Offers brief excerpts from oral history interviews with eight National Council of Teachers of English leaders on a variety of topics, including: formative years; becoming interested in teaching; experiences as a beginning teacher; teaching writing; being an African American teacher; literature and humanness. (SR)

Shares insights of an English teacher gained through a variety of teaching experiences. Describes how the Bay Area Writing Project provided effective strategies to improve the teaching of writing. (NH)

Describes the way one English teacher used a variety of stories to introduce students to the conventions of narrative fiction, with specific attention paid to the problem of the unreliable narrator. Claims that teaching the truth of fiction depends upon a clear appraisal of the story's narrator. (HB)

Describes the healthy discussions currently being undertaken concerning the teaching of grammar by English teachers. Argues for a variety of effective ways of teaching grammar. Gives attention to psycholinguistic models of grammar. (HB)

The past 100 years of "English Journal" have positioned students and teachers in a variety of ways. As the authors embarked on exploring issues in the constructions of students in "EJ", they found that some concerns that teachers raised about English and English education resonated in their own classrooms and experiences as students and teachers.…

Several issues make standardized assessment of ELLs a challenge and the information provided by these assessments unreliable. However, as educators, they do need to know how students are doing, what gains they are making, where gaps in their understanding exist, and what types of instructional strategies and topics need to be introduced to…

Beginning teachers face many challenges and difficulties; as a result, one-third will leave the profession in the first three years and nearly half will be gone within their first five years in the profession. The challenge facing university teacher education programs is to fix the hole in the bottom of the bucket and find strategic new ways to…

Urges teachers to keep reading and writing alive in the classroom by assigning a variety of books, including the classics, and by integrating written responses with the reading assignments. (DD)

Secondary English teachers are required to use a balanced approach to literacy while testing students' achievement and raising active citizens enriched by both literacy and democracy. Teachers should encourage students to participate in a variety of educational endeavors such as the SAT program.

The multitext approach to the teaching of English allows for more teacher control over course content, greater variety in subject matter, easier provision for individual differences, and less financial expenditure. (DD)

Provides an account of a class discussion of the poem, "Grace" by the Native American writer Joy Harjo. Describes how students systematically investigated the meaning of the title. Asks teachers to use Native American poetry more and provides sources of such works. (HB)

Describes how one English teacher stumbled on the idea of having student peer groups write scripts. Outlines a variety of ways that script writing assignments can be made. Advocates having such scripts created by student collaborative groups. (HB)

Describes the way one teacher utilizes a variety of activities by which the power of language is analyzed and fostered among students of English. Describes methods for engaging students in language play, specifically through the use of puns. (HB)

Contends that the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) provides a vital link connecting teachers to the energy and vibrancy of the profession. Explains that NCTE conferences energize young teachers. Notes that veteran teachers find a variety of experiences at each convention. (PM)

Describes one teacher's theory of the use of argument in the English curriculum, particularly its importance in developing democratic classrooms. Defines the multiple functions of argument in society. Advocates developing argumentative skills among students, particularly in a wide variety of forms and discourses. (HB)