Award-Winning Author Jason Reynolds To Be Honored at Montclair State University; Dale Russakoff and John Freeman also highlighted

 

Jason Reynolds, author of All American Boys, Ghost, Patina, Long Way Down, The Boy in the Black Suit Miles Morales: Spider Man and more will visit Montclair State University Saturday, March 24, to receive the Muriel Becker Literary Award presented by the New Jersey Council of Teachers of English. Famed writer and literary critic John Freeman will offer the opening keynote speech, and Dale Russakoff, author of the compelling, The Prize, will be a highlighted speaker.

Registration for the event is made at www.njcte.com/conferences/ with discounts for retirees and students. Tickets may be purchased at the door, as space allows. The conference is open to the public and convenes at 8:30 in the Student Center Ballrooms on the north end of the campus.

The New Jersey Council of Teachers of English is the New Jersey state affiliate of NCTE, the National Council of Teachers of English. We are a non-profit 501(c)(3) professional organization dedicated to educational and beneficial purposes. NJCTE fosters excellence in English Language Arts by developing academic and professional expertise at all levels. Membership is from April 1 to March 31.

For more information, visit NJCTE.com. Go to the NJCTE website conference page and scroll to the bottom of the page to register.

Written by Laura Nicosia, NJCTE board member

Posted by Audrey Fisch, blog editor for NJCTE

New Jersey Council of Teachers of English, the New Jersey state affiliate of NCTE, the National Council of Teachers of English

NJCTE Spring Conference – Questions and Answers

How can I deepen students’ engagement with texts by viewing them as windows, mirrors, and doors?

How can I organize virtual author visits for my own classroom?

How can I build a culture of independent reading, assess student progress, and still address the standard curriculum of my school?

What role can interactive read-alouds play in supporting student comprehension and building a culture of reading in my classroom?

What kind of digital tools can I use to help students comprehend complex texts and to support their learning from upper elementary through high school?

Is there harmony between English language arts and technology, and what kind of easy-to-apply digital tools can I integrate into the classroom to improve learning?

How can I encourage students to write unique stories starting with two simple words: What if?

How can I provide the attention, encouragement, and challenge students need to become lifelong readers who continue to read for pleasure?

What kind of games, discussions, and self-assessments can I use to improve literacy engagement and create a participatory culture in my classroom?

How can I encourage the free, open discourse fundamental to a democracy and still handle unwanted and offensive speech?

In our current climate where immigration can be a heated topic, what strategies and resources can I use to help students understand the important role immigration continues to play in our culture?

Is poetry dead along with all the poets? Are there resources to help students become better poets and develop their own creative voices?

Come to the NJCTE spring conference to hear discussion and answers to these and other questions. Go to the NJCTE website conference page and scroll to the bottom of the page to register.

Written by Patricia Schall, NJCTE board member

Posted by Audrey Fisch, blog editor for NJCTE

New Jersey Council of Teachers of English, the New Jersey state affiliate of NCTE, the National Council of Teachers of English

NJCTE Spring Conference – Sessions for Teachers at all Levels!

We have an engaging spring conference planned with a variety of session topics. Sessions on literacy will appeal to teachers at all grade levels, especially middle school and high school.

We look forward to a diversity of speakers and presenters. We have sessions that directly address advocacy issues, such as a presenter from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (Philadelphia) discussing “free, open discourse in schools in a functioning democracy” and providing suggestions for teachers on “how to handle unwanted or offensive speech.”

Sessions will help teachers advocate for and develop a “liberation pedagogy” that will support students’ literacy and learning and put teachers in the position of professional decision-makers and collaborators as they help students make choices about their own learning.

We have presenters from NY, PA, and even from Minnesota. From NJ, we have presenters from schools in Morris, Ocean, Union, and Essex Counties. We are also lucky to have two NCTE Lead Ambassadors who will attend the conference; one is giving a session on “Poetry Isn’t Dead (and Neither Are the Poets).”

Laura Nicosia and Jim Nicosia have, as usual, worked hard on all the arrangements for this conference at Montclair University.

Written by Patricia Schall, NJCTE board member

Click on the conference poster (at right) to go to the NJCTE website. Scroll to the bottom of the page to register.

Posted by Audrey Fisch, blog editor for NJCTE

New Jersey Council of Teachers of English, the New Jersey state affiliate of NCTE, the National Council of Teachers of English

Welcome to New Board Member Denise Weintraut

 

Please welcome NJCTE’s newest board member, Denise Weintraut.

Denise Weintraut teaches ELA to middle schoolers at the Berlin Community School in the Berlin Borough School District. She is passionate about inspiring struggling readers to become engaged and literate thinkers who read for fun and to inform their lives. An advocate for the integration of technology in the classroom, she is an Apple Teacher and a Google Certified Educator, L1. She facilitates regional #CoffeeEduNJ chats in the South Jersey region and can often be found at area conferences and EdCamps. She also serves on the Board of the West Jersey Reading Council and believes that authors are rock stars. Committed to the principles of social and emotional learning, she strives to make her classroom an inclusive place where all students feel both welcomed and challenged. Chocolates and good books make her insanely happy!

You will have an opportunity to meet Denise at NJCTE’s upcoming spring conference, March 24, at Montclair University. As NJCTE’s membership chair, Denise will be working the registration table. Please take a moment to introduce yourself if you don’t already know Denise and welcome her to the NJCTE leadership team.

Posted by Audrey Fisch, blog editor for NJCTE

New Jersey Council of Teachers of English, the New Jersey state affiliate of NCTE, the National Council of Teachers of English

Children’s Literature and the #MeToo Movement

This past week, award-winning middle grade author Anne Ursu wrote a scathing and important overview of sexual harassment in the industry.  The essay has been shared thousands of times on social media and important conversations have started.  A few days later, people started naming names in the comments of a School Library Journal article related to the topic.  Author Jay Asher and illustrator David Diaz have been expelled from the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators for a pattern of harassing behavior. 

As we’ve seen with the rise of the #MeToo movement, no industry is immune from sexual harassment and related issues.  Of course, most women were already deeply familiar with the problems of harassment. However, as readers many of us view books as an escape.  As educators and students, we often put authors and illustrators on a pedestal and treat them as “rock stars”. I encourage you to read the linked pieces and the comments.  As educators, we need to be thoughtful about the books and authors we elevate and these issue, while uncomfortable to discuss, is important.

In light of recent events, author Kate Messner shared the following advice for educators:

I’m getting some emails & messages from educators this week, asking what they can do in response to Anne Ursu’s important piece about sexual harassment in the children’s book world, and the subsequent #metoo stories that have been shared as a result. So I wanted to share some thoughts…

If you host a book festival, conference or other multi-author/illustrator event:

1. Institute a code of conduct & anti-harassment policy if you don’t already have one. If you do already have one, now is a good time to review it. Make sure it’s shared publicly and widely. And make sure there are clear reporting procedures and consequences for violations.

2. Please consider the larger climate of adulation of men in children’s literature that contributes to this problem and refrain from participating in it. We can all appreciate brilliant writing and illustration without gushing about who’s hot or cute or so cool. Yes, this happens. A lot.

3. Look at the roster for your panel/festival/conference. If it’s not made up of at least half women and at least half people of color, it’s not really representing the children we’re all here to serve. That imbalance also helps to create an atmosphere where abuse of any kind is more likely and reporting of it feels less safe.

I’m also getting notes from people who host author visits and are worried that they’ll unknowingly invite someone who’s part of this problem. The solution to this is the same as the solution to other kinds of vetting educators do for author visits – ask around. Most of us regularly answer questions and are happy to do so. I get emails from educator-friends asking, “Hey, is xyz author good with K-2 kids?” or “How do you think xyz author would be for middle school?” If you’re worried about this issue, reach out to some women authors. “Hey, I’m considering inviting xyz author. What do you think?” If there are red flags, you’ll hear them in the responses.

And what about the books on our shelves and in our curriculum?  Kelly Jensen, an associate editor and community manager at Book Riot and librarian, offers advice in her post titled “What to Do With Books By Authors Accused of Assault, Racism, or Other Inappropriate or Illegal Behaviors”.  She reminds teachers that weeding classroom books that aren’t circulating is fine but removing books all together is censorship.  For whole class reads, she suggests bringing issues to the attention of your colleagues and administrators and having a conversation.  Can a different book accomplish the same goals?  Is there a better book, perhaps an #ownvoices book, that deals with the same themes or topics?

If you are part of a larger organization that hosts authors at conferences or events, be aware that many authors and illustrators are pledging to no longer participate in events that do not have strong codes of conduct and anti-harassment policies.  NJCTE is currently drafting our own code of conduct and anti-harassment policy.  As an inclusive organization that strives to make sure all members and participants feel welcome and safe, we hope that you will reach out to us with comments, questions, or ideas.

Written by Sarah Mulhern Gross, Vice-President and Board Member, NJCTE, NBCT and English Teacher, High Technology High School, Lincroft, NJ

Posted by Audrey Fisch, blog editor for NJCTE

New Jersey Council of Teachers of English, the New Jersey state affiliate of NCTE, the National Council of Teachers of English

WHY ENTER THE NJCTE MIDDLE SCHOOL PILOT WRITING CONTEST?

Here in Central New Jersey, many read the Asbury Park Press.  Every third Tuesday of the month, the press features young writers whose offerings have responded to a prompt.  Both high school and middle school students respond to the same prompt.  Repeatedly, I amazed by the writing of the middle school students. Young writers in grade seven can and should entertain some of the same issues that are offered to students in grade 12.  We at NJCTE concur with this approach.

Our prompt for the NJCTE Writing Contests invites challenging speculation that may lead to an awakening.  Students are offered a range of subject matter as they are directed to write about a personal experience involving race, ethnicity, class, religion, or gender enlightenment.  Needless to say, there is no right or wrong answer.  Honest engagement with the prompt and careful thought will emerge for both reader and writer as a winning essay.

Write a personal essay or narrative about an experience of race, ethnicity, class, religion or gender enlightenment that was significant for you.

 We would like you to steer away from general to more personal experiences and observations.  For example, you may choose to write about particular toys that were or were not given to you because of your gender, the expectations of important individuals in your life, decisions about where to sit in the cafeteria or what classes to take, conflicts over what information to share or not share in school, decisions about where to go and if you should go to college; the possibilities are wide ranging.

This prompt may bring to your attention a preconception previously unnamed, but it may also enable you to speak about your strengths and joys, about what unites us instead of what divides us.

The prompt challenges thought and engages students in social awareness which can lead to enlightened, responsible citizens.  And, after all, isn’t that really what an education should do?  Participating in a writing contest gives students an opportunity to communicate their ideas and shape their prose for a much wider audience. They are writing authentic reading for others.

The deadline is February 20. Please see the NJCTE website for details on how your students can submit their work.

As a classroom teacher, you have been given the agency to encourage your students to respond to the prompt in a meaningful way that does, indeed, result in an “Awakening.”  Every teacher who submits entries will be recognized.  We at NJCTE have found that this recognition generates enthusiasm for writing and community support in other areas also.

We hope you find the prompt lends itself to mini-lessons on form, development, paragraphing, word choice, synthesis, analysis, voice… The list is endless.  Incorporating the prompt into the daily lesson plan is easy and beneficial in many ways.

I hope that my reasons will convince you to engage your middle school students in this most worthy enterprise.

Written by Susan Reese, NJCTE President, former Chair of the NCTE Achievement Awards in Writing Advisory Committee

Posted by Audrey Fisch, blog editor for NJCTE

New Jersey Council of Teachers of English, the New Jersey state affiliate of NCTE, the National Council of Teachers of English

NJCTE Spring Conference – Coming Soon

Posted by Audrey Fisch, blog editor for NJCTE

New Jersey Council of Teachers of English, the New Jersey state affiliate of NCTE, the National Council of Teachers of English