Journal #10

I enjoyed the article Finding Ways In because it tied together a lot of concepts that we have been learning in this class and other classes in the GSE. I feel that ignorance is the biggest factor in why many teachers can struggle with students of different ethnicities. I know that some people are racist and/or just do not want to try but I have a feeling that being ignorant of different cultures is what holds a lot of educators back. 

First of all, many people assume that people immigrant to the United States because they want to be here and take advantage of our system. This could not be more false. Many people come here because they are refugees and have no other place to go. So we should deny them a good education and compassion because their home has been torn apart and blown up? Yes, that makes perfect sense. We also question why students have not had proper education and have been in and out of classrooms. Page 31 points this out by saying, “Eventually in Cambodia there were no classrooms, students, teachers or government-level education departments. Textbooks of all types were burned. Students in higher grades were condemned to die with their teachers.” Sadly, these people did not have the luxury of an education and here in this country some people are denying them their second chance at it. The last time this country was at war did the schools shut down? Were textbooks burned? Were teachers killed? No. It is impossible for anyone to judge the education or lack thereof that these students are coming into our schools with. What we have to do is understand what they have been through have some compassion and help them get what they deserve. 

Also, the article points out that “traditionally, parents believed they had full responsibility for children at home, and teachers or adults in authority had full responsibility for children at school or in other learning settings.” (pg. 32). Just because a parent is not calling, emailing or coming in about her child does not mean that she does not care about that child. A teacher might say, “ oh that parent doesn’t really care about her child because she does not come in.” What we need to understand is that this is a different culture and way of life. That parent may not want to come in because she might think she is insulting us and our authority as teachers by “stepping on our toes” and coming into school. The best way to get by this is more education. We need to educate ourselves on different cultures and customs and we need to reach out to parents and communities to let them know they can not only come into our schools but they are more than welcome and we want them involved. 

Lastly, what stuck with me was the student saying “I was placed in the Special Education program because of lack of English.” (pg. 37). After taking Michaela’s class and this one placing a child in a special ed program because he does not know English is just completely ridiculous. Just because a student does not know English or is not yet proficient does not mean he isn’t smart or capable. The article was able to hit on many important points that I think we all need to be aware of and ready for when we start our teaching careers.

Journal #9 - The Dream Keepers

Reading The Dream Keepers by Gloria Ladson-Billings helped me understand a little more about race and culture in the classroom. I was and am committing one of the downfalls that Ladson-Billings points out that many teachers do. On pages 34-35 she points out how teachers make the statement “I don’t really see color” and “I don’t care if they’re red, green, or polka dot I just treat them like children.” I always thought that this was a good way to go about it; just treat all of my children the same way. This might not be the right way to approach teaching or a classroom. The fact of the matter is that these children are different and not just different based on color. We cannot just look at all of our students the same because let’s face it all of our students are NOT the same. Some are going to come with learning challenges; others will come from challenges at home. It is truly our job to be able to recognize these differences from student to student, be able to accept them and be able to adapt our teaching to reach each student.

I think that the teachers in the book demonstrate teaching wonderfully because they all involve a sense of community and holding students to high-standards in the classroom and in life. Ms. Dupree dressed well every day because she believed she was working with the most important people in the world (pg. 38). What a confidence boost it must have been to those children to have a teacher say that each student was the most important person in the world. Another teacher Ms. Devereaux points out that “you’ve got to get a good education because the community needs your brain power.” (pg. 43). Not only is the teacher pushing the students to excellence but she is telling them that it is essential to give back your gifts to the community to help the community grow and thrive. Ms. Devereaux also created a parent phone chain that allows parents to contact each other if there is something going on. The book shows an example of a parent’s concern for her son being missing and the parents call around to find out where the boy is. The teacher can not only get in touch with parents quickly but she clearly has their trust and that goes a long way.

Something else that I wanted to point out was a quote that I highlighted on page 13. It says “[m]y father often worked two jobs, yet we still lived more modestly that most of my classmates did.” It disgusts me when some people argue that black people are lazy and they are kept in a “circle of poverty” because they do not work hard enough to get out of it and do better for their families. If they are raised in an educational system that is deprived they are less likely to go to college and get well paying jobs. Now laws have changed so employers cannot discriminate based on race but I am sure some companies still find ways to do that. Not too long ago a white person and black person could hold the same exact position and the white person would make more money. No wonder the black family had to work two jobs and still made less than the white family. How can we point fingers and blame people for being lazy when they have been put into a situation where there is no positive outcome or no outcome that builds them up as people? Like this book points out, there needs to be a stronger sense of community in the classroom and link that sense in the classroom to the greater community.

Journal #8

I just wanted to take the time this week to write about going to the Teen Coalition Center in Lowell. I think that going here is a very important part of this class and an important part of the program in general. I am not teaching right now and I know that many others are not teaching either. This is such a great way to not be in school yet but still have the opportunity to work with high school-aged students. 

One thing that I have learned is that my students (or young people in general) are going to teach me a lot. On one particular day that I went students did not have much homework to do so a group of boys were playing chess. I know nothing about chess so I sat down with them and watched them play. At first it was just a couple boys but then one of the volunteers, he is a teacher at Lowell High, sat down to match one of the boys. I walked into the room knowing nothing about chess and walked away knowing at least something about it. I could not believe how gifted these students are! Chess is not an easy game and these students were flying through games with one another. They were nice enough to show me a few things about the game.

By going I am able to learn a lot about myself, too. The first time I went there I spent a lot of time talking with the people who work there and the people who volunteer there. Someone was nice enough to give me a little tour and go over the programming and other activities that they do at the LCHC. After talking with the adults for about an hour I realized that I should be talking with the kids! I was so excited to be there and learn all about the program that I was trying too hard. I just needed to sit down and talk with these kids. At first I felt awkward because it was their space. I felt like an intruder because they are used to familiar faces there and need to be there in order to get homework, college work, etc. done. I quickly learned that I needed to get over feeling awkward because they are happy to have other people there. It is just another adult they know cares enough about them to be there and help them out. 

The time there flies by because it is such an inviting, great place for these kids to be. I was talking to one of my friends (not in the program) about how we had to do service learning and that it was in Lowell. The person’s reaction struck me because she said “oh wow, that must be really tough, good luck doing that.” And I just thought it was funny because it is not tough at all. They are just a great group of kids. Granted, they are kids that want to be there or have been suggested to go by a teacher or perhaps a friend, but they are truly some of the nicest kids that I have met.