This experience has forever changed my teacher identity. I have taught several times before but this one stands out. It put me outside my comfort zone and gave me insight into a new group of kids. Growing up I thought of the ESL kids as standoffish and uninvolved with the rest of us. These kids gave me such insight in to a world I never even considered.
These children are such hard workers. They come in and although they are loud, in and out of their seats and just plain rambunctious, they want to learn. The desire to succeed is there and that's what makes me hopeful. One of my most favorite developments has been my two Portuguese girls. When I started teaching they had also just started class in an American class room. They spoke no English. The students were able to help them since they could understand their Spanish. I however, was left frustrated. Almost every time I was in class with them I could watch and see them falling behind. They didn't understand enough and when they didn't do something they just got yelled at in more English they didn't understand. It was hard to watch. Over the semester however, they have flourished. While they still need a lot of work in their English a favorite moment was when we were walking to library one day and one of the sisters turns to me and plainly says "You have a pencil in your hair." I cannot convey the happiness I felt for her. She could have never said that back in September. Near the end I really began to connect with the girls and with the use of my translator device I could further my help. Seeing this development has helped me vastly. First, I am now on my way to getting my ELL certification so that I may be able to teach an ELL class History. Second, it gave me hope. So often I see lazy uninspired kids and when I see how hard they worked and what resulted from it, I know that a change really can happen. Finally, it did also solidify my choice to be a high school teacher. While I adore those kids, I know I need to teach a higher level. :)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Prompt 5
Reaching out to parents can be a great challenge. You may find disinterest, too involved with other issues and other things. First, while disinterest is a horrible thing to happen, it does occur. Parents may shy away from being involved with their child for a number of reasons. Many are in the labor force and are very busy with their jobs. working hard to provide. This leaves little time to check in at school and see where the child is at. Adding something to the plate may not be an option. In the case of my classroom, even contacting the parents could prove very difficult. As an ELL class many of my students parents don't speak English. Communicating through the child is not always an option especially when you need to talk about the student one on one and not have them involved. Even sending a private notice home may need translation and if the child or one of the child's generation is the only option, then this lacks the privacy and delicacy that may be required if an issue is being handled.
To counter this I would have to take several measures. I could individually inquire to each student their living situation. I could ask if their parents can understand English or if there is another adult that could help if not. Of course, this would have to be dealt with the utmost sensitivity. It must be conveyed that this inquiry is solely for the benefit of the child. Another alternative could be looking to anyone on the staff that may be able to help with communication. If not, reaching out to the local community gives another option. If a student or family is uncomfortable because there is a language barrier, using a translator could help them feel more comfortable and bridge the barrier. Another problem that may come up is the issue of cultural diversity working against the group. For example, the way the students are taught in class is not the same structure they learn at home. One day during library I had a discussion with the teacher while the kids were reading. I had noticed that he had deliberately separated certain people. I asked if this was so they wouldn't talk to one another. He explained that not only that but he found that certain kids were taught to read differently than others. In their homes some learned to read aloud while others followed with their finger etc. When it came time to reading children were getting upset because they couldn't read because so and so was talking and there "isn't supposed to be noise." The catch was many of these students are still remedial readers and need to use these tools to comfortably read the story. If I were to run the class I could encourage the students to try to have reading time at home and maybe read with an older member of the family. Like Delpit explains, different cultures have different ways of doing things. Her notion of authority argument comes into play here. When different students put up a fuss about the reading there is different ways to handle it. I believe firmly that each student should be dealt with in a way that is effective between the two of us. Some students I could quietly ask for them to find another area to read in and that would be the end. However not all students hold the idea of power this way. Some need a louder stricter discipline that they know in their homes. I do not have any white students in my class so I cannot fully compare Delpit in the sense where I would treat the white and black students the same. They are all minority races that are in fact the majority in this class room. I am the minority and I must adapt to them. Not only must I adapt to them I must find ways to adapt to the parents.
To counter this I would have to take several measures. I could individually inquire to each student their living situation. I could ask if their parents can understand English or if there is another adult that could help if not. Of course, this would have to be dealt with the utmost sensitivity. It must be conveyed that this inquiry is solely for the benefit of the child. Another alternative could be looking to anyone on the staff that may be able to help with communication. If not, reaching out to the local community gives another option. If a student or family is uncomfortable because there is a language barrier, using a translator could help them feel more comfortable and bridge the barrier. Another problem that may come up is the issue of cultural diversity working against the group. For example, the way the students are taught in class is not the same structure they learn at home. One day during library I had a discussion with the teacher while the kids were reading. I had noticed that he had deliberately separated certain people. I asked if this was so they wouldn't talk to one another. He explained that not only that but he found that certain kids were taught to read differently than others. In their homes some learned to read aloud while others followed with their finger etc. When it came time to reading children were getting upset because they couldn't read because so and so was talking and there "isn't supposed to be noise." The catch was many of these students are still remedial readers and need to use these tools to comfortably read the story. If I were to run the class I could encourage the students to try to have reading time at home and maybe read with an older member of the family. Like Delpit explains, different cultures have different ways of doing things. Her notion of authority argument comes into play here. When different students put up a fuss about the reading there is different ways to handle it. I believe firmly that each student should be dealt with in a way that is effective between the two of us. Some students I could quietly ask for them to find another area to read in and that would be the end. However not all students hold the idea of power this way. Some need a louder stricter discipline that they know in their homes. I do not have any white students in my class so I cannot fully compare Delpit in the sense where I would treat the white and black students the same. They are all minority races that are in fact the majority in this class room. I am the minority and I must adapt to them. Not only must I adapt to them I must find ways to adapt to the parents.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Prompt 4
Bringing your own personal history and characteristics to the classroom could be highly beneficial. However, a fine line must be maintained. While this could be used as an aid the teacher wants to be conscious of not pushing their personal style onto the students.
As a history major using your own history to relate is key. When teaching a lesson the teacher does not need to focus solely on their history. Instead, tapping into what the students know and have experienced can help them to connect and understand what is being taught. As I have heard many times over the years many students feel that history have no relevance to their lives. By working on the bridges between the past and now brings the past into a relevant frame of mind.
Also there will come a time when my history cannot be related with my students. Because the age gap will seperate our histories what may be clear in my mind may be a vague or nonexistent memory in theirs. For example when working with my fifth grade ELL class, the topic of 9/11 came up. The teacher and I each shared our own stories. I spoke of how my father is in the Navy and was out to sea when it happened was gone for 9 months that year to go defend our country. I spoke about the fear of the nation that day and they learned what patriotism was and how there was a surge following this tragedy. Without my personal account as well as the teachers, the students only have what the book tells them. Since there were only two years old when this happened they lack a personal relation to this event. In addition to that many were not even living in this country yet. However we noted to the class that perhaps this event may have played a role in their family life. The students were instructed to ask their family members how this connected to their home. While some came back with no connections others said how siblings joined the military or other family members felt a desire to be a United States citizen after 9/11. This activity brought an event that didn't hold relevance to students and made it a little more "real"
However, this activity was not without controversy. One student who is Muslim came back to class and said that his family got upset when he asked about 9/11. He told us that his family felt that what happened after was unfair. His family felt discriminated against. I then explained to the class that not everybody was equal after this. However I felt this was a delicate situation so I turned it over to the teacher. He explained that while 9/11 was the work of a certain group, many people generalized and discriminated against Muslims in the US. Another Muslim student in class said how her older siblings got called names and sometimes the teachers didn't say anything. This directly connects to Megan Boler and her talk on hate speech. She explains that "some hostile voices are penalized while others are tolerated" Whether the teacher who did not defend my students sibling was afraid of taking a stand or they didn't agree doesn't matter. Every ethnicity at some point has faced discrimination and that should be recognized. The teacher should look to their own past or their families past and realize that while we're not equal, and letting it continue only makes it worse for later generations.
As a history major using your own history to relate is key. When teaching a lesson the teacher does not need to focus solely on their history. Instead, tapping into what the students know and have experienced can help them to connect and understand what is being taught. As I have heard many times over the years many students feel that history have no relevance to their lives. By working on the bridges between the past and now brings the past into a relevant frame of mind.
Also there will come a time when my history cannot be related with my students. Because the age gap will seperate our histories what may be clear in my mind may be a vague or nonexistent memory in theirs. For example when working with my fifth grade ELL class, the topic of 9/11 came up. The teacher and I each shared our own stories. I spoke of how my father is in the Navy and was out to sea when it happened was gone for 9 months that year to go defend our country. I spoke about the fear of the nation that day and they learned what patriotism was and how there was a surge following this tragedy. Without my personal account as well as the teachers, the students only have what the book tells them. Since there were only two years old when this happened they lack a personal relation to this event. In addition to that many were not even living in this country yet. However we noted to the class that perhaps this event may have played a role in their family life. The students were instructed to ask their family members how this connected to their home. While some came back with no connections others said how siblings joined the military or other family members felt a desire to be a United States citizen after 9/11. This activity brought an event that didn't hold relevance to students and made it a little more "real"
However, this activity was not without controversy. One student who is Muslim came back to class and said that his family got upset when he asked about 9/11. He told us that his family felt that what happened after was unfair. His family felt discriminated against. I then explained to the class that not everybody was equal after this. However I felt this was a delicate situation so I turned it over to the teacher. He explained that while 9/11 was the work of a certain group, many people generalized and discriminated against Muslims in the US. Another Muslim student in class said how her older siblings got called names and sometimes the teachers didn't say anything. This directly connects to Megan Boler and her talk on hate speech. She explains that "some hostile voices are penalized while others are tolerated" Whether the teacher who did not defend my students sibling was afraid of taking a stand or they didn't agree doesn't matter. Every ethnicity at some point has faced discrimination and that should be recognized. The teacher should look to their own past or their families past and realize that while we're not equal, and letting it continue only makes it worse for later generations.
Prompt 2
As an ELL classroom I become highly aware of the linguistics and ethnicities within the classroom. The students are rather diverse in their ethnicities. There is a range of Hispanic heritage. While many speak Spanish they come from many different countries such as the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico. Besides Hispanic students there are others such as Laos and Portuguese. With all diverse backgrounds it many seem like there would be little unity. However, these students tend to bond because of the fact that they are all trying to learn, something unfamiliar, together. They even help one another out without hesitation. There are two twin sisters that are new to the US and speak very little English. Many times the students will translate for the girls so they can understand the activity that needs to be done. However, there is many times when either the students can’t help the girls or they are trying to learn the material themselves and cannot teach it to them because they don’t understand yet either. As in Goldenburg, the idea that the students should have a basic platform for grammar and other reading and writing skills in their native language is imperative. At times the teacher may try to relate to the students what they are learning by using their first language. For example, when trying to explain different tenses if the student does not understand tenses in their own language they may have a much harder time grasping the concepts. Despite there being barriers in language this does not have to be looked upon negatively. These students influence one another each day and pull from their own cultures to help themselves and one another to learn.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Prompt 1
The neighborhood I am teaching in is right between classes. On one end of the street is the upper class and clearly affluent with their manicured lawns and sparkling SUVs. On the other side is where the houses begin to become run down as you head more into the ghetto area. The building itself is quite large. I have not even covered a quarter of it. Conditions of the classrooms run from mediocre to dilapidated but most are decent. There is a lack or non existence or air conditioning or heating however. Spacially the rooms are quite large. The school seems to be rather old built in an old style with high vaulted ceilings. There seems to be leftover space in the classroom that could be put to good use. The school itself feels unorganized. There is always children running about in the halls and noisely at that. Many kids are misbehaving and not being corrected. The kids are constantly running around the classroom which is highly different than what I went through. If a kid were to just spring up and run about the room there would most definitely be consequences.
As for what is valued I cannot say. I have been going for several weeks and what I have seen is a but sad. The kids are constantly herded from class to class which takes up a lot of time. Then, they are yelled at to be quiet and to sit down and start the activity. All of this takes up much of the 35 minutes or so they have for class time. I believe this is not the most practical way of doing things. When I asked one of the girls about how they start class she said to me "We never were told how to do any of this. How are we supposed to know?" This leads me back to thinking of how classrooms should be run. This is what Shor states about it being focal around the teacher and not around the students. I know for a fact, one of their teachers Ms. Porter tries to just get through the lesson. When she told me this it said to me that she is just trying to meet a goal and if a few fall behind it is okay because the goal was met. If I was to say that to her I'm sure she would out right deny it yet it does not seem to be too far from the truth.
As for what is valued I cannot say. I have been going for several weeks and what I have seen is a but sad. The kids are constantly herded from class to class which takes up a lot of time. Then, they are yelled at to be quiet and to sit down and start the activity. All of this takes up much of the 35 minutes or so they have for class time. I believe this is not the most practical way of doing things. When I asked one of the girls about how they start class she said to me "We never were told how to do any of this. How are we supposed to know?" This leads me back to thinking of how classrooms should be run. This is what Shor states about it being focal around the teacher and not around the students. I know for a fact, one of their teachers Ms. Porter tries to just get through the lesson. When she told me this it said to me that she is just trying to meet a goal and if a few fall behind it is okay because the goal was met. If I was to say that to her I'm sure she would out right deny it yet it does not seem to be too far from the truth.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Here we goooo....
Hey I'm Caitlin and I'm a Secondary Ed History Major. This semester has really turned up the intensity on my work load. Entering my junior year has been a bit of scheduling nightmare. Not only do I have class and work but I'm now teaching, running events for my dorm and going to class related events throughout the week. If I survive this semester I get to go to my home in Spain where my Dad lives in Rota, Spain. Let's hope I don't drown in homework first.
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