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If anyone asks why I started teaching The Hate U Give, I’m just going to show them news stories from Minneapolis.
It is a controversial book, and probably me teaching it will raise some eyebrows in my Uber-conservative community. But...
It is a controversial book, and probably me teaching it will raise some eyebrows in my Uber-conservative community. But...
That book reflects a reality in what happens in America. And it reflects a viewpoint that my students don’t often get.
“But, Alan, that’s getting pretty political!” you might say.
Every book I teach is political. From The Phantom Tollbooth, to I Am Malala, to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. These are the texts that I say are important, that must be read, that are worth our time.
Every book I teach is political. From The Phantom Tollbooth, to I Am Malala, to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. These are the texts that I say are important, that must be read, that are worth our time.
Making that claim is political.
I read an article in The English journal this year titled “Teaching is my revolutionary act”. Great read. Talked about the importance of diversifying our teaching, exposing students to more literature.
I think that’s when it clicked for me that what I do is inherently political
I think that’s when it clicked for me that what I do is inherently political
And this was at the end of year six! I get why teachers early in their careers shy away from politics (which is in itself a political act) but we need to acknowledge the rhetorical power we wield in the classroom.
