The First Task

The largest challenge I see presented to future ELA teachers is overcoming the mindset of the “implied teacher” as the sole barer of knowledge. It seems to me that after receiving a four-year degree, becoming certified and completing Master level work is not only a rite of passage into adulthood, for some, but also a huge ego boost. I feel that this over-inflation is the underlying problem behind Lewis and Finders’ societal generation gap that helps form the implied teacher and implied student.

This is seen with Ray (page111), who has only begun this rigorous academic endeavor. As the student, he was more than willing to share insights regarding the decoding of CD jackets, a new media literacy. However, he started to close off and wished to monitor the content that his future students would bring in, if he chose to replicate this exercise in his classroom.

His actions seem to go against King and O’Brien’s push towards the new “non-authoritative role of the teacher who must become a facilitator to blend meaning from multiple sources.” Perhaps his ego was getting in the way and feared a student generated and lead discussion. These are, of course, conjectures but show us the difference of knowing the path and walking on it: reminding us not to go against the training of open mindedness that we are acquiring here.

Having students bring in content from which critical thinking skills can be applied to REALLY excites me, because it will give me the opportunity to see what is holding my students’ interests. This also presents a great way to see what cultural trends stick and which ones are cast aside.