My philosophy on education was inspired by “You Gotta be the Book” Teaching Engaged and Reflective Reading with Adolescents. The book, written by Jeffrey D. Wilhelm. Wilhelm counters the formulaic approach that we, teachers, have seen taking over our schools. Instead of the majority of the year being spent on standardized test preparation, Wilhelm proposes that we don't focus so much on the skills we want students to receive, but we should focus on allowing students to get connected to the novel. Wilhelm believes all students are capable of becoming readers, and the teacher needs to tailor the classroom so that each student can connect with the characters and authors. The focus should still be academic, but students should advance to literary criticism and arguments through entering the world of the novel.
As a teacher that is extremely frustrated by what I see as the joy of reading actually taken out of many schools, I am an advocate of Wilhelm's beliefs and use his ideas as a stepping stone to imagine what would help our students most.
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