The text below is taken from a comment Michael Coxon wrote a week ago here. It’s one of those comments that should appear here every week or so, to remind us. Here, Michael reflects on the past five years of knocking heads with traditionalists in his building in Arizona:
I have also endured hours and hours of meetings in order to discuss this stuff. Hours and hours of finding ways to be transparent and friendly with colleagues that have been less than professional with me.
The questions I was asking myself this morning were…
Really? I battled 4 years with my department chair and colleagues for the ability to speak Spanish with my students?
Really? I fought for 4 years for the right to teach TL literacy and read books and short stories?
Really? I endured attacks and fought off other language teachers just to engage my students with topics that interested them?