In what ways “have I broadened my thinking or generated new

thoughts or ideas not previously” considered?

This week’s readings were eye-opening for me. Pollack’s description of “teacher talk”
was especially interesting--I’ve never really considered just how pervasive it is in my daily
professional life. Teacher talk is constant in my building, and I’m sure it is in most places. We
share stories every morning, in-between class periods, after school, at social gatherings...it’s
part of the culture of my department to discuss the goings on in our classrooms. Pollack states
that this teacher talk--especially when it regards a student of color--can be damaging to our
preconceived notions of students or their families.
The story about Darnell (“a bright, good-natured African American fifth grader”) sounded
like something I could hear in my district. He is a kid that the teacher likes, but allows to sleep in
class because she thinks it is the only place he can get a decent rest. The story came from a
“warm, motherly” woman who genuinely cared about Darnell. But she had written Darnell off,
and mentions that she would be surprised to see him make his 18th birthday. It’s a chilling
anecdote, and one that, unfortunately, I’ve heard about students in my building too.
I’m realizing that this teacher talk, notably at the beginning of the year, has affected my
views of students in my career. We glance through our rosters, and our buddies from down the
hall tell us about potential problem students, or parents that gave them trouble in years past.
Because of this, my views on students are shifted before I even meet them. It’s unfair, and all
too common.
I don’t necessarily think teacher talk is inherently problematic, but I do believe that it can
skew negatively towards students from socioeconomically disadvantaged homes. I have to be
more cognizant of this in the future, and students deserve better from their teachers. Teachers
aren’t going to stop talking shop about their jobs, but I think we can create more equitable
dialogues between teachers to better give students a chance.