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Need Literature Lessons? Call the Web English Teacher!

"A couple of years ago, I had a student teacher who had not yet taken all her literature classes," says English teacher Carla Beard. "The nearest good library was a 45-minute drive away, so she spent hours online trying to find materials that would help her be an effective teacher. It occurred to me that to save teachers from spending hours searching online, someone should create a site containing lots of ideas just for teachers. In June, that 'someone' became me."

Beard's Web English Teacher is a collection of teaching ideas from every corner of the Web. The site provides lesson plans, background information about writers, and teacher-created activities, such as puzzles, essay questions, and WebQuests. The pages that receive the most attention from visitors are the guides to To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, found in the "Literature" section, and Harry Potter, by J. K. Rowling in "Children's Literature."

"I started the site to help other teachers," Beard notes, "and I found that it has helped me in some unexpected ways. For example, I must carefully consider my audience when I write my newsletter. When I teach the concept of audience to my freshmen, I remember how challenging the concept can be. When I talk to students about revisions, I remember how time-consuming they are. And, as I look at what other teachers have done and so generously shared online, I am humbled at the tremendous creativity teachers bring to their classrooms. I've used some of their ideas in my classroom too!"

Beard's mother, who is a little skeptical about the "whole Internet thing," is just beginning to accept that her daughter's "hobby" is not just a waste of time. "Even my mother has come to see the value in this service," says Beard, "and I consider that a major accomplishment!"

Article by Cara Bafile
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