Scholar #1: Toni Morrison
I have been a fan of Toni Morrison for years, starting when I was a freshman in high school. I loved the way she weaves fantasy and otherworldly experiences with reality. As a reader, I'm never quite sure what is real and what is a dream/fantasy/etc. I have always been a fan of her writing style and have tried to emulate her brazenness and strong femininity in my own writing. She's a great role model for young women, as her female characters may battle with "out of this world" dilemmas, but they are all rooted in realistic struggles women face.
I want to teach Toni Morrison in
my classroom because I think she's a very mature writer with adult themes that
could be taught in a high school classroom. Themes of sexuality, violence,
women's struggles, and death seem like difficult things to bring up in front of
high schoolers. However, with an author like Toni Morrison, I feel like this
would be much easier to teach. I saw Morrison speak not too long ago at a One
Book, One Chicago event, and I was in tears. When she gave a voice to her characters,
I felt even more compelled to bring her literature to the classroom.
Scholar #2: Ms. Cassel
When I was in high school, my junior
American Studies teacher, Ms. Cassel gave me such an
incredible experience. I
had just moved to the area and didn’t have many friends, but I knew my passion
was in Writing and Literature. I was 17 and was going through a very difficult
time in my life. I was in therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder and was in
a special program at my school to keep the minimum required number of hours to
legally be in school. I would come to school at around 11AM, be in a study
session with a private tutor, and then go to an English class and a history
class. I wasn’t involved in any after school programs, nor was I fully adapted
to my new school. I had transferred from a private school of 24 kids/grade, to
a public high school with a graduating class of 927.
Ms.
Cassel worked one-on-one with me to keep my grades high and help me feel more
comfortable in her school. She was strict, but always fair. She wanted every
student to work as hard as they possibly could, even if their final product
wasn’t perfect. She expected the best from everyone, which wasn’t the same as
“the highest grade”-she never condemned us for doing poorly on a test, she
would work with each of us to figure out what we didn’t understand and help us
to learn the material better.
What
really made Ms. Cassel stand out was her ability to make me feel like an adult.
I didn’t feel like a “special” student with odd circumstances. I felt like I
was working harder than anyone and I was ready for whatever she gave me. On one
of my assignments, I received a fairly high grade, but she wrote “SEE ME” on
the paper in red ink. I was terrified I had done something wrong. Instead, she
told me how impressed she was with my writing and that I should try out for
Steppenwolf Theatre’s playwrighting program. I was floored but I auditioned and
was one of 7 children (out of a pool of about 100) to be accepted.
When
I reflect on Ms. Cassel’s teaching methods and her ability to work with us as
adults, I’m reminded of theorist Erik Erikson’s stages of development. His
adolescent stage “Identity versus Role Crisis” explains how children at this
age develop “fidelity”, a strong sense of self-awareness and self-confidence
that will boost their development as they go. Ms. Cassel was forcing us as
teenagers to look at the world as adults, in order to develop a stronger sense
of who we were. This was a risk, as many students may not have responded to it
well and reverted to “Role Crisis”, having a harder time planting their feet in
the world. However, her one-on-one tutoring and praise helped us to become
stronger students and people.
Scholar #3: Mr. King
In high school, I was going through severe emotional
trauma and was in therapy several times a week for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
Without going into too much detail, my trauma stemmed from abuse in my past
that I hadn’t fully come to terms with. I was physically and emotionally unable
to go to school for eight hours a day. I would begin to hyperventilate, retch,
and cry hysterically. Needless to say, I was not able to focus on my studies.
My mom was insanely concerned for me, to
say the least. She spoke with the dean of my new school and I was allowed to
carry my cell phone on me at all times in case I needed to call my mom or therapist.
I was still failing all my classes, though, and I wasn’t a fully-functioning
student. My teacher, Ms. Cassel, suggested I meet with the school counselor for
further guidance and advice. Because our school was so big, we were assigned a
counselor based on the first letter of our last name. For me, this was Mr.
King. He was a younger counselor, with a great smile, who took a special
interest in me. We developed a program that would allow me to attend school the
minimum hours required by the state, yet still feel comfortable enough to stay
in school for several hours a day.
Mr. King’s office was my safe haven. If I
was ever feeling uncomfortable or anxious during class, I was able to excuse
myself and go speak with him. He had an open door policy and would speak to me
about anything, from school to home life. My mom often called him to check in
on me, and he was always accommodating and friendly with her. He and I had such
a strong relationship, one that was based on trust and care. He pushed me when
necessary, saying things like “If you feel ready, you are ready. Don’t second
guess your progress.” When I returned to school full time and made the honor
roll, I let him know immediately. He never made me feel like one of the hundred
plus students he had to see. Rather, I felt like he was my personal counselor.
“According to Baltes, Reese, and
Nesselroad…life span perspectives represent an approach to the study of human
development…” (Bergen, p.78.) These theorists explained that there are basic
assumptions that are understood as “normative” or expected. When a person does
not meet these normative perspectives, things can shift for them,
developmentally or emotionally. These “events” make up one’s “life course” and
are essential in shaping an individual. Because I experienced such an abrupt
and traumatic change, I was experiencing a “nonnormative” event and was forced
to change my perspective on things. I was struggling to function and adjust to
my environment (which also ties in with Piaget’s accommodation theory), but with the help of positive human
interaction, I was able to succeed in regaining a fluid life course.
Bandura believed that “certain
competencies are required” in order to become a successful and strong
individual, meaning, they must understand and develop their “self-efficacy”
(Bergen, p.68.) Broadening and
Self-Efficacy explains that children are highly influenced by their peers,
citing one’s school/formal academic environment as a pusher for these
interactions. When a child is reaching for broader social circles, there can be
a difficult transitional period. He also discussed that if a child’s
self-efficacy is low, that child may feel socially incompetent and become
withdrawn and isolated. This was my situation. I was unprepared to interact with
anyone, let alone my peers, who would have judged me and ridiculed me (as was
my belief at the time.) Mr. King was my social interaction, which both covered
my academic influence and, in a way, my peer development. He showed me that I
could grow and become accepted by my peers, and that I never had to change who
I was to do so. Because I was lucky enough to have this type of guidance, I
made it through this extremely difficult time and developed a strong sense of
self-efficacy.
If it hadn’t been for Mr. King, I don’t think I would have
made it through high school. He was able to keep me in school (which was
something I always wanted), and he never made me feel like I was a “special
circumstance.” I was able to make it through high school with flying colors,
and it also helped me understand how students with low self-efficacy should be
treated: like normal. No one should be constantly reminded of their
shortcomings, but should be encouraged instead to focus on their strengths.
It’s this type of counseling that Mr. King used to make me an amazing student
and person.
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