What a week! I've been told a million times to be flexible by the college of education, so I feel like I am doing something wrong if I act rigid and stiff against the adversity which I find myself in. Despite the time management flop, we work very well as a team to produce evidential products of their writing process. I believe that this project is a step towards equity for students who may live in poverty and don't get to experience life the same way others do. Gorski believes that children deserve to be treated as though they have a right to a better education. Equity in the classroom in today's world is almost as rare as Bigfoot, yet educators should be aware of the steps being taken to close this gap in order to create the envisioned future of a brighter classroom. "Teachers are not trained and schools are not equipped to make up for societal inequalities." (Gorski, 2013). That's because there is no amount of training one person can receive in order to help them see how to care about children. Showing empathy is an introductory step into teaching with a purpose, driven by personal connections. Sometimes you may be one of two adults who read with a child on any given day. It made me ecstatic to see their faces light up when I was gathering them together to start. The Tampa Bay Reporters are taking confident steps towards creating a real news paper written and created by their collaborative efforts.
Here is a photo of my students' press passes, which are journals that keep track of their inquisitive thinking. Recording their thoughts is a huge part of teaching the writing process so I'm glad we get to do this.