10/15/2018 0 Comments Im/migrant Stories: Teaching With LoveWhat’s A Refugee?This was the first piece of literature I read on the morning of October 13th, 2018. A crisp, fall morning began with a drive on I-5 while the pink hue of the sunrise softened the city skyline and the iconic Space Needle. As I took I-90 East to the Beacon Hill neighborhood I felt both anxious and expectant. Being an educator Monday through Friday is a lot different than being an educator Saturday through Sunday. Those weekend days are vital for recovery and rest, but some weekend days are spent extending our learning and networking with other educators.
That was what I was doing. Through the National Council of Teachers for English (NCTE), I found the Washington Language Arts Council (WLAC) which is a state affiliate of the national council. The event that appeared on my computer in late August was titled “Im/migrant Stories: Literature, Resources, and Advocacy.” I was completely hooked just from the title alone. I wanted more, so I scrolled.
As an ELA educator I value the power of stories. Both the ones we read and the ones we write. There is so much power in the human experience in all its forms, but even more so in those who are immigrants and refugees — especially at this current time in our country. What I heard over the course of the 8-hour day was honesty, vulnerability, and one theme above all else: love. Trust is the beginning of learning; we cannot take risks if we don’t feel safe. Consider love and deep respect for the humanity of our students. Focus on having a curiosity for their experiences. — Claudia Castro Luna From the beginning of the day all the way to the end the biggest motivation for sharing stories, writing stories, teaching students, and understanding their experiences as refugees and immigrants was love. Without love we cannot get to the teaching. Without love we cannot get to the writing. Without love we cannot get to the sharing. I was incredibly moved by the speakers and equally moved by the community where this event took place. I hadn’t had a chance to explore the Beacon Hill neighborhood before this day, but what I did explore on this conference day only further reinforced what I was hearing at the Centilia Cultural Center. The brewery I went to for lunch had some of the most friendly, open, kind chefs. The coffee shop I got my afternoon cup from had a corner dedicated to the events, resources, and books directly related to the people who inhabitant this corner of Seattle. I am inspired both as a human being and as a teacher to love first, teach second. I am inspired to become a community advocate in whatever way that is needed to best serve and support my students. This is why some weekend days teachers spend their time extending their learning. It’s what keeps us going.
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10/7/2018 0 Comments “A Writer Who Teaches”In the classroom of a teacher who calls herself a writer, writing is no longer a remote act reserved for the creative few. Writing is for everyone with something to say, and anyone who writes is a writer. A freeing truth for both students and teachers alike. -Katie Kraushaar
This statement from a fellow educator has really spoken to me lately. I often get wrapped up in labels for my identity. Sister. Daughter. Teacher. Introvert. Perfectionist. I could go on. These labels sometimes provide comfort and inclusion, but sometimes they make me feel small in more ways than one. It wasn’t until the summer of 2017 that I added the label “writer” to the list in my head. It felt good to begin and finish a novel during one of the most stressful times in my life: student teaching. In the many years leading up to becoming an English teacher I sought one thing: the completion of a novel of my own. I did it. After “I Am Riley” was self-published I then asked myself: now what? Sure, I could go around to publishers and keep pushing myself to work toward a long literary career, but that was something I did not desire. I chose to be an English teacher. Which is why my next move was so important to not only myself, but to a small subset of young kids. After “I Am Riley” was self-published I then asked myself: now what? Those young kids? My students. When I began my first job as a teacher last year I had no idea what was to come. I knew what to expect when it came to the teaching, but what should I expect when it came to this new label: writer? Unbeknownst to me the wonderful librarian at my school somehow found my novel and decided to add 5 copies to the school’s library. Suddenly students were checking the book out and exclaiming to their friends how their teacher was a writer. It was surreal in an unexpected way. That’s when I realized something. In my class that year we were heading into a unit on narrative writing. I asked myself: why not utilize the tips and tricks I had in my toolbox to complete my novel and share it with my students? Day in and day out as students worked on their narratives I kept my novel out. I put it under the overhead projector and showed them dialogue structure. They passed it around the room to dissect character development and pacing in a narrative. In that process another humbling experience took place. Students pointed out my grammatical errors. They pointed out plot holes. Out of that came something truly beautiful. The mood in the room switched from “the teacher knows everything so she can teach us” to “the teacher knows some stuff about writing, but she’s letting us work together to become writers.” Which is why Katie’s quote that opened this article speaks truth into my own classroom. Writing is for everyone in my room. Writing is a process that requires community and vulnerability. I tell my students my biggest goal each year is to learn alongside them and that is no more evident than in our time spent in creative writing. |
Ms. Pratt7th Grade English teacher at Heatherwood Middle School. Advocate of student-led lessons and differentiated instruction. Archives
January 2021
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Photos used under Creative Commons from Theo Crazzolara, kennethkonica