Lesson 1 Reflection

Lisa Nielsen's "Fix Boring Schools, Not Kids Who are Bored" makes some interesting points about how we as individual educators - and an institution of public education - work with kids who don't "fit in" to the current model of schooling. On the most basic level, her points are fundamental to the way I approach my students. I was a kid who didn't fit into the traditional sense of what it meant to be a student (though sadly I have not turned in to a "brilliant, innovative multimillionaire"). More fundamentally, I believe my discipline of teaching literature requires a vast acceptance of varied interpretations. My classroom needs to be a place where kids can take interpretive risks. Coupled with this - and this is where technology and specifically web 2.0 tools come in - students need to be able to express their varied and creative ideas in a multitude of ways. Some students may find it difficult to express their ideas vocally during discussions or in writing in their essays; for these students, I need to provide alternate ways and timelines for them to communicate their thoughts. I know that my attitude of acceptance is communicated clearly to my students, but I think I can come a long way in the ways I offer students to express their creative interpretations.