Troublemakers Reflection

   

The book Troublemakers by Carla Shalaby is a powerful and impactful novel for both current and aspiring educators. As we read this book as a class, there were many questions generated through reading some of the children's experiences in schools and at home. One of these questions circled around teacher who believed that students who were "more still, more compliant, and more conforming..." will be more prepared for the real world. I found this to be a bit of a shock. I remember growing up with this idea being ingrained in my mind but never understanding it. Where ever you go in life, different circumstances come up where you have to go against the grain and if you grew up always being compliant, then you will struggle with thinking out of the box. This can be dangerous to students since students should be able to be their authentic self in and outside the classroom with no restrictions. If we are always making students sit still in their seat and nose in the books and concerned about their perfect attendance and making sure they always have a writing utensil, then we are not being a service to our students. As educators, we are there for students and helping prepare them for the real world. I want to make sure students know it is okay to mess up or not have a pencil, because that is life. Of course there will have to be boundaries, but students should be able to express their true selves and explore making mistakes in a controlled and safe environment.  With that being said, I can not be more excited to starting my educator career in the near future and be able to help students realize their fully potential and let them know that it is okay to make mistakes because the world is full of them.