"Is This English"

During the reading of this book, I could not help but be reminded of when we went to the website showing the high school graduation rates per school. If I remember correctly, Johnston had a 36% graduation rate. I find it ironic that the "remedy" for Johnston's high attrition rate is more structured schooling practices which continue to produce the same results. High stakes testing and the standards movement continue to detach the learner from the learning. Isn't this what we have been reading this entire semester?

Taking an inquiry stance in the classroom provides students the opportunity to become active seekers of knowledge. I liked Fecho's extension of Rosenblatt's transactional theory from reading books to "reading" people. We transact with one another, shaping and being shaped by the experience. In classrooms where teachers are willing to take risks and ask challenging questions where no absolute answer exists students become meaning makers and identity shapers.