Blog #8  Jeanne

 

As a teacher, it is important to remember that our role does not occur in a vacuum. Rather, our role is not only to teach our students the lessons and skills which are required, necessary and helpful, but to do so with kindness, compassion and positivity. We must treat our students as real people with skills, limitations, emotions and experiences that they bring to the classroom each day.  Keeping this in mind, I would assert that feedback assessment must come in many forms.    Feedback can be instant and informal, it can look like coaching, facilitating, or questioning, it can be formal assessment.  All of these things must be undertaken with the explicit goal of helping and supporting. 

Writing comes in many forms and the opportunities for students to practice these forms is vital to an overall improvement in output.  Different types of writing samples provide different types of assessment and feedback to the teacher.  It is important that feedback be helpful, but not overdone; allowing room for improvement, or challenge without being demeaning, or discouraging. 

In light of the reading about the power of racism by Trainor, it bears reminding that as teachers we also have the ability to create racism unintentionally.  Who knew that “look on the bright side” was actually training our students to an emotioned racism?  I don’t think it is, most of the time.  But the juxtaposition of looking on the bright side versus acknowledging a racist experience as Trainor writes about in her essay forces a new thought process.  It makes me that much more aware of the bias and privilege I may unknowingly bring to the classroom.  It reminds me to create assignments which allow for honesty and to respond to that work with compassion and an open mind and heart.

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