Working title: Agile ELLI: 21st Century English Language and Literacy Instruction
It's a manual/survival guide for teachers on the front line of education: public k12 educators, teachers of English Language Learners, teachers of students with disabilities, homeschooling parents, private tutors, etc. As a subject matter expert, my focus is primarily ELA instruction, but my thesis is that special populations (underfunded, underresourced, underappreciated) need to rely on multidisciplinary structures to survive.
Who I'm Writing it for: First and foremost, this book is for myself. I ground through 10 years of public school instruction just so I could clear my credential and be considered a "real" teacher. Newsflash: I was a "real" teacher the moment I truly cried for my students. I'm not talking about the tears of frustration. I'm talking about the tears that come from seeing the connection between teacher and student.
This is written for the teachers on the front lines of education who don't feel like a real teacher. You are! This book is written for those who are reassessing what it means for them to be a teacher in America right now. Gain insights into decades and centuries of academic discourse on the nature of knowledge, how students learn, what teachers do, and how all of those things are effected by our beliefs as individual teachers and society as a whole.
I'm looking for teachers who are searching for a clan. Digital caves where we can share stories around a campfire. And then, eventually, taking the light out of the cave and sharing it with our students and colleagues. With teacher burnout at an all-time high, I think it is absolutely necessary for all educators to take a step back and reassess what it means to be a teacher, and what our role should be in 21st century schools.
Sir Ken Robinson once said that "education doesn't need to be reformed, it needs to be transformed." This book is an attempt to transform the hearts and minds of educators in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges and overwhelming circumstances.
