Keeping it real in the classroom

I believe students have this amazing skill of knowing when educators are being honest and being themselves. I loved UFT Vice President Janella Hinds' column ("Share your truths to gain students' trust," Sept. 5 issue) because I feel that the most important things I bring to my 8th-grade ELA classes are being my true self and sharing things that I enjoy.

Before the HMH reading curriculum was implemented, we could adapt the curriculum to have more windows, mirrors and doors. I wanted my students to see themselves in books they read but also access books that opened windows for them.

With a West African population at my school, I brought my love of memoirs and cooking to my class. We used Kwame Onwuachi's "Notes from a Young Black Chef." Our final assignment was for students to create a recipe that represented a part of them. I also brought in Onwuachi to speak with the grade.

Shakespeare did not resonate with me when I was a middle school student. But in college, I learned Shakespeare is something to see and hear, not just read. Since then, I love Shakespeare. I wanted to bring that to my students. We used "A Midsummer Night's Dream" Manga edition and Julie Taymor's production of the play to supplement the material. I also brought the Public Theater's Mobile Unit to perform Shakespeare in the schoolyard.

I brought in things that I love, things that I felt the students needed to read/see/hear, and I molded these things into real experiences.

Vincent Corletta, chapter leader, MS 137, Queens