Where I'm From

Where I’m From: Inviting students’ lives into the classroom.

“In my classrooms at Jefferson High School, I’ve attempted to find ways to make students feel significant and cared about as well, to find space for their lives to become part of the curriculum. I do this by inviting them to write about their lives, about the worlds from which they come (19).”

Making students feel significant is a task that all teachers take on in the beginning of their careers. I can relate to this quote because in high school, I had a teacher who used these same tactics in our 11th grade honors literature course. Being able to bring my personal life into the classroom was a relief. At school students are expected to turn off home life and turn on learning but it is not that simple. Having assignments that revolve around sharing experiences at home let students know that it is okay to combine the two in order to have a beneficial learning activity. This style of learning also allows English educators to learn more about the individual students’ home life. Understanding where students are coming from and what type of environment they have to deal with on a daily basis allows teachers to assess the individual needs of the student. Opening up the students solitary “worlds” permit’s the teacher to understand and evaluate students writing more effectively, in order to uplift the educational experience for both the student and teacher.