Blog Post #11

3 Things That Stand Out to Me From This Semester!

Shalaby, Troublemakers- This was a very interesting article to read and I found that it relates to my service learning placement. In my second grade class there is a boy that is always getting in trouble. One time he missed out on a whole lesson because he had to sit at his desk with his head down which I disagreed with since the teacher could've simply talked to him about it. This article taught me that a lot of the time a child behaves the way they do for a specific reason. 

Service Learning- Even though I haven't had the best experience with my serving learning placement this semester, it was still an eye opening experience for me. I still enjoyed watching the students progress throughout my time volunteering and getting to help them when they needed it. It gave me real life experience of what it is like to be in a classroom which will definitely be helpful to me in the long run. It has taught me both what to do and what not to do in the classroom.  

Alfie Kohn, What to Look For in a Classroom- Kohn provides some good and bad signs in a classroom which I appreciated and found helpful for the future. It also made me more aware of how a classroom environment can greatly affect a students success. Providing simple things such as fidget toys or wiggle chairs can make a huge difference for a student who has trouble focusing.

 

Queering Our Schools Argument

In the reading titled "Queering Our Schools" the author Olive Earley argues that schools are not safe nor welcoming environments for LGBTQ+ students. Sasha Fleischman's skirt getting set on fire by another student is just one of the stories that proves the authors point. "In a recent survey 6 out of 10 LGBTQ teens said they felt unsafe at school and 82 percent had been verbally harassed because of their sexual orientation" (Earley 23). Schools often avoid bringing up anything that has to do with LGBTQ rights because it can become a very controversial topic. If schools did happen to talk more about LGBTQ+ rights and homophobia, kids would become more accustomed to it and there would be a lesser chance of stereotyping which can create a more positive environment for everyone. An easy way to introduce kids and make them aware of different pronouns is through books. I thought that the book titled "They, She, He Easy as ABC" that Ki shared in the video was a very informational harmless book for kids to learn a little bit about the different pronouns that people can be called in a fun way. Back to the reading, I really liked the quote "Community is built by working through differences, not sweeping them under the rug" (Earley 24). I believe that teaching young children that everyone is their own unique person is a good thing. Everyone's reality should be valued and respected. No one should feel unsafe in school because they are a part of the LGBTQ+ community, we are all human.

A Guide to Pronouns 

Ending Ableism in Education Quotes

In this blog I will be pulling out three quotes from the text and will be talking a little bit about them. 

1. "Disability only becomes a tragedy for me when society fails to provide the things we need to lead our lives - job opportunities or barrier free buildings" (Hehir 2).

I really liked this quote and it made me think about how having a disability isn't the issue. The real issue is how society reacts to people who struggle with certain disabilities. Society can be very ableist against people with disabilities. An example of ableism would be designing a building with no elevator or ramps for people in wheelchairs. That is sending a message to them that they are being discriminated against because there are no accessible forms of transportation for them to get where they need to be. This is also important to keep in mind if you're going into education. Say you have a visually impaired student, you wouldn't want to sit him/her in the back of the classroom because they won't be getting the information that they need. Instead, you would want to make sure that you sit them in the front of the class where they can see clearly. 

2. "The pervasiveness of ableist assumptions in the education of these children not only reinforces prevailing prejudices against disability but may very well contribute to low levels of educational attainment and employment" (Hehir 4).

People are quick to assume that a person who struggles with a disability will not do very well in school based on the disability that they were born with. Children with disabilities are often placed in "special classrooms" where they do activities to work toward solutions that can help them. The time spent in these "special classrooms" takes away from the time needed to learn academic material. It can also make children feel isolated or different from others which can create a stigma.

3. "The fact that dyslexia has as its main symptomatology the failure of children to learn to read, a primary goal of education for all students, and that dyslexic children are not the only children who struggle with reading means that explanations for this failure go to the very structure of schooling" (Hehir 13).

Dyslexic children not being the only ones that struggle to read is a reflection of the type of education they are receiving. The structure in which children are taught can impact the way they learn. Teachers that lack the appropriate preparation to teach children successfully can also prevent students from learning the appropriate material. If a student is struggling to read or do a certain task, it is not always caused by a disability. It can also be because of the teacher or structure of the curriculum.

Reflection: Every child has the right to a good quality education and deserves to be included. My goal is to create an inclusive classroom for my students where they can feel safe. Some ways to create an inclusive classroom is by having different toys and books that show or explain different situations that some students may struggle with. It is also important to be aware of how ableism can show up in schools. I provided a link below that shares some tips for handling academic ableism.

Tips for Handling Academic Ableism in the Classroom

 

Rodriguez "Aria" Reflection Blog

Reflection Blog-

While reading this text, it reminded me of the students that struggle in my school due to the language barrier. A lot of the students in my school have english as their second language. In my classroom, there are two girls that barely understand or speak any english and sometimes it is obvious to see that they are falling behind. Whenever the teacher assigns me to work with them, I always try to speak as much Spanish as I know and I also count in Spanish if we are working on math. Last Wednesday when I was helping the two Spanish speaking girls, a bilingual girl sitting nearby was amazed at the fact that I knew some of their language. Just by saying "Hola" or "Buenos dias" to students can make them feel more welcome in a classroom. Even the smallest gestures can make a difference. Spanish speaking students are missing out on so much in schools but it is not their fault. It is hard for them to adapt because they are in a Spanish speaking home where there is no english being spoken. A lot of the time Spanish speaking students are not perceived the same way as a primary english speaker. This makes them feel like an outcast or like they have done something wrong. They are almost held up to a higher standard and are expected to just pick up another language which isn't right. This reminded me of when Richard Rodriguez talked about how the American culture was forced onto his family and after time went by it made his family more and more disconnected from each other. He also mentioned how "children lose a degree of "individuality" by becoming assimilated into public society" which is very true. Children are loosing a piece of themselves by trying to become someone they are not.

Alternative ways to teach Spanish speaking students English

Literacy with an Attitude Reflection Blog

The reading "Literacy with an Attitude" by Patrick J. Finn, opened up my mind to the different types of education students can receive based on their parents income and the issues that comes along with it. It is disturbing to know that the type of education a student receives whether good or bad is all based off of their parent's tax bracket. There are four types of education, the working class schools, middle class, affluent professional and lastly the executive elite schools. The type of school a child goes to can drastically impact their future outcome or career path. Children who go to working class schools often perform the worse academically and directly go into the workforce after graduating high school. Teachers don't really care as much to build relationships with their students. They let students do the bare minimum and don't let them be their creative selves as much as they should be. Children are born to be creative and curious but working class schools are preventing that from happening. "Knowledge was presented as fragmented facts isolated from wider bodies of meaning and from the lives and experiences of the students" (Finn 10). These schools are preparing them to follow in their parents footsteps or directly enter into the workforce. Volunteering at Robert Bailey Elementary School this semester has shown me how creativity is not always seen as important. A lot of the time the students in my classroom are told to take out their work books and work by themselves on a certain number of problems. If they are stuck or don't understand the material, it is often disregarded by the teacher and they move on. This prevents students from learning the essential skills that could be important to them in their future. This text brought a deeper understanding to the different types of schooling that are out there and how they can each effect a students outcome after they graduate. The wealthy often go to schools that enable them to enter high paying jobs in society such as becoming a doctor or a lawyer. The lower class/ middle class lack resources and materials that allow students to receive a better education. The type of education these students receive lacks creativity and teaches them basic skills. This text dives deep into the issues that our education system faces. Every student has full potential and deserves to be their creative selves.

Applying Creativity in Your Classroom

Video Analysis Templates

 

Alfie Kohn- "What to Look For in a Classroom" Reflection Blog Post

Reflection Blog

Growing up, I always enjoyed going to school. I still remember my kindergarten teacher and how she always made me look forward to going to school. I remember her always having a smile on her face and having the sweetest voice. I remember the classroom being a very comfortable space from what I remember. She had bookshelves full of books and a big rug in the front of the classroom where we would sit as a class. Sure, the physical appearance of a classroom or school is important but a teacher also has a big impact on a students success. In Kohn's chart, it tells us that a controlling and imperious teacher voice is not a good sign and will hurt a students academic achievement. It is the teacher's responsibility to lift up his/ her students and to make their classroom a safe and comfortable space where students will learn the best in. They can simply do this by filling their classroom with books, colorful posters, student artwork, plants, and so on. Little things like these affect student achievement. Even a classrooms temperature, lighting, or air quality can affect a student's learning. For me personally, I learn better when the lights are dimmed and in a room temperature setting which may sound silly but it is true. The way a teacher sets up their classroom can also affect students based on age. Having chairs around tables or forming comfortable spaces with bean bags or wobble chairs for example can facilitate more interaction between students. Having desks in rows is one of the worst ways you can set up a classroom in certain cases. In an elementary school classroom, it is important to establish a comfortable environment so they want to learn. A classroom's physical environment and teacher are what make the classroom a positive learning environment. I enjoyed going through Alfie Kohn's chart because I think it will definitely be beneficial to me when I have my own classroom.

Click on the link below to learn more about some of the ways you can add comfort to your classroom and how it benefits students-

The Importance of Comfort for Student Success 

Canaries in the Mine Reflection Post

Reflection Blog Post on TroubleMakers

After reading TroubleMakers by Shalaby, it really opened up my mind to the issues that surround schools even more. As someone who is going into education and hopes to become a second grade teacher, it is very important to understand the possible reasons behind a students behavior. The students that are so called "troublemakers" are often the ones who are dealing with personal issues or issues at home. When a child starts to act up it doesn't always mean that they are doing it for attention, it could also be a cry for help. Shalaby compares these "troublemakers" to caged canaries in coal mines which I thought was extremely brilliant and interesting. As Shalaby says "I want us to imagine their behaviors which are admittedly disruptive, hypervisible, and problematic as both the loud sound of their suffering and a signal cry to the rest of us that there is poison in our shared air" (Shalaby). Coal miners would use canaries to indicate whether or not there is carbon monoxide present since they would die first before a human being because of their sensitive respiratory systems. This same type of situation is repeating itself, only this time it is in schools and affecting students. Students that are in negative school environments are just like caged canaries in a coal mine. Instead of receiving the help that would benefit them, they are constantly reminded of their problems or getting in trouble which is unfair to them in the long run. School should be a positive place where students get to learn new things and play with others. Just like Shalaby said, "pushing them through time-outs and detentions that graduate to more consequential forms of exclusion over time, and too often medicating them into docility" (Shalaby). A school's environment can have a significant impact on a student's behavior in school and people need to become more aware of this instead of jumping to conclusions or putting their kids on medications that force them to become quiet and easily influenced. Yes, kids can be loud and obnoxious but they are kids and sometimes it is their only way of showing that they need help especially if they are very young and don't know any better. It is not a teachers job to push aggressions onto students no matter the situation. Every student should have a voice.

Possible reasons for misbehavior  

Reflection: I really enjoyed reading this text and found it very important, especially for those going into education. It gave me a new perspective on why a child could be acting the way they are and it opened up my mind even more to the issues that students can encounter in schools. I hope that I get to fix these problems one day when I become a teacher.

 

Ethnic Studies and Why It Is Important

For this blog post, I am going to talk about the "Precious Knowledge" video that we watched last class and the reading "The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies" by Christine Sleeter and how they intertwine. In the "Precious Knowledge" film that we watched during class time, it really emphasized how important ethnic studies classes are for students. In the movie which was filmed in Tucson, Arizona, the Mexican American Studies program at Tucson High School brought students of all cultures and races together. It taught the students about their own cultural identity as well as others. Author Christine Sleeter also talks about how ethnic studies should be necessary as it can change someone's life for the better as we saw in the film. She talks about a boy named Carlos and how he was not a very good student. Later on, Carlos was introduced to the Chicano studies courses that his friend was taking at the time. After a while, Carlos became so interested in the course that he took as many Chicano courses as he possibly could. We learned in the film that about 50% of Mexican American students drop out of high school. Tucson High School's ethnic studies program was not only insightful but increased the graduation rate to about 93%. This goes to show that programs like the one at Tucson High School help students become more successful, more knowledgable about themselves, and their culture. Regular curricula can often be seen as "bias" or "boring" and not as insightful because it focuses more on one specific topic. In the film, we saw how engaged the students were even though some said that it was a challenging class. Many appreciated the challenge because it helped them grow and gain confidence.

Click on the link below to learn more about some of the advantages that come along with ethnic studies courses! → The Benefits of Ethnic Studies

   

The Four "I's" of Oppression

1) "We internalize things because there's a dominant narrative that tells us that there's a standard, there's a norm and if you're anything outside of this you're other." (Malbroux).

Explanation: When Lisa Malbroux talked about internalized oppression towards the end of her video she mentioned that this type of oppression is talked about the least. Internalized oppression has to do with an individuals own beliefs that eventually "contribute to feelings of false supremacy within themselves in relation to others" (TRC org). It is basically your own negative thoughts and beliefs about yourself or others. Malbroux explains that we often feel internalized oppression. An example could be feeling like you're excluded when hanging out with a group of people. I think that we all deal with internalized oppression without even realizing it. We are all guilty of making up misconceptions.

2) "Because ideology often presents itself as “common sense” or a way of

understanding the world, ideological oppression can have longstanding cultural and historical roots."

Explanation: Ideological oppression has to do with certain stereotypes that have become normal over time. An example would be "real boy" and "real girl" stereotypes. Before you're even born, you're already being forced into "gender norms." For an example, a boy is often gifted toy trucks or toy cars, etc and a girl is often given barbie dolls, makeup, etc. But why? We are shaped even while we are still in the womb to like certain things because that has always just been the societal norm. Malbroux also explains that these gender norms can affect which professions men and women go into. Certain concepts such as men being smarter than women and performing better in certain subjects such as mathematics can affect the amount of women in the engineering and science fields.

3) "numerous studies have demonstrated that scores do not predict academic success and at best reflect class privilege."

Explanation: There are certain policies, laws and social practices that all go into institutional oppression. Many schools require a certain test score in order for you to get accepted into that school but does it really show your true intelligence? Living in a rough low income area can affect your education. Schools in rougher areas don't have access to half the materials that a school in a rich area does. Schools in better areas are funded more money which then gives their students more benefits that will help them receive a better education.

 

Delpit, "The Silenced Dialogue" Reading

Lisa Delpit's argument in "The Silenced Dialogue"

The author Lisa Delpit argues that students of color struggle to receive the education that they deserve. The first aspect of power "Issues of power are enacted in the classroom" has to do with the power of the teacher over the students. A major problem that can happen in the classroom is treating each student differently because of their race or culture. The author explains "the students I have spoken of seem to be saying that the teacher has denied them access to herself as the source of knowledge necessary to learn the forms they need to succeed" (Delpit 32). As a teacher, it is your job to give all of your students equal access to all the help they need regardless of their race or culture. Being a teacher means that you have the power and authority to influence your students but it is important to use that power the right way. It is important to let your students have a voice while in the classroom because it benefits both the student and the teacher. In the reading the author shares the story of an accomplished caucasian teacher named Amanda Branscombe who worked with a group of students. "Amanda Branscombe, when she was working with black high school students classified as "slow learners," had the students analyze rap songs to discover their underlying patterns. The students became the experts in explaining to the teacher the rules for creating a new rap song. The teacher then used the patterns the students identified as a base to begin an explanation of the structure of grammar..." (Delpit 33). This teacher allowed her students to contribute which is a very important aspect of learning. In this situation, this teacher allowed for the students and herself to both be experts. As a future educator, it is important to stay aware of the way you handle the amount of power that you hold in a classroom. It is especially important to make sure that you treat each student equally and give them the education that they deserve to become successful. 

Reflection: Being a teacher is a whole lot of responsibility and it is important to make sure you maintain self awareness because it can have a drastic impact on students.

https://www.thesocialemotionalteacher.com/self-awareness-in-the-classroom/