Rex--
Bear in mind all of this comes from a community college teacher, not a high
school teacher, so value their advice over mine.
For your own frame of mind this summer, read _The Freedom Writers' Diary_
and look at how Erin Gruwell focuses on inspiring and interesting her
students over discipline (don't dismiss discipline, but I personally advise
against making it the centerpiece of the first class), keep track of all the
legitimate competing concerns the average teen has so you understand not all
your students' actions in your class reflect on you or the class itself, and
learn from the one fatal mistake Gruwell makes -- she doesn't seem to ever
trust or attempt to work with her fellow teachers and peers at the Long
Beach High School where she worked for four years. If she had learned how to
collaborate and be mentored, I can't help thinking she might still be
teaching high school. Of course, I think she's working at a college now, so
it isn't a completely sad ending, but I think the best thing you can do is
find yourself a couple of mentors -- one on campus who can help you navigate
the school's culture and maybe one through the NCTE's mentoring program (if
they offer it again this fall -- keep checking
http://www.ncte.org/teach2000/ ). The value of an off-campus mentor is that
it gives you a place to vent.
Maureen Fitzpatrick
Associate Professor, Johnson County Community College
-----Original Message-----
From: Rex Houston
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: 4/10/01 6:05 PM
Subject: Re: Textbook recommendation
I am going to be a first year teacher next year and
would like some comments on what to do on the first
day of class and suggestions for handling discipline
problems. If anyone has any suggestions,feel free to
give them to me. I will be looking forward to your
responses. By the way, I will be teaching either
tenth or twelfth grade English. If you have any
suggestions on some appropriate literature to teach,
please feel free to give those suggestions also.
--- Johanna Rubba <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> There is a new edition out of 'Language: Its
> Structure and Use' by Ed
> Finegan. I've used it in the past--it has good
> chapters on
> sociolinguistics, conversation structure, etc. I
> haven't reviewed the
> new edition yet, but I'd like to. It might be worth
> considering.
>
> I currently use Language Files, which is uneven in
> quality. Lots of
> exercises in some chapters, virtually none in
> others. It has a format
> some people like--each chapter is divided into
> 'files' which are short
> sub-chapters. I usually feel the need to supplement
> it on
> sociolinguistic issues. A reader in conjunction with
> it might work well.
>
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Johanna Rubba Assistant Professor, Linguistics
> English Department, California Polytechnic State
> University
> One Grand Avenue * San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
> Tel. (805)-756-2184 * Fax: (805)-756-6374 * Dept.
> Phone. 756-259
> * E-mail: [log in to unmask] * Home page:
> http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
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