Inspiration

As I think back to my personal experiences in my English classes, most of them were positive. Beginning in the sixth grade, I had a delightful teacher named Mrs. Fehrenbacher who exhibited her passion for English very boldly. She invested in me personally as we exchanged our interests in literature. She introduced me to Agatha Christie books. I loved the way she raved about the mystery and suspense. When I began reading those books, I was astonished by the way the author controlled my mind to craft vivid images contrasting the colorless words on each dull, yellowish page. Mrs. Fehrenbacher revealed to me the love I already had for English. She also introduced me to good poetry. It was this year that I joined the poetry club, despite what other kids thought of me. She encouraged the students in the club to also go to poetry slams outside of the school setting. It was easy to learn in her class because she shared her love for the subject to inspire and identify my passion for it as well. I am extremely thankful for her because she has impacted my love for English greatly.

In the eighth grade, however, I had an literacy teacher who was cynical and critical of the smallest of things. He had a naked woman tatted on his right arm, which was very disturbing to me and others. He dominated most of the class time, unless he randomly selected who would answer a question. We read Animal Farm and the Diary of Anne Frank, which I enjoyed. Despite his cynicism, his class helped me to read more analytically and challenged me to see the influences of history and literature. I did not particularly like history, but I loved reading it through the eyes of literature.

When I was a junior in high school, my English teacher, Mr. Brown, was quite influential in my studies. He was also the debate coach which helped form a more well-rounded approach to my reading and writing. We discussed and picked apart many topics that I thought were black-and-white, but I soon discovered were more complex. I remember reading "Walking" by Henry David Thoreau which completely rocked my world. This work describes Thoreau's experience and pleasure he felt from walking outside for hours at a time. Mr. Brown told us that we too needed to walk outside for a class period and then write about our experience. It was phenomenal. It was through this piece that helped me to appreciate God's creation more. It astonished me that Thoreau was not a Christian after reflecting on his personal experience outside.

These are just a few of the many wonderful learning experiences I have had in my literacy classes. I hope to incorporate all of the varying techniques that my teachers used. I loved that Mr. Brown wanted us to experience first-hand the author's writing by mimicking what the author did and write about our own experience of it. I also enjoyed the critical thinking that my eighth grade teacher taught me, though I want to have more open discussions with my students. In addition, I want to inspire and personally meet with my students to identify the passions they have and encourage them to explore beyond the classroom like Mrs. Fehrenbacher taught me.