Contact Zone In The Classroom

Reinventing English was a pretty interesting, but at the same time some of the information kinda of shocked me. This was especially true when they talked about how racism, sexual orientation, religion, and the like dominate headlines in the news. Why do we feel the need to emphasize that (for example) "23 WOMEN Killed in the Name of Love"? It does make it harder for students to develop their own thoughts about this type of violence. I also think it makes it a lot harder for them to develop their own thoughts and opinions about other cultures, genders, religious beliefs, and so on.

After reading this idea of this contact zone, I found myself browsing books I could implement into my lessons that would challenge students to really take a look at the world they live in. after reading exerts from these books, it would be great to have them write in their journals how they feel after reading, what they would change, how their thoughts have changed about the subject at hand.

Another thing I envision in my classroom is the motto, "Leave It At The Door." By this, I simply mean that I don't care what your race is, what religion you practice (or don't), who your best friend is, who your enemy is, or even what gang you are affiliated with (as sad as this is, there are kids in the city schools affiliated with gangs as early as sixth grade). I want the students to walk into the classroom not worrying about others judging them because of the practices listed above. If a problem arises, I will address it, by why ignore what may or may not exist?

I have a lot more about this article that I've written down, but I guess it can wait until class! Any thoughts?