Gustavus
hooked us up with a sensational school in Sotogrande International. I have
already felt myself grow and develop as a teacher, both in confidence and
practice, through my four weeks here. The nature of the IB school system is
vastly different from anything I’ve experienced. The IB framework has helped me
to expand and experiment, offering the chance to integrate my passions for
social justice into my classroom. Teaching a period on science fiction and
another on To Kill a Mockingbird, I
have the unique opportunity to work with two very different genres, yet similarly
apply them to issues of environmental and racial justice.
In
sci-fi, I am preparing to lead an introduction to climate change. I plan to let
students explore how they personally connect to nature, then choose a sub-topic
of climate change to individually research. They will take this a step further
by creating an actual proposal or creative invention that directly addresses
the problem they explore. I want my students to feel empowered and driven to be
agents of change not in 4 years when they graduate, but every time they step
foot in my classroom, carrying that feeling and attitude along with them in
backpacks to open in their worlds. Plus, we’re out here; it’s sunny and next to
the beach… how can we not celebrate and preserve the environment that is
spoiling us with a snow-free holiday?
My older,
To Kill a Mockingbird class is
similarly focusing on the concept of using literature and learning as a lens
for social change. The trial and injustice of Tom Robinson in the novel is not
an isolated fiction from America’s forgotten past. Rather, it maintains a tragic
commentary that extends into our world today, both in the US and
internationally. Tom Robinson is Emmett Till, he is Trayvon Martin and he is
Michael Brown. I hope to present and discuss the reoccurring thread of
injustice and racially fueled violence that unravels at the corners of
America’s waving flag. After doing this, I hope to allow students the freedom
to connect the injustice of the trial with issues and problems that speak to
them and where they come from.
Honestly,
I have no clue how any of this will go. But I understand that I’m lucky to be
in an environment that affords me the chance to take a shot and address some
issues that are so difficult to discuss, but imperative that we address,
especially in a school of such privilege and power. Hoping some powerful conversation
and ideas come from the next few weeks. Enjoy the snow, MN!
--Mr. E
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