Teacher Talk

  Teaching about topics that are seen as controversial has been something that I, and I am sure many other educators are weary of, but I think it is important to understand that our society has a history that can be controversial and one of the major ways that we can grow is to learn from our mistakes. Being able to create a classroom that is a safe space where students feel that they can voice their opinions and not receive backlash from others is a huge goal that I think all educators should strive to achieve.  One way that educators can make sure that they have created a classroom where students are able to voice their opinions, is to create a classroom where everyone feels respected at all times. When a teacher is presenting a topic of conversation that has the possibility of being controversial, by having an expectation where students are taught to respect the teachers and their peer's opinions on the topic there is a higher possibility for more student participation in c...

  Thanks to things like TV, movies, and media our society has formed teacher stereotypes that range from teachers being lazy and bad educators to teachers becoming heroes and bringing a class of students with nothing in common together. One of my favorite examples of a teacher who is expected as the hero of the story is the well-known movie freedom writers that stem from the book with the same title. This movie follows a teacher by the name of Ms. Gruwell who has been given a job in a school that is divided by gang violence, throughout the movie you can see that Ms. Gurwell has taken her own money and time out of her personal life to fight for her kids, in order to give the best educational experience that she can while bringing the class together to overcome their differences. This is one of my favorite movies because there are so many aspects of this movie that actually do occur to many teachers. While it may not be as obvious in some areas of our society, there are many teachers...