Chapter 1

I enjoyed how Linda Christensen combined classroom management tools with literary concepts.  It is difficult to get every class motivated to participate in reading and writing as well as sharing their work.  Christensen urges teachers to create a personal bond with the students by discovering who they are on a personal level and what the group is interested in as a whole.  Her experience with high schoolers who were surrounded and greatly influenced by violence proved to be quite a challenge.  By encouraging her students to write about their personal experiences, particularly those influenced by violence,  she was able to increase their participation and accountability.  I think the exercises involving a students name and personality 

I was particularly struck by her desire to increase her students accountability.  It is part of my teaching philosophy to have the students be accountable for their learning.  If the teacher introduces the material clearly and provides clear, challenging and achievable expectations, then the teacher is setting their students up for success.  A safe, comfortable classroom environment is vital for this.  There needs to be trust between teacher and student, as well as student to student.  This is often difficult but I have found if the students work together to create a class code of conduct, then they build the trust and will know what is expected of them.  The exercises in which students reveal personal information will encourage students to reevaluate or reserve or reverse judgement and spark discussions.