Dearest Gentle Teachers,
The Kansas Association of Teachers of English (KATE) conference has once again proven to be the grand soiree of the teaching world, a feast of intellectual intrigue and pedagogical delights. This year was the first time I have attended and it surely will not be the last. From discussions of creativity in the classroom to the embrace of new pedagogical strategies, one could scarcely walk ten steps without encountering a fellow educator brimming with insights.
The Session for the Swifties & Beyond
Dismantling the Tortured Teachers Department isn't a heading you see everyday. While I am not a swiftie, I read this heading and just knew that was a session I wanted to attend. Throughout the session we went through several different small groups that discussed different strategies to help with student engagement. One of my favorites was the "Say What You See." Say what you see is just what the title says. You would tell your students that you are going to have them compete against each other (or you can opt out of the competing part, but where is the fun in that?) to see who can more accurately describe the image. You have to explain that they will need to include information on the medium, subject and context. Once they describe the image it will give them a percentage. This can be a jumpstart to a descriptive writing assignment or just some fun bellwork that you include every so often.
Another strategy that was shown was the snowball discussion. While this is another title that really is exactly what it says, I still want to briefly explain. Have students pair up. Give them a discussion topic and let them discuss. Next, have pairs of students group up. (So 4 students now). Have them discuss the same topic. Continue to have students group up together, doubling the group size. You could add a slight variation to this by requiring students to come to a consensus before they can join up with their new group. I think this technique sounds fun because it allows all students the ability to share their ideas and finding people that share the same ideas can be helpful to those that aren't as confident sharing in large groups.
Finding Time For YOU
Self-care is important. I'm sure this is not news to you. But do you find the time for self-care? While at the conference I spoke to quite a few educators who stressed the importance of self-care. You have to remember that you are not just an educator. You are a human being who gets stressed, exhausted, and burnt out if you don't find the time to take care of yourself. If you are like me, taking care of yourself usually comes last. I am going into the profession because I am the type of person that likes to help people. I want to help people. But I also have realized that I have to also make sure I am 100% (or maybe even just 80%) before I can help someone.
Creative Journaling. That was the name of the session. I went to it because I was intrigued. A creative journaling session at an English teacher conference? Why? But it was probably one of my favorite sessions. When was the last time you cut and glued things out for fun? I couldn't remember the last time I did it for educational purposes much less for fun. But you should try it. This session was all about finding something to do for yourself outside of teaching. While creative journaling can be used within the classroom, it was so much fun to do something for myself that wasn't going to be graded. As a college student who feels like I've been in school my entire life, it was nice to do something just for me. I didn't have to worry about what my friends or professors thought of my work. It was just for me.
A comment was made to me during this session that within the first seven years, most teachers are no longer teaching. It makes sense. Teaching is such an underrated profession (and sure maybe I'm biased) and people truly don't see the work that goes into it. But I see you. I see the work you guys are doing. I've always seen it. Even when I was a student. Maybe I didn't know what the work really entailed, but teachers like you saved my life. So it is only right for you to take care of yourself too. Find something that reminds you that you are someone outside of education.
Teaching With Graphic Novels
Why would anyone want to teach using graphic novels?
Picture books are for elementary age children.
We need to make sure our students can actually read.
Those are things that I have either heard or said myself. I want everyone to be readers. I will bring up books to anyone I talk to. I love talking books. But if you would have asked me about two years ago if I considered graphic novels as books my answer would have been "no." That they were picture books meant for younger kids. That they could never give you the same thing that regular chapter books do. How ignorant of me.
It wasn't until a college class where my professor showed us studies on graphic novels and even children's books. "A widely cited study from the University of Oregon found that comics even help build vocabulary, averaging 53.5 rare words per 1,000-- more than adult books" (ElBoghdady 2024). The studies proved my ignorance wrong. And it wasn't until after I heard this statistic that I started catching rare words in the children's books that I would read to my son at bedtime.
I presented over a graphic novel at the conference. Me, the person who two years ago spat at graphic novels. Not only did I present a graphic novel, but I came up with learning activities for students. After I presented, I attended another session by a keynote speaker and author Jason DeHart who was there to tell us about how he teaches with graphic novels and comics. He was able to remind me the importance of graphic novels and the different ways that they can be used within the classroom.
And so, dear teachers,
Though one might have expected the indulgent delight of warm queso to accompany our nachos and tacos, my friends and I were left without such a cheesy pleasure. But, dear teachers, if this was the most grievous complaint of the gathering, it only speaks to the grandeur and charm of the event itself. Do not be remiss in your duties next season. There is much to be gained, after all, from joining the ranks of those who are passionate about what we do. I strongly encourage you to attend next year's conference. One may even see me there.
Yours Truly,
Lady Ace
Citations
ElBoghdady, D. (n.d.). The allure of graphic novels. Georgetown Day School. https://www.gds.org/georgetown-days-magazine/story/~board/georgetown-days/post/the-allure-of-graphic-novels#:~:text=A%20widely%20cited%20study%20from,1%2C000%E2%80%94more%20than%20adult%20books.
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