“Where you live should not determine if you live.” That statement correlates strongly with how I view education. Children have absolutely no control over the life they’re brought up in. Money, status, geographical region, race, “traditional” family makeup: factors over which you have no control when you’re born into this world are also the same things that can determine the path of your life. Someone plopped into life circumstances A, B, and C is tracked down a potentially very different route than someone with circumstances K, L, and M. But, once again, what did either of those children do differently to receive the benefits – or lack thereof – of their circumstances? Hence, it probably comes as no surprise, that my curriculum ideology is based from social reconstruction. If we do not take it upon ourselves to take action in our society, then who do we think will do it? Our lack of action is one of the biggest plights we have today. We may care, but we need to care enough to do something about it. Elie Wiesel’s words on the topic have stuck with me and convict me to press onwards. He bravely and accurately said that, “Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response. Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor – never his victim, whose pain is magnified when he or she feels forgotten. The political prisoner in his cell, the hungry children, the homeless refugees – not to respond to their plight, not to relieve their solitude by offering them a spark of hope is to exile them from human memory. And in denying their humanity, we betray our own.” May I echo Wiesel’s words when I pledge to do my part in making our society a more just one.
Being an agent for social justice doesn’t necessitate that one is a teacher. But if you happen to be one, it is an amazing space in which to do that. There is no skill more valuable than reading, and I get to be right in the mix of it as a language arts instructor. The essence of the English classroom affords you the opportunity to think critically about the world around you and become better equipped to navigate it. One of the things I love most about literature is the stories it tells about humanity. Sometimes we may read about a character who is very similar to us, and other times we may have our eyes opened to a very foreign experience. Good literature is not something just to be read but something to spur and challenge our concepts. Another key job of the English classroom is to cultivate citizens that can communicate effectively – both in understanding the messages that are being transmitted to them and also in understanding how to communicate their ideas to others. Developing literate citizens is essential in accessing power, and recognizing when and how to use language is also imperative to future success.
Some students walk into the classroom more equipped than others to succeed at the tasks we ask them to do. However, that in no way means that the other students are incapable of accomplishing those things. Each student is absolutely capable of learning but perhaps not on the exact same timeframe as others. Another thing that must also be present to make that learning community thrive is a community. That means time, trust, and ideally an extension of support from beyond the classroom. That’s where I see technology taking a meaningful role in the classroom. It gives us the ability to be more transparent with families about what’s going on inside the walls of the school. It has become an indispensable tool in today’s society. Possessing computer literacy is a prerequisite for much employment, and thus it is something that must be integrated into the education system. Not to mention, it can also be fun J
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