We stood up in the front like Baptist preachers.
Our student evals were in the tank.
The students told us we really stank.
Be the change. Be the change. Be the change. Be the change.
SI taught us how to write with our peeps.
Now Baptist preachin' gives us the creeps.
Process, revision, creating without locks -
Now we're thinkin' outside the box!
Be the change. Be the change. Be the change. Be the change."
So, Robin's demo today was a wonderful reminder of the diverse set of stories we are introduced to with each new year of teaching. I have always loved language and culture and social history, but sometimes I forget that the past is still very present. While I cannot begin to understand what all of my students have experienced, I can share my heart and my mistakes and my struggles with them (Thanks, Wendy!). Relationships in my classroom are vital, and I pride myself on being able to relate to and establish trust with students from all backgrounds. However, I still need to create space in my classroom for acknowledging and appreciating just how unique my students are. I am planning to reinvent the introduction to my prejudice unit (To Kill a Mockingbird, The Merchant of Venice, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings) to include a personal multi-genre/multi-modal "presentation" of some kind where students can share their past experiences with prejudice/discrimination. Hopefully these presentations will also serve as a springboard for the inquiry project students complete at the end of the unit. Thank you, Robin, for passionately sharing a piece of your story and for inspiring me to keep my eyes, ears, and heart open!
I found that I also want to include some sort of memoir piece for students to open up about past experiences. I want them to understand that I care and want to help them become better writers. I think like Tiffany I can second guess myself a lot or constantly compare myself to more experienced to teachers only to judge myself to be lacking although this probably isn't the case. It's just so hard to know as a young teacher!
ReplyDeleteYes, one cannot separate themselves their identity-who they are- their personal history from their writing. As neutral and unbiased as a person may want to be and actually achieve a high degree, we always come out in our writing. Sometimes this is more appropriate than at other times.
ReplyDeleteThere's no substitute for being real with your students. The change in the classroom climate is amazing. Let me know how it goes.
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