Literacy...it's critical!

While the nature of this blog is to introduce myself for the purposes of gaining employment, recruiters do suggest that you "be yourself" so I am just going to free flow here, this is my passion!

Reading, writing, speaking and listening all combine to make the literacy curriculum.  It continues to astound me that most elementary students think we are learning these things to a)please the teacher b) get good grades c) please our parents, oh dear!  Communication skills, and that's what these are, are life's blood and inspiring my students to be outstanding communicators if what literacy is to me!

Can you share your opinion? Do you understand your perspective? Are you able to respond to to others? How do you defend your point of view, persuade others to your way of thinking? Can you listen and respect other people's ideas? Reading between the lines? Inferring the author's intended message? Accessing relevant information from a variety of sources? This is what literacy is about.

Loving and learning from a great work of fiction. Being excited about researching and self directed learning. Debating an argument or persuading other people to join your school of thought. In short, making language come alive for children, allowing them to use it in authentic contexts and developing their skills and passions all at once are the hallmarks of my classroom.

International mindedness is embedded and over-riding. 
While English is the language of instruction

and indeed what most parent's are paying those school fees for, a child's home language, is still their primary language. Linking language, culture and thought together, a child's first language is WHO he or she is and to the child's detriment if we forget this.  Some cultural groups and parents are outstanding in continuing to develop and support a child's home language, but many parent's are confused by the need to develop English language skills to excel at school and the desire to maintain the child' primary language. Educating parents about the importance of maintaining home languages and VALUING and giving room for expression of these languages in the classroom.  Watching a second grade student flying through a tome of Harry Potter in German whist struggling with his English conjunctions, a girl sing an exquisite Korean traditional song whilst stumbling through her class presentation on habitat loss. This is the balance that must be achieved within the international setting to truly know your students, to maintain confidence, to inspire passion.