As I’ve had time to think about her ideas, I’ve realized that Hooks’ vision for a dynamic, collaborative classroom is nearly the perfect inverse to my own high school experience. I mentioned this earlier in the semester, but I spent three years in cyber school, where I then graduated high school. I’ve also been vocal, to those who ask, that this was overall not a positive experience for me, and that I would generally not recommend it over brick-and-mortar school — rather, cyber high school should be a last resort.
So, Hooks’ ideal classroom takes all that cyber school lacks, and flips it on its head; all that I saw could go wrong in education, Hooks denounces. Particularly in the case of high school, collaboration and socialization (discluding bullying/harassment) is incredibly vital for intellectual growth and emotional maturation. Actively and continuously engaging with teachers and other students, particularly in the classroom, is tremendously helpful to effective learning. In cyber high school, I saw the reverse of this; where I hardly ever engaged with my classmates, and never spoke to a teacher face-to-face. Ultimately, I do believe that this stunted my academic growth, even bleeding into the start of college (due to all of the negative habits I developed during high school). Hooks’ emphasis on collaboration in the classroom is not without cause; it truly is fundamental for continued growth, intellectually and as an individual.
