Reflections on Teaching Literacy

The late Margaret J. Early was a nationally renowned educator in the field of English educationand reading, a past president of the National Council of Teachers of English, an author and aneditor herself, and the recipient of many awards. The book Reflections on Teaching Literacy:Selected Speeches of Margaret J. Early, edited by Willa Wolcott, contains fifteen of her speechesgiven during the 1970s and 1980s, two important decades for the English profession. In eachaddress Dr. Early probes, summarizes, and critiques the developments she sees occurring in theteaching of literacy. Her speeches are warm, chatty, and thought-provoking, providing both anhistorical overview of the issues involved and the immediacy of her perspective as she tacklespossible solutions to these issues-many of which continue to be very relevant.The speeches are enhanced by an in-depth, thoughtful Foreword written by Ben Nelms, aformer editor of The English Journal and a pre-eminent figure in English education, as he places Dr. Early's speeches in the largercontext of the changes within the profession itself. A two-part Afterword written by Jane Townsend and Barbara Pace, currentfaculty members at the University of Florida, explores the extent to which Dr. Early's speeches are linked to practices in teachingliteracy today.