Mike Gaudreau's Blog

  Approaching Critical Language Arts Instruction Through the Lens of Abolition             Duncan-Andrade and Morrell’s “Critical Pedagogy in an Urban High School English Classroom” was interesting to read on 6/11/2021, with Critical Race Theory being one of the most highly contested political talking points of the time. Many states are pushing to block Critical pedagogies throughout the country. Even Barak Obama made reference to CRT practices in his interview on CNN with Anderson Cooper this week. So the more politicized debate I listen to regarding Critical pedagogy, having read this article, I find myself repeatedly asking the same question; “What are people so concerned about?” Duncan-Andrade and Morrell suggest an approach to teaching that I agree with philosophically, and feel is a beneficial way of thinking about instruction for all students. They argue that “instruction is rooted in the existential experiences of marginalized peoples; that it is centered in a critique of str

  Building Hope and Solidarity in a Language Arts Classroom               My initial reaction to the material covered this week left me feeling vulnerable and hopeless. By taking a close look at racism in America, both from a historical perspective, as well as from that of an educator preparing to enter into a classroom to deal with the impact that systematic racism has had on so many of our students, I initially felt unsure of myself. When Tricia Rose defines structural racism as “the normalization and legitimization of an array of dynamics that routinely advantage whites while producing cumulative and chronic adverse outcomes for people of color,” I’m forced to reckon with the fact that I have lived my entire life reaping the benefits of white privilege without ever considering it. Things that I have taken for granted, such as safe and stable housing, access to education, and the benefit of the doubt that my race has given me in terms of criminal justice are all things that many

  Critical Literacy and Capitalism in the Classroom             Critical literacy is an essential aspect of Language Arts instruction in today’s schools. It provides all students a lens through which to see themselves within the context of their education. “Critical literacy offers the tools to investigate language constructions, including silence, through the assumption that anything that has been constructed through language is saturated with perspective or ideological beliefs and therefore can be deconstructed and better understood. Such constructions could take infinite forms including a social interaction, and internet website, a children’s book, a television commercial, a sitcom, an email, or a newspaper article.”   (Jones 1) Exposing students to the practice of critical literacy is giving them permission and license to react honestly to the world they live in, to recognize injustice, and attempt to make a change within the framework of a capitalist society by helping them bet

    My name is Michael Gaudreau. I have been an elementary and middle grade teacher for the last twenty years and am working to get certified to teach secondary English.   To that end, I've created this blog as a space to express my thoughts as I prepare for this endeavor. Establishing Hope as the Cornerstone of an ELA Classroom               Considering the thoughts of Cornel West, Duncan-Andrade’s “Note to Educators: Hope Required When Growing Roses in Concrete”, Sieben’s “Advocating for the Affective: Writing Hope into School Spaces”, and Christensen’s Teaching for Joy and Justice , there can be little question that effective teaching requires a deep commitment to the belief that every child has a story worth telling and the ability to tell it in their own voice. As a teacher, it is our job to know our students well enough to challenge them appropriately while considering their interests, struggles, and experiences. These are all beliefs that I hold dear, which you would see