“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
What comes to mind in responding to this quote and reflecting upon this class is change. Change is often scary at first, but can open up new doors and allow for tremendous growth. Without change, there can be no growth and just like a pond with no water source flowing in and out, we can become stagnant and “smelly” in our thoughts and opinions of the world around us. If we aren’t open to new ideas our practices and approaches in our personal and professional lives can become stale and irrelevant. All of the readings, from the articles to the Reading Lives text have caused me to look within. I have always considered my perceptions of the world around me to be diverse and have tried to place myself in other peoples’ shoes, but reading some of the firsthand accounts caused me to think deeper about myself and my profession as a teacher. As teachers we assume many roles, or as a mentor once told me, “We wear many hats.” We interact with children, parents, and members of the community from many walks of life and it is our job to get to know them in order to try and reach them. I believe that just one teacher can make an impact either positively or negatively. I choose to strive to be that teacher to make a positive impact on the lives of each of my students.
I think back to the Dowdy article and the way that she was made to feel. She was told by her mother that in order to “fit in” with the “right people” that she must learn to speak properly. This sounded alright at the time to Dowdy because she wanted to make her mother happy; however this alienated her from her peers. It made her feel as though she was trapped between two worlds and there was no compromise. It was not until later that she realized she could “code switch” and have the best of both worlds when she became an actress. Her mother did not allow her this freedom as a young girl and it had a negative impact on her life. As teachers, we need to communicate to our students that it is alright to do both. There is a time and place to speak properly like when doing your job, as well as speaking in a “relaxed” manner when among friends and family.
In the Noll article, Daniel and Zonnie both excelled outside of school through literacy practices related to music, poetry, and prose. I find it sad that their teachers didn’t take advantage of these strengths both students possessed and help them use these in school. Both students were very much connected to their Native American Heritage and culture and should have been able to express this more in the school setting. This reminded me that we need to recognize and celebrate all culture and heritages that our students represent. They should be allowed to bring ALL of who they are in the classroom.
Another underlying theme throughout our readings was to make what we teach each and every day have a purpose and a connection to life outside of the classroom. I don’t want to teach my students how to take a test! I want to teach them how think, how to dig deeper to find the answers for themselves (like what we had to do as we read and responded to each other). They need this skill in order to survive in the world we live in today. They don’t need another worksheet or boring text. They need hands-on lessons and experience. Do I have all of the answers to make this all happen at once? The answer to that is no, but through all of the readings I have reflected about the way I teach and have begun to think of new ways to improve lessons to better prepare my students. In the Henry & Staples articles I was reminded that our teaching needs to include authentic and engaging experiences for our students. Not only did Henry provide the small group of girls with interesting and quality pieces of literature to read and discuss, she also helped them relate to who they are while helping them “find their voice” in the classroom. She stated that she realized that she couldn’t truly help them find their voice in such a short amount of time, but it allowed the girls to begin thinking critically for themselves as individuals and as students.
Lastly, I would like to discuss the readings in the Reading Lives text. I found the chapters about Laurie and Jake to be especially interesting and relevant to what I teach. I was again reminded of the all important fact that we need to get to know our students and understand how they learn best. Our methods of instruction need to be varied and we need to be sensitive to different learning styles so that we make a conscious effort to mix up that ways we present lessons. Laurie and Jake both had difficulties in school related to the lives at home and opinions of family members. Laurie found more success in second grade when her teacher took a workshop approach to reading and writing. This approach allowed for Laurie to make more progress than she did in first grade. Later she was placed in a special reading program which further individualized her instruction. She still suffered from a deficit in both of these two areas. Jake was having difficulties in school as well and his was also related to his home life. His father’s negative attitude towards school because of his past experiences affected the way Jake felt about school and made him feel as though school is not important. Jake liked the freedom to move from activity to activity and as he got older and this was taken away he started tuning out things he wasn’t interested in. He needed more hands-on lessons. Both Jake and Laurie were considered “good” kids who were not behavior problems, but had developed coping mechanisms to use when the material got too hard. Jake chose to tune out of the lesson and fiddle with things in his desk. Laurie developed a similar strategy. She chose to answer only when she felt confident. Through all of this I have learned most of all that teaching is NOT one size fits all, nor should it be. We need to learn about our students’ backgrounds and cultures and celebrate them! As teachers we need to find what works best for our students and when something doesn’t work, don’t be afraid to change it!
Reshawna Greene