When Dr. Horwitz came to our class in the spring and mentioned we would be reading a graphic novel I was really psyched. I have a colleague at work that uses graphic novels in his classroom and the two of us instantly started talking about this book and how much he liked the book. So, instead of buying the book I borrowed it from him. However, after reading the first few pages I went to Amazon and bought my own. This is a book I want I my shelf that I can refer to from time to time. Just a nice gentle reminder that all teachers question their practice as well as question the folks making decisions about our profession that have never entered a classroom. Let me clarify, folks that have never entered a public school classroom.
I found it interesting how on page XIV Ayers called comics a medium and not a genre. As an English teacher who loves graphic novels and have read many, I never really thought of it as a medium. But when I look back on the many that I have read, such as Fun Home, they were non fiction stories in graphic novel form.
On page 20 and 21 Ayers points out that we must focus on what students CAN do and not what they CAN'T do which I found quite ironic. Just yesterday a senior student showed me work I corrected four years ago that I had butchered. There must of been 15 or more corrections just on the first page! I was embarassed when I saw this because since I had her I realized that writing all over students' papers does not make them better writers. I asked my student how she felt when she received this paper back and she said defeated and stupid. If I had focused on what she did well, and gave her a goal or two for the next paper she probably would have become a good writer.
I loved how at the end of the section we were required to read, Ayers wrote about the importance of creating a community in the classroom. Last year I got so caught up in Common Core State Standards and Teacher Evaluation that I did not take the time to create a classroom community. I did a few things to get to know the students but not like I had done in the past. I have to say, it was a difficult year, in part, because I did not establish a community of listeners and participators.
I look forward to the second half of the book ...
yeah it's kind of weird Madonna...when we become "experts" in something, we seem to forget how long it took and how hard it was to learn in the first place. Concepts seem obvious to the enlightened and patience often takes a backseat as we are critical of the students, instead of being empathetic. I wish there was a way to be transported back to that frame of mind...I forget what it's really like to be a kid.
ReplyDeleteMadonna,
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, the Common Core and the New Teacher Evaluation system had all of us bent out of shape... but didn't you get so fed up with the changes that were taking place across the school that you made curricular changes to benefit your kids with respect to expository writing for science classes? Furthermore, weren't you so proud that you bought all of your classes pizza? I bring it up because even though you might not have created a community in your classroom last year in the same manner as the year before, I think you eventually did. I mean, if I remember you telling us about it, don't you think your students remember living it? I hope so.