Chapter 1

This chapter helped me put some terminology to much of what I already think about and care for as a first-year writing instructor (and add to my reading list - Geneva Gay, Django Paris & H. Samy Alim, and Allan Johnson, for sure!). My teaching philosophy and practice is already deeply grounded in methods of teaching to my students' respective lifeworlds. Much of my interest in the "culturally proactive approach" stems from my experience teaching adult English Language Learners prior to coming to my current position, and all that I learned from my students as I helped equip them with language (they taught me far more than I taught them, to be sure).

I am especially looking forward to spending time reading about "wobbling." I enjoy these moments of grappling with uncertainties in my classroom - even when I am the one who is doing the wobbling.  These are moments of discovery and knowledge-making. My Comp. I & II courses are structured to foster the difficult conversations about privilege, oppression, and power structures, so I am excited to see how the rest of this book might supplement what is already happening in my classrooms.