Time for Meaning: Crafting Literate Lives in Middle & High School

by Randy Bomer

Time for Meaning brings a bold curriculum to the writing workshop, a curriculum that honors literary thinking and the study of literature. Randy Bomer speaks eloquently and honestly about his own experiences in the his successive stages of revision, his growth from a good to a better teacher. He encourages inquiry into more reflective practice, inviting you to examine your ways of thinking, your relationship to the "subject of English," your standards for good teaching, your place in the professional community, and most significant, your attitude toward time. Time for Meaning is both thoughtful and practical. It confronts the realities of today's overcrowded curriculums, unfriendly colleagues, choppy schedules, and resistant learners. Bomer suggests ways to transform these obstacles into opportunities to rethink the true purpose, meaning, and design of literacy education. He offers guidelines Since time is so often the crucial issue in teaching, Bomer asks you to examine your attitudes toward time and the way you use it. He writes, "What we do with time is what we do with our lives. When we are 'unable' to spend time on what we most value, it is because we have not found a clarity of purpose. We have lost our maps, lost our rudder, and we drift aimlessly, as if time were not passing, as if this teaching life were not ours to live." Bomer is specific and persuasive without being prescriptive. Time for Meaning is a snapshot of his current thinking, a report on work that has already benefited many teachers. It speaks as powerfully to experienced reading/writing process teachers as it does to newcomers.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction

234 pages, Paperback

First published July 3, 1995

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has been one of the most influential to my teaching, and it helped me to integrate my personal reading and writing life and my work in the classroom. Because of Bomer's book, I began each year by exchanging letters with my students about our experiences reading and writing. These were an amazing foundation for our work together. He also offers many manageable strategies for managing writing workshops and other classroom experiences targeted to turn students into readers and writers for life.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Randy Bomer keeps reminding the reader about what's important when teaching literacy in secondary schools: it's all about making meaning. This is an essential reminder when teaching days get filled with all the "must do" add-ons; by keeping meaning front and center, it is easy to prioritize what will be included in the day and what can wait (or be ignored). He gives great practical advice for fiction, nonfiction, and memoir genre studies, all in a self-deprecating style.

[Karen · Rating 1 out of 5]

The guy who wrote this has no clue what it means to truly be a writing teacher. Save your money . There are many writing books out there that are so much better than this one. I hated it. It is the worst book on writing that I have ever read.

[Chris Young]

This book is full of practical advice and strategies for ELA teachers.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book as a reference for a reading/writing workshop. I will read and reread this one as a reference.

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this! Great ideas and inspiration for my classroom!