Literature Classes

My first reaction to the website we read also ties into a lot of the other readings for this week. As I was reading through the Teaching for Change website, I realized how lucky I was to have read so many books and poems by Black authors or poets in high school and the conversations our literature teacher facilitated. In comparison to white authors, the number was smaller, but I realize now what I did not realize in sophomore and junior year of high school how important those discussions were for an entirely white classroom. 

I found the disctinction of a "trust gap" in Levinson really interesting. The students learn to distrust a system, because they learn that the system does not work in the favor of black or immigrant students. A completely trusting relationship can lead to blind following, whereas the students described by Levinson have a critical perspective on the systems that dictate our social and political lives. 

Another reaction I had was that Ira and Paulo illustrate an important debate about the process of learning. I think "process" is an important perspective in shaping our understanding of what a learning experience can/should be-- learning is a "process", and understanding that is the first step. 

I named this post literature classes, because I think literature classes are an important piece in the learning process that incorporate the objectives of Teaching for Change, with a lot of the dialogue described by Ira and Paulo.