Teaching Hope: Disillusionment Reflection

"I started my day with the Pledge of Allegiance to the American flag. I end my day with an ongoing pledge to Ema and other students to give them hope to hang on to, to acknowledge their being, and to honor their heroic efforts to graduate from high school."

This quote was from entry 81, where a special education teacher strives to help Ema, a high school senior with dyslexia, graduate from high school. As I read this I wonder to myself how I would handle having not just one, but maybe five to ten students like Ema in my class. Students who have specific learning disabilities with IEPs what I must abide by and differentiate my instruction for. So as a teacher I not only need to make sure each and every one of my general education students are preforming well and engaged, but also that several students may need specific instruction that needs to be integrated into the lesson. It sounds near impossible to be honest. However, if that is my duty, and that is what will be expected of me (most importantly by the students), then that is what I will do.

As hard as we may try, and as bad as we want to see students succeed, there is only so much we can do. Entry 83 is a sad story, although unfortunately there is truth to it. When I become a teacher, I want to be able to have a connection so strong with my students, that they will want to do homework and work hard. I want them to feel like they will disappoint me if they do not do it, not that it will be no big deal. Listening to what this teacher did, and what Erin Gruwell did with her students, it makes me want to have a similar approach. I want to be able to pull aside a student into the hallway when they are not preforming well and tell them just that. I want to be able to have a serious conversation with a student and tell them that I expect more from them because I know they are more capable then what I am seeing. When you pull them aside from their peers and make it a one on one situation, as long as you have previously build good rapport with them, you should be able to make a meaningful impact on them and their work ethic. I want to be the fun teacher, but not the teacher that everyone thinks is a pushover. Students will work hard and I will expect that of them. Although I have strayed a bit from my original point, the fact still remains, there will be a student that is being impacted so strongly outside of the classroom that their work inside the classroom will be negatively impacted. There is nothing we can do to stop those outside forces--only continue to have high expectations.

Teaching Hope: Engagement Reflection

Having seen Freedom Writer's Diary and being in the process of reading this book, it makes be wonder if it would be worth while to have a notebook in my room that students can write into while they start class. It would be a good thing to get them started and hopefully make them feel comfortable in class. Obviously some students would take it more seriously, and have more to say, than others. However, having that option to express their feelings in words knowing someone might read it and empathize with them could be a comforting and reassuring feeling.

The entry regarding the student who was so adamant about the Confederate Flag made me consider the fact that I will likely have many students who feel the same way in my classes--especially living in this area. Although I will be a math teacher, how will I teach these valuable lessons to my students? Yes, it is their right to flaunt the flag/apparel; however, I need to express the importance of respecting others and not generalizing people based on race. Although I cannot change their minds, I can set a good example and hope they follow suit.

The Story of Schools--Episode 3 Reflection

It really is amazing to think about what the education system was like sixty years ago. There was an incredible amount of inequity in the schools and a great education was only available to certain students. In particular, women and students who were not Caucasian/American did not receive the education they deserved. Looking back at it, I was curious at the way it all unfolded as far as the order of events.

First was the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling that allowed equal education for all students regardless of race. Then followed equal treatment of women in schools. After that, it seemed that there was still some inequity across Southwestern America and California with Mexican-American students and Chinese-American students. Perhaps this order was due to when events happened; however, it boggles my mind that it really wasn't all that long ago that schools were so radically segregated and provided so little opportunity to all the students. 

As time goes on, I'm curious to see how schools will change to try to provide equal opportunity for all students. Will we see another huge movement in education similar to what happened with Brown vs. Board of Education? What will it be based on, and who will be the most affected?

The Story of Schools--Episode 2 Reflection

It really is pretty amazing to see how far this country has come in terms of education, and at the same time, we still seem to be treading in the same water we have been since the start of the 20th century. In retrospect, we see that it was asinine to give students standardized tests to measure their intellectual ability, however, we continue to do the same thing to this date. It was interesting to see that students would be forced into a 'vocational' program back then based on their standardized test scores. Now, oddly enough, the students who do not do as well on their standardized test scores are the ones who decide they want to go into the vocational schools to get more acquainted with a 'real world' job.

Piggy backing on the standardized test train, it is terrifying to think that they would give ELL students an IQ test and base their intelligence on it. It is hard enough for students who are not ELL to do well on the exam. It seemed to have provided additional 'evidence' for why minority students were not as smart as other students. In reality, it was a large form of propaganda that it seemed many people bought into.

I hope to see some good in Episode 3. It really is fascinating to see actual footage of what a classroom was like such a long time ago. There will be footage fifty years from now of our generation in schools that students will be watching trying to learn about what happened when we were in school.

Teaching Hope: Challenges Reflection

Entry number twenty-four reminds me a lot of Upward Bound (UB) with that the teacher did with the class. At UB, there is a rule called the 'no-dis policy', where students are not allowed to discount themselves or their peers. In a nut shell, it helps to keep the students thinking positively and fosters an incredible environment. In my classroom I hope to keep the same kind of positive atmosphere, and I am a firm believer that in front of students it is necessary  to be 100% positive 100% of the time.

As I read through these entries I think to myself, "How am I supposed to relate to any of these? They are seemingly all about attempted and completed suicide, drug use by parents, abuse, etc..." Those types of situations are nothing I have ever experienced in the classroom, and although I am sure I will need to some day, I hope I can provide the appropriate assistance. Many of these students who we will be teaching will have incredible backgrounds that we will would not even have been able to imagine. I got a taste of that this summer working at UB. I had a student in my class who had moved all the way up the east coast from Florida and was seventeen years old and in her sophomore year of high school. She sent me pictures of where she lived and it was practically a single wide trailer placed in a field with a long dirt driveway. Thankfully her work ethic was phenomenal, and she new she needed to work hard to get good grades and go onto college to get a good education. However, a majority of the student we teach, we will be unaware of their backgrounds and will need to always be accepting and understanding of the challenges they might be facing.

Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees Reflection

It is fascinating to think that four different generations are working together at the same time in the same workplace. As students start to graduate college with bachelors degrees and beyond, we see that they are entering the workplace with others in their field that are two to three or more times as old as as them. Working with these individuals should be very insightful and helpful, not detrimental.

When we encounter other teachers who are outdated as far as their teaching strategies, we can only provide suggestions. Anything more would create turmoil and discontent. As long as I know I am doing what I need to with my students that's all I can rely on.

The article suggests that going to the movies with parents is something that kids are embarrassed about. It is completely based on family beliefs and how the child was raised. I was never embarrassed to go to the movies with my parents, in fact, I enjoyed spending time with them. I cannot agree with the connections that this article is trying to make to family values, however, the points in the workplace that it touches on have some validity. In truth, while I am in the workplace I do not foresee having a problem with other coworkers unless they try to tell me how to do my job disrespectfully. I am completely open to constructive criticism, especially in my first couple years of teaching.

Maxon, Rebecca. "Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees."FDU Magazine. N.p., Winter 2005. Web. 16 Sept. 2015. <http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htm>.

Teaching Hope (Anticipation) Reflection

             As I read through these entries I begin to start feeling the same way the teachers did during their first few days of school. Having worked at Upward Bound for two years I have experienced having new students in my classroom for the first time, and it is an awkward situation. They are with their new peers, they are constantly wondering what others will think of them, and they are not yet willing to express their creativity. That is where I come into play.
     
              Many teachers in 'Teaching Hope' express feelings of intense nervousness. The most important thing I remind myself of in the classroom is that it is 100% necessary to be able to laugh at yourself. On the first few days of school it is imperative that students start to feel comfortable with me, their peers and most importantly themselves. Good conversations, great activities, and interesting and attention-grabbing math must be first and foremost on the agenda.

             Throughout this reflection I continuously think about what it might be like during my first few days of student teaching. I try and relate it to the entries that I read out of 'Teaching Hope' and how the teachers treat their first days. As those teachers worry about names and what the students are thinking of them, I picture myself worrying about the flow of the lesson and if I have planned everything the way I really want it to go. Getting to know the students and creating positive and meaningful interactions with them is crucial; however, I know that is something I can do without focusing all my attention to it.

Diversity, Learning Styles, and Culture Reflection

       As teachers we try to find the best possible way to educate out students. We hope that eventually we will find one specific way that we will be able to use for the rest of our career that will make teaching simple. Unfortunately, that isn’t the case. Frequently I need to remind myself of this because our students do not fit snugly into one particular “mold”. They each come from vastly different backgrounds and many times, we cannot even relate to what they have experienced. Because our students are so diverse in their backgrounds and cultures, the more diverse we will need to be in our teaching strategies.

       In the past (and to some extent today) students are given labels for how they act in school. Often times that takes the form of Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, where students have a difficult time staying focused or on task. What we must remember is that students are going through so many other things at school that may inhibit their ability to learn. For example, they may be bored with a lesson, be anxious about a bully, upset about a family matter, allergic to milk, temperamental by nature, or a variety of other things that we are unaware of. Again, it all relates back to knowing our students and getting to know them on a personal level so we know their backgrounds.

       At the end of the day, it all comes back to the importance of knowing the learner. The better the teacher can understand the learner and their habits, rituals, backgrounds, and home life, the better the teacher can accommodate for the student.

Guild, Pat Burke. "Diversity, Learning Styles, and Culture." Johns Hopkins School of Education. New Horizons for Learning, Oct. 2001. Web. 9 Sept. 2015. <http://education.jhu.edu/PD/newhorizons/strategies/topics/Learning%20Styles/diversity.html>.