sunday, may 2, 2010
Wk4 Reading: The WE Story
I liked reading this chapter because previously the "We" story had been a patently girl phenomenon. Women love hearing "we". (Stereotypically speaking. Sorry to offend any truly feminist ladies out there. :) ) Typically the first time we hear "we" anything in a relationship, there's a set of butterflies set loose in our stomachs. So to see the we story be put to a grander, more universal purpose was refreshing. I like to see it used as a bargaining chip. I've done this without really thinking in my classroom. I never like to say "You are being squirrly" to my students. I always say "We are out of control. Let's get back on task." When you include yourself in the mix, they tend not to get offended. I just never really thought to wide-scale apply the we to life.
2 comments:
Great thoughts Taylor! I want to share the WE chapter with my husband -personally I think he or excuse me - we will gain from it.
But, you are right about making sure in the classroom the kids realize that we are in it together and we are there for a reason and that is for all of us to succeed.
Interesting thoughts Rita and so true. It shouldn't take educators long to figure out that if you insist on being in charge and adopt a me vs them mentality your authority will be challenged at every turn. No one likes to be told what to do in a demanding way and will often merely comply to avoid getting in trouble or failing. We both have learned that by including ourselves in the experience eliminates some of the walls that keep us from truly sharing what we know. In teaching theater I made it clear that I would never have them do anything on stage that I wasn't comfortable doing myself (often demonstrating w some comical results) thus sharing the creative energy back and forth with a foundation of trust that WE will enjoy this experience.