1/28-Back at it!

             Reading the introduction of both Bomer and Christenbury’s texts this week was a nice mix because both authors do a great job at illustrating what an English classroom should look like and what an English teacher should be. Although I do not think their ideas are without flaws, at the moment, they work very well for me as a developing educator.

Last semester we spent a lot of time on the English classroom and the English curriculum and still, I am madly in love with everything Bomer highlights in these first three chapters. For me, what stands out is that the English classroom is a space for people, who naturally are not empty but filled with the intellectual wealth and wisdom they have acquired from their cultures, communities, and life experiences. Thus it is imperative that we “appreciate their existing knowledge, believe in their competence, and build upon what they already know, do, and love”. This was groundbreaking for me because as a student my intelligence had never seemed to be appreciated by any of my teachers. To think you knew as much or more about something than your teacher did was could be viewed as blasphemy to some. I think Bomer’s way of thinking and structuring the classroom makes the learning experience much more comfortable and less demeaning for the learner. 

Christenbury’s ideas serve students in the same way as she urges teachers to be compassionate, and center instruction on the ideas, and personalities of their students. Furthermore, I think it is equally important to have an idea of what the English teacher should look like as well, although I never actually thought it isn’t something I’ve thought about before.  I liked how descriptive Christenbury was in her examples of what good English teachers should be like and certain types of students we might encounter as English teachers. I think this was very helpful and important because it shows how teaching goes way beyond the content and the subject. The personalities and the relationships between the teacher and learner are equally important, and deserve attention as well. All in all, I appreciate that the obvious concerns of both writers are the students. And whether we’re discussing what the English classroom should look like or what the English teacher should look like, it remains that the most important thing is both are at the benefit of the students involved.

As for the field, I am really excited to be at Reagan this semester. The students (especially the lil’ black boys) seem to be very happy that I’m there as well. These kids have so much more personality and I can’t wait to get to know them. They also seem so eager to learn, and that puts me at ease because I feel like they will be open to the lessons I’ll teach in the coming weeks.

As for my CT, I really like her. I think she’s very sweet and talks to me way more than my CT did last semester which also makes me feel much more comfortable.  We had a great conversation at our first meeting and I think we are on the same page. However as a CT, there are some things I am leery of. First, I think that she doesn’t put much thought into her lessons or plans them before hand, which scares me a bit. I don’t think she is sure what direction she is going or where she wants the students to go, which I think is very important. In a nutshell, I think she just goes with the flow (lol).  I don’t want to knock anyone’s style, but the lack of structure might be hard for me as an intern to follow. Second, I think, (well I sort of know because she told me) that my CT is having a really hard time as a teacher and doesn’t really like her job at the moment. Again, as an intern that may become a problem, BUT it’s all good. Whatever happens I’m sure I can learn from it, so I’m just excited to experience the good and the rewarding as I am the bad and the highly uncomfortable.