college. Finally, I was challenged and introduced to many different texts that I had never been familiar with. My students will be challenged right away in my classroom and they will become familiar with many different genres of literature throughout their time with me. To view a website I collaboratively made with 3 of my peers to teach Ready Player One, please click here. |