I found out three days ago that I've been accepted into Teach for America and that I'll be teaching secondary English (grades 7-12) in the Mississippi Delta come next Fall. First of all, I'm thrilled--I've been looking into Teach for America for a few years now and it was my top post-graduate option. I even got my #1 choice in region, subject and grade level, so I'm feeling quite blessed. But with this great news comes some real life consequences, questions and decisions.
Over the past three days, I've been asking myself: What gives me the right to stand in front of a classroom and profess knowledge? How will I connect with my students, families and community when I have such a different cultural background from them? And finally--how can I use my secondary English classroom to empower and inspire my students to succeed at the highest levels?
Though I can't (and perhaps no one can) answer all of these questions, one of the ways I've decided to begin to bridge the gap between myself and my students, and to inspire them to achieve, is through literature. Suddenly--this class has taken on a lot more meaning. From what we've learned about Marxist theory to Feminist theory to diversity, representations, and implicit/explicit meanings passed on through children's and young adult lit, I have gained a new perspective on the books our youth read. I hope to engage my students in their studies not just by giving them these books and asking them to read and remember surface level details, but asking them to challenge them as well, just as we have in this class. I don't think critical thinking and analysis belong only in a college-level class; in fact, I think the lack of them in middle and high school classes is exactly one of the reasons students lose interest in literature and even school in general. The strategies and frameworks we've been learning as a class can and should be present in K-12 public schools--and that's exactly what I plan to do.
So, does anyone have any suggestions on how to get started? On specific books that might be of use to me, or that I should have in my classroom library? I'd appreciate any advice you can spare!
First off, congratulations!
ReplyDeleteAs a future urban educator and white female coming from a middle class background, I can understand many of your concerns and questions about connecting with students who may not come from the same social, economic, or cultural background.
One of the best connections I have witnessed between literature and cultural backgrounds of students, was in a first grade classroom in Chicago. Students were given the opportunity to write and recite raps and poetry during an "open mic" period every Friday. You might consider incorporating something similar into your own classroom. You might encourage students to look at artists like Tupac Shakur who were advocates for social change and encourage them to write poetry and raps that mirrors his example.
As far as books go, I am assure about specific examples of book, but I did stumble across this website that allows you to search for books by genre, race and ethnicity of characters, language, and age of reader. I hope you find it useful! Good luck in the classroom! (You'll do great!)
http://www.dawcl.com/search.asp
Congratulations! I think one of the best things you can do for your students is to allow them to make personal connections to books. I think that teaching material whether it be history, geography or english is so much more memorable when you can connect yourself to it. Give them a few options of books and allow them to choose what they read as often as possible, students are more likely to work better if they have chosen the book themselves than if they are assigned it. Have a plethora of library books that can relate to any student that walks into your classroom. If you have a book that fits their situation, they will be likely to trust you and realize that you have no intention of stereotyping them and that you acknowledge the fact that they have different problems from the kids around them. Also when you teach them a unit, give them the full story and background of it so that when they get older, they won't be caught like many of us - not knowing the whole truth about Helen Keller.
ReplyDeletegood luck and enjoy it!