Critique is understood as an interrogation of the terms by which life is constrained
in order to open up the possibility of different modes of living;
in other words, not to celebrate difference as such
but to establish more inclusive conditions
for sheltering and maintaining life that resist models of assimilation.
Judith Butler
For me this quote means that realizing and learning about differences in thinking and living is important not just because we are different, but because we can’t all be the same. Looking critically at life and the why and how of what we do helps us to determine ways that we are unique. Throughout this course, the readings and blog discussions have challenged the way that I think about life and teaching, as well as, what I think about what other people think and feel.
Before this course, I knew that students were different and that the experiences and lives lived before entering my classroom gave them all a different take on things. However, I am not sure that I really thought much about the complete impact of these differences as I taught. I came into my classroom, taught my heart out, and expected that my students give the same 100% plus back. I expected that they shared the same values I held for education. I expected the learning curve in my classroom to be a straight line drawn by me in my educated way of thinking. In my mind, I had made allowances (I thought) for the struggles faced by my students from less than affluent families. After all, I grew up that way, and I made it through. The connection that I had with students who lived similar lives was strong most of the time, and I truly believed that this help me “understand.”
Sadly, the point that I failed to consider was that my discourse has changed. As much as I try to identify with the students raised in families like I was, my life is different now. I have different expectations, because education is what helped me “get through.” I often forget that there are still people who feel differently about education and what defines one’s successes than I do. I do not feel that there is only one method of success, but the middle-class belief that success must in some way be comprised of formal education has been very prevalent in my mind for years. As a teacher through and through, education just is. It is my life. I want it not only for myself, but for my students, my colleagues, my family and friends. I have realized though through the readings in this class that not all of my students (and their families) can be expected to “assimilate” to my way of thinking.
From the beginning of the course with “Ovuh Dyuh” and “No Kinda Sense,” I began to have a new understanding of how difficult attaining education can be for some people. There are so many battles and conflicting messages that students must work through. Throughout the course, I have been surprised at my own thought processes and to some degree my biases about education. Reading the articles about children from different countries and cultures helped me to see ways to connect students who are different from each other and teach them to value differences, as well as, similarities. I will use the ideas and situations discussed in the Noll and Perry articles to reflect on practices that will best help my students connect to who they are and to play on the strengths that these students bring. It is important that students feel valued and are empowered to express who they are in our classrooms. Seeing how this could work for students that may have otherwise been overlooked is major part of what I will take from this class.
Even though my growth has come from all of the readings, I have felt the deepest connection to Reading Lives. Through Hicks’ research and the reflection on her own learning, my eyes and my heart have been opened to the impact that “other influences” can have on a child. I thought that I was strong in this area already. However, after reading about Laurie and Jake, I have a new appreciation for how much a child is impacted by her perception of herself as a learner. As teachers, we play a large part in building these thoughts and feelings. Jake taught me that a child can be very bright and still struggle with the institution and the concept of school.
This book was important to me, because it has helped me to see that there are students that I am potentially overlooking. It has helped me to understand that trying to “assimilate” all of my students into the same academic way of living and thinking is not necessarily what is best for the education of all of my students. One of the greatest impacts that this course has had on my life is to open my eyes. I think sometimes we forget the look carefully at our students. We can get so caught up in doing what we know, and teaching what is required, that we forget to look into the eyes of kids like Laurie and Jake (and all of the others) and see them—who they are as not just students but people. I see the faces of a couple of my students even as I type this and have throughout the course. My mind goes back to the experiences that they have encountered in my classroom. This course has helped me to see the importance of “seeing” those faces as I look at strategies and practices that are best for my all students as individuals. I hope that never changes!
Christy Laws