Today a colleague and I attended the Minnesota Writing Project's fall conference. The focus was the Native American (American Indian) focus in the new standards. One break out session shared a way to talk about various stereotypes with students.
The lines and spacing of both are a bit off due to the blog format (sorry).
The sample poem:
Because I am a Native American
People think if they hire me I will only stick with the job for the two weeks till payday. Then, they think, I will take my money and quit.
And they think I am a lazy, untrustworthy, unreliable quitter.
But really I am a strong, hard worker, with deep loyalty
who knows the effort and hardship of survival
who made living in a one room basement apartment built for one work with seven room-mates and only four bed.
I am the determined descendent of people who worked months to feed the village.
Who walked more miles than most to relocate and start anew, adjusting our ways on the path,
Who hunted, and harvested, hauled and thrashed
Who survived extermination attempts and holocaust on our homeland--
Which is much more work than any of those human resources managers will ever know,
As they sit and "work" at their desks looking down at me to say:
"I am sorry but we don't hire Indians."
I, too, wrote a stereotype poem:
Because I am a teacher
People think I am greedy and lazy, that I only work nine months of the year,
and take large amounts of money from the state in pay and benefits
And they think I sit behind my desk and watch students read and do worksheets
Plus, they think I teach the same thing year after year and am a "bad teacher protected by my union".
But really I spend many hours at home grading papers and mulling over lesson plans.
Even after a plan is made, I am constantly rethinking and revising it.
I get to school before my contract time and often leave after my contract time.
Although I have a multitude of sick days banked, I don’t use them because it’s harder to miss school than it is to be there because I am an integral part to the kids’ education, not everyone could do my job.
At the end of the day I am tired because I have spent my day walking around the room teaching, redirecting, and talking to kids.
During summer “vacation” I think about the school year, attend workshops, and meet with colleagues to make sure my next year will be better than the last.
My weekends are often filled with school work including the workshop (8:30 -3:30) I attended today.
I am scrutinized by parents, politicians, and people who have never set foot in a classroom while my pay is stifled by the economic status of the country.
The lines and spacing of both are a bit off due to the blog format (sorry).
The sample poem:
Because I am a Native American
People think if they hire me I will only stick with the job for the two weeks till payday. Then, they think, I will take my money and quit.
And they think I am a lazy, untrustworthy, unreliable quitter.
But really I am a strong, hard worker, with deep loyalty
who knows the effort and hardship of survival
who made living in a one room basement apartment built for one work with seven room-mates and only four bed.
I am the determined descendent of people who worked months to feed the village.
Who walked more miles than most to relocate and start anew, adjusting our ways on the path,
Who hunted, and harvested, hauled and thrashed
Who survived extermination attempts and holocaust on our homeland--
Which is much more work than any of those human resources managers will ever know,
As they sit and "work" at their desks looking down at me to say:
"I am sorry but we don't hire Indians."
I, too, wrote a stereotype poem:
Because I am a teacher
People think I am greedy and lazy, that I only work nine months of the year,
and take large amounts of money from the state in pay and benefits
And they think I sit behind my desk and watch students read and do worksheets
Plus, they think I teach the same thing year after year and am a "bad teacher protected by my union".
But really I spend many hours at home grading papers and mulling over lesson plans.
Even after a plan is made, I am constantly rethinking and revising it.
I get to school before my contract time and often leave after my contract time.
Although I have a multitude of sick days banked, I don’t use them because it’s harder to miss school than it is to be there because I am an integral part to the kids’ education, not everyone could do my job.
At the end of the day I am tired because I have spent my day walking around the room teaching, redirecting, and talking to kids.
During summer “vacation” I think about the school year, attend workshops, and meet with colleagues to make sure my next year will be better than the last.
My weekends are often filled with school work including the workshop (8:30 -3:30) I attended today.
I am scrutinized by parents, politicians, and people who have never set foot in a classroom while my pay is stifled by the economic status of the country.
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