High Interest, Real Application, Kid Lit

My Students

Students at PACE wholeheartedly agree with Benjamin Franklin's belief that if you "tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn." Learning is active at PACE.

Whether they are looking to graduate early or need to recover credits from previously unsuccessful attempts, students at PACE thrive in our small, supportive, self-paced environment.

Students are true partners in developing their own educational plan and completing real-life applications of their coursework. Students attend PACE for a variety of reasons. Being an adolescent in today's rapidly changing world can be a challenge for many teens. Many of them have experienced failure in a traditional school setting because of bullying, social drama, boredom, lack of motivation or the inability to see the relevance of their classes. PACE renews their attitude toward school. Our students are looking for a place that they can concentrate on their personal development, academic achievement and career experience with innovative teaching methods, flexible courses and opportunities for success. Here they see success on a daily basis.

My Project

Kid Lit is an example of the type of classes that we offer at PACE. This survey course is in English, concentrating on the types and uses of children's literature for students interested in pursuing careers in child development, education or psychology. Each section of the course includes a technical component that discusses the purpose of using the genre for teaching children and how to critically evaluate the materials. To demonstrate their learning, students are required to read and complete activities using a variety of children's books. I have been able to collect a small library of children's book through shopping at Goodwill, Salvation Army, used book stores and yard sales, but this practice is "hit or miss" and I am "missing" many of the classics and the ones referred to in our reference databases or recommended by librarians. Please help to expand our collection so students have real examples of kid lit to evaluate.

This year, PACE placed four students in internships that involved building literacy skills with preschool children in an elementary school, a preschool and a public library.

We hope to expand this program next year - these books will help our students to have a great foundation for an internship in child care or education. High interest, Real-Life Applications. As Dr. Seuss says, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.