REFLECTION: As I
complete my annotated bibliography, this spreadsheet of books I’ve read for
this semester is a “work in progress.” I say this because I plan on continuing
my annotations as I read more books each month. My annotated bibliography
demonstrates how an effective instructor can challenge their students by
pushing them to go outside their comfort levels of reading more books, and
books that generally would not have been read. When I first started my
readings, in the back of my mind, I thought how in the world will I accomplish
my reading especially knowing that I was a moderate reader. As it turned out,
by reading, reading, reading, and more reading I picked up on my pace of
reading. What I found helped me the most as I read, was being able to write on
the margins of my books. This allowed me to go back and reread my thoughts;
thus, allowing me to write my summaries better. In my class, my students also
witnessed me reading during our “Reading Renaissance” time or during their time
of independent reading. As I read or pulled out my book, they would start up a
conversation by inquiring about what my book was about. So at times, it ended
that we did book talks, and then they would relate to other books that were
similar in plots or characters. It would be ideal if more time was allotted
just for independent reading, which is a great way to have students connect
text to text because they became actively involved with wanting to read the
book I was reading as well. In order to achieved
having students read, my students read in their Literature Circles. 
The books I’ve read in this class sparked my passion to build my classroom with rich literature. I’ve spent a great amount of money purchasing books to build my sets for Literature Circles; for me it is worth every penny because I’ve come to the realization that if I don’t model the love of reading, then how will my students see and experience the importance of reading. Furthermore, the sharing piece is essential for students because they need to discuss their thoughts about the books they have read. This class provided me with the determination to improve in my art of teaching and love of reading. Honestly, if you did not “force” the requirements of the selections of books, I would probably have continued being a passive reader versus a more proactive reader of Adolescent Literature. As an educator and individual, I am more empowered with a richer passion to read.
