Ginger, What you describe here is what good teachers do in their classrooms when difficult issues arise and not necessarily in this order: wait, let the kids have their say, give them the space they need, trust that they will be able to debate and converse with respect, accept that passion is important and indicative of high-level talk and emotions may flare, and then reflect on all that has been learned. Jumping in too soon would have stopped the flow of ideas and self- reflection that many of us don't have the space or the room or the collegial relationships to develop in our own work settings. Have a great day! Elisa Waingort Calgary, Canada You know, as I sit at my computer all throughout the day and night listening in on your conversations, I have a mixture of responses. I may not be writing in but I live through your emails. :)
At times I wonder where the specific classroom talk has gone (but after all, it is summer break for many of us right?). There has been this shift in summers past. Other times I worry that our topics have become broad rather than narrow. I continue to want this to be a place where we gather because of our passion for discussing and learning about reading comprehension instruction first and foremost! I struggle with knowing if and when to nudge us back to our purpose but I also appreciate the need to delve deeply into these tough, but oh so crucial topics as of late. And I can see how some of the threads impact the teaching we are striving for here. Sometimes I hope that the talk won't become too stuck in the venting about the negative in light of the frustrations we all face now. But I totally agree that the restrictions and misconceptions of today's teaching world directly impact our classroom instruction! A few times I've winced in my heart when words sounded/felt too harsh or critical at a biting level. I wanted to jump in and "do something" before a clash between members built up. You see.......I live and breathe your words. But........... I wait and I keep breathing and like we've witnessed twice now recently, the potential clashes dissolved before our eyes because you are willing to be open. And because of your eloquence. You reveal yourselves here. That is good. Mostly, when I sit back and wait and watch the threads play out, I am impressed with your passion, your determination, your professionalism, and your honesty! The recent discussions on fluency as it relates to comprehension between Tim and Elaine and other members will go down in our history as probably the best example of constructive dissonance with the utmost of respect between participants. Sure it got heated at times, but if you listened closely you heard integrity in the talk. We value each other here. I value you all. I am glad we come together in this way. I feel so honored and proud to be the keeper of this list! Ginger moderator _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
_______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
