Throughout the semester the various books that I have read for book club have really helped me to consider my future in education. The first book that my group read, A Generation at Risk, taught me that you can not always believe what you read. In the future, I hope to inspire my students to always question what they read and what they are told. Many students go through school simply accepting what their teachers tell them as fact. Though this acceptance might make it a little easier for me as a teacher, it will not serve my students in the long run. I am a big believer of inspiring critical thinking in students. While reading A Generation at Risk, I was amazed at the racism and sexism involved within the conclusions of the authors. Though this was a book that was reviewed by scholars and it could certainly be read as objective fact, it was filled with prejudiced assumptions. It is very important to be critical when reading and learning.
The second book that my book club read was Queer Youth Culture. This book covered many aspects of the lives of people who identify as queer. This book was quite informative and inspiring. I think it is very important to learn as much as you can as an educator about those who have a different background than your own. This book helped me to realize how much our world is dominated by heterosexuality. I hope to use my insights from this book to shape my future classes. I will try my best not to assume that everyone is heterosexual and I will try to incorporate some works of literature that involve homosexuality as well as heterosexuality. In this way, I hope to continue to work towards total representation within my classes.
The final book that my group read was Colormute. This book discussed the ways in which we discuss or refrain from discussing race. One of the things I found most interesting about this book was the idea that though students at Columbus High School had quite diverse backgrounds, they were forced to check their heritage at the door of the classroom. The forms that students are required to fill out simplify and categorize "race." Students are forced to fit their diverse heritage in a checkbox. This book really helped me to think about my own diverse heritage. I often feel intimidated when faced with the racial check boxes of tests. I feel forced to check the box next to white even though I am Irish, Scottish, French, Dutch, Cherokee, and much more. I hope to never force my students into a check box. This book really helped me to think about race and its place in the classroom and in life.
