Blog Post #2

In reflecting on my secondary literacy experiences, I feel that most, if not all of my teachers were quite good. They introduced me to many pieces of classic literature like, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby and Wuthering Heights, that I may have never picked up on my own at that age. The very first book that I read in 6^th grade was Lord of the Flies. It was unbelievably different than anything I had read up to that point. It was my first time reading a book that challenged my outlook on human nature. It was the first book that taught me that authors write books for more reasons than to entertain or inform .They write to expose us to new ways of thinking and to serve as mirror to our souls and society.  

Although my teachers were good overall, there is one particular teacher that stands out above the rest. Mrs. Powell was my 8^th grade English teacher. She read-aloud to us every day. The very first book she read aloud to us was Huckleberry Finn. I’ll admit that I remember thinking it was a bit silly that she was reading to us like we were small children. Little did I know, it would soon become my favorite part of each day. Mrs. Powell would turn down the lights and hop up on her stool. She allowed us to spread out all over the room. We could lie down on the floor, rest our heads on the desk, or do whatever made us feel most comfortable. It was such a special time in our room. Everyone was completely calm. And something about sharing this book brought us all together in a way that only a great story can. This is when I discovered the amazing power that books have to connect us and to create a shared experience among individuals who otherwise might have nothing in common.

Another aspect of my secondary literacy experience that impacted me, involves matters concerning diversity, representation, and cultural sensitivity. While it is critical for students to be able to see themselves and their experiences portrayed in the literature they are exposed to, it also calls for a level of understanding and discretion on the part of the teacher. Growing up, I was in a program my district called Tier 4. These classes were for “gifted” students (I use the term gifted loosely). I remained in class with the same group of students from middle-school to high-school, so the demographics of my class never changed much. There was one black person, me. And one African male. Everyone else was white. From day to day, the makeup of our class was quite irrelevant. I had lots of friends in my classes, and great teachers. The problems would only arise when we would read books centered on African American experiences. Without fail, each time I would be singled out and asked to share “how black people feel” about certain issues in the story. This was very stressful for me as a child. I felt a immense amount of pressure to say all of the right things. Additionally, I frequently felt conflicted between sharing my true feelings about certain topics and sharing things in a way that made the people around me feel most comfortable. With all of that said, I wholeheartedly believe that my teachers were well intentioned. I know that they just wanted me to feel included and like the experiences of my culture mattered, and I am truly grateful for that.

These experiences have helped to mold me into the type of teacher that values read-aloud time as a sacred time for community building and connection. I loved the way Mrs. Powell would turn down the lights and let us get comfy while she read to us, and it’s something that I do with my students to this day. Reading is fun, and it should feel that way! My experiences have pushed me to think carefully about the ways in which I facilitate discussions in my classroom. In one of our readings Bomer said, “It is possible to think of these discussions as workshops, with the teacher offering a mini-lesson about a particular strategy for being a high quality discussant…”This resonated deeply with me, because having students speak, doesn’t make it a discussion. We have to teach students how to engage meaningfully, authentically, and respectfully with one another.