Sample letter written by one of the BAWP peer response pairs:
Dear Kristin,
We really enjoyed reading your Breakthroughs draft! Below are some things we thought are real strengths of the piece, and a few considerations for revision (should you choose to explore them).
Strengths:
We absolutely loved the idea of a commitment to joy, especially in such difficult and uncertain times. This gives the impression of an educator who is responsive to the world around her, and who has genuine concern for what her students are going through. We appreciated the concrete examples of texts that offer space for creativity and the curriculum changes that demonstrate flexibility. The references to specific texts that influenced your decision making and commitment to joy from Dr. Cruz, hooks, Walker, etc. are relevant and helpful to other educators who may wish to do the same. Similarly, the section that gives the reasons students may not get through the semester or continue past the semester demonstrates an empathic motive behind teaching.
We also appreciated the flashback to Mrs. Davis’ classroom and seeing how your experience as a young student was reflected in your efforts as an educator who cultivates creativity among her students.
We also enjoyed the tension between finding joy and keeping the class challenging. We can picture the conversations with your colleagues who dismiss the idea that a challenging classroom can be fun, and we agree with your stance that rigorous academic standards and joy (and even love) can go hand in hand.
Areas for consideration:
We were left wondering: how are students experiencing these joyful shifts in class? You give a couple of examples, but perhaps this might be an area for expansion (request: please include the rubber duckies!). You also have a section at the end that seems like it is beginning to address the role of joy in undoing the destructive nature of schooling for Black students (and other students of color). We’d love to see you continue to build that out.
Given that the push to include more joy in the classroom was sparked by the pandemic and other events of 2020, we wonder: how is this particular moment in time driving the need for joy even more? What will you carry forward? (Will you go back to teaching Jesmyn Ward? Or is it all cheekiness from here on out?) How is this joy supporting your own growth as an educator? Do you also become more creative and flexible? Are the conditions for joy present for you (imagining this is what Mrs. Davis might have asked)?
We look forward to seeing the revised piece, and we offer our support as you explore joyful reimagining!
Feel free to contact us with any questions.
Hillary Walker
Anthony Gonzales