Objects in mirror are closer than they appear

Strategies I've learned:
Literature circles, gallery, stations, different systems for groups, Socratic seminar, using different mediums and versions of text

One of the most important things about giving assignments and delivering information is that it be interesting. If the teacher has no interest in the information, how can the students be expected to pay attention? Even the driest material can be made interesting to some of the class, so it's our job to make it that way. I'm completely fine with sitting in a class and being lectured on topics I'm interested in (which really includes almost anything) so long as I'm learning new information. Other people aren't quite so interested in the information, so it matters how it's presented. Before this class, I would've taught how I liked to be taught--in pretty much the traditional manner, with a few new things thrown in. Given some of the experiences we've had in the class, I've been able to get a little more creative with my plans (since 12th grade I've had a list of things I want to do when I'm teaching) and add to them significantly. Some of those new plans will take a lot of preparation; maybe I won't have the opportunity to use all of them the first year. That's okay. All that means is I'll get to focus more on the ideas in the first year, see how they worked out, and adapt them a little better, too.

Time is probably the most challenging aspect of teaching: time for preparation, time to grade, planning what can be covered in a certain amount of time, using time in class, and taking into account the time that students have outside of class. The worst teachers (both in terms of personality and ability) are those who think that their class is the only one students have, or that theirs is the most important. Planning lessons and homework by keeping other classes in mind gives not only a better experience for you and the students (students will complain less) but also makes teaching more efficient. At the same time, students need to be prepared to move on to the following grade. Striking that balance is important.

I still think the words are equally or more important than the feelings when it comes to teaching literature. As a reader I might want to feel the apprehension or fear in the main character, but that's a skill that a teacher can spend only so much time on if they're going to make students better in English. After all, these novels couldn't be written effectively if the author didn't have a solid grasp on English, even if they're written in dialect. In fact, dialect often shows an even better handle on language skills. My goal for students is that they enjoy the things they read and understand the "literary aspects" (e.g., motif, theme, foreshadowing, etc.), but also that they can actually write grammatical sentences and spell words correctly. I said it before and I'll say it again: the choices one makes with language are everything. The veracity of this example aside, I think it's perfect for what I'm trying to say (link contains potentially offensive language, but almost-guaranteed entertainment: #s 3 and 5 are the important ones). All of that said, a New Critical approach isn't going to appeal to many people and isn't what I'm recommending. I'm simply saying that, in class, books shouldn't be as much about feelings as they are outside of class. Feelings certainly have a place and can also give insight into the (perception of the) author's choices, but they're not paramount. As an English major (read: nerd), one of the best things about good books is how the author uses the language to make the story more interesting. I read The Shipping News twice just because I felt like I was missing things in the language that would've helped me. I'm pretty sure I'm still missing the key to understanding. Then again, maybe there isn't one. Round 3 to come later.

Regardless of all that, I'm confident I have the tools to be an effective teacher. I might find in methods or student teaching that the... well, methods need refining, but that's what teaching is all about: refining lessons, objectives, and methods in order to help students learn in a more engaging and effective manner. If I could get the same outcome standing in front of the class for 42 minutes each day and talking at them, maybe I'd do it. However, I'm pretty positive that's not going to happen. My goal instead is to model proper English on handouts (just as it's usually modeled in novels) and make the class as enjoyable as possible through a bunch of different methods. One strategy I'll probably borrow from a professor here is to give students bonus points for noticing errors in spelling/grammar/punctuation on handouts. Not only will that help them get a better grade, but some students will be more interested than before in actually looking at how words and punctuation work together to give meaning. Maybe they're only interested in it in my class, but that's better than nothing.