Reflections of Senior English

I have decided to trim the fat and work with one of my cooperating teachers exclusively.  I haven’t talked to Bond or Nicholson about this decision or my other coop teacher for that matter, but Ms L, who I really want to work with exclusively, has given me her consent, and really that’s all that matters:)! 

I was able to help a student today in writing a poem modeled after the Langston Hughes poem “I Have Known Rivers”.  I was amazed at her creativity and the astuteness of her observations about her life and the world around her.  It made me think about the need as teachers to raise the expectations we have of all students, of the need to introduce our students to increasingly challenging literature and writing exercises that allow them to write and think about their experiences and their world from multiple perspectives. 

In my methods class last night, we were shown a video in which veteran teachers discussed emergence strategies, getting students to ask questions to reveal the deeper meanings in the literature they read.  The teachers in the video were really defending the value of literature studies as a way for us to see the world from multiple perspectives; literature can be a lens through which we see the world and ourselves, granting us the benefit of a deeper, richer, and fuller understanding of ourselves and the world we live in.  This rationale for the teaching of literature is one that I agree with wholeheartedly.  I want my students to understand that the skills and understanding that they can develop in themselves have worth beyond passing a class or graduating high school–they can lead to a broadening of thought and perspective that can take them anywhere they want to go in life.

My Courageous Cooperating Teacher

I am feeling really grateful for this experience.  A heady mixture of theory, idealism, and reality, this block experience and the opportunity to observe and talk with a cooperating teacher is, I am realizing, invaluable.  Like Mr. T, “I pity the fool” who opts for alternative certification.

Ms. L takes time to talk to me about the challenges and realities of teaching teenagers in our community who are living in poverty.  These kids are intimately acquainted with the harsh realities of the struggle to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.  Though their families may value education in theory, in reality these adolescents do not have the luxury of college or even finishing high school– they must help their families survive in the immediate future.

 So the question becomes:  How do we make education relevant for these students?  Ms L’s suggestion is to give them hope.  Let them know that the money is there to pursue an education later if not immediately after high school.  Give them the skills today that will help them navigate the world they live in.  Rather than bending the students to my will, interests, or agenda, I want to figure out what makes these kids tick and then get them reading and motivated in spite of it all.  I really believe that this is possible.  I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.

Meeting My ELL

J is a very sweet young man.  He was incredibly respectful and quite the skilled conversationalist despite the language barriers.  My “Me Poster” allowed me to show him my family, my hometown, my love of food, and my love of reading.  His eyes really lit up when I talked about my little boy, so I asked him plenty of questions about his family.  Even though I don’t know a thing about soccer, not to mention team Mexico, I think I showed him that I was interested in him, his interests, his family, and his country and language of origin.  I really enjoyed talking to a student one-on-one; the experience has definitely served to make me much more comfortable talking and interacting with students.

The most apparent reality that I have come to appreciate not only from my ELL but also from my classroom observations, is my intense need and desire to learn Spanish.  Following this all-consuming block process, I am determined to study Spanish and work toward proficiency.  I don’t see how it is possible to engage students, not only ELLs but also students who simply identify more with the culture and language of Mexico/Latin America, without at least a working knowledge of their language.  For example, today in Ms L’s English class, she was having the students think up adages, pithy sayings that communicate a moral or cultural value.  I noticed two students, who incidentally spoke perfectly good English, having a bit of trouble coming up with sayings in English.  I wished that I could remember some Spanish folk-sayings (I took a Texas folklore class last semester and we studied plenty of Spanish sayings).  It made me think toward the future, when I am in the classroom, I will want to come to class prepared with examples that all my students can appreciate, use, and benefit from.

I am really motivated to help, in my little way, to contribute to a school environment in which all students feel included, able to participate, and like the content is relevant and relate-able to them.  I think this is achievable with plenty of preparation, and a brush up of my Spanish vocab!

A Strange Start

Our first day with our cooperating teacher was unusual to say the least.  Ms L was helpful, full of suggestions, and clearly a wonderful teacher, but a black cloud hung over her and her students today.  They have lost one of their own.  The mood was somber and low-key.  Ms L made sure to let her kids know that she was mourning right along with them and not particularly in the mood to push them too hard, though she did get them to complete some of the necessary daily business.  Most striking for me was her compassion and her enthusiasm for her kids, whom she repeatedly referred to as ’smart’ and ‘awesome.’   I feel really lucky to be working with Ms L this semester.