I have already written a bit on this subject as a post to a classmate, but I will recap that post here. I have been able to observe the effect a family can have on a child’s education first hand. I worked primarily with the same two boys over the course of my tutoring; a boy named Mick and another named Ned. In the beginning, I thought that Ned would be the one to make dramatic improvements due to his interest in learning and his focused work ethic. Mick was a very active student, who could hardly sit still long enough to look at the words in front of him. However, as the months went by I realized that my initial assessments would be off. Ned was very quiet and needed relentless encouragement to begin an activity, but once he got into it he was more than excited to be a part of it. The problem came in the growing number of absences he had, as well as, the growing number of partial days. Through my conversations with the teacher I began to understand it as a family matter. I don’t know what the particulars of his situation are at home, but I do know that he will be repeating first grade because he has fallen so far behind. I also know that the teacher now shrugs her shoulders at the coaches that come in to help him. I think this is because it has been an ongoing issue and she’s been unable to get them on the same page as far as schooling is concerned. It kills me because he is always asking questions about word meanings and usually asks me if I can give him an example. He picks up on it so quick and makes sentences with the words to show me that he gets it. His excitement and curiosity for it make me wonder why every time we meet, the first five minutes is always spent getting him to be an active participant. I don’t know the situation, but I do know that he isn’t getting the education he needs and deserves. I wonder how it affects his view of schooling since he is so young. It seems to be of a secondary concern to his family so is that why I always have to pull that desire out of him?
The opposite has been true of Mick who is about to become a big brother. He is always talking about his family and the stories that his mother reads to him at home. He tells me that he reads to the baby in her tummy. He has made such a dramatic improvement in both behavior and reading. The teacher has even commented on the drastic difference between the guessing he was doing at the beginning of the sessions to the actual reading and self-correcting he is doing now. I believe these two incidents to be monumental in showing the effect a family can have in their child’s education. Thus, it’s imperative to find ways to work cooperatively with families.
My teacher writes notes back and forth that go with the child’s homework assignments. They are written in the language familiar to the parents and responded to for the next day. Though in all other situations, such as in the case of Ned I am not sure what steps, if any, were taken.
I can see issues being things such as time, money, differing cultural values, transportation, awareness, and language. I think that most of these are more or less workable to accommodate the needs of the parents for the benefit of the child. Though the difference in what is valued may be very challenging. If the family doesn’t hold education as a priority, how to you get them to see it as one?
I think Brown would say that there needs to be cooperation and understanding between families and educators because the student is the middle man who ends up carrying the burden if an understanding is not met. Her article dealing with misunderstandings between teachers and students stemmed from assumptions. The girls were misunderstood because their teachers made assumptions about their backgrounds. The teachers assigned and labeled the girls without even knowing them. Therefore it is imperative that we work with families to understand where a student is coming from in order to set up a cooperative and unassuming school environment. Everyone is different and we need to start accounting for that, whether it is making accommodations for the student or for the family.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Prompt 6:Carlson
All of the students in the classroom are made participants through hand signals, singsong phrases, and repeated instruction that tend to include demonstrations. I have truly fallen in love with some of the phrases employed by my teacher. The ones that she tends to use most often are “your own smart thinking”, “crisscross applesauce”, and “I like the way that…” I think that the first is effective in getting all of the students involved because they all feel empowered and capable. Some of the students try to shout out the answers if they feel another is taking too long to come up with it and that is usually when this phrase is heard. This is one case where I do feel that the students are all put on the same level as one another in the fact that she is reminding them that they are ALL smart thinkers.
As far as “crisscross applesauce” is concerned, it is a perfect example of the sort of singsong phrases she uses to help them understand the behavior that’s expected. I would hear this one during morning meetings on the rug when kids were standing up when they were supposed to be sitting down in their squares. The creation of all these various techniques for getting students to understand the teacher as well as one another is quite effective. In a couple instances, I have found that using these known phrases to help the students understand what I need from them has been imperative. The phrase beginning with “I like the way that…” usually means she is trying to get other students to copy a student that is doing something the way she wants it to be done.
I feel strange saying this, but sometimes I wonder if this creation of classroom specific communications aids as a normalization technique. Carlson warns against the normalizing of cultures in school systems. He states that, “public schools in particular have often promoted such normalizing conceptualizations of community that are based on defining a cultural center or norm”. He then goes on to talk about the margins created through the promotion of these norms. I don’t think all of the phrases emphasize any particular cultural preference, but they do in effect normalize the kids toward certain behavioral patterns. Those having the privilege would be the kids who follow the teachers idea of proper classroom behavior and are thus usually the ones being named and described at the end of the phrase, “I like the way that…” I understand the need for order and as I had said before, I have used some of her phrases to my advantage considering how well the kids respond to them, but I do feel as though this would be considered normalization or I can see how it could be taken there. They are being told what to sing, how to sing it, what actions may be associated with it, and so forth. If these types of communicative techniques exist worldwide then essentially they will differ from teacher to teacher based on their own experiences. Thus, could you say that the teacher normalizes the students based on their perception of a cultural norm? I am probably reading too much into this one, but I do feel that the application and effects are similar, but on a lesser scale than what Carlson describes.
As far as “crisscross applesauce” is concerned, it is a perfect example of the sort of singsong phrases she uses to help them understand the behavior that’s expected. I would hear this one during morning meetings on the rug when kids were standing up when they were supposed to be sitting down in their squares. The creation of all these various techniques for getting students to understand the teacher as well as one another is quite effective. In a couple instances, I have found that using these known phrases to help the students understand what I need from them has been imperative. The phrase beginning with “I like the way that…” usually means she is trying to get other students to copy a student that is doing something the way she wants it to be done.
I feel strange saying this, but sometimes I wonder if this creation of classroom specific communications aids as a normalization technique. Carlson warns against the normalizing of cultures in school systems. He states that, “public schools in particular have often promoted such normalizing conceptualizations of community that are based on defining a cultural center or norm”. He then goes on to talk about the margins created through the promotion of these norms. I don’t think all of the phrases emphasize any particular cultural preference, but they do in effect normalize the kids toward certain behavioral patterns. Those having the privilege would be the kids who follow the teachers idea of proper classroom behavior and are thus usually the ones being named and described at the end of the phrase, “I like the way that…” I understand the need for order and as I had said before, I have used some of her phrases to my advantage considering how well the kids respond to them, but I do feel as though this would be considered normalization or I can see how it could be taken there. They are being told what to sing, how to sing it, what actions may be associated with it, and so forth. If these types of communicative techniques exist worldwide then essentially they will differ from teacher to teacher based on their own experiences. Thus, could you say that the teacher normalizes the students based on their perception of a cultural norm? I am probably reading too much into this one, but I do feel that the application and effects are similar, but on a lesser scale than what Carlson describes.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Promt 2: Johnson
I loved being able to use infoworks to compare and support my classroom observations with statistical data. The classroom I am tutoring in is made up of mostly Hispanic and African American students. When I looked up the breakdown on infoworks I wasn’t shocked to find out that the student population at this school is 64% Hispanic and 24% African American. There is one white student in the classroom and only 6% of white students make up the population of the school. English is a second language for 27% of the students and while infoworks says that these students receive bilingual education services, I have yet to observe this. The only reference to Spanish I have observed is in the pronunciation and sounds of what they are reading, but I’ve never heard anyone speak it outright. A lot of the students come from low-income or poverty backgrounds with 86% of them being eligible for free or reduced lunch price. From what I understand of the students that I tutor, their parents work multiple jobs and tend to be in and out a lot. Most of them have older siblings that look out for them in between. It tends to be the same students who miss class most often and who almost always neglect to have a parent signature on their school papers.
The most prominent assets that the children bring to the classroom are their open minds and open hearts. Johnson talks about needing to see the world for what it is and he believes that once we can do this that the issue of power and privilege can finally be addressed. One day a boy named Derek came walking into class late and was crying. He took off his backpack, settled into his desk, and began working, but never stopped crying. Mick, the boy I had been working with at the time went over to Derek and gave him a hug. Many of the other kids followed suit one at a time until almost everyone in the classroom had made an effort to console him. I did not ask Mick to explain, but he did regardless. He whispered across the table to me that Derek cried because he really missed his mom and that it’s hard because his sister is now in the hospital. He continued to say, “He’s my friend because I know how he feels sad.” They aren’t really close so I saw Mick’s statement and display as him stepping off of Johnson's so called "path of least resistance". In catholic school crying was ignored. A student may pat another on the back, but it was not discussed; it was more so glossed over. I saw a change when I transferred into the public school system, but unless you were good friends with the person it was still, for the most part, ignored. Though the kids in this situation are choosing to recognize it and are taking steps at addressing it. The privilege Johnson refers to has always, in my experience, been given to those that do not allow their emotions to show or those that do not let another's emotions effect them. These kids, however, have deemed it necessary to show support no matter what the differences may be between them. This is the lesson that Johnson aims for in a more general regard. He wants us to recognize when something is wrong and be willing to do something about it. The kids are the future and it seems as though it will be a bright one with open minds and hearts leading the way.
The most prominent assets that the children bring to the classroom are their open minds and open hearts. Johnson talks about needing to see the world for what it is and he believes that once we can do this that the issue of power and privilege can finally be addressed. One day a boy named Derek came walking into class late and was crying. He took off his backpack, settled into his desk, and began working, but never stopped crying. Mick, the boy I had been working with at the time went over to Derek and gave him a hug. Many of the other kids followed suit one at a time until almost everyone in the classroom had made an effort to console him. I did not ask Mick to explain, but he did regardless. He whispered across the table to me that Derek cried because he really missed his mom and that it’s hard because his sister is now in the hospital. He continued to say, “He’s my friend because I know how he feels sad.” They aren’t really close so I saw Mick’s statement and display as him stepping off of Johnson's so called "path of least resistance". In catholic school crying was ignored. A student may pat another on the back, but it was not discussed; it was more so glossed over. I saw a change when I transferred into the public school system, but unless you were good friends with the person it was still, for the most part, ignored. Though the kids in this situation are choosing to recognize it and are taking steps at addressing it. The privilege Johnson refers to has always, in my experience, been given to those that do not allow their emotions to show or those that do not let another's emotions effect them. These kids, however, have deemed it necessary to show support no matter what the differences may be between them. This is the lesson that Johnson aims for in a more general regard. He wants us to recognize when something is wrong and be willing to do something about it. The kids are the future and it seems as though it will be a bright one with open minds and hearts leading the way.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Prompt 3: Shor
I think that in my case, I would have to say I don’t know how a culturally competent teacher would respond in assessments. My classroom stands divided with twelve different reading levels in the one room. I understand the need for each child to be able to develop at their own pace, but all the games and activities that the students partake in revolve around these levels whether it is a game of Go Fish or a game of Candyland. Thus, the groups in which they interact are essentially predetermined.
When I learned all this on my first day in I was astonished, but that feeling was quickly replaced by dismay when I realized what it meant for the entirety of the students. There were groups formed and bound by these reading levels. Certain kids could not play with other kids since the games are reading and vocabulary based. Those students who are on the lower reading levels are in effect made to feel inferior by the kids in the higher reading levels. I have heard kids tell other kids that they can’t play since “you won’t get it cause it’s level eight and you are level two”. Shor would have a heart attack! He would be beside himself to have to see a child’s worth be dependent upon their reading level.
Now, I am not trying to bash this classroom, but in this case I could find no justifications for my observations. Most of the assessments as far as testing go are done on an individual basis in which the teacher pulls a student aside to have them demonstrate their knowledge, but in the case of the reading levels there needs to be a change. There are moments of empowerment in the classroom where everyone’s ideas are heard and everyone is made a participant, but I think that these moments become overshadowed by the child’s reading placement since it’s a part of almost everything they do. Even center time keeps the same children with each other.
Shor desperately needs to be integrated into this environment. Shor believes that all students need to be educated as critical citizens, but these children aren’t being taught to ask questions; instead they are falling into complacency. They are at the beginning of their lives and are already acting the part prescribed to them by others. They do not take on the role of motivated learners, but rather the passive beings of which Shor teaches against. The students need to feel empowered in order to be the best that they can be and segregation by reading level in not one of his forms of empowerment. Shor stated that “self and society create eachother”, so what kind of a society are we creating by allowing these kids to feel less valued than others? This clip by Kenneth Clark speaks of a need to give kids a positive sense of their own being in order to create respect others...
When I learned all this on my first day in I was astonished, but that feeling was quickly replaced by dismay when I realized what it meant for the entirety of the students. There were groups formed and bound by these reading levels. Certain kids could not play with other kids since the games are reading and vocabulary based. Those students who are on the lower reading levels are in effect made to feel inferior by the kids in the higher reading levels. I have heard kids tell other kids that they can’t play since “you won’t get it cause it’s level eight and you are level two”. Shor would have a heart attack! He would be beside himself to have to see a child’s worth be dependent upon their reading level.
Now, I am not trying to bash this classroom, but in this case I could find no justifications for my observations. Most of the assessments as far as testing go are done on an individual basis in which the teacher pulls a student aside to have them demonstrate their knowledge, but in the case of the reading levels there needs to be a change. There are moments of empowerment in the classroom where everyone’s ideas are heard and everyone is made a participant, but I think that these moments become overshadowed by the child’s reading placement since it’s a part of almost everything they do. Even center time keeps the same children with each other.
Shor desperately needs to be integrated into this environment. Shor believes that all students need to be educated as critical citizens, but these children aren’t being taught to ask questions; instead they are falling into complacency. They are at the beginning of their lives and are already acting the part prescribed to them by others. They do not take on the role of motivated learners, but rather the passive beings of which Shor teaches against. The students need to feel empowered in order to be the best that they can be and segregation by reading level in not one of his forms of empowerment. Shor stated that “self and society create eachother”, so what kind of a society are we creating by allowing these kids to feel less valued than others? This clip by Kenneth Clark speaks of a need to give kids a positive sense of their own being in order to create respect others...
Prompt 4: Delpit
Most of the students in my classroom come from poverty and are either Hispanic or African American. Due to the difference in personal backgrounds I have found myself caught off guard on more than one occasion.I grew up in a white, middle class, education oriented household. I attended catholic school until the eighth grade and understood the rules before they were spoken. My father was in the Navy and my mother was a stay at home mom. They “protected” me from life as long as they could. I left college a couple years in and began working full time. The restaurant business quickly opened my eyes to the melting pot of America. My life thus far has taught me that learning never ceases, all people have something to say, and all people want to be heard. Thus, when my students try to throw me for a loop I listen, ask questions, and question them (still waiting on a rebuttal).
I have learned a lot of educational theories this semester. Lisa Delpit has helped me out immensely in the classroom, considering I entered this new environment without the knowledge of its particular rules or traditions. Without her article, I could totally see myself being the white liberal teacher she is so weary of. I feel extremely ignorant admitting this, but I never would have thought to treat kids differently based on cultural backgrounds. Though through my observations I can clearly see that there has to be an individual assessment of where each child is coming from before you are able to address them and have them understand. Delpit said that explaining the rules makes it easier for those who are unfamiliar to understand and thus gain power. Her theory has given me a new way to approach situations such as the fight that had broken out over a game of go fish. The teacher was in the opposite corner of the room testing a student so I asked the kids to tell me what they thought the rules were to the game. They each explained their case and when I finished listening I told them I understood the problem to be that they all had different opinions on what the rules actually were. The biggest problem they were running into was with a little girl named Joy who they believed to be cheating. They told her to “go away because we don’t like playing with you” and she sat there confused, on the brink of tears. Empowered by Delpits article I stood up and dictated new rules to the game and ensured that everyone understood them before getting back to my tutoring. This put everyone back on the same playing field and enabled the students to continue playing together. Joy payed particular attention to what I had said and became the authority on the rules as she refereed each round.
My only true misconception going into the class was that all cultural groups should be approached with the same regard. There are certain phrases, stories, and words that were part of my life growing up, but when brought up to contextualize something for them were lost on them. I needed to stop making assumptions and start listening to how they contextualized their lessons and readings.Empowering students can be as simple as understanding where it is they are coming from and helping them to understand what is valued in the environment. While trying to help them, they helped me. They shared the rules of their classroom and put me at ease in the weeks to come.
I have learned a lot of educational theories this semester. Lisa Delpit has helped me out immensely in the classroom, considering I entered this new environment without the knowledge of its particular rules or traditions. Without her article, I could totally see myself being the white liberal teacher she is so weary of. I feel extremely ignorant admitting this, but I never would have thought to treat kids differently based on cultural backgrounds. Though through my observations I can clearly see that there has to be an individual assessment of where each child is coming from before you are able to address them and have them understand. Delpit said that explaining the rules makes it easier for those who are unfamiliar to understand and thus gain power. Her theory has given me a new way to approach situations such as the fight that had broken out over a game of go fish. The teacher was in the opposite corner of the room testing a student so I asked the kids to tell me what they thought the rules were to the game. They each explained their case and when I finished listening I told them I understood the problem to be that they all had different opinions on what the rules actually were. The biggest problem they were running into was with a little girl named Joy who they believed to be cheating. They told her to “go away because we don’t like playing with you” and she sat there confused, on the brink of tears. Empowered by Delpits article I stood up and dictated new rules to the game and ensured that everyone understood them before getting back to my tutoring. This put everyone back on the same playing field and enabled the students to continue playing together. Joy payed particular attention to what I had said and became the authority on the rules as she refereed each round.
My only true misconception going into the class was that all cultural groups should be approached with the same regard. There are certain phrases, stories, and words that were part of my life growing up, but when brought up to contextualize something for them were lost on them. I needed to stop making assumptions and start listening to how they contextualized their lessons and readings.Empowering students can be as simple as understanding where it is they are coming from and helping them to understand what is valued in the environment. While trying to help them, they helped me. They shared the rules of their classroom and put me at ease in the weeks to come.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
First Impressions-Prompt 1
Hello Ladies and Gents, I hope you enjoy my first prompt response! I was a bit dumbfounded as to how nervous I was about going to the school so I did a little drive by the day before my first visit to ensure that I knew where I was going and to see if there was parking. The neighborhood looks like every other part of providence with houses right on top of one another and crossing guards waiting patiently on street corners. I was pleasantly surprised to arrive upon a small, but relatively new looking building with a parking lot right across the street. I pulled up to the school around 9:30 and had my choice of the lot. There were spaces everywhere, which temporarily added to my anxiety as I convinced myself I had missed the memo on school being cancelled, but I proceeded toward the building regardless. As I had stated before, the outside of the building looked new and was very well kept. It's a long brick building, lined with windows and it had a very welcoming and safe feel to it. I stood at the door in a sort of dazed state unsure of what to do next, when an incoming teacher saved me. The button to buzz your self in had been hiding amidst the bricks. The button looks like a large rivet with no characteristics suggesting it serves a purpose and/or I am just that oblivious. Once inside the doors, I was quick to realize that everyone had to go through the office in order to get into the rest of the building. The hallways are very clean, very wide, and decorated in a variety of bright colors. There are display cases filled with student work hanging along the walls as you walk around. The classroom doors as well as the bathrooms are clearly and colorfully labeled. The décor and overall feeling reminded me of my elementary school, minus the nuns and the ancient building. The first grade classroom I reside in is best described as organized chaos. I was completely overwhelmed. The beige, brick walls are covered in an endless amount of colorful posters. Props, both big and small, surround the “morning meeting” corner. The desks are in the middle of the room grouped into fours with the exception of one student who sits alone on the side of the room. At first glance, the classroom gave me very little faith that I would be able to do anything without constantly pestering the teacher for guidance. Although, after getting settled in and with the help of the students I managed. Manners are very highly valued at this school. There are always constant reminders whether verbal or visual to use please and thank you. The students are always more than happy to assist me, as well as one another. In fact, they will start whispering the answers to one another so the teacher reminds them that they, “each need to do their own smart thinking”. .
Saturday, February 13, 2010
ME
Well, where to begin? My name is Danica and I am 23 years old. Originally from Massachusetts I now reside in CT and RI, depending on the day of the week. This is my first year back in school after taking two years off to do a little growing up. I have dabbled, quite indecisively, in my fair share of majors over the past five years including architecture, advertising, marketing, anthropology, and sociology. Now I am back to finish school, to get my degree in Art Education, and to get on with my life. I spend my weekends waiting tables, doing homework, playing with little Lhasa Apso, Shadow, and helping one of my best friends plan her wedding. I've got a lot on my plate right now and there is never a dull moment, thank goodness!
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