I am so glad I got the opportunity to take this class this semester. Not only have I read tons and tons of awesome children's books, I have learned what it means to bring in diverse, high quality literature into the classroom. I also feel like there were some really meaningful activities we did, that I can see myself doing with my future class. For example, I loved reading "So Far From the Bamboo Grove" and "Year of Impossible Goodbyes" and comparing the different perspectives. I really liked the poetry class and how we brought one poem to life when we read it together as a whole. I also really appreciated learning about all the different genres and author illustrator poets when we did research earlier in the year. All of these wonderful activities can be used with younger kids to encourage them to read more, discuss more, and learn more (but in a fun creative way)! This class has inspired me to start reading even more children's books and to start to build my own library. Because I love to read, this class was a huge break for me. All of the work we were assigned didn't feel like work at all and I really enjoyed it.
A very important thing I have learned this semester is to treat students with respect and do not "dumb" down the topic because it is controversial or diverse. Students are not naive, and I strongly believe that literature is a great teaching tool that can be used to our advantage. I know that it's important for teachers to always always read literature before students do because sometimes you will decide that a text is inappropriate for a specific class. However, I know that I will take consideration of my smart intellectual students, and push them to think more.
One more thing that I've really taken to heart from this class: Books can lead a lesson or activity anywhere, and reading is such a fundamental part of school.
I am exciting to start looking for more books that I can use for different purposes in my class!!!!
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