Reinventing English

The most influential aspect that I found in the chapter “From Comfort to Contact Zone” from Reinventing English is the importance of remembering my students are teenagers and are therefore humans. They struggle with issues, feel a variety of emotions, and ultimately experience a life that is outside of the classroom. My classroom must reflect this through what and how I teach. I too believe that I “should prepare students for postsecondary education, but I should prepare them for life first (p.9).” This returns to the themes presented in Teaching as a Subversive Activity, that teachers need to equip students with the skills and tools to “survive in the real world.”

Some extremely important skills that I want to my students to develop are empathy, self-reflection, and inquiry. The ability for students to empathize with other students is crucial for developing a safe and comfortable learning environment. This will take students outside of their narrow-minded views and beliefs and help them realize that students can differ from them. The suicide note mentioned in the first chapter of Reinventing English was extremely powerful and heart-breaking, for it showed a student who was rejected and ridiculed by his peers because he was “different.” As the author states, this does not make his actions justified, however, it does provide moving insight that should impact our classrooms.

Self-reflection is necessary because it allows students to see who they are, realize why they act the way they do and make the decisions they do, and help develop their own identity. This can be accomplished through many forms of writing as well as reading a variety of literary texts. Having self-reflection in the classroom will again aide in the development of a learning community, where students know more about themselves and their peers.

Inquiry is one of the greatest tools for learning. When students are asking the “tough questions” and then attempting to discover the answers or possible solutions on their own is when true learning occurs. By talking about real life issues, issues that students experience in their day to day activities, will provide the emotional connection that is necessary for student and purpose driven learning to occur. When they see that the content of their discussions can be implemented in their “outside-of-school” lives it will carry more meaning for them.

All these tools coupled together is what I hope will be present in my future classroom. I find it essential that I remember to put the “life” of my students constantly at the forefront of my mind. If I am able to do this then the instructional techniques and methods I use in my classroom will be a reflection of that goal. Developing the “people skills” in my students will be the foundation of my classroom.