Walking in a Teacher's Shoes

I recently spent a full day shadowing Mr. Freeman, a history teacher at my school.  It was a great experience just finding out what teachers really have to do, and why.  I think that doing this has bettered my understanding for teachers, and has made reading teachers textbooks much easier as I understand the problems they run into.  One of my favorite lessons I got out of that day was how easy it is to teach to the test and not get a true understanding.  Mr. Freeman didn't take the easy route, and was able to give a quick overview of test standards, then teach the actual information to the point where I was learning it, without being a student in the class.

I first walked into Mr. Freeman's class before any kids got there.  He welcomed me, both in person and by his room.  His room consisted of a desk in the corner, a massive global map, posters everywhere, and many more decorations.  The desks in his classroom were in rows of two, and he could get easy access to each student.  His welcome was odd though, since it was before school he was finishing work, He didn't really look away from his computer, or even stop typing.  After seeing this, not thinking badly of it, I knew he was a hard worker and by the tone of his voice he seemed excited for the day.  I asked what he was doing and he waited a minute to finish what he was typing, then in detail told me how he was changing the way he would teach.  He was going through every single PowerPoint and changing his old guided notes to Cornell notes.  I asked why and he told me how it has been studied and proven that Cornell notes are the best method of note taking.  All of this happened within the first ten minutes of stepping in his classroom.

First block started, World History Two, his lower level class, and everyone were pretty excited coming in.  As soon as Mr. Freeman finished up with writing some notes, he quieted everyone with a loud "Hello!" and everyone replied back with some sort of greeting.  He was immediately making jokes with the students and the classroom lightened up very fast.  To start the class he handed out a small summative assessment that covered the homework from the night before.  Almost all students finished it with ease, but the ones who didn't were given hints, but not full answers.  He started to begin notes with an introduction to what they will learn for the day, and an update on his website (http://www.freeman-pedia.com).  After this he showed exactly what the sol test standards are, then went on to the notes.  During these notes, he would make plenty of jokes, answer questions, and make sure each student understood what they were writing down.  Towards the end of the notes, he referenced one of his many posters to the information being taught, then told the kids about a couple of available videos they can watch on his website.  This class was most important for me because I finally saw all of the work it takes to teach students, and all that he does to help them.  It gave me a much better understanding of what teachers have to do behind the scenes also.

Second block came along; it was a testing block, like fourth block.  He was testing AP World History, and the students were scared.  To my surprise they weren't as focused and didn't listen as quickly to Mr. Freeman.  He began the class with letting the students ask about the test information, and he would go over the notes, allowing the students to get a bit of a refresher.  After this he went on to begin a Kahoot.it for a unit review.  The kids were very appropriate with their names, and really tried.  After the game, he handed out the test.  There were fifty multiple choice, and one short answer question at the end.  The students were very comfortable with the test, but when they had a question, they didn't hesitate to ask.  Most students didn't finish or even start the short answer, so Mr. Freeman told them all that they could come in early or stay after late anytime.  That is when I knew Mr. Freeman is dedicated, and how much time it takes to give students the opportunities they need.  This showed me how test taking is in the teacher’s eyes, and all that he does to help the students.

Third block began; this was Mr. Freeman's planning block.  I used this time to ask questions about how he runs his class, and why.  The first question I asked him was:  What do you do to help students who aren't learning the information?  Mr. Freeman told me that he has a team teacher in his World History block to help with students who need the extra help.  He is also always helping, as his door is always open in the morning and his website is completely open to the students.  The second question I asked was: What is your reason for decorating your classroom the way you have?  He responded by saying, "I hate plain classrooms, they feel like prisons." (Benjamin Freeman, 2017) he also said it adds character and it gives something to talk about, both for fun and to relate what they are doing in class to.  The third question I asked was: What are the homework assignments usually like?  He responded by saying, "They are mainly review of a subject or a preview of the next unit.  Most of the time it is vocab that we talk about in class so the students aren’t unfamiliar with the words." (Benjamin Freeman, 2017)  The last question I asked was:  How do you establish a good rapport with your students, and what is the benefit you seem to get out of it?  He told me that the most important thing is to be funny.  He is very sarcastic, and laid back, and the students love it.  One other thing he said is, "It helps to have students who play along with him." (Benjamin Freeman, 2017)  Doing this mini interview helped a lot in realizing what the teachers need to think about when making plans, and actually teaching the students.

The way that Mr. Freeman teaches, reminds me a lot Dr. Beers' Direct vs. Scripted information chart. Under Direct information she says, "Teacher evaluates student needs to determine what needs to be taught." (When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do, 2003)  then under Scripted information she says, "Program decides what should be taught." (When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do, 2003)  Mr. Freeman teaches much more in a direct information style, as he fits the students needs, and works with them.  Direct teaching is a much better way of getting the information across and actually teaching to apply the knowledge.  Scripted information is much like teaching to the test as you basically have the student memorize the information.  The students also seemed much more responsive to Mr. Freeman's style of teaching compared to other teachers, and most were excited to learn.

Beers, G. Kylene. When kids can't read, what teachers can do: a guide for teachers, 6-12. Portsmouth, NH, Heinemann, 2003.

Freeman, Benjamin. "Teaching Methods." Personal interview. 31 Jan. 2017. 

Incorporating literary theories in the classroom

Using lenses in the English classroom is very important in order to build a better community, stronger reading skills, and greater understanding of others.  Teachers have always looked down on literary theories, as they think that they are useless and that there are better things to teach about.  I have been reading the book Critical Encounters In High School English: Teaching Literary Theory To Adolescents and I have been exposed to very many different lenses.  These lenses have made understanding people unlike me a lot easier, whether I am doing this in my reading or in eye-to-eye conversation.  As a fifteen year-old freshman that has trouble reading, I feel that many other students would love to learn about these lenses.  Without even realizing, I have increased my reading skills greatly, as I saw after reading When Kids Can't Read What Teachers Can Do, a book for teachers to help students.  These are some of the lenses that I think will help students tremendously.

Gender Theory

Gender theory, also known as feminist theory, is something that almost all students could use in our world right now.  This lens is very important to understand the opposite gender and how they think, especially as a male.  This helps students my age because we are becoming more knowledgeable about the world and feminism is a very big topic that not many people understand.  Most of the students in my grade think very strongly about one side, but don't understand why the other side thinks that way.  As Appleman says in her book, "There are at least four dimensions in which feminist theory can transform students' reading" as we can learn to think through the eyes of a female.  Teaching this will completely change the way we read books that are in the footsteps of an opposite gender.  This could help many struggling readers as it gives multiple perspectives, and gives them more confidence in their reading as they won't be as scared to read a book that doesn't have their same point of view.  

Marxist Criticism Theory

Marxist criticism theory, created by Karl Marx, is a lens that points out the different social classes.  This theory is a conflict theory as it shows the conflict between the rich and the poor; dedicated philosophers have also studied it for decades. "And Marxists critics are also interested in how the lower or working classes are oppressed - in everyday life and in literature." (Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism, N/A) This could be a very important theory to teach students as in my area there aren’t too many families in the lower class.  It is always good to be able to think like a different social class, as they are very prominent throughout the US.  Marxism could also help many students in their reading, as the students will begin to understand the lower class and how they think compared to us students.  Too many teachers find that teaching this theory will be useless, as they believe all students already get it, but I can tell many students in my grade are completely oblivious to the other social classes, and think they have it just as easy as their peers. 

Critical Race Theory

Critical race theory (CRT) is all about racism, and how it affects literacy.  This theory comes up in most literature, especially in older literature.  It is very important for students to realize how to apply CRT into our everyday lives and in our reading.  CRT is very helpful in order to point out the struggles of different races and how different terms relate to their culture.  "In adopting this approach, CRT scholars attempt to understand how victims of systemic racism are affected by cultural perceptions of race and how they are able to represent themselves to counter prejudice." (Literary Theory and Schools of Criticism, N/A) Many students would be helped by this theory as it has them think like someone they aren’t and they will realize how that race is oppressed.  The amount of literature that you could use CRT is limitless, and it could be a great way to show students with different types of literature.  

How To Apply The Theories

These lenses can be incorporated into the classroom very easily, with a discussion or an essay with the students looking through the opposite gender, social class, or race's eyes.  This discussion or essay could be based upon a book written in a different point of view, or even any other type of literature in the that point of view.  Doing this will allow the students to think as the character does, and get a better understanding of that group.  After doing this the students will get a much better grasp of this lenses, and how to apply them.  Another way that teachers can use this theory, is to have the students find a piece of literacy to apply the lens to, and change it to a different point of view.  This will help the student with their ability to analyze literature and apply this theory to real examples.  

Literary Theories are a great help to struggling readers.  They give the readers another perspective to read and think through, and will give the students more opportunities with their literary texts.  Within Dr. Beers' Think-Aloud Self-Assessment, she asks if the student has been visualizing, predicting, commenting, questioning, and more, in order to make sure the student is thinking aloud.  This ties into using lenses in the connecting portion, "I ask myself how this is like something I've read or maybe a song I've heard. (Connecting)" (Kylene Beers, 2003) if the students are learning lenses they can begin to connect different texts and use similar lenses, from text to text.  These theories could also help excelling students as it gives them something to experiment with, using different lenses.  The students will be exposed to many different styles of thinking and can build off of that, making their reading and writing skills excel greatly.

“Welcome to the Purdue OWL.” Purdue OWL, owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/722/.

Appleman, Deborah. Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents. New York, Teachers College Press, 2009.

 Beers, G. Kylene. When kids can't read, what teachers can do: a guide for teachers, 6-12. Portsmouth, NH, Heinemann, 2003.

My progress as a struggling reader, and how you can help others.

I have never been a great reader, I could never get into most books and I would rarely retain the information.  I know many others that have the same problem as me, and we all have begun to associate reading with hatred.  That reason alone is why I read the book by Kylene Beers, When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do.  Within the first ten pages I was hooked, and reading faster than ever.  I loved the style of the book, and I got what she was saying in it.  Throughout reading the book I realized my skills as a reader were becoming much better, in speed and my strategies.  After reading this I have felt much more confidant helping others in their reading and have learned how to understand those who don't get it.  Having helped others I have gotten a good amount of hands on experience with what I read about and how I should apply it.  After reading that book, I picked up Critical Encounters In High School English: Teaching Literary Theory To Adolescents, It seemed like a right fit for me as I have a problem really putting myself in the eyes of a character.  This book has helped tremendously as it gives various examples of how I can implement these lenses and tells why I would even want to use them.  This book seems much more directed to both students and teachers, unlike Dr. Beers’ book, which allows me to use these lenses directly after reading.  Even though it was directed towards myself, I didn’t get as caught on to the book as Dr. Beers’, I think it is because it doesn’t have any real conversations.  The overall hope of getting this book is to accelerate my reading skills and ability to apply them, and I think I’m getting that out of this book.

I recently read the book Speak; it was the hardest thing I have done all year.  I could barely make it five pages without losing track of what I just read or completely forgetting everything.   I couldn’t get in the characters thoughts and I couldn’t think how she did, making my experience very confusing and hard. This was not the first time this has happened, as I run into this problem with most books.  I was one hour through and I realized I had only read fifteen pages and couldn’t understand the book at all.  I went to school the next day and asked if others faced the same problem, it was half and half.  I was so confused with why I couldn’t read it.  Around this time I came across the book When Kids Can’t Read, What Teachers Can Do.  I picked it up and hoped I could read it, and actually get something out of it.  That book ended up helping me tremendously.

This book specifically made me a better reader in speed and ability to understand the information.  I could only read about twenty pages an hour of an easy book before, and now I am reading over fifty.  That is a big jump for me, especially because I am retaining the information, unlike before.  Some of the strategies listed in this book connected with my styles of reading, and there were pages on how to apply it.  I wasn't thinking I would actually become a better reader from reading this but I naturally would remember some of the strategies she listed, and would apply them in the way she showed.  After reading Dr. Beers’ book, I came across Appleman’s Critical Encounters In High School English: Teaching Literary Theory To Adolescents, I felt I would be a good fit to read this book as I fail to apply lenses to my reading.  The book, to my surprise, is a very easy read and I can learn about a brand new lens in less than half an hour.  This book has already begun to help me tremendously and I’m only half of the way through.  I feel like I relate to so many more things as I can almost see in people’s minds.  This book could help other struggling readers a lot, because the topics are explained very well and in a way that is very understandable.  The readers this book will help most are those who fail to put themselves in someone else’s mindset, I had this problem but this book is helping a lot with all the different kinds of lenses I’m being exposed to.

In the beginning of the book, I had little inspiration to read, making my experience much slower and annoying.  I also didn’t know how to think like a teacher during this book; I was still thinking like a student.  Even though I didn’t want to read the book at first, I ended up not wanting to put down the book; I just wanted to read more.  I was so interested in the stories she was telling and how those impacted her teaching today.  I wasn’t learning too much on how to read, but I was learning how to ask for help.  This was very important because I could never pinpoint what it is that I struggle at. Dr. Beers words it the best, “Anyone can struggle given the right text.  The struggle isn’t the issue; the issue is what the reader does when the text gets tough.” (When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do, 2003)  After hearing this I felt so empowered to get to those strategies on how to “struggle”. Dr. Beers also states what text confidence is and what it allows students to do “develop the stamina to continue reading difficult text”. (When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do, 2003) This is just what I needed: text confidence.  I had to think like I was the teacher in order to use Dr. Beers’ strategies on how to build that confidence in a student.  I am finally starting to realize the importance of using lenses in my reading, and really open a whole new world of the literary theories.  I am just starting to realize this, because I was never taught it, as many literary teachers find it hard to see the importance of literary theory and how it can affect their daily actions.  (Critical Encounters In High School English: Teaching Literary Theory To Adolescents, 2000)

In the middle of the book, I was learning a ton of strategies to read like an experienced reader.  This included applying lenses to see like an experienced reader and Dr. Beers had step by steps of what they were doing to dissect the text.  This was the most influential section of the book as I was learning everything I needed help on.  I would read fifty pages at a time and would do it in a shorter amount of time, each time I read.  The graphs and tables helped so much, they gave me a visual to what I was reading and had much simpler language, making it easy to apply.  One of my favorites was the self-assessment; this was just a reminder and a wake up call to do new things in my reading. Dr. Beers mentions visualizing, monitoring comprehension, comparing, connecting, commenting, and many more, all in an easy to comprehend way.  Making this assessment easy to fill out for a reader that needs it.  This can be given to all kinds of students, as it is a very applicable assessment that allows the student to make sure they are using all of the skills that they can, in their reading.  Around this time I was also getting a full grasp of the entire idea of thinking like the teacher, I was beginning to see how I could take what I was learning “as a teacher” and apply it to my reading as a student.  I was finding out how I could use different lenses, and why I would use them there, most common in Dr. Beers’ book was a teacher, but I had also used lenses for experienced readers, or even readers that I was surpassing.  As Appleman says, “These multiple ways of seeing have become vital skills in our increasingly diverse classrooms as we explore the differences between us, what separates us and what binds us together.” (Critical Encounters In High School English: Teaching Literary Theory To Adolescents, 2000)  I agree with this statement in every way, but many teachers seem to disagree, as I haven’t been taught any of this until Appleman’s book.  Appleman is so right, because you need the ability to see in someone else’s footsteps in order to have a full understanding of them, too many people don’t know about these literary theories and how much they could help them.

Towards the end of the book, I was reading as fast as ever.  A lot of the information was a recap of the detailed situations and strategies in the beginning.  I finally caught on to the teacher’s lens and was mastering it, I didn’t even have to think about it and I could switch back and forth between “teacher mode” and “student mode” anytime.  It became a natural feeling and I would just realize that I was thinking that way after ten or so pages.  This allowed me to connect the different skills and use them in my own way.  The last part also answered a lot of the questions that I asked myself throughout the book, making it feel very connected.  During this part is when I found out what kind of reader I was; I am a mix between a dormant reader and an unmotivated reader.  I like reading, but I usually have other things to do, and when I do have time I never have the urge to read.  This was probably my least favorite part of the book also, as I felt I had learned most of the material already, and I didn’t think I would apply half of the material, as a student.  I was wrong, I am able to use and reference almost all of the information in this book, even when I am learning, not teaching.  The most helpful skill in the final part of the book was “selling the book to students” (When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do, 2003) Dr. Beers shows nine different suggestions on how to do just that, the most influential one was “Suggestion #6: Know Your Students’ Interests” (When Kids Can’t Read What Teachers Can Do, 2003) as I was able to use this to find books that interest me pretty easily along with books for others.  I had to think of a scenario when I was a teacher, talking to the student version of me, what I would say in order to use these suggestions Dr. Beers gives.  This book was obviously meant for teachers, but as a student I got a great amount of knowledge from it.  Appleman says, “Our profession is challenging its assumptions about our literary heritage, our students, and even who is included in the pronoun our.” This related to Dr. Beers’ book a lot for me, as her expected students were teachers, but many others are school students, including me.  I now realize how important it is to really change point of view both in literary text and real life, as it is very rare for someone to think the exact same way as you.

I think the most important information I pulled out of this book, is in the real situations throughout the book, and how Dr. Beers demonstrated those strategies.  These also captivated me most because I felt like I was sitting in the classroom with her.  Dr. Beers, being a teacher, wrote to teachers and this forced me to learn to get the same mindset of hers and I noticed just how important that really is.  What I have learned from this book most is that the teachers need to talk to the struggling student and the student needs to talk to the teacher.  I had to ask for help on how to read this book even at points, just because of the pure density in facts, as I have never read a book like it.  As Dr. Beers shows, the students aren’t always the only one struggling; the teachers don’t always know what they are doing.   That is another importance of when the teachers should apply a student’s lens, especially if the students won’t collaborate, to see what the student really needs help on.  It isn't a one-man job; both have to be willing to put their time into learning and teaching.

Appleman, Deborah. Critical Encounters in High School English: Teaching Literary Theory to Adolescents. New York, Teachers College Press, 2009.

Beers, G. Kylene. When kids can't read, what teachers can do: a guide for teachers, 6-12. Portsmouth, NH, Heinemann, 2003.