The April 2014 edition includes “Rekindle the Love of Reading,” in which I tell the story of the Kindle Classroom Project and offer tips to teachers interested in building their own program.
Getting published in Kappan is a dream come true. Nearly 20 years ago, when I was in college, my new passion for teaching prompted me to spend time in UC Berkeley’s Education Psychology Library. My favorite three professional journals were Educational Leadership, English Journal, and Kappan. I remember reading articles and feeling inspired by educators who understood their craft.
Now my name gets to be alongside some pretty well-known folks, like Richard Murnane of Harvard University, Paul Bambrick-Santoyo of Uncommon Schools, and John T. Spencer of Education Rethink.
And it gets better. Also in the April edition is my friend Jennifer Higgs, a graduate student at UC Berkeley’s School of Education. She’s been a loyal supporter of the Kindle Classroom Project and has encouraged me to get my writing out there. Thanks, Jenni!
And then, a wonderful coincidence: The edition also includes an article by Kate McGovern, one of the very first students I ever taught. She was an excellent writer then. I can’t wait to read Kate’s first novel, Rules for Fifty-Fifty Chances, which comes out next year. She also works for The New Teacher Project in Brooklyn.
It’s all exciting and surreal! I’m appreciative of Kathleen Cushman, author of The Motivation Equation (among other books), who encouraged me to write the article and connected me with Kappan’s editor in chief. Thank you, Kathleen, for being such a kind mentor and friend!
Oh, did you want to read the article? No pressure, but if you’d like to, please email me at mark (at) iserotope (dot) com, and I’ll show you how to gain access.
I’m hopeful that the article encourages teachers to consider using Kindles to motivate their students to read. Young people like to read; they just to be reminded that they do. They need support, and time, and enthusiasm, and easy access to high-quality books.