"The Best Education for the Best is the Best Education for All"

While I was in my English Methods class the other day, I was introduced to the quote “the best education for the best is the best education for all.” After thinking for a moment, I was struck by the importance of this sentiment. When students grace the doors of my future middle school Language Arts classroom, they may already be wearing a title of “low proficiency reader” or “advanced reader”. As a teacher, it will be my job to see past these unjust labels and provide all of my students with the same tools for success. If you do not present a lower-level reader with thought provoking, complex texts, how can we expect them to be able to think and read critically? Simple texts produce simple thoughts. If teachers never attempt to provide lower-level readers with complex texts, simple thoughts will continue to cycle. In all fairness, all students must be given cognitively demanding, classic works. This quote really helped to drive home the importance of differentiation. Differentiation is for all students; the curriculum differs, but is not different. As we have discussed in class, literature circles would really help to support differentiation because students have a choice when it coming to their book selection.