Sample Written Reflection

Sample Full Credit Reflection
(Mrs. Henning’s Reflection...this is longer than yours needs to be for ELA9-level response.)
At the start of this unit, I thought I was already confident in my own identity as a
teacher, reader, and person. I was not expecting to have my beliefs challenged, to
discover new perspectives and evidence in the book, and to grow so much, but I can
honestly say these past two months have been extremely thought-provoking and
influential.
First of all, I thought I knew about all there was to know about To Kill a
Mockingbird. Sure, I expected to learn slightly different interpretations and a few new
ideas by hearing a new group of students’ perspectives, but I had already read the book
in high school, read it again this past summer, and scoured the internet for all of the
resources I could consume before the school year began. I could not have been more
wrong.
I hardly remember reading TKAM in high school, but I do vaguely remember
doing worksheets and answering really specific matching questions on a quiz such as
“This character wears his shirt buttoned to his pants.” I didn’t want my students to have
such a superficial brush with the book. I wanted us to figure out why this book is so
endearing to millions and still a bestseller- to see if we could use it to analyze how
people used to be and how people still are. I wanted us to wrestle with our convictions
and be challenged to find ourselves just like Scout does as she grows to better
understand and question the world around her. I wanted to be engaged and to engage
my students purposefully, not just for the purpose of finishing another “classic school
book.”
Even though I was the person planning the lessons, their impact didn’t sink in for
me until we did the activities in class. The Wheel of Privilege, for example, became so
shockingly personal when I attempted to fill it out on the Doc Cam. Considering how
people view me versus how I view myself or want to be viewed is something I haven’t
had to think much about in my life. I feel so much more complicated than I appear, but
then I realize I fit many stereotypes when basing assumptions on my appearance only: I
am a white woman who teaches English, I am Christian, I am married to a man, and I
come from a fairly “typical” household of two parents, one sibling. Taking the
stereotypes quiz revealed that I do indeed hold gender stereotypes, which shocked me.
I thought I would have fairly equal ideas of men and women, but the quiz revealed my
brain conforms to so many images we see in the media- women being associated more
with families, and men being associated more with careers. The action of actually taking
this quiz and grappling with the fact that my brain is influenced so much by societal
norms has helped me, though, because instead of pretending to be above the influence
of stereotypes, now I can work on rewiring my brain to actively combat them.
The same types of personal realizations kept happening for me over again over
again throughout this unit, but I also had a realization tied directly to the book as well. I
had always understood we were supposed to think Tom was innocent- Atticus certainly
did, and I knew that was supposed to be the message of the book. But it wasn’t until this
year when we divided up EVIDENCE versus assumptions that I finally saw there really
is evidence that Tom couldn’t have been the one who hurt Mayella- the marks on her
neck show two hands had been around it, so it couldn’t have been Tom’s. Also, even
though Atticus doesn’t say it (but I think he should have!), Tom should be INNOCENT
UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY, but instead it is as if he’s guilty unless he can prove his
innocence. That really sunk in with me this time. Students also opened up my eyes to all
of the mockingbirds in the book; I had always thought of Boo Radley and Tom as
mockingbirds, but I see now that Scout, Jem, Dill, Atticus, Mayella, and more could also
be mockingbirds because they each are so innocent yet suffer at the hands of others.
My biggest take-away from the entire unit, though, would have to be how
impressive 9th graders can be. Many people who heard our plans for ELA9’s TKAM unit
thought we were crazy- they said 9th graders couldn’t handle wrestling with these
complexities, that they wouldn’t be mature enough to respect different opinions from
their own, that they might not be able to open their minds to considering their own
identities and how they’ve formed or are forming them. Well, ALL of those people were
wrong. The students have been so respectful of each other, mature in their discussions,
and willing to question and analyze their previously held worldviews and opinions. They
have shown me, finally, why this book is so amazing and loved: it brings people
together to re-think and consider what they value, who they are, and how to be the best
humans they can be in this world.

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