(EDITOR'S NOTE: The following is an excerpt from Linda Christensen's new book,Reading, Writing, and Rising Up: Teaching About Social Justiceand the Power of the Written Word, now available from Rethinking Schools. Click here for more information about the book and how to order it online.)
Over a decade ago, 25 seniors sat in my Contemporary Literatureand Society class and discussed their futures. We had just celebratedSheila's 18th birthday and prom and graduation could be viewedon the horizon. After blowing out her candles, Sheila said, "Iam soooo happy to have made it to 18 without getting pregnant.I am the first woman in my family to graduate from high school.And the first woman to make it to 18 without a child." Severalother students joined in with similar stories.
Sheila's story was not uncommon in my classrooms. Many of my studentswere the first in their family to graduate from high school. Manywere the first to attend college. Some already had children.
Although my family situation differed in some respects from mystudents', there were similarities. I remember my fear that Iwould not graduate from high school. Mom left for work beforeI got up for school. She was too tired at night to ask about homeworkor even cook, much less initiate discussions about my future.I usually ate dinner at my older sister's home. Although I wasthe youngest child in my family, I was the first to attend college.My oldest sister joined me during my freshman year.
As a junior/senior English teacher, I understood the overwhelmingsense of awe and fear that college can inspire. I attempted togive my students the help I needed when I was a high school senior.