So I've been having my students writing about their experiences at school. One of my most disengaged students (who has missed my class quite a bit) told me that he didn't want to write about school and that he was really mad because he kept getting stuck in "ISS". I had not idea what ISS was, so I asked him about it, and he started telling me all about it. I asked him to stop, for a moment, and quickly write down everything he knew about ISS. He looked at me like I was crazy. "Seriously," he said.
"Seriously," I replied. "Your essay is going to be about ISS. Write a letter to our alien friend explaining what ISS is and then you're done."
Here's what he wrote.
My teacher told me to tell you about ISS. First of all ISS stands for "in school suspension". It's for if you do something bad or if your late for class... In the morning the prinsiple "witch is the head of the school" will call you down to the office. When you get there they will search you for your phone ipod or any electronics that you have. then they have a box with wood wall thats about 4ft wide with a camera above it so the prinsiple can watch you. And when your in it the teachers will bring you work from your classes to work on. Then at the end of the day the teachers will let you out and you can go home.
I understand from Laura that these 8 sentences represent the most that this child has ever written in one sitting. As I see it, it contains all of the essential components of a narrative--a beginning, a middle and an end. And it has some intriguing details--the frisking and the surveillance apparatus.
To be frank, I found this child's tale of ISS a little terrifying. I wonder what is really in that box and if it is a camera is the principal really watching? And if he is, what does he want to see? Or not want to see? And then I wonder about the purpose of locking a child in a surveiled room for a day. What is the child learning from this?
This child is learning that someone is watching.
No comments:
Post a Comment