Today, we went to the Dept. of Juvenile Justice, ie the Detention Center. I had a one-on-one interview with a juvie about reading, as did all of my fellow EDRD 600 classmates. As soon as the group of young men came into the room, I saw the kid I wanted to talk to. Tiny kid. Adorable. Name is Archie. I made a beeline for lil' Archie as soon as we could choose our partners, and we had an awesome talk. I asked him a lot of questions, but thanks to my awesome journalism classes in undergrad and my many interviews as a writer for the Collegian, it was a great talk--more of a conversation than an interview. He was a really smart kid and I'm looking forward to meeting with him again next week.
Now for the bad part...future teachers of America--grad students--do you really not know what it means to look professional? Do you really think that having your chest hanging out (ladies) is going to be a good idea when you're in front of a roomful of 15-year-old boys? Do you know what a button-down is? and heels? Do you think baggy t-shirts and jeans are what the prof has in mind when she says to dress professionally? I mean COME ON. If you want to get a job, you do not interview someone like this:
Granted, in this case, a full-on suit would probably be a little intimidating for the teenager that you're interviewing, but if you don't respect yourself enough to look nice, then why should they? I'm just saying!
I'm not going to rant. But listen...every single thing we have learned in these education classes applies to high-risk, resistant, urban kids. That's fine. It's important stuff, and I know I'll have plenty of these kids. However, I have NO idea how to teach the AP kids. The ones who are motivated and disciplined and who need a challenge.
Because I guarantee you, the sort of junk I'm being told to teach is not gonna fly in an middle-class AP group of kids. And according to professor X, these types of kids pretty much don't exist. Well, guess what--I was one of those kids, and there are plenty of them out there.
Not everyone in this grad program is going to get a job at a high-risk, urban area, and not every single kid hates reading and teachers and school, and not every teacher is going to want to encourage her kids to read stuff like this:
I want to be prepared for the disciplined, driven kids when I get them. I am positive that when I ask profeesor X if any of our ed classes for next year will focus on AP curriculum, I will get a not-so-veiled response about how I am closed-minded and even racist. Upper-middle-class white girls! Such snobs! So closed-minded! They should be punished for their desire to have the kids do something other than personal responses and read books other than trashy YA novels! Shame!
It may seem like I am exaggerating, but honestly, I am not. In fact, ask Shannon, to whom X referred, in so many words, as a priveleged snob, to her face, in front of a whole class. For the entire time I have been in ed classes here, I have felt like I should be feeling guilty for the type of education I had. I am told every day that the way my English teachers taught me when I was growing up was terrible. Obviously, that is why I am so stupid now, right?
It also seems that with a few exceptions, the people in my classes have these humongous chips on their shoulders...they hated their teachers, they hated the way they were taught, they hated actually having to work hard in high school, basically. I'm sure some of them had bad experiences because let's face it, we've all had some terrible teachers. But....did it really ruin your life? Really?
It also seems that with a few exceptions, the people in my classes have these humongous chips on their shoulders...they hated their teachers, they hated the way they were taught, they hated actually having to work hard in high school, basically. I'm sure some of them had bad experiences because let's face it, we've all had some terrible teachers. But....did it really ruin your life? Really?
I try not to let my feelings show during class, but I'll admit, my jaw has dropped at some of the things that are said/worn by the future teachers of America, and I have exchanged many appalled glances with Shannon at some of the things that X says. Because let's face it, I'm a well-educated, professional, middle-class white chick and I am bad.
:)
The End.
