The Latest from VEA

By Cassie Bailey

As the pandemic wound down, many of us continued to struggle to find our balance. With COVID’s lingering effects, staff shortages, growing poverty, and divisive party politics, teaching has been nothing if not precarious. As we kicked off a new school year last fall, many administrators asked teachers and staff to “remember their why” to give us fortitude in these harrowing times.

The thing is, we never forgot. We know why we stayed in education. We know what we are up against, and we know what we are here to do.

However, many of us are desperate to reach our why, desperate to reach our students, to meet their ever-growing needs. Far too often, what they need is outside the confines of any school curriculum. So, perhaps we have to look outside of the curriculum to find something more, something better?

Last year, I came across a discussion on teaching literacy that pointed out how vital it is to growth for students to feel they have a voice in the classroom. I began to think about how we might prioritize student voice and provide them a platform by embedding such practices into our curriculum rather than making them an extension of it. What an important, powerful shift in our education landscape post-pandemic; but also, what a huge undertaking. One effective way to begin making that shift is to allow students to lead the way in text selection and discussion.

So, I was able to observe a book club for upper elementary school students in a rural school in Appalachia, where the teacher wanted to find out what would happen if she used a practitioner inquiry approach. What follows is the story of what transpired in just three sessions of the book club, along with my brief analysis.

Two or three times a week, the book club met after school for an hour and the teacher and students read books, talked, and imagined together. Here, I’ll highlight one book selection, House Arrest, by K.A. Holt. The teacher and students spent a few weeks reading and talking extensively about forces that were within and outside the control of the main character, Timothy. Further, they discussed how Timothy tried to assert his own power to help his family and circumstances. He was, indeed, able to take some control in attainable ways. As the students talked about Timothy’s experiences, their conversation one afternoon turned to their school and their struggles with learning differences, relationships with friends, positive aspects, and even disappointments. Their remarks were reminiscent of another book not originally on the book club list titled, We Need More Purple Schools, by Kristin Bell and Benjamin Hart, leading the teacher to read it story-time style to club members. Though it was somewhat juvenile for the 4^th– and 5^th-graders in the club, the story is a universal one, focusing on mixing voices, stories, perspectives, and prioritizing student inquiry through questioning, interviews, and collaboration. This “mixing” is compared to the blending of colors, hence purple. We decided to ask the students what would make their school a “Purple School.”

Initially, students discussed things they liked and disliked about their own school, lessons they enjoyed, and the time to chat with friends at lunch. They also talked about the school’s physical look, describing it as rundown and old, and about some “stupid rules” and negative classroom experiences.

At the second session, discussion about the book continued and the teacher used the Promethean board to jot down students’ thoughts. Then, she handed the Promethean pen to the students, and they started writing their own ideas. However, the conversation shifted into deeper subjects and some students began taking risks, telling their own stories. One fifth-grade girl explained what made a Purple School: “Ya know. You. You gotta be you and to tell your own stories.” The students talked about retaking tests or redoing homework assignments, thinking before you speak, and disagreeing with respect (their words). They sparked this conversation on their own. The children also talked about how they liked to see more “fun” activities in school, like creative art and group projects.

At the final session in this series, students were asked to synthesize their thoughts about what makes a Purple School and use that to design their ideal school. They chose to work in groups. When they were finished, they presented their schools to the whole group. In one group, their work was based on the Harry Potter series and other popular books/media for classes, and he suggested classes, such as “Herbology.” When asked why he’d like the school based on the Harry Potter series, he replied, “I want the school to have adventure and Harry Potter action.”

Another group created drawings of a campus that included housing for students who may need a place to sleep or cannot make it home because of transportation issues. They also included room for therapy animals. The drawing also had traditional classrooms (reading, history, library, science, math), but in rooms that were the same size or even larger, they included marine biology classes, home economics, a garden center, and a huge art room.

The final group placed their school on a cruise ship to travel the world, because, as they said, most kids don’t get out of their hometown. They wanted to be sure to include “lots of field trips,” but they included traditional courses like math, science, and reading, too, along with a Walmart, the only major store in their hometown, for students to get what they need while on the ship. They named their ship the “Be Kind.” As a unique addition, this group of students also included a homework help center for students who struggle with their classroom work.

What Did These Students Want Most?

Based on their discussions and finished artifacts, students wanted their Purple School to emphasize amusement or entertainment—no surprise there. Whether it is based on popular media, like Harry Potter, conducting group projects, or setting sail on the high seas, “fun” was highlighted in each of their schools, but it wasn’t in lieu of learning. Rather, it was in tandem with learning. This included the addition of various subjects and hands-on opportunities. For instance, the students asked for courses like Marine Biology and Gardening, to learn about growing their own food. They also talked about the inclusion of creativity and more art-inspired projects or classes. In their ideal school, some wanted to travel abroad; another to fly places on his Harry Potter-inspired broomstick. Though that young man’s school was based more on fantasy, his ideal school includes “adventure” like the floating school proposed by some of his peers.

Ideal schools considered student needs in various ways, including accepting mistakes as part of the learning process, and concern for their emotional needs, reflected in the need for a service animal center. That center was to have a dual purpose, according to the students: allowing them to work through their emotions using animal-therapy services and serving as a petting zoo/learning experience. In addition, some students included a housing option for students who needed a place to stay, and the ones behind the “Be Kind” cruise school were careful to incorporate a Walmart for physical needs (food, clothing, school supplies) and a homework help center for students struggling with their learning.

Questioning the status quo was evident in student conversations and artifacts. One talked about a paradigm shift regarding “right answers” and was adamant that students should be afforded the chance to make mistakes along the way. Suggestions of homework help centers and various course offerings in their Purple Schools calls into question some of the instructional approaches we teachers feel we must use in a high-stakes testing environment.

Furthermore, students considered the economic barriers they face and were keenly aware of the opportunities they do and don’t have. This, too, was reflected in their critical work and included in their discussions and artifacts. For instance, two of the three artifacts included housing/transportation for students, and the “Be Kind” group ensured their peers had access to anything they needed at “Walmart,” which would be paid for.

In a book club such as this, it is imperative that students are empowered to move the discussion and thereby the action. These students were able to navigate the discussion about forces beyond their control to their own school setting by pivoting on both topics and texts. Therefore, a facilitator of critical literacy must be flexible and willing to let the students lead, even if the results go no further than your own imaginations.

Reflecting on What We Learned

There are several takeaways from these sessions for those of us teaching in a post-pandemic era. The first, for me, was thinking more critically about how we can honor our students’ voices by emphasizing deep discussions and activities, using student experiences and backgrounds to engage them fully. Secondly, students were very aware of their learning differences and emotional needs, as well as those of their peers, and they wanted to honor that. They didn’t shame or criticize, but were in favor of accepting mistakes as learning and providing help centers for students. They made space in their imaginary schools for students to learn differently.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway of all, though, is the importance of creating a collaborative atmosphere where students can voice their opinions and respond to texts in earnest. I was reminded of the Rudine Sims Bishop’s quote on books being both mirrors and windows for children. This experience of reading and exploring books alongside children changed this metaphor for me. If we give time and energy to a student-led approach such as this book club, you realize that children become our mirror, and they show us who we really are as their teachers, as a school, as a community, and even as a society. These authentic conversations enable us to see what is really happening and what is important in the lives and worlds of our students.

Cassie Bailey is a reading specialist and member of the Rockingham County Education Association. The book club she observed was held in another school division.