Teaching with social-justice in mind

Greg Michie

His book, Holler if You Hear Me: The Education of a Teacher and His Students, became a favorite of young urban teachers when it was first published a decade ago. Now it's in its second edition. Greg is interviewed by Teacher Magazine.

I don’t think we can look at kids in poor neighborhoods, on the South Side of Chicago, for example, and think, “Oh well, kids are kids everywhere. They’re just like kids in a wealthy suburb of Chicago.” In some ways they are. I think twelve- and thirteen-year-olds have many of the same worries, fears, anxieties, and joys, but at the same time there are some real stark differences. It’s really important as a teacher to get to know that child, that context, that community, and not just say, “I teach 7th graders.”