Concluding Post: Dead Poets Society

“Carpe, carpe. Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary,” whispers teacher John Keating to his students his first day teaching English at Welton Academy in 1959. While the students listen to his words skeptically, they soon become inspired to seize their futures. His students use poetry in their lives to woo girls, express their feelings, and pursue their true passions. Unfortunately, seizing the day is taken too far by one student. This tragedy leads to the untimely firing of Keating. In the movie Dead Poets Society, Keating, portrayed by the great Robin Williams, has inspired generations of teachers with his creativity and innovation in his practice and the connections he forms with his students. We can all aspire to incorporate this into our teaching. On the other hand, we can improve on Keating’s shortcomings to become a truly outstanding practitioner.

Today's educators praise the majority John Keating's instructional methods. First, Keating values creativity and innovation in his lesson planning. He rejects the traditional poetry textbook and rating scale for creating a relevant curriculum that connects to his students’ lives. As a Spanish teacher, I see the value of Keating’s ideas. Often foreign language textbooks are driven by grammar and vocabulary. They do not give students a meaningful purpose for using the language. Instead, we should create a communicative curriculum. Vocabulary and grammar should be taught in a communicative context. For example, we should not teach adjectives and the verb “ser” in isolation. They need to be taught together for the purpose of describing others. ACTFL encourages teachers to reject the textbook to make our subject more communicative and meaningful. Second, Keating uses hands-on activities that support kinesthetic learners. He has students walk in the courtyard to teach the importance of opposing conformity. Students kick a soccer ball while reading poetry verses and stand on Keating’s desk to gain a new perspective. In my classroom, I use brain breaks to get students moving. Brain breaks help regain students’ focus and attention. I also enjoy providing my students with manipulatives. On the first day of learning how to conjugate -AR verbs, students practice dropping the -ar ending off the verb and adding the appropriate ending. Moving the pieces around prepares students for conjugating -ar verbs in writing and in speaking. Most notably, Keating focuses on helping his students develop their individuality. He uses poems such as “The Road Less Traveled” by Robert Frost to show the importance of choosing your own path, not the one that is most popular. Keating even encourages students to express themselves through poetry. Todd, a shy, introverted boy comes out of his shell as he sounds a barbaric yawp. Keating prompts Todd ever so slightly to help him write an impromptu poem in front of the class. Several students are inspired to revive the Dead Poets Society. In an off-campus location, students meet to share poetry that inspires them or read their creations. Keating wants his class to follow their passions, rather than follow the expectations of their parents. Neil pursues his new love of acting by performing in A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Keating is so supportive of Neil’s dream that he organizes an outing to attend the play. He respects Neil’s desire to choose his path. He does not want Neil to conform to the demands of his parents. Treating students as individuals and offering them freedom of choice is a value our culture emphasizes. We teach and support the individual student instead of the whole group. Teachers differentiate their instruction so that they challenge each student appropriately. We accommodate students with IEPs or 504 Plans giving extensions or modified assessments as needed. When developing activities, teachers offer students different options. Students can practice a skill or complete an assignment in a way that fits their particular interest.

Despite all of Keating’s successes in the classroom, his methods still face a variety of critique. In the movie, the Headmaster Nolan is Keaton’s biggest critic. He desires an orderly, disciplined classroom that does not question authority. Because of Keating’s unorthodox methods, Nolan often has frustrated looks. He is very disturbed when the students inform him that they ripped out pages in their textbook and did not follow the set curriculum. Today’s educators can find different critiques of Keating’s teaching. Keating is not a culturally inclusive instructor. This type of teacher designs a curriculum that educates minority students about themselves and finds ways to ensure that others know about them too (Martin 56). Teachers bring new voices and perspectives into the classroom through culturally relevant literature (Martin 209). It is important to be a culturally inclusive educator because “a nation with as diverse a population as ours does not need a unified curriculum nearly as much as it does a unifying one” (Martin 57). Despite his vast creativity in lesson planning, he fails to provide his students with a variety of perspectives with the poems he chooses. Keating’s classroom is full of white male students who may not have had the opportunity to interact with a diverse group of people. They attend school with similar-minded young men. Keating could have used this opportunity to open his students to the world. Learning about Shakespeare is important, but students’ knowledge could have been enhanced by reading the works of Federico García Lorca. His play, La Casa de Bernarda Alba, explores themes of oppression of women and authoritarianism. The students of Welton would benefit from the perspectives of women and, in the process, learn about society in Spain. In addition to poems of Whitman and Frost, Keating could include some poetry by Langston Hughes. A poem like Let America Be America Again would give his students a new perspective on African Americans as the civil rights movement was approaching in the 1960’s. Instead of these cultural ideas, he just used literature written by white males of European descent. In our increasingly global world, we must teach our students to interact with people of different backgrounds. Appreciating perspectives of others strengthens empathy and understanding. Next, Keaton isolates himself from his colleagues. He is only seen working by himself. As a new teacher to the school, collaborating with the other teachers would have eased his transition to the rigorous environment. Like Keaton, I recently have been a new teacher at several schools. I owe much of my successful school years to my helpful colleagues. I formed positive relationships, brainstormed activities and assessments, asked questions, and shared ideas with my Spanish team. While this was occurring, my colleagues appreciated the creativity, new ideas, and hard work that I brought to the department. If I made a mistake or was not sure how to handle a situation, I always had a veteran teacher to help me. Collaboration is strongly promoted by schools now. If teachers isolate themselves, they receive criticism for their lack of contribution. I would highly recommend that all new teachers do not follow Keating’s lead and find a collaborative mentor. Last, Keating did a poor job of communicating with parents. Today, teachers are expected to email parents regularly with announcements and reminders. Once a student shows signs of academic struggle or poor behavior, teachers must individually contact parents. Parents of students who appear to self-harm or have medical emergencies are contacted immediately. Keating did not reach out to any parents during his time at Welton. Before Neil committed suicide, perhaps Keating observed some signs of depression. If Keating could have contacted his family, or even informed someone at the school, maybe Neil would not have died.

Schoolhome, a word inspired by the philosophies of Maria Montessori, provides “a safe and secure, supportive and nurturant environment for children” (Martin 13). Once homes stop teaching lessons, the school needs to take its place (Martin 18). Welton Academy, a fictional East Coast private boarding school, serves primarily white males from extremely wealthy families. It could be a great environment to implement the Schoolhome. Unfortunately, Welton only chooses to emphasize the home lessons of discipline. Parents are not around to teach their children what is right and wrong, so the school takes on that responsibility. Desks are placed in vertical rows to promote an authoritarian style classroom. After Charlie writes an article on behalf of the Dead Poets Society, Headmaster Nolan demands that Charlie reveals the others involved in the club. Charlie refuses to give the information. As a result, Nolan physically beats Charlie and tells Keating that his students should never question authority. These actions show that Welton is far from the supportive, nurturing Montessori Schoolhome. Furthermore, Montessori advocates helping students figure things out on their own, rather than the teacher just telling students the answer (Martin 11). At Welton, teachers lecture on a subject while students frantically jot down notes. The textbook is the primary source of curriculum inspiration. Students memorize information for the purpose of answering test questions, not for any practical applications. In her Schoolhome, Montessori desired to remove the barriers between the school and world. Members of the community were invited into the school to share their skills (Martin 11-12). Highly educated teachers work at Welton, but no community members offered unique insights to students.

Attending a boarding school now is different than in Dead Poets Society. Boarding schools are more affordable than they were in the past. In fact, they offer substantial financial aid to low-income families. A greater population of diverse students exist, too. Today’s boarding schools better exemplify the Schoolhome philosophy of a supportive, home-like environment. While top American boarding schools are still academically rigorous, there is now a concern for the development of the child, rather than just the student. Boarding schools offer music, theater, and athletic activities to support interests outside of the classroom. Students participate in work-duty programs and volunteer in community service. These opportunities were unavailable to students like Neil in Dead Poets Society who had to travel off campus to take part in the play. Another student, Meeks, constructed his own radio, but he hid this from the school. Classrooms at top boarding schools are unrecognizable to Welton. Harkness tables have replaced individual desks in rows. At schools such as Phillips Exeter Academy, 12 students and the professor sit at oval tables. Together they collaborate to understand the material. The teacher is not far superior to his class. All students’ opinions are valued. Montessori would enjoy watching these classrooms. In a Schoolhome, many teachers feel like they are “mother” to their students providing them with care and concern. Both public and private schools employ counselors and social workers to discuss anxiety, adjustment, eating disorders, and more with students. Teachers are also available to offer help. Schools in the past did not provide many resources to help the emotional development of students. At my school, teachers run a Freshmen Advisory Program to assist incoming freshmen. During first semester, students learn how to navigate high school and see all of the available resources. The guidance department supports several groups for girls and boys. Following Neil’s death in the movie, the students were not given any resources to cope with the death of their friend. They continued their regular schedule with no time for mourning. After a tragedy occurs in today’s schools, teachers are asked to look out for students and suggest speaking with the social worker. Our principal sends emails to teachers detailing the student, the nature of the tragedy, and what we can do to support them.

As I reflect on John Keating’s instruction at Welton Academy, I aspire to teach like him. When the viewer watches his lessons, it is hard not to become inspired just like his students do. I respect the creativity and enthusiasm that he brings to class every day. He connects with students individually, knowing them as students and people. What I most admire about Keating is his lasting impact on his students. Keating inspired Neil so much that he pursued a passion for acting. At the end of the film, students stand on their desks shouting, “O Captain, My Captain” to show their solidarity and respect for Keating. His students may forget the poems they read in their English class, but they will never forget the positive way he treated them or how he brought out the best version of his students. I hope that I can make a small impact on my students before they leave my class.

It is quite possible for me to implement several of Keating’s practices into my teaching this upcoming school year. Keating showed how poetry is relevant to students’ lives and emotions. It is important for me to show my students why Spanish is such an important language to study. With the growth of Spanish-speakers in the United States and the globalization of our world, people gain more travel and employment opportunities when they know Spanish. Students develop a global perspective and cultural understanding. To highlight these benefits, I created a “Reasons Why You Should Learn Spanish” PowerPoint to share with my students on the first day of school. Also, when I start a new chapter, I can detail how students could use the vocabulary and grammar in the real world. For example, students may not be excited to learn clothing vocabulary. But if I mention that students can use this vocabulary to buy clothes at a store or market in Spain, they may see the importance of that topic. I am not a parent yet, but Keating’s lessons have shown me the importance of allowing children to become individuals. It can easy for a parent to think they know what is best for their children and push them in a particular direction. Dead Poets Society shows how parental control over children can have serious consequences when Neil commits suicide. If I become a parent, I need to support my children in their endeavors. I must help them develop their identity. I can provide them with advice on what I think is best, but ultimately children need to make that decision on their own.

Although I am very inspired by Keating, I want to improve on some of his shortcomings. I design my lessons using the ACTFL 5C’s of Foreign Language Instruction. Two of these standards are culture and connections. We need to provide our students with the perspectives of different cultures and help students make connections to other places. I must be a culturally inclusive teacher. I never want to isolate myself in the department. While I embrace the communicative teaching method of teaching Spanish, not all of my colleagues have felt the same way. We might disagree on some philosophies, but I still make an effort to share and collaborate with my Spanish team. I hope to improve on communicating with parents. Sometimes I can be intimidated to call parents or struggle to find the time to write several emails. Keating’s lack of parental communication shows the very extreme example of what terrible things could happen to a student. In addition to monitoring academic performance, it is my responsibility to look out for the mental and physical health of my class. It would be hard to accept that something negative happened to a student on my watch.

John Keating is an outstanding teacher in many ways. His creativity, innovation, and connections to students are valued by teachers in the United States. Armed with lessons on individuality and expression of emotion, students will never forget Keating. I aspire to incorporate many of Keating’s teaching strengths into my practice this school year. However, Keating is not a perfect teacher. He would benefit from becoming culturally inclusive, collaborating with colleagues, and communicating with parents. Perhaps with these improvements, Keating can seize the day and make his teaching practice extraordinary.

Cycle Three: The Relationship Between Schools and Homes

In her book "The Schoolhome," Jane Roland Martin favors a curriculum that "brings new voices and perspectives into the course of study so that everyone will feel at home" (209). The number of diverse students is dramatically rising in our schools. Companies in the United States rely on employees in different countries. Our world is becoming increasingly global. To meet the demands of our global world, it is essential that teachers design their curriculum inclusively with culturally relevant literature. Furthermore, teachers need to provide all perspectives on a historical event.

An inclusive curriculum occurs when teachers design lessons that educate diverse students about themselves while also exposing students to cultural backgrounds that are different from their own. Because our cultural practices have been ingrained within us, it can be easy to be accidentally culturally insensitive. Here are some great strategies for culturally responsive practices to incorporate into teaching. One tip I received from a professor easily changed how I make my curriculum more inclusive. If we are presenting information on an author, artist, athlete, etc., we should always provide a little background. We can inform the students that the person is a female, black, from a different country, or gay. The teacher does not have to make a big deal about the information, but this fact can impact one student. The student will feel like he is not alone and can better connect to the curriculum.

During my student teaching internship, I saw the importance of opening my students' eyes to the world. Many of these predominantly white students did not have the opportunity to travel to cities in the United States or go outside of the country. Spanish culture was an essential topic of study since students only had stereotypical viewpoints. My mentor teacher told me to assume that the students had no background knowledge on the people and countries that speak Spanish. For every unit, we explored housing, schooling, clothing, and more in a variety of Spanish-speaking places. I hope that these little cultural lessons have an impact on these students when they leave high school and interact with a more diverse population. On the other hand, my students in Illinois are significantly more diverse and well-traveled. It has been awesome to use my students' personal experiences to drive our cultural conversations.

Within an inclusive curriculum, teachers must incorporate culturally relevant literature. Choosing culturally relevant books allows students to engage with authentic texts about their experiences, presents real-world situations that empower students, and has positive consequences for students of color. These new voices bring an understanding of different cultural perspectives. Since we cannot change our race or background, we can begin to empathize with others through literature.

As I reflect on my high school reading experience, I see how our English curriculum did not include many culturally relevant books. We read the classics such as Romeo and Juliet, Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, and more. However, we did read The House on Mango Street. This story, written by a Mexican-American author, details the life of a young Latina girl living in Chicago. Although I did not appreciate this book at the time, it truly allows students to understand difficulties that the Mexican community experiences in the United States. Students can compare and contrast their life with the life of the main character. Hopefully, students will gain a greater appreciation for Hispanics in our country after reading the novel. Complementing literature, many culturally relevant movies and TV shows exist. Showing clips of Switched at Birth can expose students to the challenges of the deaf community. Perhaps students will be more accommodating and accept a person's speaking American Sign Language after watching the show.

It is very manageable to incorporate culturally relevant literature in any classroom. By searching on Google, you can find great ideas. This database from Loyola University in Chicago has an incredible list of culturally relevant books! When choosing a book, you can use this rubric to measure the cultural relevance, or it can serve as a starting point for a group discussion.

In addition to using culturally relevant literature, providing multiple perspectives to a historical event is imperative in a culturally inclusive curriculum. Our current curriculum frequently ignores the contributions and perspectives of minorities and women. It usually favors the contributions of white males. Unfortunately, traditional textbooks often give only the "American" side to our country's history. For example, I did not learn of the indigenous perspective of Christopher Columbus' arrival until I was a senior in high school! From the time we are young children, we are conditioned to recite how Columbus discovered America. He is a positive, heroic figure who is honored with a holiday. It was not until I was 17 that I learned of the atrocities that Columbus committed by bringing disease and slavery to the New World. His horrific treatment of the indigenous people led other conquistadores to follow suit. I am now for celebrating El Dia de la Raza (Indigenous People Day) instead of Columbus Day. This day celebrates the multi-cultural society that exists today rather than the cruel deeds of Columbus. If teachers can provide students with the contributions and perspectives of minorities, we can help create a more understanding population.

As our world becomes more global and diverse, it is our responsibility to give students the skills they need to interact with people of different backgrounds. This can only happen if we develop a culturally inclusive curriculum with culturally relevant reading and offer a variety of perspectives on historical events.

Cycle Two: Schooling, Cultural Assimiliation, and Social Mobility

In his book Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez reflects on his years of education as a son of Mexican immigrants. He was discouraged from speaking Spanish at home and school in order to be successful academically. As a result, he does not support bilingual education. I strongly disagree with his stance. I work as a Spanish teacher in a diverse district, and I am an advocate for bilingual education and ethnic studies.

Bilingual education consists of using two languages in school for social and pedagogical purposes. So in a bilingual classroom, a teacher would teach math using a language other than English. The goal is to help students succeed in academics while providing English and second language instruction. Bilingual classrooms can take a variety of forms. Students may be all native speakers of a non-English language, or some students can be native speakers of English. I wonder if bilingual education was very different when Richard published this book in 1982. Perhaps he would be more in favor if he saw what these programs look like now.

I am very proud to work in a district that values bilingual education. 35% of our district's students speak a language other than English at their homes. 4% of students are in English language learner (ELL) programs. In fact, over 100 different languages are spoken in our district! When a school has 20 or more students with limited English proficiency in the same language, we must provide a Transitional Bilingual Education. Students receive literacy instruction in their native language until they are ready to transition into English literacy instruction. However, they still receive native literacy instruction and native language support from bilingual teachers or teaching assistants. I love that this program celebrates a students' native language while still preparing them to use English in school and their everyday life. Our teachers do not want students to stop speaking their native language at home. Bilingual instructors speak Spanish, Telugu, Urdu, Hindi and Tamil (languages native to regions in India and Pakistan). At the high school level, I frequently see the bilingual program in action. We have Spanish-speaking teacher assistants who attend classes with students to provide them with language support. They pull out students during exams to translate tests to Spanish or just read the test slowly out loud in English.

Furthermore, ethnic studies enhance our classrooms and our students' global perspectives. Like the article mentioned, ethnic studies are on the rise. I have seen how ethnic studies are more prevalent in suburban Chicago schools now versus when I was in high school. At my first district, our World Language Department offered courses on Latin American Studies and Spanish Studies. Both classes were an honors Spanish 5 for seniors. Teachers spoke entirely in Spanish as the students learned about the history and literature of these different areas. There was no direct instruction about the Spanish language (grammar/vocabulary). These courses were incredibly popular at the school. More students took Latin American and Spanish Studies than AP Spanish! At my current district, we have a different opportunity for students called Spanish for Spanish Speakers. Students receive instruction on Spanish language and literature. This course is only offered to students who speak Spanish at home.

I do not teach an ethnic studies course, but I still try to incorporate ideas to celebrate and learn about different cultures. Foreign language teachers use the ACTFL 5 C's when we design our lesson plans. We embed the standard of culture throughout our lessons. For example, when I teach greeting vocabulary words, I show this video on how people greet each other in Argentina. Students enjoy comparing/contrasting Spanish-speaking cultures with their own. They retain the material effectively because the words are presented in a meaningful context. Next, I encourage heritage speakers to share their personal experiences with the class. Often we learn vocabulary words or cultural practices that are unique to one country or region. Heritage speakers can offer their first-hand knowledge to deepen everyone's understanding. Finally, I have opportunities for students of different cultural backgrounds to share information about their cultures. During World Language Week, students can give little presentations on their culture. They make five to ten-minute PowerPoint presentations that discuss their culture's language, clothing, food, etc.

In addition to Richard's stance on bilingual education, I was also impacted by Richard's descriptions of his mother. He states how she is a very intelligent person. Unfortunately, she does not always seem smart due to her lack of English. Because she misinterpreted the word "guerilla" as "gorilla," she lost a job. This reaction is the sad reality that many English language learners face. During a professional development session that I attended, the presenter wanted us to experience what speaking was like for an ELL student. We spoke with a partner about our weekend activities, but we could not use any words that contained the letter "e." Try it - it's challenging! Even though I knew what I wanted to say, I could not articulate my thoughts in the same way. I used frequent pauses because I had to think carefully to choose my words. If Richard's mother's employers (and other employers around the country) had similar training, I imagine they would be more forgiving of their English as a second language employees.

Richard describes how his teachers' forcing him to speak English resulted in his family's loss of closeness. Multilingualism is something to celebrate. A person should not feel like they have to choose between speaking English and speaking Spanish. The best part of learning a new language is gaining a new identity, not taking your existing one away. I truly hope that the rise of ethnic studies and efforts of bilingual education help children celebrate all of their cultures and languages.

Cycle One: The Culture of Childhood

As parents in the United States become more overprotective of their children, it is interesting to see the impact this has had on their interactions with teachers and their demands of their children's school. In the last 50 years, parents have experienced a dramatic increase in their concerns over their children's safety. For example, parents in the 1970's were around more but spent less time with their kids. 80% of children would walk alone to school compared to less than 9% now. Parents used to let their children play without supervision, but now parents use their children's free time to schedule play dates, classes, and organized sports. In addition to their concerns over safety, parents are also beginning to favor a more rigorous academic experience for their children. Starting in preschool, parents want their children learning academics, not playing.

Parents in other countries have both similar and different attitudes regarding concerns over children's safety and academic rigors. In England, there is a movement to bring back adventure playgrounds that encourage children to take appropriate risks during play. French parents are also more relaxed about their children. Chinese parents push for strong academics in preschools, while French parents are not as concerned with academics. These cultural differences are especially important for me to note because I teach an ethnically diverse population. Most of this diversity comes from Indian and Mexican students. The article, "5 Unique Things About Parenting in India," mentions that Indian parents focus on academics and discipline. During parent-teacher conferences with Indian parents, I see this parenting philosophy first hand. These parents place a substantial value on their children's academic success in Spanish. They will frequently ask me for additional materials to further enhance their children's education.

After teaching for two years, I have seen how the overprotective nature of parents impacts my job as well as the demands placed on my school. First, I notice how freshmen parents are overly worried about their child's adjustment to high school. Around the end of the first month of school, I get several parent phone calls stating that their child is having trouble adjusting to my class or high school in general. Parents look for ideas on how to jumpstart this process - what they can do to help their child study more efficiently or get ideas how to manage their workload. For the most part, these concerned parents have students who consistently get A's or B's in my class! To further help students adjust to my class, I will strongly emphasize study skills during the first quarter of Spanish 1 this fall.

In Illinois, there is a huge value placed on developing a student's social and emotional learning (SEL). "SEL is the process through which children and adults acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to recognize and manage their emotions, demonstrate caring and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle challenging situations constructively." Some schools have SEL programs several times a month. Students watch videos and then discuss how they can resolve conflicts with their peers in an appropriate way. Although I do not work in a district that has an SEL program, I once taught an SEL lesson on bullying to my Spanish 2 class.

At St. Timothy's school in Honolulu, Jannie discussed how she now experiences a need to justify the school's curriculum. Dolores stated, "...we've had to get more professional at articulating to the parents how and why we do what we do." In my district, this takes the form of a daily goal that is thoroughly discussed with students. Teachers are strongly encouraged to post a daily goal using an "I can..." format. We read the goal out loud to the class, discuss why it is important, and then check that students met that goal at the end of the lesson. I have never had to justify my curriculum to a parent, but I do this every day with my class.

I see the toll that parents' desires for an academically rigorous course load take on students. The top students in my Spanish 3 class took three to five AP courses. These students often came to class exhausted. They tried to work on homework for other classes during Spanish because they were so overwhelmed with their schedule. As parental demands for strong academics increase, counselors frequently push for students to add more honors or AP classes to their schedule. Even when I make course recommendations, my department chairs have suggested that I recommend all students for the next level of Spanish regardless if they could handle the material. While this academically rigorous thinking works for some students, I do not think it is fair to assume that a tough course load works for all students. The article "AP classes: A problem for Massachusetts high schoolers?" describes how enrollment in AP classes is rising, but it is not always beneficial for students.

Furthermore, parents' safety concerns have impacted our schools. Cell phones serve as my biggest threat to classroom management. I do enjoy using them for specific activities, but otherwise, they present a huge distraction to my students. Teachers in my district must allow cell phones in class. We cannot confiscate phones even if the student is using them during an inappropriate time. I do believe that parents' concerns for contacting their children in case of an emergency are a huge reason why this policy exists. When I was a student, my mom would just contact the main office if there was an emergency. Now, parents want the ability to reach out to their children via text message before contacting the school.

Since I am not a parent, I was curious to see what my mother thought of the increase in safety and desires for rigorous academic curriculums that parents are experiencing now. We talked about how parents are more overprotective of their children now compared with parents of the past. My mother fondly remembers riding her bike all over the streets of her hometown by herself without a helmet. On the other hand, I never played outside without close adult supervision. My mom said, "I know people say that 'overprotecting' your kids will hurt them in their future. The difference is now there are a lot more strange individuals in the world. You have to be more aware of your children to protect them. Maybe they will not be as willing to take risks later in life, but at least they will be safe." Even though my mom's opinion contradicts existing data, I am sure her attitude is similar to many parents in today's society. Then, I asked my mom how academically rigorous a preschool classroom should be. In her opinion, preschool should be dedicated to teaching children how to interact socially with one another. Play time and making craft projects should be the focus. My mom and dad read thousands of books with my sister and me. She practiced the ABC's, basic math, and writing with us. She does not feel that it is the preschool's responsibility to teach students this information. She could see the importance of teaching academics if a parent worked all day. Because she was able to provide my sister and me with additional instruction outside of the preschool setting, she chose a preschool that was not academically rigorous.

Introductory Post

Hi everyone! My name is Katherine Edmundson. I just completed my second year as a high school Spanish teacher in Illinois. I grew up in Downers Grove in the western suburbs of Chicago. I received my Bachelor's Degree from Michigan State University where I majored in Spanish and minored in Teaching English as a Second Language. One of my fondest memories was attending many exciting football and basketball games. During the summer between sophomore and junior year, I studied abroad in northern Spain. I enjoyed taking classes in Spanish culture, literature, and art history while improving my fluency by living with a host mother. Following graduation, I completed my student teaching internship at Eaton Rapids High School in Eaton Rapids, Michigan. That year was particularly challenging for me as I adjusted to working in a rural school that did not use a textbook. However, my student teaching experience truly prepared me for the rigors of my own classroom. I moved back to Illinois and was employed as a full-year high school Spanish 1 and Spanish 2 long-term substitute. This past year, I worked as a traveling teacher for Spanish 1 and Spanish 3 at two different buildings. I will be returning to a similar position for the upcoming school year. TE 822 is the first class that I am taking for my MATC. Outside of the classroom, I am an avid reader and moviegoer. I am a huge Michigan State Spartan fan, too! I enjoy spending time with my family and friends. I especially love traveling to different places throughout the world.

One of my favorite movies that portray teaching is Dead Poets Society. I have seen this movie multiple times, but I take away something different each time I watch it. Now that I have been teaching for a couple of years, I see Robin Williams' character as the teacher who I aspire to be. I appreciate the passion that he has for his subject. He inspires a group of students to take their love for English outside of the classroom. Williams' makes material relevant by connecting it to his students' lives. He uses hands-on methods to help students understand the concepts of poetry. While many of the students wanted to pursue medicine in college, some were so motivated by his class that they changed their plans. Not only does Robin Williams' character teach students about English, but he also teaches them about life. He forms many personal relationships with his students and gets to know each one individually as a person. The students trust him to discuss important questions and challenges that they experienced in their lives. As I continue with my career, I hope to instill a similar passion for Spanish in my students. I aspire to keep students very engaged in my lessons while making them relevant to students' lives. I make a point to learn about each student individually. I want them to feel comfortable approaching me with their concerns. When students leave my class, I would love if they continued taking the next level of Spanish or majoring in the language in college.