Final Post!

Taking this TE course was very beneficial for me. Before this course I really did not enjoy reading because I thought of it as too easy. I enjoy things that are bit of a challenge for me but possible to obtain and reading to me was just read the words on the page and that's it. I didn't think too much about the text or hidden messages within the reading. This class helped me realize that the fun in reading is the hidden messages within the text. The questioning the text papers help in developing knowledge on how to do that.
Another area that I didn't think too much about was the author's credibility in the subject area that they're writing about. I just thought that if they were writing a book about it they had to be experts in the subject area. The article on the insider and outsider point of view was new information to me and really opened my eyes making me more aware and critical while reading particular texts. Even after learning all this information this semester about all the diverse cultures such as African American lit, Jewish lit, Religious lit, Disablitlies lit, LBGTQ lit. I still think I would need more practice in the subject matter to know how to effectively address the issue without offending anyone. The terminology is the area in which I struggle with in understanding which is appropriate and correct opposed to the offending terminology.
In my future classroom I plan on reading texts just like this. I feel that I was not given the full experience I could have had growing up with reading because I was not taught to read critically. I feel it is very important for children to see the importance of reading and the different aspects to pay close attention to. This past year I have taken a few teaching courses that have given me the opportunity to build my classroom library early. I plan on incorporating the readings from this class as well, because they all have beneficial value to them. Overall, this class was a good learning experience for me and I am really glad I took it.