I am in the MAT ESL program. I was a 4th grade teacher at Forest View Elementary School for the past 3 years. Above you can see some of my students from this past year. I absolutely loved my time teaching, but have decided to step out of the classroom and pursue my MAT. During my time teaching, I was able to teach many English Language Learners, some of whom were refugee students from the Middle East and central Africa. Teaching these kids gave me a desire to learn more about meeting the needs of ELLs in a general classroom setting, which is why I am now in the ESL program.
When asked what my favorite book is, I still say Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. This book was first shared with me by a teacher at my elementary school when I was in 4th grade. It is a beautiful story of a girl coming to terms with pain and loss. As a child, I definitely did not understand all the different layers and the depth of the story. Which means that when I went back to read it as an adult I was floored once more by the power of the story. I have had the chance to read this book with a few girls in my classes and they love it just as much. I love getting to talk about what it means to be a girl and how we can help each other through difficulties and loss. I have read this book so many times that my original copy is literally falling apart, but I will never get rid of it.
I am a die-hard lover of children's literature. From picture books to Harry Potter, I love them all and my favorite part of teaching getting to share these amazing books with kids and see the light in their eyes when they fall in love with a good book for the first time.
Walk Two Moons fits the criteria of timeless--and it is a Newbery winner--perfect for our discussions this week. I hope you will discover some new books this summer that will be particularly engaging and relevant for your English Learners.
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