This task also served as a reminder that each child is an individual who brings their own unique history, culture and perspective into the classroom. It is important to take time as teachers to learn as much as possible about each student and where they are coming from. This will help us make more meaningful learning connections. This reminds me of an article I read for Science about a teacher who came to class armed with hands-on learning activities and topics of inquiry but bombed on the first day. Her students simply were not used to this open-ended style of teaching. After talking to other teachers in the school and observing her students, she realized that she needed to build up to the level of inquiry she initially intended to use. I only hope I can be this aware in my classroom.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sharing is Caring
I just wanted to say thanks again to Zalika for giving us the opportunity to share our stories and of course, I also want to thank those who shared. It's interesting how certain words and memories truly capture who we are. It's pretty rare that I take the time to reflect on my personal history and this writing activity gave me a good entry point into a lot of memories I hadn't thought about for years.
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And thank you, Andrea, for getting the ball rolling! It must've been hard to be the first one, but you did it. Very nice. I appreciate how you're focusing the activity back to what our students' experiences might be like. I've also made the mistake your teacher made, coming into class with my own agenda without first establishing a relationship with my students. It was a good lesson. My mom used to quote Ruby Payne to me who said something like, "you can't teach without first building a relationship." I also hope I can take the time to get to know the lives my students carry with them into the classroom.
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