To be touched by manifold whys

“In fact, a deed, a gesture of rage or love, a poem, a painting, a song, a book are always wrapped in thick wrappers. They have been touched by manifold whys.” - Paulo Freire Your delight and joy has taken root within my body. Yet, we are blessed with the ability to nurture thoughts and feelings, … Continue reading To be touched by manifold whys →

Functional Grammar and Writing Workshop: A Hybrid Approach to Teaching Literacy to English Language Learners

I suggest that students must be taught the codes needed to participate fully in the mainstream of American life, not by being forced to attend to hollow, inane, decontextualised sub-skills, but rather within the context of meaningful communicative endeavours; that they must be allowed the resource of the teacher’s expert knowledge, while being helped to … Continue reading Functional Grammar and Writing Workshop: A Hybrid Approach to Teaching Literacy to English Language Learners →

The Stand-off

The offer struck me as ludicrous, insulting. They had me over a barrel and they knew it. I wanted to laugh, throw it back in their faces. I wanted to say 'How dare you? Is this how little you value me? Well you've made a big mistake!' Then I would turn slowly, leave, and never … Continue reading The Stand-off →

The Gift of Stories

I am engaging in the SoL classroom challenge this month and it is very exciting! For the challenge I promised my students that I would write a story based on each of them (so 23 stories throughout the month). It's a good thing I had the March SoL to train me properly! I have no … Continue reading The Gift of Stories →