How is reading a work of literature related to your own personal beliefs and opinions?

Reading allows us to learn and experience instances, people, and situations that we simply would not have the opportunity to learn about first hand. We experience a lot in the world but reading allows us to experience everything else.

My belief comes from my own reading and experiences including:

• Helping students in developing as independent readers, thinkers, and learners. (Weaver, 88)

• Russell Stauffer has also advocated teaching students to raise questions in order that they may become reading-thinking scholars. (Russell Strauffer qt in McNeil 40)

• It is education that can help children move from their ego centric state to the ability to look at things through the various lenses needed for global understanding. (Miller Cleary)

• All human beings strive to be in a continuous state of learning and comprehension, just as they continually strive to breathe. (Smith 6)

• I learn about what interests me through reading. If I want to know about a person or a place that I heard about I read about it. It allows me to learn about the world that I don’t have the chance to experience first hand. It allows me to learn about anything and everything. You can experience anything with reading.

Because of this belief as a teacher I will

Create assignments that allow students to learn about what subjects that interest  

them while also learning language arts skills.

Choose literature that teaches not only the language arts skills but also presents  

other valuable information.