One of my 7th grade students loaned me a crown shortly after the Christmas break. I'm supposed to wear it for the rest of this school year. You see, I've been proclaimed the queen of our class by my students. I've promised to be the best teacher I can be and to take their needs and interests to heart. I had to kneel down to take this oath. Shortly thereafter, my students decided that they would like to wear the crown on their birthdays.Then, one student put forth a motion about what they named "Crown Day" and the rest of the class took turns amending the motion. Several revisions and lots of conversations later, my class drafted and voted on our first class law. This process took place during our social studies class and in between a fire drill. It was a great experience in parliamentary procedure. Here's our class resolution. Crown Day! On people’s birthdays they will be allowed to wear the crown during class time. If their birthdays are during ...
This blog is a place to ruminate on the problems of teaching. If I am thinking thoughtfully, my posts will hopefully raise more questions than answers. By problematizing teaching we reflect on those questions that are constantly behind, in front, and at center of everything we do in the classroom. Feel free to comment. I'd love to hear what other teachers are thinking about on these and other issues. Cheers! Elisa