Life's Literacy Lessons: Poems for Teachers

by Steven L. Layne

By popular demand, the International Reading Association presents a special hardcover edition of Life's Literacy Poems for Teachers. The special edition of this bestseller still contains the 40 poems teachers have come to love, but also includes two new poems - ''Comma Man'' and ''Teachers.'' ''This collection of poems was written to honor literacy educators for all that they do.'' So writes teacher and poet Steven L. Layne, who for years has delighted audiences by performing his poems at conferences and publishing them in The Reading Teacher. Layne has gathered 40 of his favorite poems about literacy and teaching into this unique collection that will touch the heart of anyone who has ever been a classroom teacher. The poems in Life's Literacy Lessons range from serious to hilarious as Layne takes poetic license with the stuff of teachers' daily beginning readers; grammar, spelling, handwriting, and composition instruction; adolescent literacy issues; reading aloud; and standards and teachers. A ''story behind the poem'' accompanies each piece, so that readers can understand the poem's inspiration. As Layne states in the book's preface, ''Discovering the truth of personal experience inside a simple poem engenders a wonderful bond of community.'' The honesty and wit in this collection will undoubtedly strengthen the bond of community among teachers of all grade levels.The International Reading Association is the world's premier organization of literacy professionals. Our titles promote reading by providing professional development to continuously advance the quality of literacy instruction and research. Research-based, classroom-tested, and peer-reviewed, IRA titles are among the highest quality tools that help literacy professionals do their jobs better. Some of the many areas we publish in -Comprehension
-Response To Intervention/Struggling Readers
-Early Literacy
-Adolescent Literacy
-Assessment
-Literacy Coaching
-Research And Policy

Genres: Poetry, Professional Development

92 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2001

About the author

Award-winning author and educator Steven L. Layne is the director of the Master of Education in Literacy program at Judson University in Elgin, Illinois, where he is also a professor of literacy education. He is a respected literacy consultant, motivational keynote speaker, and featured author at conferences and literary events worldwide. He lives with his wife and children in Saint Charles, Illinois.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Steven Layne captures both the heart of being a student and teacher within this highly relatable collection of literacy inspired poems.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of poems written by author and teacher Steven Layne. I recently attended a conference of his and wrote this book down as a title to pick up someday. He is a very good speaker.

A poem book that can make you laugh and cry is a good one. This book is probably a little more because it helped me be insightful about my job. Not all of the poems are great, but pick it up for the ones that are.

From his poem "The Transfer"...
But big kids hate to read and write
The testing shows they're low.
I face my colleagues and reply,
That's why I want to go.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of clever poems that convince teachers SOMEONE understands them :)

[Suzanne Dix · Rating 4 out of 5]

Long live the teaching profession and the love of reading!