“I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~Anna Quindlen, "Enough Bookshelves," New York Times, 7 August 1991”
Anyone who knows me will say that I value books. My children also have this love of literacy in them. I think it would have been hard for them to escape it. I have a passion for written texts. I find some of my greatest joys behind the cover of a book. Books are a dear friend. They are always there for you and never deceive you. Books can take you places you will never otherwise go in life…
I entered this class as a reader. I exit this class as a reader, with a larger perception of how differences in gender, race, and class can and do affect the reading styles of virtually everyone who picks up a book.
I have been given a lot to think about over the past few weeks, most of which I will be reflecting on for some time to come. I have been forced to think outside of my box, outside of my family, even outside of my classroom. In doing so, I have a new understanding of how reading can change lives and how lives can change reading.
Every student brings into your classroom new experiences, new ideas, and different understandings of each and every subject. The ways that these ideas are used is solely up to the teacher. She can let them slide out of grasp or seize each opportunity to allow her students to grow and understand others. I think I will choose to let my students grow. Learn all they can from each other. They need to understand at a very early age that their peers will be their greatest resource in school as well as in life.
Differences make us all unique. Differences create challenges. I like challenges. Maybe that is why I chose to teach. I think the best any of us can do as an educator is to seek out those differences, in ourselves and in others. Use them to the best for yourself and your students. Never stop learning all you can about your students and their families. Because it is when we stop learning and assume that we know it all, we find we really know very little.
While reading and reflecting on the articles presented in this class, I began to realize that not all parents place as much of an emphasis on reading and education as mine parents did, or as I do as a parent. Being an educator changes the way you think about your own children’s education immensely.
As I read about Laurie and Jake, I realized that sometimes teachers will encounter those kids that you have to reach for. Some are not raised as kids, but as adults. They need to be taught a simple love of learning. Sometimes you have to grab them with things of interest, in order to get the educational aspects across. These students need to reflect on their experiences, so that they can move forward and use their skills to their advantages.
The past of our students molds who they are and who they are to become. Whether it is the story of their culture, or the story of their family life and home, every student has a story to tell, and every story molds a different type of learner. Learning who we are and where we come from helps us identify ourselves in a society and even in a classroom.
I think the quote that best defines my learning experience is …“There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all.” Michel Foucault.
As a teacher, it is my job to be a life long learner, never assume I know it all, and expect the unexpected. Teachers must always look back, reflect, and make changes. What works, what does not…improving themselves as they go. Being able to see the differences in each student and helping them to achieve a positive educational experience in the classroom should be the main goal of teaching in a diverse population.
Sarah Hutson