I ask students,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHow do your teachers usually start the first day of school?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They answer in chorus,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRules and consequences!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I ask students, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you ask more questions at school<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or answer more?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019re afraid to ask questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019ll get yelled at.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I ask students,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you write, who gets to choose the topic?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Teacher!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I ask students, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen you write, who gets to focus the topic?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Teacher!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I ask students,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho chooses how many ideas you may have, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And how you organize them?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Teacher!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho gets to decide your tone and level of formality?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Teacher!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho decides which articles you will use for your details – <\/p>\n\n\n\n
in lieu of using details from your actual life?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Teacher!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho is really making all the choices when you write?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Teacher!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I ask them,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho tells you what to think when you read?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Teacher!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho determines what the correct answers are<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To the questions at the end of what you read?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Teacher!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWho guides you to what you should look for when you read<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So that you can answer the benchmark aligned questions?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Teacher!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen do you get to respond to a story, essay, poem, or book<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From your own head and with your own heart, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To have your own thoughts and reactions?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNever!\u201d they say,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Or at best, \u201cOnly when we read on our own!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I send them to the bathroom,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a desperate race to the bottom of Maslow\u2019s pyramid<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To take care of basic bodily needs <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the one open bathroom a quarter of a mile away<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And they are told to return to class<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because they are no longer in the window of eligibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I tell them, <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cCreate a simile:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
School is like a blank.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many of them write, \u201cPrison!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And we wonder why so few are enthusiastic <\/p>\n\n\n\n
About talking about liberty for all<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First thing in the morning <\/p>\n\n\n\n
With their hands over their hearts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I ask students, \u201cHow do your teachers usually start the first day of school?\u201d They answer in chorus, \u201cRules and consequences!\u201d I ask students, \u201cDo you ask more questions at school Or answer more?\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re afraid to ask questions. We\u2019ll get yelled at.\u201d I ask students, \u201cWhen you write, who gets to choose the topic?\u201d Read More >><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[184,226],"tags":[419,107,421,420],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrfitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1317"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrfitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrfitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrfitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrfitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1317"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mrfitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1318,"href":"https:\/\/mrfitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1317\/revisions\/1318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrfitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrfitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrfitz.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}