I have to admit while reading this article I found myself a bit dumbfounded. I realize I am posting this before the discussion and my questions may be answered there but I urge you to think deeply about this.

The article states "You teach who you are and were as a son or daughter." This troubles me because it assumes that we cannot or do not change, if this is so then WHY do we exert ourselves as teachers to help change a child's life? Basically the child sitting in the corner alone or bullying other children cannot and will not change...is this a fair assumption?

I was a teenager not bad but not good by any means. I lied to my parents and left the house when I wasn't aloud too. Does this mean I am going to be a bad teacher?

Nikki,

Do you feel any differently about this issue today?

There is no doubt we each change (or at least we can, if we make different choices.)

Dr. Turner,

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the article just yet. Everyone made very valid point about teaching who you are but I still get discouraged and it breaks my heart that someone might teach to only "white middle class" children...

This is an issue that I am going to have to think about and possibly reread the article to see if it changes my mind...really to see if it makes me feel any better emotionally.

Nikki,

I took the "you teach who you are and were as a son or daughter" statement to mean that in the classroom, you bring who you are with you. You can't get up in front on a classroom full of students, teach for a semester or a year, and then expect the students to see someone completely different than the person you are.

I don't feel like the statement is about trying to change who you are; I think that the statement is about bringing your personal experiences into the classroom and being honest about yourself. I also feel like the statement is about embracing your life (past and present) and experiences, and then trying to figure out how best to mesh who you are with what your students need.

Thanks for your reply Whitney!

I see what you are saying about this statement. I also feel that the experiences we have had as a child will reflect in our teaching whether good or bad. I know personally that with some things I have been through it has helped me better understand children, their thought and beliefs! I am glad that you pointed this out because I feel better about the statement in the article. I am still having a difficult time with the statements made in the class such as "you are more geared to teach to white middle class children"(if you are a white middle class person) because you can better relate towards those students. That statement is where my difficulty understanding and relating to this article are held!

Yea, I know what you mean.

I have a hard time agreeing with the fact that you can only teach to the people who are most like you. I think that most of the time, we learn best when we have diversity in the classroom.

I agree that we bring who we are into the classroom with us. Our past experiences as a child will reflect in our teaching. However, I feel that if we are conscious of any biases we may have, we can overcome these and be wonderful teachers. I also had a hard time agreeing with the statement that we best teach those that are like us. Growing up, I never really struggled in school; I enjoyed it and excelled in the classroom. However, I feel that I will gear more towards those of poverty and special needs rather than the students that have more going for them.