My Top Ten Quotes from Students from the Last Year (That I Remember Right Now and Feel Comfortable Sharing Here). Quotes presented in no particular order, and were chosen for vastly different reasons.
#10 "I need to hear the rest to understand what you mean, but your words, I can't describe them in any way other than beautiful."
This happened during my Advanced Creative Writing class. It was the first assignment of the semester, and I had asked that each person share with the class at least one line they were proud of. Our creative writing classes have always included a great deal of sharing, peer feedback, and celebration of writing. I feel that I failed at that last semester in Creative Writing. I had not been able to build the trust in our classroom that we needed, and that still bothers me. So, I was refocusing on finding ways to do that this semester. A smaller class helps. So, the students shared, some their entire poems, some single lines. We offered feedback and asked questions. As one student read her lines from the back of the room, seated on the floor couch that allowed her to be partially shielded from the eyes of the rest of the class by a low table, the words spilled across the room. They truly were beautiful, and the classmate feedback centered on that and how much they made us want to hear the rest. The quote above came from a young writer seated across the room, and it was echoed by several others. I loved how they were given sincere responses. A bit later, something happened that made me smile for so many reasons. After hearing others share, and listening to the people in class respond to other writers' lines, that young writer raised her hand and asked if she could read her entire piece. It didn't disappoint, and she smiled after reading it and hearing the additional words of her fellow students. I thanked her after class for being willing to share the entire poem. She told me she was really nervous, but after listening to everyone else, she thought she could do it. It was something that won't show up on any evaluation or be presented at any teacher workshop, but moments like that mean so much to our class, to our growth, and to our learning. "I can't describe them in any way other than beautiful."
#9 "Just a minute. Let me look."
Yeah, that quote, out of context, makes no sense and holds no meaning. So let me give some context. I teach a class called "Pop Culture Literature" and in it, we explore various types of literature that might not be seen as traditional or "accepted" in the classic vein. We research and develop a standard of what good literature actually is, and we apply that standard to popular music, TV shows, films, plot-based video games, and other media. I love teaching the class, and at the end of each semester we examine how our learning in class has met the ELA standards. And if I am being honest, we may do more worthwhile and legitimate research in this class than in any other. For me, when a student says, "Just a minute. Let me look," I am happy. When they say that in the middle of discussion we are having in class, it means they are researching a question that had come up. They are searching for context or support for an idea that was thrown into the conversation. They are looking for a writer's motivation, or exploring a more complex literary device. And they are not fighting it; they are hungry to do it. They want to make the connection and find out the why. Usually, the student will have the lyrics up on their Chromebook screen (if they have loaded yet), and they will pull out their phone and research. It's pretty neat.
#8 "Mr. Kohls, adults are stupid."
Yeah, that was said out loud and with complete sincerity. And while it may sound harsh, it was not meant to be disrespectful. It was actually said in my classroom as well as conveyed to me by my brother as a message from my nephews. It was about the much-feared, dread-inducing "TikTok Challenge Schedule" that laid out supposed TikTok challenges for each month of the school year. If you are a teacher or a parent of a teen, you know what I am talking about. "Mr. Kohls, that isn't on our TikTok. It might be on teacher TikTok, but it's not us. Do you really think it would be planned out like that? I'm sorry, Mr. Kohls, adults are stupid." I guess I could have been offended. But here's the thing: they were being honest. The same group had told me only a few moments earlier in that conversation about "devious licks" that "Dude, sometimes kids can be stupid." The same group also said that trashing the bathrooms or stealing soap dispensers was ridiculous and disrespectful. "People have to clean that up and fix those things" they said. "And those people are already stressed out." I admit: I get to work with amazing people every day. No, they are not perfect, but they are really good people.
#7 "It's when you are uncomfortable that you learn because you have to ask yourself why you are uncomfortable."
This comment came up during a conversation in Honors Sophomore English about a poem that touched on some potentially sensitive topics. As I often do, I put the question to my students: Should we be reading this and discussing it? Their answer was a definite "yes!" They are in school to learn, not just things, but how to do things, and the most important thing they need to learn to do is think.
#6 "A good teacher can make me feel safe enough to be uncomfortable without being anxious."
Woah. This comment was made in the same conversation as #7. It is such a simple statement that is so complex and challenging in its application. It's something to work for.
*Ok, that is the end of part one. I could go on, but this is getting a bit long for a blog post. And this is what the Youtubers and TikTokers do, and really, we all just want to be that cool. So "Part Two" will be coming soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment