#memorablemomentsineducation #2:
My teacher, Mrs. Ater, kicked me out of reading group in 6th grade. I don’t think this was the time I actually went to the principal’s office (though that happened a couple times); I think she was just exasperated with me and needed me to go away. The reason? We were asked one of those generic questions about a passage that began, “What do you think?” Well, if you’re going to ask me what I think, then I don’t believe you can tell me my answer is wrong. I’m sure I spent too much time arguing with her about how valid my response was, so she politely asked me to leave. I remember this moment not because I was right (though I was) but because she knew I needed that moment to realize our entire class was not about me, my arguments, or my inflated sense of injustice.