Summary
The process of taking this class was slightly rigorous. As I stated in my podcast I am not much of a reader, therefore as the weeks passed in Black Latino Studies, I felt myself falling behind multiple times. It felt like my other peers were much more advanced in reading, writing, and speaking. There were multiple occurrences I had to read the current novel on the train, or in the class before class. This may sound like a negative thing, yet being in class and hearing the discussion our peers were having was vital for me. It felt as if I had read the book, in detail, after the class session was concluded. This allowed me to utilize the discussions we had in class as a preview before finishing reading the discussed part. I worked backward in this classroom, and it was successful because once everyone discussed the chapter, I would read it for myself after and would be able to ask questions that were not asked in class. Though these questions were not answered I built confidence in the ability to think for myself. As I stated in my podcast, this classroom was extremely special because it felt like a safe space, but I felt like I missed out because I did not get to chip into the intellectual conversation that was occurring. But every loss is a lesson. Over this summer I will attempt to read more, and possibly every day because I was once a reader years ago. Ms. Shelly encouraged us to use actual physical copies of the book instead of looking for PDFs because it is a more intimate connection with literature. Fortunately, the slight joy I had for reading sparked when we began to discuss the events that were occurring in Invisible Man. In college, reading just seems like an assignment more than a hobby or entertainment. Yet I found myself content every time I pulled out my physical copy of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, and curious about the conversations we had in class. Taking this class was very eye-opening. My expectations for the level of engagement were low and boring but I looked forward to class every morning. I hope to be blessed with another classroom environment as such.