Last week I spoke at a conference for English teachers, one book nerd to a classroom of others. Luckily I had a small audience, though ten people who assess speeches felt like plenty.
I talked about different ways that I enjoy literature:
- movies (the obvious one)
- web series (the more accessible and experimental video format)
- fanfiction (reading or writing)
- audio books (I find some books are even better in this format)
The purpose was to get them thinking about different ways their students could engage. I talked about the Austen society and confessed that, apart from Austen, I don’t read classics as I find them boring. I only read, watch, and talk about books that I love.
It seems revolutionary to me that teachers are putting their students at the centre of learning. They want to speak with students in a way they understand. One of the amazing things said again, and again, was that they wished they didn’t have to assess, that learning should not be based on preparing students for exams. I agree, learning enriches all parts of life and it should be about preparing for life long learning.
I’m a book nerd. I always will be. And I am so appreciative of all my teachers who helped instill my love of literature and learning.