February 4, 2008

As I read this, I couldn’t help but think about my school.  It is not as severe as this specific case, but similiar.  Our school has Open Court as our “phonics program”.  However, it is not a true phonics program.  It is very scripted and does not meet the needs of every type of learner.  Needless to say, I NEVER use it.  The TE is so full of dust it’s scary.  Why should I use a program that I know is not best suited for my learners.  I teach kindergarten with a high percentage of ELL in my classroom.  They need interactive dialogue, modeling, one on one, small group, whole group, partner time, individual time….NOT DIRECT INSTRUCTION TIME!  I must say that I have never been made to teach this program.  It is stated that Open Court is our phonics program and time has been built into the daily schedule for it by administration, but no one comes around to check to see if you’re teaching it or not.  I feel that I am the teacher in the room.  I work with these 19 individual students everyday.  Shouldn’t I be the one and the only one who decides what’s best for my learners?  I think so.  I do not agree that someone who has been out of the classroom for X amount of years or better yet has never set foot in a classroom should tell me what is the best way to teach my students.  How does that even make sense?  It seems that education has just become too political and we are worried too much about the wrong things.  The joy of teaching is being taken away by “the powers that be” and I believe this is a major factor in teacher attrition. 

February 4, 2008

“Of the experiences I have had with reading in and out of Brazil, I would single out as the best the ones I gained from coordinating reading groups around the text.”  (p.57)

When I read this I immediately thought of our book study groups from the fall semester.  I absolutely loved reading books and discussing them with my colleagues and friends.  I gained new insights and perspectives that I might not have had otherwise.  The girls from SES (Molly Hammer, Charlotte Tyson, Teresa Hinton, Corey Rieke, Jen Pomfret, and I) decided to take it one step further and create a book study group at our school as our burning issue from Barbara and Tonia’s class.  We were very enthusiastic about doing this.  We couldn’t wait to get started and we proposed the idea to our principals who approved it.  There was a catch.  We couldn’t allow the staff to choose only from our book list.  Instead we offered some suggestions and so did some other people (administrators, literacy coach).  In the end, half of us lead a study on a book that we all chose and the other half were stuck leading a study on a book that we were only partially interested in.  I think that for there to be active and engaging dialogue, one must be interested in the book and interested in being a part of a discussion group.  I believe Freire is correct in the fact that he believes that some of the best reading comes from “forming reading groups around the text”.   However, I think that the members of that group need to be there willingly.  It seemed as though the people involved in this book study were only doing it as a “half to”.  In the end the book study wasn’t what we had dreamed it would be and I have often pondered starting my own little book discussion group with my colleagues who are interested in being an active member of the group over the summer.

January 28th, 2008

When reading this chapter I had a very powerful connection to the section on the “Codes of Power” p. 98.  I was reading about code switching and find that I am often doing this myself.  I grew up VERY southern.  As if my accent isn’t bad enough, I use words like “warsh” instead of “wash”, “orttoo” for “ought to”, and “jeet” for “did you eat”.  I honestly have to watch my speech.  I learned code switching very early in my life.  I had teachers that would constantly correct my language and I finally conformed.  I am thankful that I am able to speak in Standard English but at home my language is very different.  I use my own experience with language in my classroom.  I speak in very clear Standard English as a model for all of my students, especially my ESOL students.  I find that modeling appropriate language helps these students to learn and speak the language themselves more quickly.  I also use some slang with my students to model code switching as Kay Goodloe talked about on p. 99 and they love it.  I think it is important for students to keep their current language, the language they come to school with from home, as well as learn the “correct” way to communicate based on the demands of the society in which these students will inevitably grow up and work in.  To teach my students how to become outstanding citizens means to teach them how to function in society beginning with how they present themselves through language.

January 28th, 2008

When I initially read some of Freire’s letters, I had a very difficult time connecting with what he had to say.  However after our class discussions with Rhina and the background information Caren shared, I am beginning to understand him more and more.

As I read the fourth letter, I enjoyed his perspective on the important attributes that an educator should possess.  The two that I connected with the most were humility and lovingness.  I feel that all educators should possess humility.  I absolutely love Freire’s quote “…No one knows it all; no one is ignorant of everything”.  (p.72)  This made me reflect on my career as an educator.  Every student has brought something special to my classroom.  None of those students knew it all and none of those students were ignorant of everything.  Each child brought something special that they shared with their peers and with me whether it was cultural diversity between them or a skill that could help a classmate.  I treated each student with respect and dignity.  I listened and learned from them and enjoyed every minute of it.  That is why I believe I also connect with the lovingness attribute.  I agree with Freire that these two qualities go hand in hand.  I think that to be a loving teacher means not only to love the students and the process of teaching, but to love the collaboration and peer work that naturally goes along with it.  Sometimes it’s hard to love all of these different aspects of teaching for one reason or another (ex: conflicts with colleagues, politics, etc). 

I think overall in the world we live in today, students need their teachers to be at their best.  I believe it is crucial to show students humility and lovingness as well as all of the other qualities that Freire named in his fourth letter.  Our students not only need to see positive role models at home but at school as well.  Each child deserves a warm and welcoming, risk free environment in which to learn.  Free of judgement and is adaptable to their needs.  I take it as a personally responsibility as an educator to provide this for each and every learner that enters into my classroom.

January 22, 2008 

As I read these two articles little sparks of memory were flashing constantly.  Some from my childhood and some from my years teaching.  When I was in school, it seemed to me at the time that all Asian children fit these stereotypes.  As it states in You’re Asian, How Could You Fail Math, “…Asian-American students are supposed to be devoted, obedient to authority, respectful of teachers, smart, good at math and science, diligent, hard workers, cooperative, well-behaved, docile, college-bound, quiet, and opportunistic.” (p.1)  I used to believe this so I thought all Asian children were just smart and shy.  As I look back upon these early years in my life I know now that these were stereotypes that I had formed.  It wasn’t until I was in high school that I realized that this was not true of all Asian people.  It is difficult to admit and I am still a little embarassed by this.  However, I am proud to say that my outlook has changed and I reflect this today in my teaching.

As a teacher, I revisit my childhood feelings and realizations quite a bit.  I try to be more culturally aware as a teacher than I was as a student.  I have taught several Asian-American students in my short seven years of teaching.  I have come across several who were very bright, some who struggled academically, some who were quiet and reserved, a few who were out-spoken and risk takers, and a few who struggled with their behavior.  When I would speak to some of my Asian students, they would not look me in the eye.  I accepted this.  I realized that in some cases that this is part of their culture and I respected that.  I feel that as an educator I need to be aware of all the different cultures that I teach and ways that I can make each and every child feel a part of the classroom.  I think one way of  doing this is through the culture quilt assignment.  This would help me to get a “snapshot” of where my students are from and some of their cultural background as well as making everyone feel a part of the classroom environment.  I think it is important as an educator not to judge or stereotype anyone based on their culture, but to accept and appreciate what each unique student brings to the classroom. 

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