Book Club

I had the opportunity to read the book Holler if you Hear Me: The education of a teacher and his students by Gregory Michie which is a collection of stories and experiences that a teacher had whilst working in a public elementary school with students in small reading groups.

Michie recounts the lessons that he learned through his teaching experiences and shares having the rare chance to meet with his students years after they graduate from his class. These students are from low-income, working poor families and are referred to being 'Mexican American'. 

Within this Portfolio Assignment, I will discuss points of disruption, examples from the book that support class discussions and how reading this book has influenced my thinking as a teacher. 

Disruptions:

I didn't find many disruptions in the book as I was mostly just inspired by the incredible teacher that Michie was. However, I was struck to find examples of deficit thinking and social reproduction. I will use this part of the portfolio to discuss why these disrupted me. 

Deficit thinking has lead to many students failing or not being able to progress to high school graduation which can cause social reproduction. This disrupts me as I have seen too many examples of this in the book. Tavares, Armando, and Hector are just some of the students who don't make it past high school. They are stuck in a social trap for many reasons: the area in which they grow up is full of other children their age and older who are known as 'gangbangers' and try to be the 'tough guys' which does not encourage higher education and academic achievement but encourages violent behavior and immoral decisions (e.g. robbery, stealing cars, even murder or other crimes). Taking part in these activities causes legal punishment or exclusion from schools (as we discussed in class). These students get stuck in a system that becomes a downward spiral on society rather than a ladder leading up. Many of these students seem to either take on the roles of their parents (many of whom are in single parent families) or don't see the potential they truly have. This disrupts my thinking of how I can help these children to come out of the social reproduction that they get stuck in. I may have to change my teaching approach to fit their needs more. 

Additionally the parents themselves do not believe, or understand why their children need or should finish school. The example I think of is Nancy. Her mother didn't understand why she wanted to go to university when she should just follow in her family's footsteps. This breaks my heart as I have seen similar situations in schools that I have worked in. Breaking the social norms of their family or culture or going against the 'status quo' can be very costly for these students. Some cannot afford to attend university and further the education or career that they may want to do. We need to make sure that we as teachers support them in their desires by helping them participate in activities and learning experiences that will aid their preparation. Continually, helping the legal guardians understand their potential may also cause some disagreement: some parents could be quite strict in what they want their children to do. We may have to go against what parents want in order to support our students. This is costly for me as (like many teachers I am a people-pleaser) we will not be able to help all at the same time and find balance in doing so. I will have to make decisions to choose one over the other and stick with that choice. 

Examples found in Class Discussions: 

I highly enjoyed the example of how multicultural education was used in Mr. Michie's classroom through a study of Mexican American culture. Having the students do basically what we do on a weekly basis in this class of learning to rethink their preconceived notions of themselves was such a great idea that I want to use! This example of inclusive multi cultural education can be easily done in any classroom setting and can help students to overcome biases that they may have themselves. One example that I instantly thought of that can be useful in Utah is religious biases that many have living in a predominantly Mormon society. By teaching and learning about other religions and their diversity, I can help my students to understand who the 'different students' are and how we can act towards them. 

Michie uses curriculum integration of multicultural education, for example when he has his students (the Mango Girls) prepare to record an audio book version of a book about a Mexican American author. This gives his students the opportunity to learn about their own culture and see that they are not the only students out there that feel the way they do. The children seem to live hard lives, with an account of one girl's home burning down (her family loses everything, her younger siblings don't even have any shoes to wear). 

When Nancy is visited by Mr. Michie during her first year at university, I can see how hegemony may take place. Nancy feels that her accent and heritage (of being a Mexican American/ Mexican native) may be judged by her peers and that her intellect in participating in class discussions differs and therefore she chooses to not participate. This is an example of hegemony because the middle class students do take dominance in university classes without seeming to pay attention to Nancy, a struggling first generation university student. 

How the book has influenced my thinking as a teacher: 

This book helped me to understand the privilege I have as a white, middle class student. Some children were not able to go on a camping trip because they couldn't afford to buy a jacket or have enough clothes for a week. I take that so for granted!  My desire to donate old clothing, help students in need and generally look out more for how I can fight for social justice and use my privilege to make a difference instead of seeing it as something that causes me to have racist thoughts or ideas has increased through the experience of reading this book. 

Something that I have come to admire is the responsibility that Mr. Michie takes upon himself in staying in touch with his students. Reading of the involvement and effort Michie takes to find his students (the example of finding and getting in touch with Tavares struck my heartstrings) and meet with them to see how they are doing is inspiring. I also loved to read of the relationships and the deep respect that his students have for him. When Nancy introduces Michie to her professors and peers, she mentions that she sees him as a friend. I love that he has been more than just a teacher for his students but someone who is a nurturer and an example. That is the kind of teacher that I want to be. He did this by taking the time to understand his students on an individual level. He did not have this kind of relationship with every student (which is something that I often wish I could and get stressed out by. It's been a great disruption for me in this class) but was inspired, partially by their teaching circumstances and partially by their personal needs to befriend and mentor specific students. I have been reassured that this is also possible for me. By having an open heart and open eyes (and relying on the Spirit) I know that the children who need my help will be able to receive it. 

Finally, Michie goes above and beyond the role of a teacher by taking time to learn about the cultures of his students so that he can better teach to their needs. He gives up sleep to prefect videos for graduation, he volunteers to teach extended hour school for children who need extra help. And he does this all with little teaching experience at first. He says "Good teaching also requires looking critically at the way things are in schools, questioning how they might be different, and taking action if the situation calls for it." which helps support my desire to take action in social justice. Good teacher not only teach social justice and support it, but they actively make social justice happen, as does Michie throughout his career. I hope to have a career like that.