The Road Is Long...

One of the reasons I want to teach is to ensure that students are literate in the media that they produce and consume. So many of us are bombarded with images and sounds non-stop (I for one have been listening to  Glenn Campbell’s “Witchita Lineman” on repeat. Don’t judge). But why? Why do we listen to what we listen to? 
Why do I watch Bridesmaids when I am sad? 

Why is Airplane still funny? 

One needs a certain amount of cultural currency to examine this, and to delve deeper.

One of my goals for my classroom is to ensure that the students are engaged with the texts. This might mean I step out of my comfort zone, and it might mean that they step out of their comfort zone. We can examine the texts together, and hopefully, if true learning is taking place, we can learn from each other.

While literature does hold a special place in my heart, I am going to be an English teacher after all, my bigger love is analyzing texts of all sorts. Whether this is songs on the radio, memes on the internet, and movies and television shows. These all require a type of literacy that many of us go without. But if we learn how to consume media, we can then claim some control over what kind of media is being produced.

What I would love to learn how to do, is to seamlessly incorporate media studies or pop culture studies in the English classroom. While I have some ideas, I need to know whether these are just my ideas to get kids to listen to the music I like (kidding!) or if there is actual precedent in studying music videos, film, and other assorted ephemera from pop culture.

Some texts I plan on using to create this sort of curriculum, or lesson plans are Bahktin’s Carnival theory (but might this be too much for high school students? or middle school students?), Reading in the Dark by John Golden. edutopia.org has some great resources and real-word applications for topics ranging form social media and general pop culture. I also have a slew of articles that are piled and buried away from my graduate school and undergrad days that may come in handy once uncovered (see the title of this blog if there is any question about my organizational style).

A Teacher?! Oh for the love...

My path, like most, isn't traditional.
An honors student throughout high school, I almost failed out of undergrad. Seven years later, I found myself with an MA and a desire to teach.

Talking to friends, lovers, and family there was a clear message:
You are crazy.
You will hate it.
Why?
You are not going to like it.
You don't want to get your PhD?
So you're not done with school yet?
Middle school? High school? Really? You're sure?

I'm not sure. Are any of us sure about anything? I was sure that I was through with academia. I wanted to teach something, but I thought it was too late if I was teaching at the college level. There are way too many students that need good teachers so they can apply and go to college.

While this blog begins as an assignment for a disciplinary literacies course, I hope to continue it as my student teaching and teaching career progresses. I want it to be a space to share ideas, criticisms, joys, and frustrations.