Dear
students, past, present, and future,
My journey teaching all of you has
been similar to what I have always referred to as "reverse hiking."
As most of you know, I only have one lung and hiking is tough for me, but
"reverse hiking" is even tougher. While you know I about my personal
health struggles, you may be wondering what the heck I mean when I say,
"reverse hiking." My former Michigan students may not know, but my
Arizona students do; hiking the Grand Canyon is tough. Real tough. I call it
"reverse hiking" because the way down is easy; you're going down hill
and your legs move fast without hardly any effort, you think you’re golden. And
then, you realize, YOU ARE AT THE BOTTOM and there is not some magical
escalator to take you back up. So,
you turn around and start walking again; this time, much more slowly. It’s a
struggle. A you don't think you are going to make it to the top kind of
struggle.
Now, you might be wondering how
teaching you has been similar to this experience of "reverse hiking."
Well, much like the trip down the Grand Canyon, I thought teaching you all was
easy--at the beginning. When I initially began teaching in my field placements
as a junior, senior, and intern in college I very much felt like it was a cakewalk.
I observed what my mentors were doing and honestly thought, "I could do a
better job." Now, granted, my experience was very much limited to
hypothetical lessons geared toward hypothetical students. When I did
occasionally get the opportunity to take the reigns, lessons always went well,
and you all were angels.
My first and second years
of teaching full time in Arizona were time consuming, yes, but they were only
really a challenge because life moves quickly, not unlike a down hill hike. I
was able to stay on top of my lesson planning, grading, and data collection.
From an outside perspective I looked like "all my ducks were in a row."
By my third year teaching in Arizona, I was flying high. I had amazing
students, two years of planning under my belt, and won teacher of the year.
Then I resumed my masters degree. This would be analogous to the bottom of my
"reverse hike."
Not dissimilar to hiking
back up the Grand Canyon, teaching has become increasingly difficult throughout
the years. Not only, have my responsibilities as a teacher and teacher leader
increased, but I have also become more aware of additional challenges—challenges
that weren’t apparent to me during the first few years. For the most part,
I can attribute this to my continued studies through Michigan State University.
Through my MSU coursework, my eyes have been opened to many elements of
teaching and curriculum that I hardly recognized before. Namely, I was
encouraged to conduct research as an educator, examine data more carefully,
include multiple literacies into my curriculum, and finally, closely examine my
specific role in creating curriculum.
Looking back, I've had the
opportunity to reflect on my data binder from previous years. While, I did some
serious number crunching and reflection on your student performance and what my
next steps would be as a teacher. Upon re-reading these pieces, I notice that
the element of data as a part of my teacher accountability has pushed
me to see students more as data points than people (on occasion). I have
always prided myself in the fact that I am a reflective educator. And while
that may be the case, I have not always been as aware of the curriculum as it
pertains to each individual student. What I mean is, I am able to look at data
holistically and choose next steps while reflecting on my practice; however, I
have not always acknowledged the fact that the curriculum is truly different
for each student. This notion in conjunction with an action research project I
conducted on differentiation in the classroom helped me to see students as
individual learners with individual needs. As I continue reflecting upon my
classroom data I must be cognizant of each student’s perceived curriculum and
how that relates to the intended curriculum I create.
Additionally, looking
back on curriculum maps throughout the years, I also see challenges to overcome
moving forward in my teaching career as an 8th grade English teacher. I
notice many units that I would consider to have been "safe." I chose
some older texts from the recommended Common Core list and developed units that
might have included some high-interest activities for students. Yet, any sort
of controversy was missing; an element I had not thought deeply about until
this course. By incorporating controversial issues into the curriculum,
students begin to explore the kinds of controversial issues that they will come
across throughout their lives. This has prompted me to choose a new novel to be
the anchor text for a unit in which students will explore issues they are
passionate about. The novel prompts students to think about patriotism in
schools, teacher behavior toward students, and the media's portrayal of stories
and sensationalism. Additionally, since the main character stands up for a
belief, the students will also examine "This I Believe" essays and
write their own. While I am certainly grateful to have had the opportunity
to think about this topic, the element of putting it into action in my
classroom adds a bit to that uphill hike back to the top of the canyon.
While
acknowledging controversial issues is a valid component of curriculum creation,
establishing learning outcomes and helping students to reach those outcomes is
essential as well. Looking back at old syllabi for my courses, I notice my
views on late work, re-takes, and re-dos have evolved. I've always accepted
late work--for a limited time frame, and if a student asked to re-do something,
I usually said yes, but did not broadcast that this was a practice. However,
through my work with Cambridge, the MOWR initiative, and MSU coursework, I
wholeheartedly see the value in students working through curriculum at their
own pace in order to demonstrate mastery of concepts and skills before moving
on. I'd love to say that this was solely my idea and that the execution was
easy; but it wasn't and it's not. Thankfully my school has developed pathways
that allow for students to work through our Cambridge curriculum at their own
pace while also being allowed re-dos and re-takes after re-teaching from the
teacher. While I love this, and agree with it's purpose, the execution can be
difficult; thus adding to the incline of the "reverse hike" that is
teaching.
Various elements led to my
growth as a teacher; many of which are from my work in my masters courses an
continuing education. While these new and enlightening thoughts often add
additional “work” to my job, they make me a better teacher similarly to how I
became stronger while hiking back up the Grand Canyon. I am sure I will never
truly get to the top of the "reverse hike" that is my job as a
teacher, and that’s a good thing. It means that I am continuing to learn and
better my practice. That being said, former students, I am sorry I thought I
"knew it all." Current and future students, I vow to be more aware of
individual students needs in addition to creating a culturally responsive and
diverse curriculum for all learners.
My Best Always,
Ms. Meunier
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