Since all my current LIA students hate me, and I have to apologize to them tomorrow and admit my weaknesses, I've decided to prepare myself to face the enemy by reflecting on my three highlights from the week.
HIGHLIGHT 1:
One day, when spouting off announcements rapid fire to my tenth grade class of Latinos in Action, Paty, who has no filter, blurts out "Ms. Davis, why aren't you married?" I had been writing my Twitter name up on the board and she said she noticed the 'Ms' instead of 'Mrs.' At that point, Debora declared, "Oh We've got to do something about that. We need to set you up with someone" and then Michael suggested, 'Hey I've got this mentor, and he is fineeee.'" Tenth graders setting you up is a clear sign that you have reached the age of desperation.
HIGHLIGHT 2:
In my Honors English classes, we are working feverishly on helping the students write effective commentary. To do that, we've been analyzing some poetry and short stories. First up for dissection was Emily Dickinson's poem "Because I could not stop for death." Students filed into class with a pleadingly confused look on their face after struggling with the poem for homework. I decided to pause our agenda for a few moments and explain the poem, it's imagery and symbolism. After I was done explicating it, the students were nodding their heads as the beauty finally clicked for them. But one student, Bryson, decided that he was "going to start viewing all of life as poetry." He said, 'oh that guy is wearing a red shirt? Obviously he has latent frustrations and feels intense anger, etc." The next day, we discussed how the pumpkins in the story "Yours" by Mary Robison represent death and the way the different characters cope with it. All the students were shocked at how I could draw meaning from that image. So Bryson raises his hand and says, "So does the daycare mean something deeper to? What does it represent?" I struggled to stifle my laugh; he was trying so hard to understand how images could have a figurative meaning that he was worried the character's volunteering at a daycare was really a metaphor. The English teacher in me loved it and was laughing so hard on the inside.
HIGHLIGHT 3:
This is a paradoxical highlight because initially it will not sound positive. The LIA classes hosted a "Battle of the LIA classes" this past Saturday, which was phenomenal and almost completely student-run. We had dinner, a brain teaser competition, a lengthy obstacle course, and then heated basketball and soccer games. But, occasionally there were a few moments of down time. During one of those periods, Michael was playing with my SmartBoard and said "This is the coolest. I want one to watch HD Porn." To which all the students laughed, some awkwardly. Obviously I could not let that comment stand without any feedback. Thus, I motioned for Michael to come sit and chat with me about that comment. From there, I started explaining to him that I had research pornography when dating someone who had once been addicted to it. I then proceeded to teach him about oxytocin and the problems that causes when it bonds you with the pornography, how porn is a coping mechanism, how it rewires the brain, how it affects relationships, and other important facts. At one point, I had to stop and give a few instructions to everyone in the room and Michael said "Oh no. I was actually really enjoying this conversation; I don't want it to be over." Eventually, I got to where I said that every man and most women will see 'pornography' at some point in their life especially since it's so pervasive in advertising, on TV, on Internet sites, and all facets of our lives. However, it is their choice to continue to pursue it and see it out for self-gratification. Then, I explained why I cared when people made flippant comments about pornography as if it should be accepted by society as a undeniable fact that all boys will choose to watch it. He walked away knowing a lot more about how it hurts millions of lives.
Why is having a conversation about pornography a highlight? Michael is an interesting, rough kid and I don't believe he will change because of this conversation. But I was grateful that I could explain the WHY and not just yell out a reprimand in response to his comment. I hope it will be more effective. Unfortunately for him, I am ever the teacher and seize even awkward teaching moments.
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