I don’t have a fancy lesson about the #SuperBowlHalftimeShow Before I showed it, I instructed students to write down three words / document when they noticed them:
•imagery
•symbolism
•message

We watched once all the way through, then we broke down where my students noted. + + They noticed Uncle Sam is Black & he’s Samuel L Jackson, an American icon in his own right, embodying ‘America the game.’ The subversion of whiteness initially feels good, but the fact that a Black man is parroting white supremacist rhetoric means everyone is implicated. +

In my composition classes, we went from personal narratives to academic writing, which saw a lot of students moving away from their own, authentic voices to something more prescribed. So, we went back to the basics. Bellringer questions (5mins) We all shared out and I made a list. Different classes had different answers.

Lots of folks are pushing for ‘responsible’ use of AI in the K-12 classroom, but the more I encounter it, the less I believe there’s a responsible way for children to use AI in school. Students have not mastered the skills they need to the extent they need.

School is where they learn and strengthen these skills. The use of AI assumes a level of awareness and knowledge that our students do not possess. If they possess these skills, what is our job?

Dear parents,

Teachers don’t want to hold your kids’ secrets about their identity. We want to be a part of a flourishing community of adults who care about your child that’s led by you! 🌈 #Pride Dear parents,

If your kid thinks you’ll hate them, disown them, and/or love them less because of who they are and who they love, the problem isn’t teachers or public education;

it’s you.

🌈 #Pride

Yesterday a student came late to class and I was already escalated. The student did a series of tiny, inconsequential things that bothered me and then did one big thing that bothered me and I reacted so, so poorly. I immediately apologized and, when, that student didn’t immediately forgive me, it REALLY hurt my feelings and I reacted poorly some more.

Today, I apologized to that student and they were gracious and kind to me. I told them that I was on edge and

4 years ago, I read Tom’s tweet.

Because I’m a holiday girlie who had a classroom tree and array of holiday assignments,

I paused and decided to poll my students to see if they opposed holiday decor. +

https://twitter.com/mrtomrad/status/1201005452454178817

+ One student admitted that holidays were triggering because of trauma and I was slapped in the face by the fact that it never dawned on me, teacher who claims to be inclusive, that, because Christmas isn’t for everyone, it’s not for my classroom. I was disappointed in myself. +

I have five more class periods to teach my AP Lit kids before they’re off into the world. Lately, I’ve been focusing on ‘my why’ and I want to offer them 4 texts that, for me, speak to the transformative nature of literature. The first poem we’ll study is, of course, ‘Still I Rise’ by Maya Angelou. I remember studying this poem for the first time and thinking ‘I’ve never read something about being a Black woman in class before.’

They’ve all read it, but I hope they’re able to feel it too.

I don’t know what it means to be a teacher. I want to teach students how to read poems and write about who and whose they are. I also want to respect their humanity, their suffering, and their stories. It is difficult to hold these responsibilities at the same time.

1/x Students need more than I can give. This is a truth universally acknowledged. For the last three years, I have done my best to give grace, love, and kindness because the world is on fire and children deserve better. I don’t feel bad; I have mostly done the best I could.

2/x

God, please help me:

Treat everyone I meet like we’re a part of a once in a universe adventure that can never be recreated. Even bad drivers. Even in traffic. There are no do-overs here and there are very few second chances to be the person I always knew I could have been. Love everything I can as much as I can for as long as I can. And if I wake up tomorrow, help me do so with a grateful heart and the tenacity to live in a day that some people did not see.

My initial thoughts on ChatGPT:

1) If HS English dies, it’s not because of AI. It’s because standardized testing has shifted the focus of education from generating knowledge to regurgitating knowledge in a standard format.

https://twitter.com/TheAtlantic/status/1601453620448595969

2) I put in my graduate school lit review question and, because I have to generate new knowledge and new ideas, it doesn’t work well.

So,
3) How often are we asking students to generate new ideas?