The literacy home pack assignment has been an interesting one. On the one hand, it is a very practical application of all the knowledge I’ve gained in my higher educational pursuits. It is a good authentic assessment of what I’ve learned while at Cortland, and at Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) before. On the other hand, it is an extremely time consuming endeavor that is as expensive as it is exhausting. I have learned and applied much in making my own literacy pack, but I still wonder if seasoned teachers would be able to take this on.
Creating the literacy pack allowed me to explore and evaluate differentiation as it relates to teaching at an entirely new level. Although I had learned about and even used the term before, it always seemed like a small afterthought add-on to a lesson, something that might be nice to include. Now I understand how vitally important this concept is and how much it needs to be included in any classroom plan. I am a big supporter of Gardener’s Multiple Intelligences and the idea that children can, and do, learn in an amazingly wide variety of ways. Using differentiation in this assignment gave me a new tool to engage many different learners and I am glad I had the experience.
However, this pack has also take over much of my time in the last few weeks, and I am dubious that a certified teacher would have this amount of time available, especially considering that most have families. My father, a retired elementary teacher with 35 years experience, seemed to agree with me and often questioned if I was do “extra” work. I wasn’t.
The literacy take-home pack is a great tool, and every educator should make at least one to learn their intricacies. Making 10, however, is not feasible for any teacher and mass-marketed packs should be welcomed in school systems. I am glad I had the chance to make one, and I will definitely take what I learned into my own classroom.
