(Re)Imagined Classroom

You are preparing to be a teacher. Imagine a typical lesson that you might teach in the future. Below, create a sketch or a description of a typical lesson in your future classroom:
My class would probably begin with a warmup based on homework. For instance, if the day's lesson was on Shakespeare, I might have had the students do some research and find words that Shakespeare had coined, their favorite Shakespearean insult, or the definition of key words from the glossary of the school textbook. I would begin by having them write what they found on the board, and then discuss it as a class. Afterwards, we would dive in to the true lesson. Hopefully we would read some of the sections and talk about them together. We might discuss Hamlet's choices after seeing the ghost, but first we would discuss what we would do if we discovered someone we trusted, a friend or relative had betrayed us.  I would probably have them discuss it with a partner, or small group first, and then hold a full class discussion in order to get them more comfortable discussing their ideas. I would conclude the lesson by having each student return to their notebooks and write down their own conclusions they came to in their discussions.
Changes: I am a firm believer in incorporating literature that students will find exciting, but at the same time, Shakespeare is cannon and they will miss parts of mainstream english-speaking culture without it. I realize that there are places where students do not have regular access to the internet, and so I would offer an alternative, perhaps to look up some definitions in the glossary of the book provided by the school. What we choose to discuss has also changed. I would not start right off with Hamlet's choice, because that feels too distant. Instead, I would start with how the students would feel in a similar situation, and see what they would do. In this way, I apply Hamlet to their own lives, instead of applying their knowledge to Hamlet.

Imagine the students in the classroom and describe them in more detail. Who are the typical students? What are their backgrounds? What are their interests? Where are they during the lesson?
I imagine that very few of the students have a deep interest in Shakespeare. I was not imagining an honors class, but a class of sophomores, who can be a bit rowdy and many love to poke holes in lessons. There are students of varying ethnicities, mostly White or Hispanic, and there might be a few rich students, a handful of poor students, and a huge range that fall in between. Some will come from homes where education isn't valued or english isn't even spoken. Others may simply be too hungry to think that day. I need to be aware of student's need for help and encouragement in case they do not get enough of it at home. Some may be straight, others queer, whether or not they are 'out'. I need to be sensitive to their position in a world where queer students do not always feel safe. Some may have a common interest in sports or music, but they will all have unique interests and talents. Those students that are confident and relate the Hamlet the most will probably have the most to say in a discussion. Shy students might fall the the corners of the classroom, and everyone will try to sit by their friends who have similar interests. Some may not have friends in that class at all. Some will get excited about the discussion, while others may only endure it. In essence, my students will be all over the board, and it will be challenging to engage all of them.
Changes: I originally didn't go into a great deal of detail at all. There is simply so much of it. Gender, the amount of food in their pantry, everything. I also forgot the students who are loners. I am more aware after this class of how many variations there can be for a single student. The last bit doesn't change for me-they may be a challenge to teach with all their differences, but it is my job to do my best.

Imagine the surroundings in the classroom and describe them in more detail. What does the room look like? What resources are available to the students? How are those resources used during this lesson?

I hope to fill the shelves of my classroom with books--not just dictionaries and old anthologies, but the kind of books that my students enjoy reading as well. It ought to be diverse enough to interest a student from any background. If they want to read a motorcycle repair manual, so be it. Some potted plants may sit by the windows, and reference charts may cover the back wall. I would like to put a pink triangle in my window. A schedule of due dates will probably be posted on one whiteboard to help the students keep on track. My desk will be organized but not perfect. The classroom should feel like a calm but comfortable learning environment, not a place of tension or chaos. Hopefully my students will feel comfortable referring to other books they have read, or looking up definitions to prove their point. I want them to feel like they are exploring for themselves, not being told what to think.

Changes: The kind of literature that I own has become a bigger focus. I had better go out and buy myself some motorcycle repair manuals and political reports, because there will be students who have no interest in my collection of historical and science fiction. I will still have plants in the windows if they are available, and endeavor to make my classroom interesting but organized. The pink triangle is a completely new addition. I didn't know about it before, but it is a nice, quiet way to show that I am a safe person to ask for help. A measure of calm is also something I believe is important in the classroom. Hopefully the charts and pictures I put on the wall will reflect a variety of cultures that will both inform my students and make them feel comfortable.

Imagine the lesson and describe the topic in more detail. What are you teaching? What is the main thing you would want students to learn during this lesson? Why are you teaching this lesson?

I hope that my students will learn from this lesson how to take lessons learned in literature and use them to inform their own decisions and perspectives. I also hope that the exercise will help them communicate more effectively. Most of my students will not read Shakespeare after high school, but they will learn how to communicate clearly, which is always a valuable skill. I hope they will also enjoy getting to explore ideas for themselves and see that learning can be fun. Even if they don't choose to explore literature, they might come to love learning other things.

Changes: I originally was just thinking about how to get students to love Shakespeare and how to think analytically, but I realize that that is not the place to start now. Communication skills are still a valuable part of what they are learning in any English lesson, however. I still hope to open the door to a love of learning as well.

Imagine your work as a teacher during this lesson and describe it in more detail. What are you doing during the lesson? Where are you in during the lesson? 

At the beginning, I will be directing the class as they settle in and do the warm-up together. After they split into discussion groups I will wander around, encouraging them to share their ideas and asking them questions to get them going if they are stuck. I will facilitate the classroom discussion, and ask questions, but hopefully will leave the actual discussion to the students. During the writing time, I will again walk around, helping students who are still stuck with beginning their writing, and encouraging and complementing the work of others.

Changes: I may be implementing a seating chart. There is a fine balance in a seating chart, you want your students to feel comfortable, so not entirely outnumbered, but you want them to have a wider experience than just their friends. This may require me to help start discussions between students that would not normally chat. I will also probably be spending more time at the desks of students with disabilities. Furthermore, I need to spend more time encouraging students who may be cheated by circumstances and need an extra dose of moral support and confidence.

Imagine the various lesson activities and describe them in more detail. What are the students doing during the lesson? Why have you chosen these activities?

The first activity, the warm up with their research, is to introduce the students to the topics for the day, and have more leeway on what they want to learn. Reading together should make sure that the students comprehend the basics, since Shakespeare can be frustrating to grasp. Talking in small groups will allow them to share their ideas at a less frightening level and formulate them further. The class discussion will facilitate a learning community where we bring all the different ideas together and allow them to hear more of what their peers think. From what they learned from their peers and their own ideas, hopefully they will feel confident enough to then put pen to paper, which can be intimidating if you don't know what you are going to write about.

Changes: I feel like the changes I have made above will help dramatically to bring the lesson to a place where the students can gain from it. I will need to cultivate a classroom culture before this point however, in order to make it a place where students are going to be comfortable sharing with their peers, despite their differences.

Re: Are You Here to Volunteer?

I chose to volunteer at the Food Care and Coalition center in Provo for my Community Experience, and boy was it an eye opener. I always toss in a few cans and packages of stuff from the back of the cupboard when the boy scouts come around for a food drive, but I never gave much thought to where it went after that point. I rather assumed that it all went to a bishops storehouse kind of operation where people came and picked up what they needed. Now, some of this food is used this way, but there are obviously many other needs that I was not aware of.

While I volunteered, I was asked to help put together boxes of "backpacks."During the week, public school students who don't get enough food at home can get free or reduced school lunch and breakfast. However, these kids still have to make it through the weekends when their parents can't bring in enough to feed them. To make up for this, the food bank sends each school a certain number of boxes packed with "backpacks" which are ziplock bags with enough food for a small meal. Every preschool, elementary, middle, junior, and high school is sent the exact amount of food needed to send home with their students.

It was amazing to see how many people are helped by the food bank. It was also heartbreaking. Imagine being a parent whose child is hungry, and have nothing to give them. Imagine being a child who knows that the only food they may get is what they bring home in their backpack. My family is not wealthy, but we have always had food on the table. The food in the lunches isn't a lot, just a couple of granola bars, a fruit cup, and maybe a serving of macaroni and cheese- hardly a big or balanced meal. I will be a lot more aware next time somebody announces a food drive-because I may be a poor college student, but I eat a lot better than any of the children receiving the lunches I packed.

This will certainly change some of the things I do in my classroom in the future. I am certain there are many details to work out, but I think I may keep a cupboard or drawer full of quick but nutritious food. I don't want to make it the drawer for poor kids, but if I was sure to refer to it as simply a snack drawer for students who forgot their lunch or forgot to eat breakfast. This would benefit those who really did forget to eat, but would also make food available for students who are hungry because they didn't actually have food to eat. It is difficult for a student to worry about understanding what is going on in the class when their brain has no calories to fuel it and they are worried about where their next meal is coming from.

This experience also makes me more aware of how discussions may change in my class. As a prospective English teacher, discussions will be based a great deal on the experiences of my students. Some students will be brave enough to share what it was like when they had nothing to eat as Scarlett did in Gone with the Wind, and how that affected their reading. At the same time, students who have never gone hungry will have their eyes opened a little bit more to a way of life where your next meal is uncertain or and children cry themselves to sleep because they didn't have enough to eat. I need to be prepared for these kinds of discussions and how they will broaden the perspectives of the students in my classes.