Miss Stacy and Miss Shirley: Three Characteristics of an Effective Teacher

Set amidst the idyllic scenes of Prince Edward Island, one of Canada’s eastern most provinces, the story of Anne Shirley serves up excellent reading for Middle Schoolers. The first in a series of short novels written by Lucy Maud Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables tells the story of an orphan girl, Anne Shirley, who is adopted by the aging brother and sister, Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert. Through Anne, we are introduced to the community of the fictional town of Avonlea. Anne’s coming of age story is shaped by the people and countryside of this small community. And yet her arrival

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the love of learning from old books

The Flow of Thought, Part 9: The Lifelong Love of Learning

The ‘love of learning’ is one of those phrases that is so overused in education that it feels like it has been beaten to death with a stick. Every educator and every educational model claims to promote the ‘lifelong love of learning’ for their students. I challenge you to find an engaged teacher who doesn’t endorse this goal. Side note: There are still unengaged teachers, who are only in it for the job or who will openly claim that they don’t care about their students. I had a few of those in public high school. But that’s another story…. I

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