“Get up a voice inside says there’s no time for looking down
only a pound a word and you’re talking to the town
but how do you coin the phrase though that will set your soul apart…”
-The Sundays
Observation of a 10th grade English class. The book Night by Elie Wiesel is the topic of choice, at this moment in time. Questions like: Why does Eliezer pray and why does he cry when he prays?—are used in an effort to try and provoke critical thinking and response…but to whom!? A group of 10th graders who could care less why some guy, who’s how old—who lived when? Cried. Eliezer even writes he doesn’t know why he is crying! Simple, on an abstract metaphorical level—he is crying because “something” inside him felt the need to cry. How is a teacher supposed to teach that? Or teach it in a way that a student will understand. The teacher walks around the room, trying to involve every corner—every eye, breath, face, person; unfortunately, the eyes just stare back at her/him (have to keep anonymity! Should I call the teacher IT?) IT reminds the students/subject/children/obervers/learners/people/boys/girls/sons/daughters/THEM that they have HW and a test for next class.
Sadly the more I do observations the more I realize that my first job, once I become a teacher, is not going to be instructing the students, but creating a passion—a desire to know why Eliezer cries when he prays.
-The Sundays
Observation of a 10th grade English class. The book Night by Elie Wiesel is the topic of choice, at this moment in time. Questions like: Why does Eliezer pray and why does he cry when he prays?—are used in an effort to try and provoke critical thinking and response…but to whom!? A group of 10th graders who could care less why some guy, who’s how old—who lived when? Cried. Eliezer even writes he doesn’t know why he is crying! Simple, on an abstract metaphorical level—he is crying because “something” inside him felt the need to cry. How is a teacher supposed to teach that? Or teach it in a way that a student will understand. The teacher walks around the room, trying to involve every corner—every eye, breath, face, person; unfortunately, the eyes just stare back at her/him (have to keep anonymity! Should I call the teacher IT?) IT reminds the students/subject/children/obervers/learners/people/boys/girls/sons/daughters/THEM that they have HW and a test for next class.
Sadly the more I do observations the more I realize that my first job, once I become a teacher, is not going to be instructing the students, but creating a passion—a desire to know why Eliezer cries when he prays.
"How will you [ I ] coin the phrase though [?] that will set your [my] soul apart [?] "
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