Although I am not exactly sure about which grade I will or would like to teach, I do know that, in third grade, biographies (at least in my schooling) were focused on heavily. The biography I chose to read is about Helen Keller. As expected, I did learn a lot from this short biography and it was packed with dates and information about Helen Keller, who was both blind and deaf but still accomplished many amazing and remarkable things.
One thing that I learned and that was discussed in the book is that Keller, born in 1880, was not actually born blind and deaf. In fact, in 1882, as a baby, she became sick and the sickness caused her to lose her sense of sight and sense of hearing. Now, I found this detail in the book quite important as I wonder if the fact that she once experienced sight and hearing helped her later on to work with her teacher Anne Sullivan. The book also reported that she started speaking/making understandable sounds at just 6 months old. When I think about this then, Keller may have been able to use this to her advantage and benefit when she was learning how to communicate from Anne Sullivan.
During reading, I was very interested and intrigued by all of Keller’s accomplishments. For example, the text mentions that she was the first blind and deaf person to earn a Bachelor of Arts college degree. Not only is earning a degree very difficult and applaudable, but Keller did this all while not being able to see or hear. I truly found this impressive!
Another significant contribution Keller made during her lifetime is helping to found the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). This nonprofit organization’s primary goal is “to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States.” I thought this was noteworthy and an important contribution Keller made to hopefully benefit others.
Now, in the classroom, biographies (and biographies like this one about Helen Keller) can serve many purposes. First of all, though, perhaps one of the most obvious reasons for engaging with these types of texts is because students gain knowledge and information about the world around them as well as information about other people (whether they are still living or not). Even though Keller died in Easton, Connecticut in 1968, or close to 55 years ago, we readers/students can still learn a lot from her (including other biographies about other influential or even average or ordinary “everyday” people).
Taking Keller and this book’s example, though, we can learn that just because someone has what is a perceived disadvantage or disability does not mean that that person is destined for failure or lack of success. In other words, just because someone has a disability (or disabilities) like Keller, they can still make the most of their lifetime and accomplish amazing and incredible things. For instance, Keller worked on speaking out loud to others, and though she worked at it for over 25 years, she still was able to communicate with seeing and hearing people quite well. After reading, then, I felt empowered (even though I am not blind or deaf) in my own abilities and in my own life. I felt ready to “take on the world” and all of its curveballs just like Keller did (or in the sense that I felt as though I can handle anything that comes my way and make the most/best of it).
Another possible or relevant benefit to using biographies like one on Keller in the classroom, as the readings mentioned, is that we readers can gain multiple perspectives on a particular situation or person. This would/could be especially interesting if we did a whole unit or study on a person and read, compared, and engaged with autobiographies, biographies, etc. about the same person. In this way and through these activities, we would gain multiple perspectives and ways of seeing things. This not only teaches students about this one person, for example, but also that there is always more than one side to every “story.” Then, in this way, we teachers can help teach our students to be critical thinkers as well as to be more open-minded and less rigid or closed off to new ideas or perspectives. This, in my view, is super crucial and I believe we teachers, being that our job as educators is “ethical work,” must model and teach our students this.
Yet another important benefit to teaching and reading biographies like these are to show students that if they work hard and put their minds to something, they too can accomplish their goals. It is one thing to tell someone “you can do it” whether they are trying to get an A in a class (in elementary school), make the baseball team (in middle school), or learn to count to 100 (in preschool), etc., but to see and read about people who have actually accomplished things that seemed hard, difficult, or nearly impossible, shows students the sky really is the limit. Biographies, in my opinion, then, can be truly encouraging for students especially since biographies are (many times) about people who surpassed expectations and were every successful in one way or another.
As the readings stated too, biographies can be inspiring and show the incredible and often underestimated power of perseverance and a positive attitude. Plus, biographies usually show a whole lot of a notable person’s life (as that is their purpose/main focus) so they show the ups AND the downs. This can show students that they will hit bumps in the road, but it is all the more important to keep going once the bumps come up (and use perseverance and hard work). In this way, then, biographies are NOT just a “highlight reel” and can really inspire and motivate students even when times get rough or students feel hopeless. ESPECIALLY nowadays when students are spending so much time on social media or seeing others’ successes (because social media IS a “highlight reel”) it is essential that students see the struggles and the hardships too. Biographies can act then as that little glimmer of hope and help students know there is a way out of any dark hole they may be facing. For example, relating to Keller’s biography, losing her vision and sense of hearing could be devastating (although she was 18 months old), but readers can see all Keller was able to accomplish and achieve regardless. They will feel empowered and hopeful along with inspired and motivated!
As you can see, then, these are some of the major benefits reading biographies can have for children and students in the classroom. Engaging and teaching biographies, in my opinion, takes into account the “whole child” as they can be mentally helpful and attend to the hopes and dreams of the child. Biographies can have an inspiring affect on children and show them effectively that anything is possible for them! Regardless of their circumstances or situations, they can come out on top. And that is a lesson/piece of knowledge that I believe all students should understand and be exposed to at least at some point in their lives.
Emma's Education 307 Class 