I walked into the class and saw many teachers there. I was excited; this was my first year as a teacher and my first teacher training course. I sat next to a few teachers who were complaining about their long day and being forced to attend. I did not care, I love literature. The lecturer began to speak about this new Literature Program for High Schools in the country; she talked about a pilot program and the results, and concluded the introduction with an amazing statement: students are required to analyze literature and use higher order thinking skills. I was very impressed! This new program not only teaches them to analyze, but to improve their writing skills as well.

     From that day I set off to learn everything there is to know about the program. When we studied something, I applied it in class. I can tell you one thing, looking at your students analyzing and thinking for themselves gives you a great feeling of satisfaction. Now my students are not “copy-paste” machines, but they can think and what great minds they have, might I say.

    Today, the Literature program is compulsory for all students. I am glad I attended that teacher training course not only because I benefited from the materials taught, but because it gave me a solid structure to work with. For every piece of literature, there are seven key components to work through in order to ensure better understanding of the text. Another point that I am proud of: I worked so hard in the course and in school and even though I am a second year teacher only, today I actually teach this course and I am a literature counselor for teachers who are beginning to teach the program. It just proves that you can succeed if you really work hard enough and believe in what you are doing.