Keeping this purpose in mind as usual, I read Bomer&Bomer's "For a Better World," Chapter 2. One of the most important lines I appreciated while reading is the idea that "discourse creates thinking." Bomer&Bomer list some very useful concepts for critical reading that I believe come out in discourse after reading:
- Groups
- Power
- Taking things for granted (Naturalization)
- Fairness/Justice
- Voice/Silence
- Multiple perspectives (different sides of stories)
- Representation (showing what people are like)
- Race
- Class
- Money
- Labor
- Language
- Intimate relationships and families
- Relationships to nature
- Violence and Peace
- Individualism/Collectivism
As I continue teaching in a local classroom and when I venture out into the world to become a teacher on my own, I want to remember these categories to help my students think about what they're reading in a way that I hope will help them gain empathy. Through discourse about these topics-- discourse I believe also including reading-- I hope that their empathy will one day persuade them to think and write and act in the most compassionate way towards other people and benefit our democratic society as a whole.
I think the meaning of being "American" is tossed around a lot and is the subject of controversy that often leads to hatred. I imagine, ideally, that America should be just what School House Rock sings, "The Great American Melting Pot!" I think if we can grow empathy in our students then sound them out into the world to make persuasive discourse, America could truly one day be a happy little song's optimistic view of it as a diverse but harmonious country, all working together to make one delicious soup.
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