The biggest thing that I learned from this class was that literacy is not nearly as simple as I had previously believed.  Another thing that I thought was really important was that literacy isn’t being lost, but evolving and changing with the new generation and technology.  One of the first articles we read were about how different people value different literacy and engage in different kinds.  This does not make them illiterate, but rather that we need to change how literacy is evaluated.  This is a really uplifting message and I like hearing about how our generation is illiterate and the fate of the world is at stake because people like to text.

An important skill that I picked up was being able to decipher difficult texts.  After reading that document on rhizomatic learning everything else I’ve had to read for the semester is easy.  Speaking of which, new ways of learning was something that was also really interesting to me.  Although I do not plan on ever being a teacher, I still thought it was useful to learn about different ways of teaching and how that could make schools better because while I may never be a teacher, I do eventually way down the line plan on having kids, and I feel knowing these things will help me in helping them be able to learn.  I like the thought of adjusting how we teach rather than adjusting how kids should learn so that it makes it easier on us.  Knowing about literacy sponsors is also helpful because now I can fully utilize being one, considering most people are some way or another.

Overall I really enjoyed this class and I feel that I learned a lot.  I’m going to miss the people and and ideas that this class brought forward and I wish everyone the best of luck in whatever they choose to do.

It is simply amazing what Rafe Esquith was able to have those kids not only understand Shakespeare but to also love the text.  He is the kind of literacy sponsor that needs to be more prevalent in the world.  He not only got kids reading but he got them so excited about reading and he got them emotionally invested in the books.  One of the things that also really stuck out to me while watching the film was the books he chose to have his students read in class.  All the books had a purpose and morals that the kids would be able to not only understand but also relate to, such as “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”  Also, like what was said in class, he truly seemed to care about his students.  He was so obviously invested in making sure that each student understood everything that they were learning and he took the time to congratulate each student on accomplishments that they made in class.  Another thing that he commented on which I agree with is what he said about letting kids be kids and doing kid things.  In the film they showed how the class took a ‘break’ on Halloween to do fun things, which I think is really important.  Also, as he pointed out, they were still learning values such as treating each other with respect.  While there were a couple of things he said that I may not agree with overall I thought that what he is doing is amazing and that I hope that more people can be like him.