SCET Journal 2020

Letter from the Editors

We begin this letter with an explanation of the cover. Usually we select a picture of a teacher reading or writing on the beach, but not this year. The image of our vast and varied world encircled by books caught our at- tention because it supports the theme which emerged for this issue: Reading and Writing Around our World. Four sections frame and encompass articles: Reconsid- ering Our Practice, Prompting Critical Thinking, Broad- ening Diverse Perspectives, and Reflecting on Teach- ing. More so, these headings represent interconnected, overlapping, and mutually supportive practices. As you read around the ideas contained in these digital pages, we hope you will reconsider your teaching practice, grow your critical awareness, broaden your perspective on diversity, and reflect on your teaching so that we might ultimately create a better world both within and beyond our classroom doors. Through reading and writing around our world, anything is possible. This issue commences with guidance and encour- agement for reconsidering our practice. Julianne V. Lux synthesizes existing research on summer reading programs and attitudes at the middle and high school levels in order to encourage us to reflect on our sum- mer practices and to encourage students to read in “Summer Reading: Let Students Choose!” Next, Caitlin Ramussen and Victoria Oglan explore inconsistencies between pre-service and veteran teachers in “How Vet- eran Teachers Can ‘Do Better’ by Learning from Novic- es: One Teacher’s Experiences with Writing Instruction.” Through interviews and observations of pre-service and longtime secondary English teachers on the topic of writing, their findings reveal differences, similarities, and opportunities for us to learn from one another. And last, Jacqueline Transou shares the results of an action research study in which she explored word wall words and students’ writing in “Mastery of Word Wall Words in the Context of Writing.” In the next section, our critical thinking is prompted by Deidre M. Clary’s “Critiquing the Truth in a Post-truth World: Navigating Content Online.” In this article she translates theory into practice as she explains and pro- vides examples of critical literacy theory and pedagogy to foster the critical thinking skills needed by discerning readers as they navigate an enormous volume of their news from social media feeds featuring false, exagger-

ated or sponsored content. Next, Ali Alzughaibi sheds some light on the application of Rosenblatt’s reader response theory and its effects on critical thinking in a bilingual Saudi English as a second language (ESL) context in “Because I’m Saudi”: Critical Thinking in a Reader Response Class,” reminding us of the validity and importance of experience in bringing text to life. Our perspectives around diversity are broadened in this third section of the journal. In "From Representa- tional to Inclusive Diversity: Reading to Understand the Nuances within Racial and/or Cultural Groups," Vivian Yenika-Agbaw and René M. Rodriguez-Astacio share a few ideas for English teachers to consider as they work to create a more complex and inclusive English literacy curriculum, particularly as it pertains to being Black and/ or Latinx within our national and global settings, offer- ing suggestions for designing curriculum reflective of the nuanced differences among group members within minority groups. Trever Cline Etminan encourages edu- cators to make small daily instructional adjustments that establish a culturally relevant pedagogy centered curric- ulum in “Meeting the Needs of LGBTQ Youth with CRP and YAL.” And Michelle Avila Vanderburg, Katie Spragg, and Kristina Flanagan share practical ideas for planning activities around diverse young adult literature including The House on Mango Street and Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in “Unit Planning to Provide Diverse Perspectives Through Literature.” In this final section of the journal, we include personal reflections on the art of teaching. In “VHS Cassettes, CD-ROMs, and Twenty Years of National Board Certification,” Jennifer D. Morrison reflects on her journey as an educator using her National Board for Professional Teaching Standards portfolios as markers along the road. She explains how the process afford- ed her lifelong learning including the value of taking small nibbles from a large project, perseverance, and "counting on your village." We conclude this issue with a poem, “The First Day of Class.” As we begin a new year and semester, Bob Hanley reminds us of the precious uniqueness of each child we teach. We hope you enjoy reading and writing around our world.

Mary E. Styslinger & Matthew C. Nelson

South Carolina English Teacher

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