Ms. Winter's Teaching Wonders

 Hello all! I hope spring is treating everyone well so far and that everyone has been able to enjoy the wonderful weather as much as I have.  This week I got to read about how to prioritize racial justice and bring anti-oppression pedagogy to the forefront of the classroom. These are huge issues that need to be addressed in every school, and this week's readings helped me find several ways to go about championing racial justice and fighting oppression.  I read Amanda Lacy's "Starting with Students: A Framework for High School Reading" and Mario Worlds' and Cody Miller's " Miles Morales: Spider-man  and Reimagining the Canon for Racial Justice."  In Lacy's text, what stuck out most to me was her idea about how to create an interest inventory with students so that classes can explore what students are genuinely interested and invested in rather than in random topics that adults think adolescents should like. Lacy says that collecting student intere...

​ “Okay guys, it’s time for independent reading. Phones away and books out, please!” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath  as I listened to the sound s  of students rustling through their backpacks , digging through their belongings ,  locating their books.   I  quickly took attendance and  sighed as I looked at George’s name.  T he moment I had been dreading all week , my first real confrontation with a student,  had finally arrived. I glanced at my mentor teacher who immediately met my eyes and gave me a quick nod of reassurance.  I slowly moved from behind the large podium—my zone of comfort in the classroom—and began approaching George. He looked around distractedly, uninterested in choosing a book to read and unaware of the unpleasant and uncomfortable conversation to follow. I  heard the sound of  my blood rushing in my ears and felt  my heartbeat  increase in speed and intensity. I grimaced  slightly  a...

 Hello all! I hope the new semester is going well for everyone and that all is well! Today I am thinking about and responding to chapter 8 of Randy Sprick's Discipline in the Secondary Classroom: A Positive Approach to Behavior Management. This chapter focused on classroom management strategies that could be implemented to help enhance student motivation, both intrinsically and extrinsically.  As I read this chapter, what stuck out most to me was the idea that we as teachers should attempt to have at least three times as many positive interactions with our students as negative interactions. I also loved Sprick's ideas about the importance of giving students non-contingent attention (Sprick, 259). I think it is easy for teachers to get used to giving high-achieving students attention almost exclusively after they have done something well, but it is important for us to give them attention that is not contingent on their performance. This shows our students that they are cared fo...

Hello!  I am continuing today to engage in professional development and study new and interesting ideas being put forth by prominent English educators in America. Today, I am responding to Allen Webb's 2019 article "Opening the Conversation about Climate Refugees with The Grapes of Wrath". In this article, Webb details how he used John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath to engage his students in critical thinking and reflecting on the current climate crisis and the ever-climbing number of climate refugees being forced to leave their homes. Webb also details how he was able to use this novel and the conversations that came out of it with his students to make connections to current events and inspire activism and advocacy for climate justice among his students.  Major Takeaways and Connections Webb argues throughout this article that the lives of high school students are already being affected and will continue to be affected by climate change and that because of this, stu...

Hello all!  Today I am engaging in some professional development and reflecting on the ideas put forth in Sean P. Connors' and Roberta Seelinger Trites' "What Happens to Knowledge Deferred? Defending Books from Conservative, White Sensors." This article was published earlier this year and explores how educators can go about standing up for student access to certain novels and authors in the face of the recent wave of censorship literary education has been battling. Major Takeaways Overall, this article provides an articulate and detailed argument for the importance of fighting against book bans and attempts at censorship in the ELA classroom and in schools in general. The article is very understanding toward the concerns of white parents who fear their children being exposed to complex, challenging, and even uncomfortable views in the classroom. However, though it acknowledges these fears, the authors provide many credible and strong reasons why this argument should n...

    Hello all! For my last blog post of this semester, I’m excited to explore the importance of encouraging critical engagement and social justice in the classroom. It is becoming more and more important to make sure students are able to critically engage with the media they consume, especially as our culture continues to become more digital. We as educators must make sure our students are equipped to participate in this digital world (Bomer, 2011, p. 243).   How will I teach Students to critically engage with the world—to question the status quo, to participate productively in digital culture, and to stand up for social justice? In order to equip our students with the knowledge and skills necessary to critically engage with the world and stand up for social justice, they must be digitally literate and able to navigate the happenings of the online world.   Demands of the Digital World As our world continues to become more digital, it is our job to mak...