Talking Back: What Students Know about Teaching

published	January 2003 by 826 Valencia
binding	Paperback
isbn	1932416285 (isbn13: 9781932416282)
ebook
pages	140
description	Talking Back is a completely student-produced 140-page paperback book which, in the words of the students, "delivers the voices of the class of 2...more [close] Talking Back is a completely student-produced 140-page paperback book which, in the words of the students, "delivers the voices of the class of 2004 from Leadership High School. In reading this book, currently being used as a required reading textbook at California State University San Francisco, you will understand the relationships students want with their teachers, how students view classroom life, and how the world affects students." [close]
date added	07-07-07 edit book

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other reviews (showing 1-5 of 5)

dirt rated it:

08/16/08

Read in August, 2008

recommends it for: Members of the Establishment

Picked this up from 826 Valencia.

This book is bodacious for two reasons.

1) It gives students a voice and they practice writing for an authentic purpose: Someone will read it!

2) Teachers will read it and remember what it is like to be a student. One can easily forget that they are part of "the institution" that Suicidal Tendencies sang/talked/yelled about.

Though there are a repetitive handful that didn't seem very well developed, most of the essays are well written...more Picked this up from 826 Valencia.

This book is bodacious for two reasons.

1) It gives students a voice and they practice writing for an authentic purpose: Someone will read it!

2) Teachers will read it and remember what it is like to be a student. One can easily forget that they are part of "the institution" that Suicidal Tendencies sang/talked/yelled about.

Though there are a repetitive handful that didn't seem very well developed, most of the essays are well written and well thought out. One other downside is not enough proof-reading was done and there are an abundance of typographical and grammatical errors. On the whole, engaging and quality.

A Brief Sampling of the Smorgasbord Essays that I Enjoyed the Most:

True Education
Isis Cristina Orellana

An education is not the most valuable asset we can acquire in our lifetime. It's true that education is valuable for survival, and is the means by which we maintain a good quality of life. With a good education we can travel or life anywhere and purchase most of the things that we desire. But a good education does not guarantee us happiness, which is what all of us truly long for. It does not guarantee us peace of mind or joy. The most important and valuable thing we must be taught is that true happiness is already within our reach and that a close examination of our own minds is what leads us to our goals.
...

Real Lessons
Krystal Maxwell

At seventeen years old, I've been a student for two thirds of my life. It's not been a life badly spent; school, for the most part, has been decent. But sometimes the classroom has been a frustrating environment. There is nothing worse than going to class and not learning. We could stay at home and not learn anything all day. Most of us aren't here because it is required. We come to school to get an education. When nothing is going on in class, we get bored, disillusioned, and lose our motivation. Eventually, it gets to a point where we loose interest altogether and then you've lost us forever. We need a classroom where we don't sit idly while you figure out the lesson or check your email. We want a space where we known that from the moment we arrive until you say we can leave, we are there to work and learn. It's up to you to make class just that, class. We can handle the sitting and absorbing, but you need to offer us the lesson.

Too often, I have sat for twenty-five minutes writing a journal entry with a prompt like, "Write whatever you want. (One page minimum)." Fun but not enriching at all. The fifteen-minute "share-out" that follows is no cup of vanilla cola either....

Only Fools Here
Molly Blum

I hate school. I attend class sit in the same chain, and am force-fed the same unwanted thoughts, ideas, and concepts everyday. I sit in this chair and my unbridled mind wanders to an alternate universe, a make-believe dreamland My mind is full and buzzing with thoughts of ancient civilizations, different cultural instruments, dances, languages, and especially sciences. In this fake land, everyone is free to obtain the knowledge they wish to pursue. Everyone has their special skills and interests, and we mix together to create a world where everyone's needs are met. But it is a fake place, to which we will never get. We are trapped.
...

I would love to see educators reading photocopies of these essays in some teacher development workshop and then not just having a discussion, but also writing back to these students. The teachers could talk about what they are doing as teachers that is bad, what they can do to change that, what they want to do, how they can do that. Or they could even solicit advice on what to do from their actual students who sit in their real classrooms day in and day out. Have a god forsaken dialogue.

p.s. Don't judge the fish. My mom is a Sith Lord....less

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