Chapter 5 Response

I have always been the type of student who doesn't talk in class. I hate it. I'm always afraid of being wrong or sounding stupid, so I just avoid that happening at all costs. I can give a presentation, but that's only because I've already researched a topic and I have a power point (or some other thing) right in front of me to read off of. Growing up, I feel like my teachers would make me feel like I was wrong or that I was saying something stupid, so I think that's why I just don't speak up in class. I always hated when teachers said "There are no wrong answers" because there always was. And I always seemed to be the one who said it.

I know that talking out loud in class is scary for students. I know that I will be able to relate to every single one of those students, and I will be sure to let them know that. I want my classroom to be comfortable for my students, unlike how most of my teachers made their classrooms. (There was one particular teacher I had in high school [an English teacher, go figure], that made me feel the worst. I'm pretty sure she hated me for no reason.) I would like for my students to know that not talking is okay... but it's still not the right way. We're in school for learning and I am not the one who can be learning for them. I suppose having large class discussions would make a lot of students feel uncomfortable, and I think I would definitely utilize the small group discussions. I know I always feel more comfortable speaking to a small group, rather than the class as a whole. Smaller classes made me feel more comfortable talking out loud too, but I know I won't be having very many small classes.

I want my students to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts or asking their questions in my classroom, but I know that is almost virtually impossible. I don't think there is a way for every single student in a classroom to feel comfortable talking out loud. I know I would implement strategies to get them to talk, and so I could see what their thoughts were if they don't say anything out loud. I would also probably require a one-on-one a few times a year, just to talk to each individual student's thoughts. My AP English teacher I had for my junior year and senior year of high school did something like this. He would require us to have a journal conference with him twice a semester (aka once a quarter). There he could assess everyone's progress and hear what kinds of things they are thinking about the books and poems we were reading in an extremely laid-back (yet extremely stressful) setting. I would hope my one-on-ones would not be as stressful as those journal conferences, but I do think they would be very helpful for getting my students to talk.