Becoming/Being a Writer: Writing teachers as writers

                The introduction of Christensen’s Teaching for Joy and Justice was absolutely enjoyable. It felt good to read about a teacher who is passionate about students and their worth. When I think of Christensen unfortunately I cannot think of any of the teachers I have had. Also the approach that Christensen had with teaching is the same approach that I learned to take in a classroom in the summertime teaching at Breakthrough Providence. We were told to create a safe space for the kids to feel comfortable enough to be themselves much like Christensen when she says: “I must construct a classroom where students feel safe enough to be wild and risky in their work.” That part resonated with me so much because I think it is important to help boost confidence and self-awareness in students so that they can be the best version of themselves and ultimately be great citizens of the world. Also when helping boost a student’s confidence and showing them that they matter and are intelligent, it opens up the doors to so many risks to be better learners. Christensen’s approach to changing the pedagogy is needed today more than ever with how fast the world is changing around us and although academics is very important being appreciated as a students is just as much a priority.

                When I read Gallagher I felt as though she had almost an opposite of approach of the one Christensen did. I can understand where Gallagher is coming from because academics is vital when it comes to moving forward as a student. Gallagher was much more impacted by test scores and a student ability to read and right which is good but I think that she has ignored the fact that not all students come from the same literary experiences. When I think about Gallagher’s first chapter I think of a more systematic approach. I recall Gallagher also mentioning how other languages could interfere with learning when Christensen thinks it is good to enhance those qualities of a student.

                Then there is To High School English Teachers (And All Teachers) which for me felt like a combination of both Christensen and Gallagher. From what I understood this blog post was about how important English teachers are to the experience of learning. The blog post felt more like a change in the pedagogy but to remain true to significance of literary skills. What stuck out to me the most in the blog post was this: “we are apt to lose sight of our central purpose in teaching English—our students.” I agree with this line because I remember being in English classes where I would cringe from the idea of reading such “boring books” and writing essays time after time. I do not remember ever being appreciated for who I was and what I wrote. So much like Christensen says we need to teach for joy and justice and like Gallagher never leave academics behind. The combination of both authors tactics should influence the change of the pedagogy and we can see more success from students no matter the race, class, or gender.