As an education student at Hope College, I get to join a classroom at various times throughout the week to learn about education from a practicing teacher. One of my placements teaches a Greek mythology elective, which is one of my favorite classes to observe because of how engaging it is. This class made me …
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Reading in Everyday Places
March is National Reading Month, which typically is used to encourage readers across the ages to read every day. Reading more sounds like a great idea in practice, but I often struggle to fit in time to sit down and read a book. Yet, we discuss in many of my English and education classes that …
Notable Female Authors
March is both Women’s History Month and National Reading Month. Women’s History Month was established by Congress in 1987 but stems from work throughout the 20th century by women to achieve suffrage and equal right. Furthermore, March became National Reading Month in honor of Dr. Seuss’s birthday on March 2. These two themes are both …
Black History Month Theme
As part of my English Education experience at Hope College, I have clinical placements in local schools. I love being able to work with and learn from area teachers and students. One of the things I learned this past week as the school acknowledged Black History Month was that each year a theme is chosen …
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Happy Valentine’s Day to our Lakeshore readers! Hope College and some of our area schools have winter break today, so we hope you are able to spend your day doing something you love with the people that you love. Below are a few activities using the power of words to make you chuckle this Monday! …
Black History Month Resources
February is Black History Month, which provides a time to celebrate and learn more about African American history. Carter Woodson originally advocated in 1926 for a time dedicated to Black history and culture and President Ford recognized Black History Month in 1976. February was ultimately chosen because the birthdays of both Abraham Lincoln and Frederick …
Finding Joy in Reading
If you’re reading this blog, then it is likely that you enjoy reading and/or writing in some capacity. However, maybe like me, you struggle to read for fun as you have gotten older. When I was in elementary and middle school, I have distinct memories of lying in my bunk bed and staying up late …
Martin Luther King, Jr Day
What is MLK Day? Martin Luther King Jr was a prominent civil rights leader and advocated for the end of racial segregation. King Jr became notable for his work with the Montgomery, AL bus boycott in 1955, founding the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, helping pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights …
Happy New Year
Happy New Year from the Big Read! We hope your year is off to a great start and will be filled with many blessings. It is always sad to come to the end of the holiday season and the excitement surrounding Christmas and the New Year. We are now in the time, since we live …
Jack Ridl | Poetry is what poets write
In this episode, Dr. Deb Van Duinen has a conversation with Jack Ridl. Jack Ridl taught at Hope from 1971 until retiring in 2006. With his wife Julie, Ridl founded the Visiting Writers Series at Hope College, later named the “Jack Ridl Visiting Writers Series” in his honor, He is the author of several collections …