A literature Teacher to be… an avid reader, an expert guide and a keen researcher

Frankly speaking, I didn’t remember having a single good teacher teaching literature during my school days. Perhaps during those years teaching were merely chalk and talk and in literature class plus reading. At the end of the day, we were tested on what we had read. Teaching and learning missions thus accomplished.

Having read Brown & Stephens book on Teaching Young Adult Literature, I could visualize the type of teacher whom I long to have as my literature teacher.

My so called favourite teacher is the one who always encourages and foster his students to read. This is done by establishing lifelong reading habits. He will ensure that his students are exposed to a rich reading environment – to have ample amount of story books in class apart from having a user- friendly library, which can be considered as a ready access to a wide range of reading materials. Students are then given the opportunities to select their own reading.

The teacher also in a way guide and support us with our selection of books to read which is based on our own interest because the teacher seems to have read all books and knows what suits our individual interest. Obviously, the teacher practice what he preach. He didn’t just ask students to read, he himself is an avid reader indeed. He always stays current and up-to date with his readings. Students notice this.

The concept of teaching as the act of bestowing or imparting knowledge on students is already obsolete. A teacher nowadays is more an expert guide or a reading coach. Now the concept is tailored to a shared experience in which the teacher guides the students as a community of learners to explore and find meaning in their reading. It is no more ‘spoon feeding’ of knowledge. Students are encouraged to take risks by reading and responding in new ways to their peers, rather than simply to and for the teacher. Teacher, on the other hand, provides descriptive and nonjudgmental feedback to students. And as a reading coach also, a teacher communicates his belief in the value of reading and direct students to find books with which they are able to make a connection.

Lastly a good literature teacher is a researcher who has an in-depth knowledge of the subject matter- to learn about the foundation of young adult literature, to apply the theory to their own classroom through action research. He observes students’ behaviour and preferences, gather data and analyze the findings to improve learning and involvement with literature in his classroom.