1. I learned that I am passionate about including rich literature in my classes and that I need to put myself in a position where I can do that as much as possible.
2. I get excited about the ideas and points of view that students share with me online in their dialogue journals and reader response entries and face-to-face.
3. I get giddy about how writers write. (I guess I already knew that, but it was nice to see that the flame is still burning.)
4. I like trying to figure out how to talk about stereotypes, race, class, and gender without pissing people off. It’s hard and I have no idea how to pull it off, but I keep trying.
5. I like trying to figure out how to get people to actually talk about stereotypes, race, class, and gender in a genuine way that will lead us all into better understandings.
6. Putting literature alongside nonfiction is important to me, especially when using multicultural texts.
The Big Read Kick-Off and the Asian Fest on May 1, 2010 at Chesapeake's Central Library at noon.
