Tuesday Teacher Feature: Isaac Lundberg

This week's Tuesday Teacher Feature is Isaac Lundberg, a teacher in Moorhead. Isaac completed Summer Institute this past summer (2015). Isaac answered the following questions regarding his experiences with reading and writing:

What are you currently reading?

Currently I am reading some YA lit. I just finished "All-American Boys" by Jason Reynolds and Brendon Kiely which was recommended to me by the one and only Mr. Dan Dooher, a RRVWP TC (@MisterDReads - follow him on Twitter, he's awesome!). It was easily one of the best books I have encountered in a long time, and, I think, a particularly important and timely commentary on racism and police brutality. I'd recommend it to all teachers and students as it does a remarkable job helping the reader to build empathy for everyone affected by the issue. I'm also in the middle of "Catching Jordan" by Miranda Kenneally, a story about high school drama. It's not exactly my style but I promised some students I would read it and it's been more of a page-turner than I anticipated!

Why do you read?

The simplest explanation of why I read is to learn. I read YA lit for its entertainment value and to read what my students are reading. It's a tremendous amount of fun to recommend books to kids and connect them to literature that they enjoy and that help them to make sense of the world around them. In the way that I ask my students to read as a means of discovering new perspectives and ways of knowing I also read to attempt to better understand the world in which we all live. Finally, I read to improve my teaching practice in an effort to better serve my students.

Who encouraged you to be a teacher?

There are so many people who have encouraged me to be a teacher - to be honest, I never really considered anything else. My family always encouraged me to become a teacher and instilled in me the value of education. My wife encouraged me to be a teacher and supported me through the process. I was inspired by the teachers I had growing up and appreciate their efforts to help me grow as a student as a person. Working in Moorhead affords me privilege of continuing to learn from those same teachers as many of them are now my colleagues. 

Who currently inspires you?

I am inspired as a teacher most regularly by my wife who teaches first grade. I can only hope that her patience and love for her kids somehow rubs off on me. I am also inspired by my teammates at Horizon who have been teaching for considerably longer than me and continue to improve their practice and do meaningful work for our students. Furthermore, I am inspired by my students who make each day worthwhile!