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As a future educator, I have many ideas about what I would like to teach in
American literature and how I would like to teach it. Currently, my focus is
either on the early colonial literary period or the Romantic period. In my
experience I find these literary eras capture the true American spirit as well
as helps shape the next generation of young writers. Specifically, Johnathan
Edward’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” and Phillis
Wheatley’s “To the University of Cambridge, in New England” are
pieces I find that elementary students will understand while still capturing
what the early colonial period is about. As for Romanticism, I enjoy Walt
Whitman. He heavily influences later literary periods that come after him. He
helps form literary periods that come after him. He even mastered a new style
of writing called free verse, that allows those interested in poetry not to
feel like they need to fit inside a box when writing. I am curious to explore
more these poets not only because of the themes of their works but because of
the historical period they are writing in. This helps us as the readers understand
what was going through the minds of people in that time. These offer perspectives
on America’s social issues and everyday life. Some recurring ideals are “the
American Dream” or “American Exceptionalism,” which are terms that were used
hundreds of years ago and still used today. It is important to bridge the gap
between history and today so these authors and their work are not forgotten,
and we can truly feel connected and closer to the past.

In terms of teaching to multiple intelligences, I associate most with naturalist and musical intelligence, but I understand not every student learns the same way. I am open to exploring an idea that I am not familiar with. For example, if I were teaching to someone with a bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, I would encourage him or her to act out the literary piece we are focusing on. Although, a number of texts could be taught with any of these kinds of intelligences, I think introducing physical activities rather than a lecture, would help every student learn better. Involving students in activities, such as taking them outdoors to study the material, will keep them engaged and excited to come to class every day.

As a teacher, some resources I would like to have available to me is potentially another teacher who is an expert in these areas. They could guide me to teach at a steady pace, and make sure I am interpreting correctly. I would also like ideas from other teachers on an online database such what we are creating on this website, so I can borrow ideas that might work best for my specific group of students based on what I feel will make them most successful. I understand my techniques for one class may vary from another. This is why it would be efficient to have a database where teachers could post their experiences. In conclusion, I am open to many ideas, but I find these time periods the most interesting and effective for myself as a teacher. I am very excited to pursue the journey. I believe literature contributes to who America is and it is worth exploring.