ABCTE reading list

Before school starts I plan to take the ABCTE's secondary English test so I'll have my certification in that area. As of now I have my elementary certificate (through the American Board for the Certification of Teacher Excellence) and a 9th-grade English endorsement from the State of Idaho. If you're not familiar with ABCTE, it allows college graduates who didn't major in Education to become certified to teach. You take some heavy-duty tests then teach under a mentor for two years. Check it out at abcte.org to see if it's accepted in your state.

For my test I have a lengthy list of classic literature to read. Most of it I'm familiar with, having read it in high school or college (or in my leisure time as a homeschooled teen). I do have some catching up and reviewing to do, though. Summer reading, here I come!

Right now I'm reading Black Boy, by Richard Wright; Ben Franklin's autobiography; Heart of Darkness, by Joesph Conrad; and various poems and short stories in between. One of the fun parts has been rediscovering my favorite poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins. Looking forward to many other discoveries as I prepare for test taking this summer.