This semester I have decided to read Nancie Atwell's popular book In the Middle: New Understandings About Writing, Reading, and Learning. It took more time than I planned to get this book, but I am glad that it made it! I just started reading last night, and I found that it was more interesting than I every thought that it could actually be. I found myself connecting with Atwell finding that I have so much in common with her teaching style, teaching background, and the kinds of students that she worked with when she was an active teacher. Like Atwell, I also have been teaching students that come from a lower socio-economic status. This leads to students that have many differences in culture, and reading abilities. Though I have just started, I am looking forward to reading more of Atwell's writing!
As I start this book, I find that I have a lot in common with Nancie Atwell. At first she calls herself a creationist, but then says that in later years she is an evolutionist. Now these are not terms that you associate with science and the creation of man, but with teaching and how we create new lessons, ideas, and work for our students. I feel that I am at the precipice of creation and evolution. I have been teaching the same subject for a few years, and I find that instead of reinventing the wheel, that I am taking old ideas and tweaking them to fit my students and society. I am working on a project with my students now, and 3 years ago it was just a short lesson and writing project. Now, it has become a full-blown research project that involves more than just a few moments of reading and writing. So yes, I am making the move from creationist to evolutionist!
