This time I'm going to digress a bit from the readings per se, so please forgive me. Something that continually resounds with me - perhaps because it was the saving grace of my own education - is the need for teachers to get to know (or, as we said in class, "study") our students. What makes them tick? What ticks them off? What pressures do they face - whether from within or without? It's helpful to remember: even the students who don't look like they're struggling probably struggle with something, and while I don't believe in "saving" children, I do believe in the power of positive classroom relationships and teacher humility.
As so many of the authors have mentioned, although it's not ultimately about us in the end, building appropriate, supportive classroom/school/societal culture must necessarily begin with us (it's about reaching, not just about teaching). Growing up, my father constantly told me that "being is becoming, " and I will make a conscious effort every day to know what sort of "being" each of my students currently inhabits -- in the hopes that my instruction doesn't get in the way of their "becoming." It's what the students will become that we are always unaware of - for better or for worse.
That being said, what did everyone think about Ladson-Billings's idea of teaching's ultimate goal being collaboration and interdependence? So often I feel like we focus on 'creating' critical thinkers - minds built upon self-sufficiency/independence - but, at least for me, that is not enough. The aim should be 'good thinking' and 'good doing;' strong praxis begets strong praxis. To that I say Amen.
Peace,
Ryan
No comments:
Post a Comment