There is discouraging evidence that many beginning teachers quickly abandon the practices advocated and modeled in their teacher education programs at colleges and universities and regress to imitate the kind of instruction that they experienced themselves as students, or conform to the dominant model in schools where they feel great pressures to…

Today, teachers and administrators are continuing to recognize that learning is a social function, and that students do indeed learn better when working with others. The author agrees with this concept, but she wants to sigh deeply when she hears of one more person or company who has marketed the best approach to collaboration in the classroom. In…

Describes the functions of school librarians and suggests ways English teachers can work with them more successfully. (DD)

Explores the origins of the word "plagiarism" and concepts of authorship. Examines a number of current issues concerning plagiarism, for instance, how the term complicates teacher-student relationships and peer cooperation in writing. (TB)

Urges English teachers to become more involved in curriculum development. (RL)

Revisits a concept put forth in this same column a year ago, namely, that middle school teachers are different from other level teachers in five significant ways. Argues that now is the time for vertical collaboration; that is, collaboration among teachers at different levels of education. (TB)

Explains from the standpoint of a teacher who is a member of the religious right why the schools today are a difficult place for those with strong religious views. Maintains that certain prejudicial positions that educators assume make communication with the religious right difficult, but suggests that language arts teachers may be uniquely…

Describes theological views about written texts, related attitudes exhibited by current protestors, and problems such views and attitudes create for English language arts teachers. Suggests that such an awareness of the religious perspective might help to lead to more constructive outcomes to conflicts between teachers and individual students and…

Compares the educational philosophy of most present-day educators (secular democratic consciousness) with the educational philosophy of the religious right (classical democratic consciousness). Argues that language arts departments must defend their programs against the religious right as well as attempt to understand it and forge constructive…

Presents the early history of writing across the curriculum (WAC) or "co-operation", as J. Hosic called it in 1913, concluding with a comparison of today's WAC programs with those of earlier decades. (SRT)

Nineteen educators offer public relations techniques and suggestions to beginning English teachers about public relations. (RL)

Discusses the most satisfying part of teaching writing--helping students discover what they have to say and showing them how to say it. Notes that the basic skills of writing (audience awareness, organizing thoughts, and revising) are bigger than the rules of grammar and spelling and do not change from grade to grade. (RS)

Describes how one English teacher developed a personal relationship with a student needing transportation to participate in a school play. Discusses the issue of breaking rules in such circumstances. Advocates courage to break rules in some cases. (HB)

Describes a project which used email to link the author's English classroom with classrooms in three other states so that students could discuss Zora Neale Hurston's novel "Their Eyes Were Watching God." Discusses email as a distinct genre of writing with rules, characteristics, and even an aesthetic of its own. Offers a student-generated list…

Argues that librarians are natural collaborators with English teachers to improve education and support lifelong learning, assisting students in their learning and supporting teachers in their efforts to update skills and knowledge. Discusses how librarians can help with appropriate research assignments, finding the right sources, evaluating…