Chapter Six - Expanding Concepts of Reading, Response, and Literature
On page 143 Wilhelm explains that "studying response with my students allowed me to get to know my students as people and as readers." I think this is something we should all remember as a way to better know our students and their needs. Maybe every class should study response and literature in some way.
In the last chapter of the book Wilhelm ends with a discussion about the teachers role, and the influence on students reading. On pages 148-149 he has a list of questions under 'what counts'. The second question he asks is, "What is the role of the teacher? Are teachers simply people who deliver packaged curricula, who teach premade tests? Or are they individuals who create learning environments based on individual students' present needs, desires, interests, and abilities? Are we simply technicians painting by numbers, or are we educational adventurers guiding our students on their personal paths of learning?" (Wilhelm, 149). I like this question because it gets me thinking about what a teacher really is, and what their role within the classroom should be. What does it mean to you?
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To me, being a teacher means continually faciliating (rather than spewing it out) students' knowledge while maintaining a healthy balance between what "should be covered" and what you deem necessary for a particular class. Imperative to doing so is the fact that we as teachers need to note the differences in students' interests and learning styles from class to class. What works with one class may not work with another. Further, in order to empower our students, I feel teachers first and foremost need to create an evironment that stresses a community of collaborative learners based upon mutual respect.
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