Scribbles Spring 2022

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022
Scribbles ’n Bits
THE AWARD-WINNING NEWSLETTER PUBLISHED BY
THE GEORGIA COUNCIL OF TEACHERS OF ENGLISH SINCE 1985
Meet the New GCTE President

Greetings, fellow GCTE members! My name is Jennifer
In This Issue Dail, and I am excited to write to you for the rst time
• Quarterly Columns as your president. I have served as you conference
director and rst vice president over the past four years
• Linguistic Justice and look forward to transitioning into this role. I have a
with Andrea
vision for GCTE that is dynamic and invites
Crenshaw and Leah
Panther
participation from all of its members. I aim to have our
directors create committees to support them in the Jennifer Dail
• Assigning Projects work they do. This will enable us to become a more
Can Yield robust af liate that involves its members beyond those serving on the
Outstanding
board.
Results with Brenda
Logan We will be sending out a survey before summer to invite you to identify
• Trauma Informed areas where you might want to get involved and support GCTE. When
Education- A you receive that, please take a minute to respond so that we can involve you
Transformative and highlight your talents.
Approach with
Skyler Curtis As we transition away from our 2022 conference this past February, I am
excited to that our new conference co-directors, Kyle Jones and Nick
• Give Me a Break: Thompson, are already fast at work planning our 2023 conference. While
The Importance of
more information is forthcoming, I am excited to share with you that our next
Sensory Walks with
Scarlett McCurry
conference will be held in Athens at The University of Georgia from February
2-4, 2023. Go ahead and mark your calendar and plan to submit a proposal
• There is No Manual that showcases you wonderful work in and beyond the classroom.
for This: What I
Wish I Knew as a I am excited and honored to serve as your new president! I invite you to
First-Year Teacher reach out to me at jdail1@kennesaw.edu at any time.
with Michael Young
Jennifer S. Dail, GCTE President, Kennesaw State University
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GCTE Recognizes Three with Teachers for the DREAM and

Future English Teacher of Color Awards
Frederia W. Sampson
During the 2022 GCTE conference at Crowne Plaza Atlanta Southwest Hotel and Conference
Center in Peachtree City, Georgia, a college/university professor, a high school educator, and a
university graduate student were recipients of both the Teachers for the Dream and Future
English Teacher of Color Awards. Each awards winner received a cash award, plaque, and
recognition. In addition, the Future English Teacher of Color winner received paid two-year
and four-year memberships to both NCTE and GCTE. Both DREAM award winners will publish
articles in issues of this year’s Scribbles 'N Bits newsletter. This year’s Future English Teacher of
Color Award winner completed a conference presentation about a topic of choice relative to
the English Language Arts classroom.
The Teachers for the DREAM Award is designed to reward

excellent English Language Arts teachers of color. This year’s
Teachers for the DREAM Award winners both reside in
Dougherty County. Tomekia Cooper is an English Instructor/
Administrator at both Albany Technical College and Albany
State University. Her twenty-
plus year educational
experience began in the
middle school classroom and
has expanded to post-
secondary education. Like Tomekia Cooper (l) with
Tomekia Cooper, Deadra W. Frederia Sampson
Jones is also veteran Highly
Quali ed ELA Teacher with multiple years of experience that
Deadra W. Jones (l) with began in a middle school classroom. Currently, she teaches at
Frederia Sampson
Westover High School and serves on many committees both at
Westover and district-wide.
The Future English Teacher of Color award is designed to help attract future teachers of color
to the English Language Arts classroom. This year’s Future English Teachers of Color Award
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winner is Beverly Rugg, a Kennesaw State University graduate assistant who is currently
completing English Education courses while student
teaching.
At this year’s conference, Beverly co-presented a session

entitled “(Quietly) Disrupting the Status Quo in Secondary
ELA through Anti-Racist Teaching Practices” with Dr. Steve
Goss. This session explored the experiences of a high school
teacher and a college professor as they incorporate anti-
racist teaching practices through text selection and
Beverly Rugg (r) and
alternative forms of publication, while maneuvering around
Frederia Sampson
boundaries imposed at school, county, and state levels.
Additional 2022 GCTE Award Recipients
Amber Dumbuya (r), Nathania Cortes,

2022 GCTE Teacher of the Year 2022 W. Geiger Ellis
(with Dr. Brenda Logan) Teacher Candidate Award
Dr. Brenda Logan (r),
2022 Lifetime Achievement
Award (with Dr. Jim Hill)
 
 
 

 
 
 

Linguistic Justice — A GCTE Column

Welcome to Linguistic Justice, a regular column centering on linguistic justice in practice by
foregrounding the the language diversity throughout the state of Georgia. If you’re interested in
contributing pieces for this column, please contact Leah Panther at panther_lm@mercer.edu.
Preparing Teachers for Linguistic Justice Part II

Andrea Crenshaw, Ed.D. and Leah Panther, Ph.D.
Last issue, Dr. Andrea Crenshaw described her critical conversation stations,
an intentional pedagogy rooted in linguistic justice, to demonstrate how
linguistic justice is being taught to preservice teachers in the state of
Georgia. This month, we continue to think about linguistic justice within
teacher education to consider: how are Georgia’s educators being prepared
to teach for linguistic justice? And how can these practices be translated to
support in-service English and literacy teachers in the state? Andrea Crenshaw
Why Linguistic Justice?
I, Leah, teach at Mercer University’s Atlanta campus working with current and future middle and
secondary teachers—approximately 175 teachers have passed through my classroom at least once
over the past three years to learn about adolescent literacy and methods of teaching English. These
current and future educators predominantly teach within the Atlanta metro area representing,
English, reading, and English to Speakers of Other Language (ESOL), but also
art, math, science, history, social studies, and economics because all disciplines
rely on language for teaching and learning, and on disciplinary speci c literacy
practices to discover and create new knowledge.
My commitment to linguistic justice within this context is threefold. First,

because the teacher candidates in my own classroom represent a range of
language and linguistic traditions that I want to acknowledge, value, and draw
Leah Panther
from in my own teaching. Second, because the teacher candidates teach in

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culturally, racially, and linguistically diverse communities so I model the ideological commitments and
pedagogies that will center their students. Finally, adolescent literacy instruction is rooted in the
disciplinary traditions of each content certi cation area. Teaching for linguistic justice not just in
English, but across disciplines, works to disrupt historic gatekeeping that has prevented some
cultural, racial, and linguistic groups from achieving success within particular disciplines. Training
disciplinary teachers to connect and center learners’ language—and therefore learners’ identities,
communities, and histories—within their content area is part of equitable and just teaching.
Linguistic Justice in Action: Linguicism Gallery Walk
Throughout my time in teacher education and professional learning, I have focused on a simple
de nition of pedagogy to frame our time together, whether it be one day or sixteen weeks (see
Figure 1). We start by interrogating and building our beliefs about language and literacy pedagogies.
We then translate these beliefs, now newly informed by research, theory, and additional experiences,
into curriculum and instructional practices.
When introducing a new unit or

module, we start by evaluating
our implicit and explicit beliefs
around the topic to understand
how we have developed our
Figure 1. A simple visual de nition of pedagogy
pedagogy. Oftentimes, realizing
our conceptions of leading a classroom discussion, teaching writing, or assessing a student
presentation have been developed through personal experiences (this is what I did in 7th grade and I
loved it!), assumptions (No way my students would be able to do that, a worksheet would be easier
for them and me), and media depictions (I saw this on Pinterest). That helps us name our assumptions,
biases, and gaps before identifying the research, theory, and new experiences needed to further
develop our pedagogy in that area.
To introduce linguistic justice, I use a gallery walk to start interrogating our beliefs about language
and English varieties, as well as where those beliefs may have come from. When in person, it is spread
throughout the physical room and hallway while in virtual sessions I use Prezi (see Figure 2 or https://
 
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prezi.com/zvhlb-iufode/) and put teacher candidates into breakout

rooms with one partner sharing their screen.
Gallery exhibits include:
• Comic strips about the history of language colonization in

America
• Short clips from popular media addressing language and

linguistic diversity Figure 2. A language and
linguistic diversity gallery walk on
• Political cartoons depicting legal landmarks related to
Prezi
language rights
• Excerpts from empirical articles and common textbooks to de ne key terms
• Real life narratives from my own classroom experiences
• Curriculum that uses language and linguistic diversity
Each exhibit contains probing questions about beliefs related to language, linguistic diversity, and
linguicism, and opportunities for teacher candidates to practice designing a pedagogy that centers
linguistic justice.
Each gallery exhibit (see Figure 3) is a carefully

designed opportunity for the learners to
examine their own beliefs and assumptions
about linguistic diversity. Additionally, to work
with a trusted colleague to generate a list of
terms, concepts, and resources that they will
need to challenge, expand, or develop their
personal language pedagogy.
Figure 3. A Panther Tail describes a real-life narrative
from Leah’s experiences as a middle school teacher.
 

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Encouragement
We, Andrea and Leah, end by reinforcing that linguistic justice serves as an ethical means to critically
question why a particular language or dialect is labeled as standard or non-standard, acceptable or
unacceptable. As a result, this elicits a call to action for all educators and teacher educators to
challenges their own assumptions about language diversity, consider how these beliefs are
transferred to learners through their pedagogical choices, and implementing pedagogical practices
that empower students who have a right to their own language.
References
Alim, H. S., & Smitherman, G. (2012). Articulate while Black: Barack Obama, Language, and Race in
the U.S. Oxford University Press.
Florian, L. (2017). Teacher education for the changing demographics of schooling: Inclusive
education for each and every learner. In Teacher Education for the Changing Demographics of
Schooling (pp. 9-20). Springer, Cham.
Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the oppressed. New York, NY: Continuum International Publishing
Group.
Hollie, S. (2017). Culturally and linguistically responsive teaching and learning: Classroom practices
for student success. Teacher Created Materials.
Snyder, R., & Varghese, M. (2019). Language Diversity and Schooling. Multicultural Education: Issues
and Perspectives, 174-197.
Dr. Andrea Crenshaw is an Assistant Professor at the University of West Georgia in the
Department of Early Childhood through Secondary Education. Dr. Smith is a former K12 teacher
and administrator and now, as a professor, she studies the intersectionality of race and class in
education, culturally responsive teaching, and equity in education. She can be reached at
andreas@westga.edu
Dr. Leah Panther is an Assistant Professor in the College of Education at Mercer University in
Atlanta, Georgia. Her experiences with teaching, teacher leadership, non-pro ts, and research
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center on literacy instruction in urban educational contexts to support culturally and

linguistically diverse adolescents. She can be reached at panther_lm@mercer.edu
Trauma Informed Education- A Transformative Approach

Skyler Curtis
I cannot talk about trauma informed education without talking about how I took the long road into it.
Life has a funny way of bringing us back around to ourselves no matter which way we turn. I started
teaching right out of college and assumed I had my whole life neatly laid out before me. Imagine my
surprise when, three years later, after following a whim and an opportunity, my husband and I found
ourselves looking for housing and of ce space to serve youth in crisis in Ndola,
Zambia; or three years after that, when we sat in a courtroom waiting anxiously
for the declaration that our second foster placement would become our forever
child – our little family and life experience grew exponentially after that. And so,
it seems both surprising and exactly right that I nd myself back in the classroom
teaching high school English just a few miles from where it all began, but with
my eyes opened to the impact of trauma on the brain and on learning. Through
all the adventures and challenges we’ve taken on or stumbled into, I have been
Skyler Curtis transformed by bearing witness to the effects of trauma on children, families,
and communities.
I have recently earned my Master of Education from Columbia College in Trauma Informed
Education. Through my studies, I have seen the positive impact that initiating trauma informed
education can have on my students, my coworkers, and myself. I now call myself a Trauma Informed
Education Evangelist. I have a mission to share the good news that our classrooms can be safe and
peaceful spaces for everyone! We can help our students develop the skills they need to nd purpose
in their lives and success in their futures, to build resilience in academics and in life.
A trauma informed approach offers new ways of addressing and circumventing traditional classroom
disruptions and discipline practices. One young man transferred into my class mid-year already on
the defensive. He had experienced many dif culties both at home and at school prior to joining. He
produced less than exceptional work for my class, claiming that my expectations were more rigorous
than any he had faced before. After receiving a low grade on an essay, his disappointment quickly
turned to frustration and then anger. He stormed out of my classroom and did not return the rest of
class. Following policy, I wrote an administrative referral for skipping class and he was assigned in
school suspension. Taking a trauma informed approach, I spoke with his administrator who agreed to

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let me pull the student from ISS for my class that next day. I did not bring him back to class to win
favor or relieve him from consequences. I understood that in his dysregulated state, he could not
think clearly and made impulsive decisions. The lessons he needed to learn from this event were not
going to be learned in isolation on the other end of campus, but through the investment of caring
adults.
The trauma informed approach looks at the kaleidoscope of student behavior and performance
through a lens that asks what is happening in this classroom and inside this student that impacts the
way they think, behave, and learn. In other words: Behavior is Communication! Removing him from
my classroom simply allowed him to continue escaping the frustration he felt. We needed a new
approach and he needed to practice self-regulation. He and I had a conversation about his behavior
where I started by listening to why he was
He and I had a conversation about upset and why he chose to leave my class.
I expressed appreciation that he did not
his behavior where I started by explode in anger and reviewed our school
behavior expectations and policies about
listening to why he was upset and skipping class. Then I returned him to ISS
why he chose to leave my class. I and offered him an opportunity to reassess
the assignment on which he had done
expressed appreciation that he did poorly. He returned a much-improved
essay and I suggested that he take his
not explode in anger… work home to hang on the fridge. He told
me that no one at his house cared whether
he went to school or not, let alone cared what grades he made. I hung his essay on my tiny classroom
fridge much to his delight. Throughout our semester together I learned more about this young man’s
personal dif culties and helped connect him with other helpers in the school who could provide
more support along his journey. This was by no means the beginning of miraculous turn around in the
behavior of the student. We continued to address ongoing con ict throughout the semester. He
continues to initiate con ict in other classes. This approach did open the door for ongoing
conversation that we continue to have as he learns to navigate interpersonal relationships with his
educators. This trauma informed approach allowed me to reframe the way I saw the behavior play out
in my classroom.
The rst building block of trauma informed education is considering how the effects of trauma impact
brain development, emotional development, mental health, physical health, learning, and behavior.
Trauma informed educators consider the impact of factors both in and outside of the classroom that
include issues of racism, poverty, domestic abuse, community violence, mental health, media and
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technology. A trauma informed educator understands that trauma is present in the lives of many of
our students with more than two-thirds of children reporting at least one traumatic experience before
the age of 16. The chronic stresses caused by childhood trauma can negatively impact development
in every area of child's life including educational growth. Classrooms that do not support the
emotional and mental health needs of children who have experienced trauma or are living with toxic
stress can increase teacher stress and the likelihood of vicarious trauma for educators - lowering
teacher retention and disrupting opportunities for building resilience in children and young adults.
The second building block of trauma informed education is understanding that the educator does
not have to know the details or the individual stories to develop a trauma informed pedagogy.
I believe that this approach to education can impact policy and practices that make our schools safer,
more peaceful places where children and young adults can learn to trust each other, their community,
and themselves. This movement can transform schools into communities in which students can
develop the skills they need to be healthy and productive members of society. By perpetually
studying, observing, practicing, analyzing, and collaborating with others to create data supported,
evidence-based practices and policies, we will be able to create an educational continuum that
evolves and grows to meet the ever-changing needs of our children and our communities, reduces
the impact of trauma and stress for both students and educators, and develops resilience allowing
individuals and communities to thrive. I look forward to developing, implementing, and sharing
practices from my trauma informed classroom that help lead a movement to create safer, thriving
schools for all.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, March 22). Data and statistics on children's Mental
Health. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved January 29, 2022, from https://
www.cdc.gov/childrensmentalhealth/data.html
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2019, August 2). Trauma and violence.
SAMHSA. Retrieved January 29, 2022, from https://www.samhsa.gov/trauma
violence#:~:text=SAMHSA%20describes%20individual% 20trauma%20as,physical%
2C%20social%2C%20emotional%2C%20or
University of Michigan. (n.d.). Your classroom climate. Classroom Mental Health. Retrieved January 29,
2022, from https://classroommentalhealth.org/in-class/classroom-climate/
Skyler Curtis currently teaches at McEachern High School in Powder Springs.

Give Me a Break: The Importance of Sensory Walks

Scarlett McCurry
Setting the Scene: A school principal is preparing for the day and recalls events
from the day before. She then asks herself, “Will our students be able to get
through the day without having meltdowns? This can be a real struggle,
especially for students in the lower grades. How can we help our students make
better choices? How can I reward positive behaviors? This would really help our
third, fourth, and fth graders. How can I address the emotional and mental
needs of our student body? Have I done enough to support the mental health
of both students and staff? What supports do I have in place?”
Scarlett McCurry
Schools across our nation are dealing with these issues daily. We see our PreK,
kindergarten, rst, and second grade students needing breaks to help them reset their minds and
bodies when it comes to learning new skills. Our third, fourth, and fth grade students are struggling
with self-control and making good choices. Student burn-out is a real thing. Teachers and staff also
feel the extra stress of trying to deliver a quality level of education while trying to help students cope
with the demands of being active and engaged. It is important for schools to recognize these
everyday struggles and work together to create a proactive intervention and reward system that can
be easily accessed by everyone. The important things to remember when creating a sensory walk are
design, accessibility, and location.
The Collins Dictionary de nes sensory stimulation by breaking down the two words. The word
“sensory” is de ned as “relating to the physical senses” and the word “stimulate” is de ned as “to
encourage it to begin or develop further” (2022). Simply put, sensory stimulation is the act of
stimulating the ve senses through various movements and activities. This type of stimulation is
important to every person, at every age. Sensory stimulation can be used to help calm the weary
mind, the over-active, and the de ant while rewarding our bodies with movement, stretches, and
deep breathing. One way to provide sensory stimulation is by incorporating sensory walks in our
schools. Sensory walks are being utilized in numerous schools throughout our country. Schools that
have begun using sensory walks have seen an increase in staff morale, student participation, and
improved behavior. A study that was recently done showed that student scores increased after being
exposed to sensory breaks. A teacher at McBride Elementary said “Tried out the sensory path today.
They thought watching the teacher do it was pretty funny” (2019). Third-grade teacher, Katie Hank
stated that “sensory paths are making a difference in the classroom, as students are able to get right
back to focusing” (2019).
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Having access to some type of sensory break in school provides many bene ts to students. All
students can bene t from a sensory break regardless of academic behavior or disability, but
sometimes a school doesn’t have enough room. Sensory walks can
be created and used in smaller spaces, making it easier for schools
to offer sensory breaks. Teachers and staff also bene t from quick
sensory breaks. Having access to the same sensory walks that
students use will allow them to quickly pop in and do the course.
The movements and deep breathing required to complete the
course will help teachers clear their minds and refocus on the day.
Sensory stimulation can reduce levels of anxiety and depression,
help reinforce relationships, and improve the well-being of adults.
Teaching can be a very stressful job, and this leads to teacher
burnout. Providing a safe place for teachers to take a break greatly
Access to sensory breaks in reduces teacher burnout, leaving teachers energized and focused.
school provides many bene ts. Along with the emotional bene ts found with sensory stimulation,
it is also just plain fun.
I have been a Special Education Paraprofessional for ve years in the same school district in a small
Georgia rural community. I started working in the self-contained classroom at the high school and
transferred to one of our elementary schools in January of 2021. Upon starting at the elementary
school, I noticed that there were limited opportunities for students or staff to help them reset, refocus,
and recharge. We have a sensory room, but it had very limited supplies and was not designed for the
complete school. This made me question how we can address and promote the mental health of the
complete student body and staff. The need for a healthy outlet when we are frustrated applies to all
of us. Students, teachers, counselors, and administrators all bene t from sensory breaks.
I realized I had an opportunity to promote the mental health of everyone in the building while raising
awareness of the importance of providing both students and staff opportunities to decompress. I
approached the principal at the elementary school and shared my thoughts and ideas for a sensory
walk for everyone. After discussing my vision, she gladly approved my idea; she suggested that I
begin with a simple questionnaire to help with creating an effective sensory walk, and have a follow-
up questionnaire after the sensory walk has been completed.
Administrators and teachers were given questionnaires to establish their views and experiences with
sensory walks. When asked about their views on sensory walks, some teachers responded with “I
don’t know” or “not much.” One teacher even responded with “I didn’t even know we had a sensory
room in the school.” Many teachers also expressed concerns about students taking advantage of a
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sensory break. Therefore, it is important to develop ground rules and model expectations to the
students. After the initial questionnaire, location for a sensory walk was discussed and a location that
could be easily shared and accessed was determined. These locations can be in a sensory room,
student support room, or even vacant rooms on grade level halls.
My idea quickly became a reality. The principal and I both agreed that the location should be in an
area that is accessible to everyone, but not be in an area that would be a
distraction to our normal everyday activities. We chose the student
support room because it would eliminate the potential of the sensory
walk being misused. The design was kept simple and clean with vibrant
colors and includes walking paths, a quick draw center, and a hopscotch
at the end. The various movements include hopping, wiggling, hands
and feet wall walk, spinning, breathing exercise, and skipping. Rules were
established for students and staff to prevent the misuse of the sensory
walk. Students in grades PreK – 2nd are given sensory walk passes as
they are needed and can be earned as a positive reward when students
meet certain goals. Students in grades 3rd – 5th are able to get their
sensory passes when certain goals are reached, and at the teacher’s
discretion. Any student with an IEP, 504, or that are in the RTI program
Designs can include bright
colors and walking paths, will also be on an as needed basis. The staff has access to the sensory
a quick draw center, and a walk as needed, providing they have coverage for their room or students
hopscotch. are at specials.
It became known throughout the school district that our school had
created an effective sensory walk developed for everyone. Visitors and district members have come
to our school and have taken pictures of the sensory walk to share with others. Our principal has
shared information about our sensory walk during meetings with other schools in our district. Another
elementary school in our district has recently created a sensory walk for their school. My vision was
simple, to create an outlet for everyone. My goal is to eventually have more than one sensory walk in
our school to ensure individuals have an opportunity to have a mental reset.
Sensory paths consist of a series of guided movements for people to follow. With sequenced
movements like starts and stops, spins, jumps and other gross motor activities, participants can work
off excess energy or mentally reset themselves so they can focus. Designed to engage all different
parts of the body, sensory walks will increase morale throughout the school. When making a sensory
walk remember good paths have a variety of physical movements and often include learning
concepts like counting. They are colorful and engaging. The options are endless as you can create

your own or purchase one from the many suppliers easily found with a
simple internet search. Easy to apply and affordable, sensory walks are
valuable to schools because they promote brain development while
bringing both physical and mental relief to our students, teachers, and
staff. With effective sensory walks in place, principals will now be able to
provide breaks to both students and staff. Instead of asking “Have I
done enough?”, principals can now be reassured that opportunities are
in place to promote the mental well-being for everyone.
References
Sensory Stimulation. Collins Dictionary. (2022). Retrieved from https://

www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/english/sensory-stimulation
Good paths have a variety
Study International Staff. (2019). Here’s why more schools should of physical movements and
explore sensory paths. Retrieved from https:// often include learning
www.studyinternational.com/news/sensory-paths-schools/ concepts such as counting.
Scarlett McCurry is currently a Special Education Paraprofessional for 1st–5th grade students. She
will be graduating from Middle Georgia State University (Macon Campus) in May of 2022 with a
Bachelor’s in Early Childhood Special Education.

There is No Manual for This: What I Wish I Knew as a First-Year

Teacher
Michael Young
As I sit down and re ect on the past year, my rst as an educator, I cannot
help but have moments that make me smile and, if I am being honest,
moments that make me cringe. This year has been one of the most
challenging years of my life, but also one of the most rewarding.
A little background about myself before I go any further. I am not your

typical rst-year teacher. This was a career change for me. After working in
all forms of customer service management, I made the decision in 2018 to
return to school to get my English Education degree at age 40. I
graduated from Kennesaw State University in May of 2021 with a job in
hand (so it is possible, don’t lose heart, future graduates).
Michael Young
My KSU education prepared me for the nuts and bolts of the classroom,
but I quickly learned through my student teaching and my methods classes that I was going to have
to carve out my own path if I was going to be a success in the classroom. There is not a one-size- ts-
all method. However, there are certain things that I wish I knew before I stepped into the maelstrom
of education that may have helped me navigate the year a little bit better. Don’t get me wrong, this
year has been wonderful. I am surrounded by exceptional educators and a great administration who
have helped with my development and furthered my love for the eld.
When I thought about this, I had a million ideas about what I could say. However, I think paring it
down to my top three was the best option. So here it is, the three things I most wish I knew before
getting into the classroom.
Not every lesson is going to go well, just accept it. This is perhaps the single most important thing to
remember. It is almost like being a stand-up comedian trying out material on an audience. Some
things are going to get laughs and others are going to fall at or even elicit some groans. You have to
be okay with the groans and the failures because as a rst-year teacher, you are going to have
multiple. The key is to be constantly re ective about your teacher. When the bell rings here at 3:25, I
take the last 35 minutes of my day to look at what I did that day. What went well, what didn’t and what
can I do to improve it for the next time I teach it. You don’t have to scrap something that was not a hit
the rst time. It can still be a hit; you are just going to have to tweak it and tweak it. Eventually, you are
going to have a lesson you can be proud of. I know I equated it to being a stand-up which may have
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raised some eyebrows. If you think about it, though, you are truly on stage in front of an audience.
The more you practice, the better you are going to do. With practice, tweaking, and even some work
on your timing, you will be where you want to be.
Surround yourself with a good support system and get away from the negative. I am very lucky to
have some fantastic educators and mentors (Thank you, Anna Nero!) in my corner. I also have the
support of the educators I graduated with. We have a group chat that is very rarely quiet and is a
place where we can exchange ideas, use each other’s shoulders, or just say hello and remind the
group that we are all fabulous people. Trust me when I say that you need that in your life. Every day is
not going to be sunshine and rainbows and having someone (or in my case, multiple people) telling
you that everything is going to be alright is good for your mental health and good for your soul. Stay
away from people who spread negativity and complain. The last thing you want is to hear negative
comments all the time because eventually (and this is a human thing) you start to listen and maybe
even agree. This will trash your mental health. Speaking of which.
Your mental health is the most important part of you, make sure you are taking care of it. As a 40-
something male, I never realized why this was crucial until this year. TEACHING IS HARD and will
break you down like you have never realized it could. You must realize when you have hit your limit
and need to throttle it back a little bit. I saw a quote that rings so true: “If you don’t make time for your
wellness, you will be forced to make time for your illness.” For us educators, we have sometimes
upwards of 100 students that we need to give a piece of ourselves to daily.
What are you going to do when you have burned yourself out and have no more energy to give?
Oh yeah,
and it is February,
and you have three months of school left.
If you do not make time for yourself, even if it is just one hour a day, you are not going to be your
best. I had to force myself to take time away from schoolwork and responsibilities. Trust me, in the
long run, it pays off. You will be able to make it through the entire year without feeling like you are
dragging your knuckles to nish line.
I hope that this nds all of you educators well and steaming towards summer and I hope that maybe it
gives you a little perspective. As a rst-year teacher, I wish someone would have given me a
guidebook as to what to expect because it has been nothing like I expected. As I go into my second
year, I will try to keep these in mind and continue to evolve as an educator.
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Michael Young currently teaches American Literature, 9th Literature, and Yearbook at Paulding County
High School.
Assigning Projects Can Yield Outstanding Results

Brenda Logan, Ph.D.
Project-based learning (PBL) is a student-centered approach that exposes students to authentic
strategies that will continue to prepare them to function successfully in this age of technological
advancements (Bell, 2010).
PBL is the only model that comes closest to what I used in my classroom. This
model involves students in creating, solving situations, and choosing activities
during a speci c period of time, along with experiencing technology tools,
cooperative learning, re ection, authentic assessments, teacher assistance and a
show-tell at the end (Thomas, 2000).
As a Language Arts teacher, I did not assign independent student projects often.
My favorites to assign were the letter-writing project, types of paragraph project,
Brenda Logan and the poetry notebook project. The rst lesson I learned was that students
were required to take control of their own schedules and were forced to
examine their level of self-discipline; however, the nal projects were worthy of my patience and
tenacity.
The PBL model was actually derived from medical students who wanted to improve their ability to
answer patient complaints by setting up a database of information and descriptions from their
observations (Barrows, 1992). Thus students would ask the right questions decide on a hypothesis
and evaluate their conclusions to lead them to the answers from the original database they created.
In the last ten years, the emphasis on the student-centered approach (or deeper-learning or project-
based) (Grossman, Dean, Kavanagh, & Herrmann, 2019) to learning would make project-based
learning noteworthy because it gives the student responsibility for learning, and personal autonomy
of it.
A sample of a project-based approach on a human rights unit was shared by (Hill & Hanna n, 2001)
that lasted ten weeks. The countries selected were Argentina, Kashmir, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, and
Sudan. The unit was divided into four areas. In the rst area students had to learn the physical and
human geography of that country. The students took their knowledge and created a spreadsheet with
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assistance from the teacher. The second area allowed students to explain the terms, human and civil
rights while explicating what the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights meant in their words
and ultimately, they had to apply this to a case study they selected from South African apartheid. The
third area was to write a research paper on human rights violations in one of the ve countries. For
area four, students designed a museum exhibit for a Human Rights Fair showing current events
happening in their chosen country. The exhibit could be digital or analog. The teacher was expected
to assist students with WebQuest Web and CIA World Fact Book Web and links to newspapers in the
various countries.
Research Studies
Students were taught using a traditional math program at one school and PBL at another school in a
British study over a three-year period. Students at the PBL schools were above average in answering
questions on a national exam that dealt with applying and conceptualizing information. It was obvious
that the use of PBL taught students more than mere factual information (Boaler, 1999).
In a study with three schools that utilized PBL in Iowa, elementary students increased their scores from
below average to the district average and from average in the district to well above the district
average (Thomas, 2000).
In a diverse school in Boston, eighth graders gained the second highest ranking on the Stanford 9
Open Ended Reading Assessment after incorporating the PBL approach to teaching called
Expeditionary Learning (Thomas, 2000).
In a 1992 study (Gallagher, Stepien & Rosenthal), students who took PBL training outperformed the
senior students who did not. Those who went through the training when asked to create ethically
reasoned arguments when issued a problem showed depth and breadth in their solutions.
In a study conducted in 1998 (Williams, Hemstreet, Liu & Smith) found that 117 seventh-grade
science students who took a PBL learning approach outscored those students who did not participate
when asked to demonstrate their knowledge on science concepts.
Shepherd (1998) discussed using the PBL approach with small sample of 20 experimental and 15 in
the control group with no training showed an increase in scores on critical thinking skills, the Cornell
Critical Thinking Test. Students also related more self-con dence as a result of this approach.
Doppelt (2003) explicated that PBL training impacted low-achieving students into improved self-
motivation and self-view that led to applying for college admission. He utilized portfolios,
observations, interviews and classroom projects of 10-12th graders.

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Challenges for Teachers and Students
Teachers must realize that any approach comes with challenges for students (Edelson, Gordon & Pea,
1999; Achilles & Hoover, 1996). Students may not maintain their motivation for continuing the PBL
approach. Sometimes their background knowledge is weak and must be rebuilt in a timely fashion.
Technology may be hard to access, or students may need lots of scaffolding in achieving. There must
be a suf cient number of learning activities in the process of sharing this approach. Finally, students
may need suggestions for opportunities pertaining to social skills. This is a weakness that is often
acknowledged with the creation of technological devices in today’s culture.
Teachers will have issues as well and must work to manage their weaknesses (Marx, Blumenfeld,
Krajcik, & Soloway, 1997). Teachers will not have the control over stages of this process of teaching to
which they are accustomed. The traditional classroom discipline must be altered. Students must have
the freedom to maneuver in the classroom and out of the classroom as needed in order to get these
projects completed and to keep the momentum going. Teachers must give up their ability to control
the knowledge in the classroom. Teachers must wait before giving students what they believe they
need. Students must be allowed to get there on their own. Utilizing technology and creating
assessments are not going to be easy to manage and these should be completed in partnership with
the students in order for the students to feel the autonomy and the control they must have to make
this teaching process successful.
Conclusions
It seems that the project-based learning approach has merit and can impact the level of students’
cognitive thinking skills. However, teachers and students must be willing to acknowledge the
weaknesses that they each bring to this nontraditional mode of teaching. As educators, we want our
students to reach those critical thinking skills such as analysis, interpretation, inference, evaluation,
expounding through explanations, and self-re ection that are expedient to effective problem solving
and instrumental in teaching students sound decision-making. The project-based learning approach
is a feasible mechanism for reaching these higher-level mental skill sets. It is worth teachers investing
their time and energy.
Sample Project
Independent Project- Creating a Poetry Notebook
Students were given these basic directions for organizing the Poetry Notebook. Poetry books,
encyclopedias, and the internet were available daily for student use.
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1. Plan to purchase a new pocket folder or large three-ringed binder for the Poetry Notebook.
2. Begin this assignment by selecting poems for each category.
3. Copy each poem exactly as it is written in the anthology. Use a pencil please. The nal poems will
be printed in blue or black pen or typed.
4. Neatness and nding poems for all categories count tremendously.
5. All notebooks must have a Table of Contents (See Sample).
6. Pages should be numbered and must connect with Table of Contents!
7. Each poem must have a summary of what the poem is about.
8. Next you should discuss what you liked about the poem.
9. A summation of what you learned or a kind of life lesson from the poem should follow.
10. From each poem, you must give examples of gures of speech found in the poem. Write the line
or lines next to the gure of speech (simile, metaphor, personi cation, allusion, alliteration, oxymoron,
repetition, rhyme, apostrophe, and others).
11. The notebook must contain a picture, illustration, drawing, caricature, or photograph to relate to
each poem in some way that you have selected. A short explanation should be written under or
above the item.
12. Poems should run from 10-15 lines. See teacher about special circumstances.
13. You will select only two poems per category. The categories are as follows:
LOVE
NATURE
DEATH
SPECIAL OCCASION
INSPIRATIONAL
SPECIAL PEOPLE
GROWING UP or AGING

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14. The Notebook must contain only 14 poems.
15. Anthologies of poems will be available for class time for two to three weeks only. Teacher will
gage the progress of the class daily. All work must be done in class and at home.
16. My Poetry Notebook is due ___________________________________________ .
17. You must decorate the cover of the Poetry Notebook and be sure to put these items on the front
cover.
POETRY NOTEBOOK
Name
Date
Class
19. Students will present Poetry Notebooks aloud to their classmates.
20. Students utilized notes on gurative language to help them understand and locate examples in
our oral and written poetry assignments.
References
Achilles, C.M., Hoover, S. P. (1996). Exploring problem-based learning (PBL) in grades 6-12. Paper
presented at the Annual Meeting of the Mid-South Educational Research Association , Tuscaloosa, AL.
(ED406406)
Barrows, H. S. (1992). The tutorial process. Spring eld, IL: Southern Illinois University School of
Medicine.
Bell, S. (2010). Project-based learning for the 21st century. The Clearing House Washington 83 (2),
39-43.
Boaler, J. (1999). Mathematics for the moment or the millennium? What a British study has to say
about teaching methods. Education Week 17 (29), 30-34.
Doppelt, Y. (2003). Implementation and assessment of project-based learning in a exible

environment. International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 13, 255-272.
Edelson, D. C., Gordon, D. N. & Pea, R. D. (1999). Addressing the challenge of inquiry-based learning.
Journal of the Learning Sciences, 8, 392-450.

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Edutopia (2014, June 25). 5 keys to rigorous project-based learning. Edutopia.www.edutopia.org/

video/5-keys-rigorous-project-based-learning
Gallagher, S.A., Stepien, W.J. & Rosenthal, H. (1992).The effects of problem-based learning on
problem solving. Gifted Child Quarterly 36, 195-200.
Grant, M. M. & Branch, R.M. (2005). Project-based learning in a middle school: Tracing abilities
through the artifacts of learning. Journal of Research on Technology in Education 38, 65-98.
Grossman, P., Dean, C. G. P., Kavanagh, S. S. & Herrmann Z. (2019, April) Preparing teachers for
project-based teaching. Kappan 100 (7) 43-48.
Hill, J. R. & Hanna n, M. J. (2001). Teaching and learning in digital environments: The resurgence of
resource-based learning. Educational Technology, Research & Development, 49 (3), 37-52.
Larmer, J. & Mergendoller, J. R. (2015). Goldstandard PBL: Essential project design elements. Navato,
CA: Buck Institute for Education.
Marx, R. W., Blumenfeld, P.C., Krajcik, J. S., & Soloway, E. (1997). Enacting project-based science:
Challenges for practice and policy. Elementary School Journal, 97, 341-358.
Shepherd, H. G. (1998). The probe method: A problem-based learning model’s effect on critical
thinking skills of fourth and fth-grade social studies students. Dissertation Abstracts International,
Section A: Humanities and Social Sciences, September 1988, 59 (3-A), p.0779.
Thomas, J. W. (2000, March). A Review of research on project-based learning.www.bobpearlman.org/

best practices/PBL_Research.pdf
Williams, D. C., Hemstreet, S., Liu, M. & Smith, V. D. (1998). Examining how middle school students use
problem-based learning software. Proceedings of the ED-MEDIA/ED-Telecom 98 World Conference
on Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, Frieburg, Germany. (ED428738)
Dr. Logan is a Professor Emerita of the College of Education of Armstrong State University and Georgia
Southern University.
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News from NCTE
Freedom to TEACH Statement
School districts, the most active battle eld in the American culture wars today, are facing an
unprecedented number of calls to remove books from schools and libraries, false claims about
“obscenity” invading classrooms, the elimination of teaching about evolution and climate change,
challenges to the need for making sense of and critiquing our world in mathematics classrooms, and
legislation redlining teaching about racism in American history. These actions are putting excessive
and undue pressure on teachers, who are caught in the cross re of larger political con ict, motivated
by cultural shifts and stoked for political gain.
Teachers are being maligned as “harming” children and are subjected to constant scrutiny (and even
direct surveillance) by many parents, school administrators, and activist groups. Some are afraid to
offer their students award-winning books that may violate vaguely stated laws about teaching the
history of racism or that may be misleadingly labeled as pornographic. As a result, teachers’ very
ability to do their job is under threat.
In their zeal, activists of the current culture wars unfortunately treat teachers as if they are enemies.
The truth is that teachers are uniquely important leaders who, in educating current and new
generations of students, bear responsibility for this country’s future. They are trained professionals
with one of the hardest and most demanding jobs, a job that requires deep commitment, but brings
little nancial reward.
Teachers need our support; they need our trust; they need to have the freedom to exercise their
professional judgment. And that freedom includes the freedom to decide what materials best suit
their students in meeting the demands of the curriculum, the freedom to discuss disturbing parts of
American history if and when they judge students are ready for it, and the freedom to determine how
to help young people navigate the psychological and social challenges of growing up. In short,
teachers need the freedom to prepare students to become future members of a democratic society
who can engage in making responsible and informed contributions and decisions about our world.
The stakes are too high. We cannot let good teachers leave the eld because they no longer have the
freedom to do their jobs. We cannot let the education of our children and young adults become
collateral damage in partisan political machinations.
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Authored by the four professional organizations for teachers: National Council for the Social Studies,
National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Council of Teachers of English, National
Science Teaching Association, and the National Coalition Against Censorship.
Write for Scribbles ’N Bits!

If you’d like to write for Scribbles, we want to hear from you! As you can see, we have a number of
regular columnists focusing on particular areas of English Language Arts. You can certainly contact
any of these folks depending on your interest. You can also submit work directly to any member of
the editorial team. Karen Mitcham (at kmitcham@mgresa.us), Darren Crovitz (at
dcrovitz@kennesaw.edu), and Ashlie Wells (at scribs.gcte@gmail.com ). When you’re preparing a
piece, be sure to check the Writing for Scribbles: General Guidelines document for pointers and
recommendations. We look forward to hearing from you!
Professional Development Opportunities

An Endorsement to one’s valid Georgia educator certi cate enhances the skills and dispositions of
program completers in their respective area of study. This prepares the educator for higher levels of
success in their current school or system role, as well as preparing them for future roles that may
require an enhanced skill.
Interested applicants are encouraged to click on the Endorsement title/link(s) below for each
Endorsement’s information, dates, and application.
• Coaching Endorsement (completely virtual) Click here for more info
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• MTSS/SST Coordinator Endorsement (completely virtual) Click here for more info
• STEM Endorsement (completely virtual) Click here for more info

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• Teacher Leader Endorsement (completely virtual) Click here for more info
Member of the NCTE A liate Information Exchange Agreement

GCTE Of cers
President: Jennifer Dail (jdail@kennesaw.edu)
1st Vice President: Alisha Hill (alishahillphd@gmail.com)
2nd Vice President: Cassandra Smith (Cassieteach@hotmail.com)
Secretary: Kristy Girardeau (kjmcghee@gmail.com)
Treasurer: Matt Brown (mateusbrown25@gmail.com)
NCTE Liaison: Jim Hill (james.hill@asurams.edu)
Conference Coordinator: Kyle Jones (kyle.jones777@gmail.com)
Past President: Jim Hill (james.hill@asurams.edu)
Membership: Kenya Taylor (krtaylor@bellsouth.net)
Technology: Darren Crovitz (dcrovitz@kennesaw.edu)
Teacher/School Awards: Brenda Logan (blogan11@comcast.net)
     
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Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

Meet the New GCTE President

GCTE Recognizes Three with Teachers for the DREAM and

The Teachers for the DREAM Award is designed to reward

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

At this year’s conference, Beverly co-presented a session

Additional 2022 GCTE Award Recipients

Amber Dumbuya (r), Nathania Cortes,

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

Linguistic Justice — A GCTE Column

Preparing Teachers for Linguistic Justice Part II

Why Linguistic Justice?

My commitment to linguistic justice within this context is threefold. First,

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

Linguistic Justice in Action: Linguicism Gallery Walk

When introducing a new unit or

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

prezi.com/zvhlb-iufode/) and put teacher candidates into breakout

Gallery exhibits include:

• Comic strips about the history of language colonization in

• Short clips from popular media addressing language and

• Excerpts from empirical articles and common textbooks to de ne key terms

• Real life narratives from my own classroom experiences

• Curriculum that uses language and linguistic diversity

Each gallery exhibit (see Figure 3) is a carefully

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

center on literacy instruction in urban educational contexts to support culturally and

Trauma Informed Education- A Transformative Approach

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

Skyler Curtis currently teaches at McEachern High School in Powder Springs.

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

Give Me a Break: The Importance of Sensory Walks

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

Sensory Stimulation. Collins Dictionary. (2022). Retrieved from https://

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

There is No Manual for This: What I Wish I Knew as a First-Year

A little background about myself before I go any further. I am not your

and you have three months of school left.

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

Assigning Projects Can Yield Outstanding Results

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

Challenges for Teachers and Students

Independent Project- Creating a Poetry Notebook

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

2. Begin this assignment by selecting poems for each category.

4. Neatness and nding poems for all categories count tremendously.

5. All notebooks must have a Table of Contents (See Sample).

6. Pages should be numbered and must connect with Table of Contents!

7. Each poem must have a summary of what the poem is about.

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

14. The Notebook must contain only 14 poems.

16. My Poetry Notebook is due ___________________________________________ .

19. Students will present Poetry Notebooks aloud to their classmates.

Doppelt, Y. (2003). Implementation and assessment of project-based learning in a exible

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

Edutopia (2014, June 25). 5 keys to rigorous project-based learning. Edutopia.www.edutopia.org/

Thomas, J. W. (2000, March). A Review of research on project-based learning.www.bobpearlman.org/

Volume 36, Number 3 SPRING 2022

News from NCTE

Freedom to TEACH Statement