Outgoing "Voices from the Middle" ("VM") editor and incoming Vice-President Kylene Beers remembers the origins of the National Council of Teahers of English (NCTE), the long struggle to establish the best curriculum and assessment practices possible, and the frustration with the current emphasis on teaching to the test. Leaders who have wrestled…

Describes the many and varied emotional needs of teens, and the importance of dealing with adolescents' problems, so that they can learn. Suggests that, for language arts teachers, the way in is through literature. Discusses the role of literature, and offers a description of four themes and young adult novels on those themes. (SR)

Discusses the importance of talk in the classroom, in particular talk about books. Includes student conversations and comments about such discussion, and the lack of it in their classrooms. Describes what such discussion has to offer to individuals, classrooms, and society. Notes the difficulties of achieving discussion in the classroom. (SR)