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Posts tagged ‘reflective practice’

May 12

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On Stephen King: A Reflection

By Gaetan Pappalardo

I circled the neighborhood looking for a place to park that wasn’t too, well…suspicious? I wasn’t breaking the law, even though I felt a little mischievous.  Bangor, Maine in April is pretty desolate. I couldn’t hide in a crowd or park in a lot.  The streets are wide. It’s quiet. I drove around the block a few times trying to gather the nerve to park, excitement growing with each pass.  There’s no mistaking his house. He’s definitely not hiding from the public’s eye.  The black gargoyles perched atop the wrought iron fence were a dead giveaway.  Stephen King has lived here since 1980. He’s spent time in various locations in Maine throughout his life and also did a stint in Boulder, Colorado where he wrote The Shining, but Maine is his home.

When asked, “Why Bangor? Why did you pick this place to settle down and write?”

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May 4

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Reflecting on Reflecting

by Rose Cappelli

       Have you ever had the experience of discovering a new word or a new idea and then, as if by magic, you start to hear or see it everywhere? Sometimes it’s not necessarily something new, but something you have just been thinking quite a bit about. That is what it was like for me recently with the idea of reflection.

       Before I sit down to write something, it is usually part of my process to think through what I want to say, perhaps engage in some internal oral rehearsal, maybe do a little research, and then start to write. So for the past few days essentially what I have been doing is reflecting on reflecting. It wasn’t long before I started to see or hear “reflect” or “reflection” everywhere. Read more

Mar 16

Race Talks: the bridge, the journey, the work

By Renee Jacobs

“We must teach the way students learn, rather than expecting them to learn the way we teach.”

— Pedro Noguera

      The journey of reflection on race and education for me began as a college student. I had been raised in a predominantly African-American community where 95% of the students and a high percentage of the teachers and administrators looked like and communicated similarly to my African-American family. When I made the decision to attend West Chester University in the late 80’s, the student population was approximately 10% students of color and the professors were significantly less racially diverse. Although no one attempted to make me feel different at West Chester University, I felt very alone. Read more

Mar 9

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Empathetic Lesson Planning to Include Diverse Populations

By: K. M. Walton

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

      Can you read that for me? Could you write how you feel after you read it? Could you share any personal connections you made to the text? Do you picture anything in your mind while you read it? Would you answer a few questions about what you read?

      What’s that? You can’t do any of those things? Are you sure? I’d like you to try again. Try a little harder this time. What do you mean you still can’t do what I’m asking? What’s wrong with you? Read it again. Do you have it now?

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Mar 3

Teaching To and For Diverse Populations

By Kathleen Hall Scanlon

“You have one weapon & one weapon only: Use it. It is your ability to teach.”  

– Alice Walker

      “My student teachers usually observe for two weeks before I give up my classes,” my 28-year-old cooperating teacher announced. I, however, expected to teach immediately. I’d just completed a stellar initial experience in Allentown after observing for a single day. As I departed Allen High, three tenth graders – two African Americans and one Latina – wished they could accompany me to Reading. I wondered why.

      “You’ll see.” Read more

Feb 9

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Serve Your Enthusiasm

By Bob Zakrzewski

            Often this time of year when winter overstays its welcome, I find solace in the sun stretching each day longer, melting January and February’s icy blues and chapped pinks into March greens.  And as a high school English teacher on a block schedule, facing mid-winter accompanies meeting new students, reminding me of James Baldwin’s apt observation: “Fires can’t be made with dead embers, nor can enthusiasm be stirred by spiritless men.”

            Enthusiasm fuels my teaching.  Years spent honing the art of organizing lessons and developing an understanding of writing, although well-spent, could not sustain me.  Walking into class with a well-prepared plan and confident knowledge of the day’s literature felt great, yet, lacking enthusiasm, the lessons fell flat. Read more

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