Salvete,
As a professional, I have never been called racist except by students as a half-hearted retort to save face.
I mentioned in the previous post that we are reading Poisonwood Bible. That's right. We are reading a novel that is an Opera's Book Club selection, champion of human rights for the Congolese, denouncer of traditional gender roles, and embracer of inter-racial-social-cultural communication and relationships. How dare we.
I must admit, this parent must be a lot smarter than I am if they can read the back of a book and truly know the essence of what their child is learning. Anyone who can read a 105-word synopsis and know that young adults should not read the whole novel is far more perceptive than I, who have read the entire book as well as the criticism of it. It is outrageous that students should learn to embrace other cultures. It is barbaric that students should read about self-discovery and the complicated experience of being female in a male world. It is shocking that students might read a book that challenges white dominance and the legalistic strictures of the church.
So, I will call this parent, and I will arm myself with the mantra of student responsibility. Ultimately, however, I will give in. I know that a phone call is not going to change this parent's mind.
Yes, mother of my student, I am white.
Yes, I was raised in the culture of white privilege.
Yes, racism exists in this world.
But no, you do not get to decide that I chose this book because I am white. You do not get to make that generalization about me. You can make the decision that because it is set in Africa, your daughter cannot read it. However, you will be wrong.
And as I tell my students, it is OK to be wrong, but it is not OK to stay wrong. I hope your heart changes.
Valete,
Magistra
Thursday, November 17, 2011
LOLWUT???
Salvete,
I assigned Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible as an outside novel. Every Thursday, we have literary circles where they talk about the book in a structured way in small groups. In this week's section of the novel, the village gets attacked by a ton of flesh eating ants. Whether or not it is a literal ton, I do not know, as there are a lot of ants but ants do not weigh much.
Anyway, here:
Student 1: "If the villagers are afraid of the river, why do they run there when the ants come?"
Me: "Maybe get eaten by crocs, or definitely get eaten by ants. Weigh the options. Which would you choose?"
Student 2: "That's when I start throwing rocks!"
Me: ...?
I'm still laughing, but the student has his back to me, so he doesn't know.
Also heard during literary circles:
Student 2: "I never said I was going to kill you."
Student 1: "Do you not have any common sense?"
Student 1: (Regarding shortening quotes by leaving out words and using elipses): "Just put the first letter and the last letter in quotes. They'll figure out what it is."
Valete,
Magistra
I assigned Barbara Kingsolver's Poisonwood Bible as an outside novel. Every Thursday, we have literary circles where they talk about the book in a structured way in small groups. In this week's section of the novel, the village gets attacked by a ton of flesh eating ants. Whether or not it is a literal ton, I do not know, as there are a lot of ants but ants do not weigh much.
Anyway, here:
Student 1: "If the villagers are afraid of the river, why do they run there when the ants come?"
Me: "Maybe get eaten by crocs, or definitely get eaten by ants. Weigh the options. Which would you choose?"
Student 2: "That's when I start throwing rocks!"
Me: ...?
I'm still laughing, but the student has his back to me, so he doesn't know.
Also heard during literary circles:
Student 2: "I never said I was going to kill you."
Student 1: "Do you not have any common sense?"
Student 1: (Regarding shortening quotes by leaving out words and using elipses): "Just put the first letter and the last letter in quotes. They'll figure out what it is."
Valete,
Magistra
Thursday, November 3, 2011
"Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood
Salvete,
Today, I had the kids read the awesome poem, "Siren Song" by Margaret Atwood. As an activity, I had them write two questions as original posts in a forum I had set up for their use. They were two create their two questions and then respond to two other questions that their classmates had created. I know from doing this activity in the past that they never want to stop at two comments, because they are teenagers and cannot hold in their opinions once formed.
I wanted to share some of their question and responses with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did:
Q: Why would Ulysses not stuff his ears with wax?
A: Because he didn't have wax.
Q: What could have been a way to avoid the siren's song, not including the way Ulysses did so?
A: Kill the sirens.
A: Bring women to kill the sirens.
Q: Would you save the men who fell overboard?
A: Yes I would, depending on who they were. If it was Justin Beiber...NO!
Q: What man would you save?
A: Anyone I didn't dislike.
Q: Who is telling about the "Siren Song"?
A: One of the sirens.
Response: How do you know? Please give text evidence.
That last one is a future teacher! Just kidding. But that is what we say to them...Please give textual evidence! So cute.
Valete, Magistra
I wanted to share some of their question and responses with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did:
Q: Why would Ulysses not stuff his ears with wax?
A: Because he didn't have wax.
Q: What could have been a way to avoid the siren's song, not including the way Ulysses did so?
A: Kill the sirens.
A: Bring women to kill the sirens.
Q: Would you save the men who fell overboard?
A: Yes I would, depending on who they were. If it was Justin Beiber...NO!
Q: What man would you save?
A: Anyone I didn't dislike.
Q: Who is telling about the "Siren Song"?
A: One of the sirens.
Response: How do you know? Please give text evidence.
That last one is a future teacher! Just kidding. But that is what we say to them...Please give textual evidence! So cute.
Valete, Magistra
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