To the retired folks at the post office who told my friend Annie that we teachers just put our students in front of the computer and tell them to “get to work”:
I would like to share with you a glimpse into my classroom. Today is a typical Wednesday. Our students have Academic Assistance time at the end of the day which means that our class periods are a bit shorter than on other days. That means I feel extra pressure to get through my plans. In College Comp we started by reading a poem together, “This Is Just To Say” by William Carlos Williams. We also read an imitation poem by Erica-Lynn Gambino and then together broke the poems down, stanza by stanza. Next I gave my students a few minutes to write their own imitation poems in their writer’s notebooks. Because I believe in the power of writing with them, I crafted my own example as well. After a few students shared their poems, I led a mini-lesson on “Shrinking a Century,” a writing concept introduced by Barry Lane in his book After the End. (I read this book outside of the school day during my own precious “free time.”) This writing technique will be important for some of my students to use as we continue in our unit on crafting narratives. It’s just day 11 of the year, and my writing students are getting ready to start their third piece of writing. No rest for the weary, as they say. After our mini-lesson, I modeled some brainstorming with my students. We will be starting a place-based narrative, so I shared with them potential topics and scenes I might explore in my writing. (I created this brainstorm last night at my kitchen table as my own children got ready for bed.) Finally, I set my young writers free to work. Yes, for the last eight minutes of class, my students were in front of their computers. They were composing and revising and rearranging their personal narratives which are due tomorrow. At the end of class I assigned an essay they are to read and annotate for tomorrow so we can discuss how place influenced Zora Neale Hurston’s “How To Be Colored Me.” Oh, and by the way, today’s class period was 41 minutes long. College Comp is one of three classes that I have the privilege to teach each day. My time in English 2 and Speech mirrors my previous description. We read, we write, we discuss, we engage, we think. You might be discovering a theme: my students and I are busy. Every minute. Of every class period. We work hard. We rarely take bathroom breaks. And here’s the thing, retired folks at the post office, we’re not alone. Across our district my colleagues are working tirelessly to craft meaningful learning experiences for your grandchildren. Yes, technology is involved in many of these learning experiences because it’s 2015. If you think technology is going away, I’m afraid you’re disillusioned. We are working to build up the world’s future leaders, and that means our students need to understand the nuances of online communication and the complexities of the digital world. Technology is a tool we use to reach that goal. Second grade teachers, history teachers, guidance counselors, ELL instructors, administrators. We are all working hard because we care. We care about learning, about our students, about the future. And the fact that you stand around at the local post office or coffee shop or church basement gossiping about our laziness and poor work standards, well, it fills me with indignation. Step in my classroom. Watch me work. Observe any of my colleagues meeting the standards of excellence our district has set for us. I think you’ll be surprised by what you see. Sincerely, Mrs. Witt
3 Comments
Greg Stevens
9/9/2015 04:39:57 pm
Kim, what a great defense of our profession. I miss seeing you and Troy, but I am at a school with passionate educators as well 1/2 a continent away in Washington.
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Bev Petrick
9/9/2015 07:26:36 pm
Thanks for this well-written piece.
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