the stuff made for tv movies

So, I guess you can say I won.  The problem student has been removed from my class and now I don't dread teaching my 6th period class.  It's amazing the affect that one person can have on the entire class.  There's probably a lesson here somewhere that I'm suppose to learn and meta-reflect on but for now I'm just thrilled that I don't have to fight anymore.  That I can do what I love to do, what I'm paid to do, and what I hope will leave a lasting impression on my students.

The idea for my course: Monsters, Misfits, and Villains came to me as I was preparing my final project for the graduate course on Teaching of Reading.   This year I've been able to test run my baby and only the Lord knew where the course would eventually land.  I could plan and hope all I want but no teacher ever truly knows where the direction of the class will ultimately end up.

Last week my students' end of the year papers were due.  The paper topic was simple, chose a theme that we've examine throughout the year and connect it to Watchmen and to two other texts we've read this year.  On Friday we shared bits from our paper and had a discussion about where we've gone this year.  Honestly, I didn't know where I was going with the conversation.  It was Friday, I was tired, and there wasn't much of a lesson planned for after the share and discussion.  I was pleasantly surprised though by my students' responses to how the course has impacted them.  

One student had a sort of epiphany as she said that this idea of labeling and "Othering" those that are different from society stops with us and with knowledge.  The biggest fighter of ignorance, racism, classism, and all the other -isms is just knowledge.  As she explained, the course opened her eyes to a topic that she never thought of before (how we treat those that are different and why they are then out-casted and called "monster").  

Gosh, what a great gift.  To see those light bulb moments take place right in front of you with the students that are hard than diamonds is enough to make a person want to do all this again.  I guess teaching is like childbirth... in the thick of it the thought of having another child is out of the question, but once the little baby is born you can't help but think about the possibilities of doing all of this again.   

We shall see.