I had a student come into class just a few minutes ago and tell me that one of the presentations he saw last week motivated him to further explore a potential path in law enforcement. That is music to my ears. If just one student is somehow motivated to explore one of the paths further as a result of a presentation, then I feel like the whole unit is successful. I know that seems like low expectations, and I know that English/language arts skills are important, but helping students explore their futures is a much higher purpose in teaching of any course content. In other news, I think it's going to be a good weekend to read more of the book I have my Mr. Petreikis. He is the husband of my ex-wife's cousin, so he was family at one time in my life. He wrote a book about his career as a conservation officer, and there are philosophies and stories all wrapped up together, which is interesting to read. I applaud him for his efforts and am jealous. I've mentioned before how writing a book is a "bucket list" thing for me, and I envy those who have already done it. I really am always impressed at great writing and what the author must have done and gone through in order to eventually produce the work - it's amazing to me. Who knows, maybe if I can't sleep through the rain late Saturday night, I'll be up reading the book. I just sent out to students the link to the latest 5-star book recommendations. I really do thing the approach I take towards getting students to read more gets more students reading more. I'm not here to suggest that I motivate everyone to become readers, but taking away requirements for reading seems to help.
No comments:
Post a Comment