Entry #8

             We are over half way through the semester and I have to say I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into taking so many classes at the same time.  At points the work for the courses has been overwhelming but at the same time it has been really interesting because the concepts of every course are really intertwined.  With that being said I have been reading through my classmates blogs for today’s entry and I found this quote from Kelly P.’s blog, “It is imperative for teachers to break down the reading process at an early age and then teach whole language as the students grow older. As learners, it is more beneficial for us to learn from part to whole; similarly, the writing process is taught in the same way. First students learn their letters and sounds and then acquire the ability to write words, sentences and paragraphs. The more literacy events a student encounters the more proficient he/she will become as a reader and writer.”   Kelly’s statement sums up my feelings on what I have learned over the course of the semester. Everything is connected and that learning to read is a process, and so is writing.  This also connects to my literacy in the content areas course, we can practice the same skills and strategies that are taught during ELA and writing workshop in the content areas to continue literacy education.

The quote from Kelly’s blog also brought to light how much I have learned this semester about literacy as a whole.  At first literacy to me was just being able to read and make meaning from what is being read.  I now understand that it is truly so much more.  Dr. Jones has made it especially clear throughout our class that the writing process is also an important part of being a literate person.  The ability to communicate comes from being able to make meaning from the text we read on a page as well as how we help to make meaning for others as they read from a page.     

This changed view of literacy has helped to understand what role I play as an educator in helping students to reach their potential when it comes to reading and writing.  I think how Kelly summed it up in blog that each is a process is the perfect way to look at learning to read and write, and we as educators are the facilitators of this learning when kids hit a snag.  I know that this is something that I will take away from my graduate program.  This has also helped me understand that while I think I would enjoy being a literacy specialist in a schools I would really like to apply all of these concepts into a whole classroom.  If I can do that then all my students struggling or gifted can benefit from learning the steps to becoming a proficient and talented reader or writer.  I would also like my students to view themselves as reader and writers no matter their skill level because I didn’t feel that way when struggled with writing and I think that is why I don’t really enjoy writing as an adult.  I want to prevent my future students from feeling the way I do about writing and I think that the strategy that this courses has given me combined with my other courses will help me to do that in both reading and writing.