Books That Help Make You a Better Teacher: How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

 

BLURB:

 A thoroughly revised and updated edition of Thomas C. Foster’s classic guide—a lively and entertaining introduction to literature and literary basics, including symbols, themes and contexts, that shows you how to make your everyday reading experience more rewarding and enjoyable.

While many books can be enjoyed for their basic stories, there are often deeper literary meanings interwoven in these texts. How to Read Literature Like a Professor helps us to discover those hidden truths by looking at literature with the eyes—and the literary codes-of the ultimate professional reader, the college professor.

What does it mean when a literary hero is traveling along a dusty road? When he hands a drink to his companion? When he’s drenched in a sudden rain shower?

Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative devices and form, Thomas C. Foster provides us with a broad overview of literature—a world where a road leads to a quest, a shared meal may signify a communion, and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never just a shower-and shows us how to make our reading experience more enriching, satisfying, and fun.

This revised edition includes new chapters, a new preface and epilogue, and incorporates updated teaching points that Foster has developed over the past decade.

If you're a high school English language arts teacher and you haven't read this book, GET IT NOW! Seriously, this book is easy to read and a great resource for helping you and your students understand literary analysis.  It's full of information given in a humorous, tongue-in-cheek style that is as entertaining as it is useful. Chapters include the following:

1. "Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It's Not")

2. "When in Doubt, It's From Shakespeare"

3. "...or the Bible"

4. "It's Greek to Me"

5. "If She Comes Up, It's Baptism"

6. "It's More than Just Rain or Snow"

7.  "Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too"

8. "It's All About Sex."

9. "Except Sex"

10. "Geography Matters"

And that's just a sampling. There's sooo much more. 

Seriously, so much good stuff. And since it is such an easy read, I used to require that my upper level honors students (11, 12) read this book as part of their summer reading assignments. With my lower grade honors classes (9, 10), I only selected a single chapter or two to apply to a particular novel we were reading. It added so much depth to our classroom discussions, and my kids actually "got" it. 

Every ELA teacher needs this book on his/her shelf. There's even a version for middle school students. You can find it here.

However you use this, even if its just for your own information and help in teaching better, it's well worth the price. 

The Color-Filled Classroom

 

I hate a dreary classroom. How many times have you walked into a teacher who had white walls, a few tacky old posters stuck up randomly, and a blank bulletin board with maybe a lunch menu posted and nothing else? Ugh! I don't know how the students stand it. And for me, personally, if I'm going to be stuck in a space all day long, I'm going to make it a place I enjoy being. Most elementary teachers understand this, but high school teachers sometimes seem to think it is beneath them to decorate their rooms. I say, they are wrong.

How do you transform a blah classroom into a wow classroom with not much money? It's really not that hard to do. Here are some ideas:

1. Cheap posters: You can get some cool posters for not much money. You can even make your own if you have a pretty decent materials center with one of those printers that print on poster size paper. Or print small ones on your computer and group them together for an interesting display. 

2.  Colorful notebooks: I kept a lot of my unit materials in three-ring binders. I made sure when I went to purchase new binders, I got the ones that were red, green, blue, etc. I avoided the white and black ones if I could.  When I put them on my shelves, they added a lot of gorgeous color. 

3.  Colorful duct tape: You can find duct tape in all kinds of colors and designs these days. Add strips to your filing cabinet or your teacher desk. Cover a cup holder or clipboard. The possibilities are endless.

4.  Dollar Tree: Buy cheap letters and border to use on your bulletin board. You can find all kinds at Dollar Tree, where they are only $1 per set. There are lots of other things in the Dollar Tree. Check out the school supplies aisle, but also the plastic storage containers which you can use to corral papers, makeup work, etc. They come in all sorts of colors.

5.  Student work: Fill your walls with original work done by your students. Let them create posters that have to do with your subject matter and then display them. The kids will have a sense of pride/ownership, and your room will look wonderful!

6.  Contact paper: Just like with duct tape, you can find all different patterns/colors of contact paper that is usually used to line drawers. But it works just as well across the front of a metal desk or down the side of a file cabinet.

7.  Fabric: I've used this to create banners, drape from ceiling tiles, and cover old teacher chairs. You don't even have to be able to sew. Use hot glue. It works!! lol!

8. Cheap area rugs: You can get inexpensive area rugs from Walmart or the dollar store. Set your desk on one. Or your podium. Create a reading nook. 

9.  Paint the walls: If you're really lucky, your school administration will allow you to paint your classroom walls. That's not always possible, but it is sometimes allowed. 

You're only limited by your imagination when planning a fun and color-filled classroom.

I hope this gives you some ideas on ways to make your classroom inviting and colorful. Showing students that you take pride in your teaching environment can only have positive results on their attitudes and the overall tone of your classroom. 

Happy teaching!

Embarrassing Teacher Moment: Possessive Noun Anyone?

So I was teaching how to form a plural possessive. Sigh! Demonstrating the correct process on the board, I wrote the following:

boys

We talked about the fact that it was more than one boy but that they didn't own/possess anything. In order to make them own something, we had to put an apostrophe after the "s" that was already there. 

boys'

But in order for it to need the apostrophe, the boys need something to possess. What could they possess? Balls of course. And let's use it in a sentence while we're at it.

VOILA!! 

THE BOYS' BALLS ARE RED. 

Yes, of course they are. And so is my face.

EASY MEALS: Crockpot Cube Steak

 Here's another quick and easy meal for the tired teacher. 😀

Ingredients:

cube steak (approx. 1 lb)

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 envelop onion soup mix

3/4 cup of water

salt and pepper to taste

1. Place steak in bottom of crock pot.

2. Stir all other ingredients together in bowl until well mixed.

3. Pour over steak.

4. Cook on low 6-8 hrs.

5. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!! 

P.S. Don't forget to use a crockpot bag to make cleanup a breeze!!

Straight Talk: Don't Act Like You Know Everything (you don't)

 

One of the biggest mistakes I've seen teachers (both rookies and veterans) make is trying to pretend like they know all the answers. CLUE: They don't. No one does. 👿 If you are flummoxed by a grammar question, tell your students. Say, "That is a tough one. Honestly, I'm not really sure. Let me find out." If you can't figure out the symbolism in a particular story, ask them if they have any thoughts. (Of course, being well-prepared for class helps, but sometimes you can get blindsided by something you hadn't even thought of. Been there. Done that.)

I've learned that students appreciate your honesty. And if you try to fake your way through, someone always knows. If you misspell a word on the board or make some other error on a test or handout, and a student catches it, give 'em a reward. Say, "That's awesome!!" 👍Give them bonus points. Or a free homework pass. Whatever you have. I used to give out stickers. Yes, even high schoolers like to get stickers. lol! And you can see the pride on their faces that they have caught something the teacher missed.

When my students would spot an error I had made, even if it was just a typo, I used to say, "I always make one mistake a year, that that's it." Then when it happened again, I'd say the same thing. It would become a running joke in the classroom, and the kids appreciated that I could laugh at my own errors. 😎 They thought I was cool. 

Teachers who get angry with students who correct their mistakes are teachers who lack confidence in their abilities. And students see that right away. And they will rapidly lose respect for teachers who act like that.

They need to see that you recognize you are not perfect. It makes it easier for them to accept corrections of their own errors. 💁You are modeling for them how to handle being corrected. Let them see it's not the end of the world to make some errors. It's just life. 

I can't tell you how many times I'd take an item from the grammar textbook in the hall and consult my fellow ELA teachers. And you know what? Sometimes none of us could figure out the right answer. 👀

This is all a part of creating a climate in your classroom of mutual respect and honesty. You don't want an antagonist relationship with your students. The best classroom management occurs when students know that their teacher is there to help them learn and grow.