Chapter 5 of The Dreamkeepers has been one of my favorite so far because I found it empowering, and made some personal connections with it.

I love that Ladson-Billings states, "Whether they exercise it or not, classroom teachers... have great power in determining the official curriculum" (87). I agree with her that ultimately, the teacher makes the choices from day to day, minute to minute, that will affect his or her students. I also agree that "teacher-proof" curriculum is the opposite of culturally relevant teaching. In reality, there is no such thing as teacher-proof curriculum, at least not if you're an intelligent teacher.

It is an astute observation that few people say they want to teach because they love the acquisition of new knowledge. Everyone mentions they do it because they love working with kids. Ladson-Billings points out that there are plenty of ways to work with kids that don't necessarily involve teaching them, and that a good teacher is someone who really loves knowledge and lifelong learning with a passion.

At one point, Ladson-Billings talks about Winston's project that involved her students researching leisure activities in the 1700's and 1800's. I thought this was a great idea, since her students only know a life with modern comforts and technologies. I also liked how this was school topic that opened up generational dialogue within families and got them somewhat involved. I thought it was awesome that this lesson culminated in a real quilting bee. I can't imagine a better way to make this learning experience so memorable. It reminds me of the preschool that my goddaughter, Ella, attends. Every year the preschool has a May Day celebration complete with a maypole dance that the children actually learn and perform for their families. They might not even realize the historical significance of what they are doing until they get a little older; all they know is they get to perform a fun dance, and it becomes ingrained in their muscle memory. Years later, when they learn about the  Medieval period in school, they will have real life experience to link with and build on.