Learning its history has been one of the great pleasures of working on the centennial of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), a project the author began in 2003 that is now almost finished. This centennial, of course, is not the only time NCTE has looked backwards to its history. A case in point is the 1960 golden anniversary,…

The consideration of questions of morality and ethics, of right and wrong is not confined to churches and mosques and synagogues; it also exists outside religious frameworks, notably in the schools and in teaching. In this article, the author extends the exploration of ethics into the classroom where virtually all acts of writing, language, and…

Reviews Kenneth Macrorie's "Twenty Teachers," G.R. Kingdom's "Vocabulary Routes," and Jane Lamb's "The Complete Newspaper Resource Book."(EL)

Reviews new publications dealing with the teaching of poetry and the consideration of values in the language arts classroom. (RBW)

Covers an innovative elective program, views of language and language instruction, and attitudes toward English teachers and the English curriculum. (JL)

Traces the history of the English elective curriculum from its roots in the 1890s to its flowering in the 1960s. (DD)

Traces the history of the author's evolution into a successful teacher of English in an urban setting. (DD)

Argues that, like high school teachers, college teachers also teach every day and feel like they are "in the trenches." Notes that, although college teachers and high school teachers operate in different settings, they are both teachers. Suggests that college teachers and high school teachers can and should talk to each other. (RS)

Notes that "cultural literacy" is sweeping the United States, but asserts that it is a terrible idea. Identifies and discusses six specific things that are wrong with the cultural literacy movement. (RS)

Details the curricular reforms of the post-Sputnik era in American high schools, especially the national stampede to an elective curriculum in English instruction. Covers criticism of the movement and the profession's struggle to define English studies. Provides pros and cons of an elective curriculum. (HB)

Describes the widespread use of textbooks by language arts teachers. Explains the extreme prevalence and reliance upon textbooks, despite frequent complaints about textbook quality. Considers ways of revising textbooks and how they can be used to benefit teachers and students alike. (HB)

Presents two educators' views on elective courses. Argues that single-subject high school English courses teach the same skills that are taught in traditional English courses, offer students the opportunity to choose, can meet students' particular interest or needs, and should fulfill an English requirement. Offers a perspective on the history of…

Describes the author's experiences as editor of "English Journal" from 1994 to 1998. Describes the controversy and institutional pressures from above that attended her editorship, because of her devotion to publishing articles propounding widely varying views on controversial topics of heated debate within the profession. (SR)