I learned a lot of things in this class. I could just write a list and it would go on forever, but I will tell you the two things I found most important.
-Love your students. You never know where they are coming from. They may go to a lot of work to hide their struggles from you and their friends, so give them the benefit of the doubt. You don't know what they struggle with at home, if they even have one. Maybe they were kicked out because of homophobia, or maybe they got caught up in a gang. Every student is different. So whatever you do, make your classroom one place that they can feel safe and happy. If they are hard to love, pray to God to see them the way he sees them, and fake it 'til you make it. You don't have to be cuddly and warm, but be trustworthy and safe--let them know you care. It is like Principal El said in one of the first videos we watched: every child deserves to have someone who is crazy about them. Support them and advocate for them. I agree with Dr. Draper, teenagers really are just kids in adult bodies. Sometimes we look at the outside and forget, so make sure to ask God to help you see the inside.
-You can't do everything, so just do your best. I believe that we would like to do everything, but we are also human. I cannot fix every student's life, neither can I give every one a passion for learning. They have their agency. You do your best, love them, teach them, and then at some point you have to leave the rest up to God. There may be times when he asks just a little bit more of you. When I see all the things these students go through, sometimes I want to just give up, but it helps to remember that scripture that says that if it so be that we bring one soul unto God, we will have joy in the kingdom of heaven. If I make just one student's life a little brighter, then it would still be worth it. Perhaps they learn everything in the curriculum and how to be happy and successful and the answers to life, the universe, and everything. Or maybe all they learn is that there is one teacher who will never give up on them. It doesn't matter. God will take care of the things that we can't, and he has a much longer time frame than we do.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Saturday, December 6, 2014
Book Review- Holler if You Hear Me, by Gregory Michie
Points of Disruption: First of all, I have to say that I loved this book. I liked feeling like I was there in the classroom with the kids. However, this was also difficult, because I felt the conflicts of both the teacher and students. For instance, the story about Reggie being beat up by a cop for no reason was heartbreaking. How do you let a student know that they matter when the very people who should be protecting them are hurting them? I also had to kick myself a little. With all the protests going on about cops shooting black men, I just kind of thought that we've moved past this, people don't do that for no reason and they are beating a dead horse. However, this is obviously not true. As much as I want to believe in the goodness of mankind, these kids live in a world where they have to watch out for themselves--even among friends at a school sponsored event.
I also struggle with the idea of helping kids outside of class. I am just one person. I want to teach English, and I'm not very outspoken outside of the classroom. How involved am I supposed to get, and how much influence do I really have. If I interrupt my students doing a drug deal, because they hardly have the money to keep food on the table, what am I supposed to do? There are also fine lines. This teacher goes and visits students outside of school, takes them to concerts, but aren't there laws about how much contact you are supposed to have outside of school?
When Mr. Michie first begins team teaching, he and his fellow teacher create a unit on being Mexican American. I thought this was brilliant, I also saw some problems. What if I end up teaching in Arizona? The law prohibits teachers from involving Spanish or hispanic culture in the classroom, but these students live right next to the border even if they aren't hispanic themselves. That culture is part of their lives. I want to bring it into the classroom, but I also don't want to lose my job.
Examples of Ideas We Discussed in Class: I mentioned before how much I loved the idea of a unit based just on Mexican American identity. I felt like this incorporated a lot of what we talked about with inclusive pedagogy. The teachers didn't take the kids experiences and apply them to school, they took school and applied it to things the kids were already a part of. The kids were allowed to use their funds of knowledge to enrich the course. They had the opportunity to explore and value the culture that they had been so afraid to share with their peers before.
One of the other stories I appreciated was the very first one about Tavares. You loved the cheeky kid from the teacher's side of the story, but hearing Tavares' own background really shed a lot of light on what he went through as a kid. He was involved in gangs and drug-dealing. He was poor and got kicked out of his home and later dropped out of school. He fit right in with the stories we discussed of kids struggling with poverty or identity. He found it educating as an adult just to discover that not all black people were poor. Wasn't that something he should have learned long before then? He was so honest of about getting mixed up in gangs--he just wanted to get his life back on track, and for a while it looked like that would do it for him.
How the Stories Will Influence my Work as a Teacher: If you haven't noticed yet, I was absolutely enchanted by the assignment on exploring what it means to be Mexican American. I feel like this is a unit that should be done in any classroom in the west, just so students are aware of it. THere are plenty of Mexican American authors who I would like to include in my classroom. My students should understand that not all authors are just one background or culture. You could also bring school to the students more subtly by assigning a small paper on the cultures of the country that their ancestors came to America from. However long ago that was, they would have the opportunity to look at a culture and say what they wished had stayed with their family. This would also allow more recent immigrants to share their stories without picking them out specifically.
I also thought about how Mr. Michie tried to involve literature that had multiple backgrounds. There is no one kind of student, so there should never be just one kind of book. I think it would be interesting to have book discussions where students are asked to read books on different perspectives of the same event. The students showed that they could argue a point they didn't agree with even with little preparation. I would love to see what a class could do with more time.
The thing I most identified with however, was the importance of showing genuine curiosity and interest in a student. Some of them may be hard to love, but that doesn't mean that they are less deserving of it. You have to watch out-make sure none of them slip through the cracks, and that is hard. But I do believe that in order to really teach a student, you have to show that you care about them and respect them. No matter what is going on in their home life, they should feel safe and comfortable in your classroom. That may at times require me to be less distant that I, as a reserved person, am comfortable with, but it is worth it.
I also struggle with the idea of helping kids outside of class. I am just one person. I want to teach English, and I'm not very outspoken outside of the classroom. How involved am I supposed to get, and how much influence do I really have. If I interrupt my students doing a drug deal, because they hardly have the money to keep food on the table, what am I supposed to do? There are also fine lines. This teacher goes and visits students outside of school, takes them to concerts, but aren't there laws about how much contact you are supposed to have outside of school?
When Mr. Michie first begins team teaching, he and his fellow teacher create a unit on being Mexican American. I thought this was brilliant, I also saw some problems. What if I end up teaching in Arizona? The law prohibits teachers from involving Spanish or hispanic culture in the classroom, but these students live right next to the border even if they aren't hispanic themselves. That culture is part of their lives. I want to bring it into the classroom, but I also don't want to lose my job.
Examples of Ideas We Discussed in Class: I mentioned before how much I loved the idea of a unit based just on Mexican American identity. I felt like this incorporated a lot of what we talked about with inclusive pedagogy. The teachers didn't take the kids experiences and apply them to school, they took school and applied it to things the kids were already a part of. The kids were allowed to use their funds of knowledge to enrich the course. They had the opportunity to explore and value the culture that they had been so afraid to share with their peers before.
One of the other stories I appreciated was the very first one about Tavares. You loved the cheeky kid from the teacher's side of the story, but hearing Tavares' own background really shed a lot of light on what he went through as a kid. He was involved in gangs and drug-dealing. He was poor and got kicked out of his home and later dropped out of school. He fit right in with the stories we discussed of kids struggling with poverty or identity. He found it educating as an adult just to discover that not all black people were poor. Wasn't that something he should have learned long before then? He was so honest of about getting mixed up in gangs--he just wanted to get his life back on track, and for a while it looked like that would do it for him.
How the Stories Will Influence my Work as a Teacher: If you haven't noticed yet, I was absolutely enchanted by the assignment on exploring what it means to be Mexican American. I feel like this is a unit that should be done in any classroom in the west, just so students are aware of it. THere are plenty of Mexican American authors who I would like to include in my classroom. My students should understand that not all authors are just one background or culture. You could also bring school to the students more subtly by assigning a small paper on the cultures of the country that their ancestors came to America from. However long ago that was, they would have the opportunity to look at a culture and say what they wished had stayed with their family. This would also allow more recent immigrants to share their stories without picking them out specifically.
I also thought about how Mr. Michie tried to involve literature that had multiple backgrounds. There is no one kind of student, so there should never be just one kind of book. I think it would be interesting to have book discussions where students are asked to read books on different perspectives of the same event. The students showed that they could argue a point they didn't agree with even with little preparation. I would love to see what a class could do with more time.
The thing I most identified with however, was the importance of showing genuine curiosity and interest in a student. Some of them may be hard to love, but that doesn't mean that they are less deserving of it. You have to watch out-make sure none of them slip through the cracks, and that is hard. But I do believe that in order to really teach a student, you have to show that you care about them and respect them. No matter what is going on in their home life, they should feel safe and comfortable in your classroom. That may at times require me to be less distant that I, as a reserved person, am comfortable with, but it is worth it.
Thursday, November 27, 2014
(Re)Imagined Classroom
You are preparing to be a teacher. Imagine a typical lesson that you might teach in the future. Below, create a sketch or a description of a typical lesson in your future classroom:
My class would probably begin with a warmup based on homework. For instance, if the day's lesson was on Shakespeare, I might have had the students do some research and find words that Shakespeare had coined, their favorite Shakespearean insult, or the definition of key words from the glossary of the school textbook. I would begin by having them write what they found on the board, and then discuss it as a class. Afterwards, we would dive in to the true lesson. Hopefully we would read some of the sections and talk about them together. We might discuss Hamlet's choices after seeing the ghost, but first we would discuss what we would do if we discovered someone we trusted, a friend or relative had betrayed us. I would probably have them discuss it with a partner, or small group first, and then hold a full class discussion in order to get them more comfortable discussing their ideas. I would conclude the lesson by having each student return to their notebooks and write down their own conclusions they came to in their discussions.
Changes: I am a firm believer in incorporating literature that students will find exciting, but at the same time, Shakespeare is cannon and they will miss parts of mainstream english-speaking culture without it. I realize that there are places where students do not have regular access to the internet, and so I would offer an alternative, perhaps to look up some definitions in the glossary of the book provided by the school. What we choose to discuss has also changed. I would not start right off with Hamlet's choice, because that feels too distant. Instead, I would start with how the students would feel in a similar situation, and see what they would do. In this way, I apply Hamlet to their own lives, instead of applying their knowledge to Hamlet.
Imagine the students in the classroom and describe them in more detail. Who are the typical students? What are their backgrounds? What are their interests? Where are they during the lesson?
I imagine that very few of the students have a deep interest in Shakespeare. I was not imagining an honors class, but a class of sophomores, who can be a bit rowdy and many love to poke holes in lessons. There are students of varying ethnicities, mostly White or Hispanic, and there might be a few rich students, a handful of poor students, and a huge range that fall in between. Some will come from homes where education isn't valued or english isn't even spoken. Others may simply be too hungry to think that day. I need to be aware of student's need for help and encouragement in case they do not get enough of it at home. Some may be straight, others queer, whether or not they are 'out'. I need to be sensitive to their position in a world where queer students do not always feel safe. Some may have a common interest in sports or music, but they will all have unique interests and talents. Those students that are confident and relate the Hamlet the most will probably have the most to say in a discussion. Shy students might fall the the corners of the classroom, and everyone will try to sit by their friends who have similar interests. Some may not have friends in that class at all. Some will get excited about the discussion, while others may only endure it. In essence, my students will be all over the board, and it will be challenging to engage all of them.
Changes: I originally didn't go into a great deal of detail at all. There is simply so much of it. Gender, the amount of food in their pantry, everything. I also forgot the students who are loners. I am more aware after this class of how many variations there can be for a single student. The last bit doesn't change for me-they may be a challenge to teach with all their differences, but it is my job to do my best.
My class would probably begin with a warmup based on homework. For instance, if the day's lesson was on Shakespeare, I might have had the students do some research and find words that Shakespeare had coined, their favorite Shakespearean insult, or the definition of key words from the glossary of the school textbook. I would begin by having them write what they found on the board, and then discuss it as a class. Afterwards, we would dive in to the true lesson. Hopefully we would read some of the sections and talk about them together. We might discuss Hamlet's choices after seeing the ghost, but first we would discuss what we would do if we discovered someone we trusted, a friend or relative had betrayed us. I would probably have them discuss it with a partner, or small group first, and then hold a full class discussion in order to get them more comfortable discussing their ideas. I would conclude the lesson by having each student return to their notebooks and write down their own conclusions they came to in their discussions.
Changes: I am a firm believer in incorporating literature that students will find exciting, but at the same time, Shakespeare is cannon and they will miss parts of mainstream english-speaking culture without it. I realize that there are places where students do not have regular access to the internet, and so I would offer an alternative, perhaps to look up some definitions in the glossary of the book provided by the school. What we choose to discuss has also changed. I would not start right off with Hamlet's choice, because that feels too distant. Instead, I would start with how the students would feel in a similar situation, and see what they would do. In this way, I apply Hamlet to their own lives, instead of applying their knowledge to Hamlet.
Imagine the students in the classroom and describe them in more detail. Who are the typical students? What are their backgrounds? What are their interests? Where are they during the lesson?
I imagine that very few of the students have a deep interest in Shakespeare. I was not imagining an honors class, but a class of sophomores, who can be a bit rowdy and many love to poke holes in lessons. There are students of varying ethnicities, mostly White or Hispanic, and there might be a few rich students, a handful of poor students, and a huge range that fall in between. Some will come from homes where education isn't valued or english isn't even spoken. Others may simply be too hungry to think that day. I need to be aware of student's need for help and encouragement in case they do not get enough of it at home. Some may be straight, others queer, whether or not they are 'out'. I need to be sensitive to their position in a world where queer students do not always feel safe. Some may have a common interest in sports or music, but they will all have unique interests and talents. Those students that are confident and relate the Hamlet the most will probably have the most to say in a discussion. Shy students might fall the the corners of the classroom, and everyone will try to sit by their friends who have similar interests. Some may not have friends in that class at all. Some will get excited about the discussion, while others may only endure it. In essence, my students will be all over the board, and it will be challenging to engage all of them.
Changes: I originally didn't go into a great deal of detail at all. There is simply so much of it. Gender, the amount of food in their pantry, everything. I also forgot the students who are loners. I am more aware after this class of how many variations there can be for a single student. The last bit doesn't change for me-they may be a challenge to teach with all their differences, but it is my job to do my best.
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Re: Are You Here to Volunteer?
I chose to volunteer at the Food Care and Coalition center in Provo for my Community Experience, and boy was it an eye opener. I always toss in a few cans and packages of stuff from the back of the cupboard when the boy scouts come around for a food drive, but I never gave much thought to where it went after that point. I rather assumed that it all went to a bishops storehouse kind of operation where people came and picked up what they needed. Now, some of this food is used this way, but there are obviously many other needs that I was not aware of.
While I volunteered, I was asked to help put together boxes of "backpacks."During the week, public school students who don't get enough food at home can get free or reduced school lunch and breakfast. However, these kids still have to make it through the weekends when their parents can't bring in enough to feed them. To make up for this, the food bank sends each school a certain number of boxes packed with "backpacks" which are ziplock bags with enough food for a small meal. Every preschool, elementary, middle, junior, and high school is sent the exact amount of food needed to send home with their students.
It was amazing to see how many people are helped by the food bank. It was also heartbreaking. Imagine being a parent whose child is hungry, and have nothing to give them. Imagine being a child who knows that the only food they may get is what they bring home in their backpack. My family is not wealthy, but we have always had food on the table. The food in the lunches isn't a lot, just a couple of granola bars, a fruit cup, and maybe a serving of macaroni and cheese- hardly a big or balanced meal. I will be a lot more aware next time somebody announces a food drive-because I may be a poor college student, but I eat a lot better than any of the children receiving the lunches I packed.
This will certainly change some of the things I do in my classroom in the future. I am certain there are many details to work out, but I think I may keep a cupboard or drawer full of quick but nutritious food. I don't want to make it the drawer for poor kids, but if I was sure to refer to it as simply a snack drawer for students who forgot their lunch or forgot to eat breakfast. This would benefit those who really did forget to eat, but would also make food available for students who are hungry because they didn't actually have food to eat. It is difficult for a student to worry about understanding what is going on in the class when their brain has no calories to fuel it and they are worried about where their next meal is coming from.
This experience also makes me more aware of how discussions may change in my class. As a prospective English teacher, discussions will be based a great deal on the experiences of my students. Some students will be brave enough to share what it was like when they had nothing to eat as Scarlett did in Gone with the Wind, and how that affected their reading. At the same time, students who have never gone hungry will have their eyes opened a little bit more to a way of life where your next meal is uncertain or and children cry themselves to sleep because they didn't have enough to eat. I need to be prepared for these kinds of discussions and how they will broaden the perspectives of the students in my classes.
While I volunteered, I was asked to help put together boxes of "backpacks."During the week, public school students who don't get enough food at home can get free or reduced school lunch and breakfast. However, these kids still have to make it through the weekends when their parents can't bring in enough to feed them. To make up for this, the food bank sends each school a certain number of boxes packed with "backpacks" which are ziplock bags with enough food for a small meal. Every preschool, elementary, middle, junior, and high school is sent the exact amount of food needed to send home with their students.
It was amazing to see how many people are helped by the food bank. It was also heartbreaking. Imagine being a parent whose child is hungry, and have nothing to give them. Imagine being a child who knows that the only food they may get is what they bring home in their backpack. My family is not wealthy, but we have always had food on the table. The food in the lunches isn't a lot, just a couple of granola bars, a fruit cup, and maybe a serving of macaroni and cheese- hardly a big or balanced meal. I will be a lot more aware next time somebody announces a food drive-because I may be a poor college student, but I eat a lot better than any of the children receiving the lunches I packed.
This will certainly change some of the things I do in my classroom in the future. I am certain there are many details to work out, but I think I may keep a cupboard or drawer full of quick but nutritious food. I don't want to make it the drawer for poor kids, but if I was sure to refer to it as simply a snack drawer for students who forgot their lunch or forgot to eat breakfast. This would benefit those who really did forget to eat, but would also make food available for students who are hungry because they didn't actually have food to eat. It is difficult for a student to worry about understanding what is going on in the class when their brain has no calories to fuel it and they are worried about where their next meal is coming from.
This experience also makes me more aware of how discussions may change in my class. As a prospective English teacher, discussions will be based a great deal on the experiences of my students. Some students will be brave enough to share what it was like when they had nothing to eat as Scarlett did in Gone with the Wind, and how that affected their reading. At the same time, students who have never gone hungry will have their eyes opened a little bit more to a way of life where your next meal is uncertain or and children cry themselves to sleep because they didn't have enough to eat. I need to be prepared for these kinds of discussions and how they will broaden the perspectives of the students in my classes.
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Re: Personal Artifacts
1. Scrabble Board- we like games that make you think. We value good vocabularies, but we also can be competitive. I need to remember in my classroom that my students may have grown up in homes where educational games were not available or valued and may have affected their perspective on education. At the same time, I can employ games to involve students in my classroom by appealing to their sense of fun or competitiveness.
2. Sweet and Sour Chicken- Having parents that have been abroad for missionary work means that I eat a lot more foreign food than most Americans. I also have a broader understanding of cultures that came with my parent's experiences. Some of my students will have never left the country or experienced something outside their own culture. I need to be aware that they may not be cruel or foolish, but they may have a limited experience to draw from. I myself have never left the country, and so my own experiences are limited--while I would be able to chat up a storm about food with a Korean student, I would struggle to relate with foreign cultures far beyond that. I believe it is important to keep an open mind and be willing to ask questions. Many people are willing to share if you give them the opportunity.
3. Bookshelf- I value education and imagination, as do my roommates, leading us to fill our small shelves with books rather than knickknacks. Some of my students will have grown up in homes where the shelves have never seen books. I will need to use the short time I have with my students to share with them the opportunities and joy that can come from literature. I will also need to accept that some students may never come to love literature or school in my lifetime. I can still love them anyways.
4. The Quote Wall- Like many other apartments, we have a quote wall to record our inside jokes. We love our tight knit apartment and we love laughter. Inside jokes are a good way to create a tight knit community, which is something I would like to foster in order to encourage discussion in my classroom. However, it should not be an exclusive community. I will have to work hard to make the class somewhere where anybody can join in and feel comfortable.
5. Chore Chart- We value cleanliness to be sure, but our lives are also busy enough that we need a chore chart to make sure things don't get forgotten. I value organization, but plenty of students do not. They may not have the skills, they may simply not care about my subject enough to get organized. Part of my job as a high school teacher is to teach them the skills to stay organized and be successful. However, I need to also be forgiving at times. Some students will struggle more than others, and I need to be patient with them as they work on turning in homework on time and remembering to bring their books. Just because someone is unorganized or forgetful doesn't mean that they are a bad student.
6. Inspirational Quotes on the fridge- we want our home to be a comfortable, happy place, even if it isn't beautiful. Most schools are old and can give off a depressing vibe. Within my classroom I can work to create an environment that is encouraging and friendly. Just because a student is required to attend school by law doesn't mean that they have to feel like they are trapped in a prison. Some students may of course see my kindness as being soft and easy to manipulate. Some of them will take time to realize that there is a difference between a benevolent dictatorship and a weak will, but if I act wisely, they will have both a comfortable environment and a determined teacher.
7. Food- we love good food, but we have to budget carefully, so our fridge is packed to bursting. Obviously, as I discussed in my community experience post, not all my students will have food at home. This will change the dynamics of my classroom discussions. I also need to be aware that some of my students struggle not because they are not capable of understanding the material, but because they need food. I have rarely gone to bed hungry, and so I need to remember that there are those who do and do my best to empathize with them.
8. Signs from Fantasy Movies- we love good adventure stories and jokes. People who recognize the sources tend to get mental bonus points. Most of the movies we referenced are obvious to anyone who has a basic knowledge of English movies. Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter are readily identifiable to many students. However, students from a different country or a home where PG-13 movies are prohibited are not going to get those references. While I can use my movie references to get ideas across, I should not rely solely upon them.
9. Quotes and Pictures of Christ- Everyone in our apartment is LDS, and we value the spirit brought into our home by having pictures and reminders of the Savior. Growing up in Utah, even if you aren't LDS, most of your friends are, and students understand LDS religious references. However, there will be students from places where Christianity is not as ubiquitous and it will be important not to rely on a student's understanding of religious text. Almost all early English literature is based upon Christianity, so while I can draw upon the knowledge of my students, I will also need to explain for those who do not have a background in religious studies.
10. Family Picture- I have my family picture as the background for my laptop. This reflects back on both a good upbringing and my religious values that teach me that my family will be eternal--so we had better learn to get along. It will be easy for me to relate to students whose parents are very involved in their lives. However, there are hundreds of students who have lost a family member, whose parents are separated, or had parents who were abusive or neglectful. I will struggle to relate to their experiences, but I can remember to treat all my students with charity and make my classroom a place where they feel safe sharing their experiences in discussions.
11. Cosmo with the Roommates- We feel strong loyalty towards our school whether or not we follow the sports. Our apartment wouldn't be the same without the Cosmo Pillowpet rooting for us. Not all students are from homes where a University education is encouraged or thought possible. I grew up with the idea that all students went to college eventually. I can encourage those students who do want to attend college. However, I need to be aware in my own classroom that however much I do not relate, some students do not want to attend college, but their dreams are no less legitimate.
12. Painting- we have several of our own paintings on the walls. We love art and nature, and anything that involves both is likely to stay. Just because I like it doesn't mean my students will. I need to involve ideas in my classroom that are interesting to others than myself. I personally have no interest in motorcycles--that does not mean we should avoid reading any material involving motorcycles. Yes--I may be bored, but if I can encourage my students to share and write about what they love about it, then I have done my job far better than if I have them write hundreds of odes to the mountains I love.
13. Flute- We have multiple instruments in our homes and apartment. We love to listen to music, but we also value the ability and hard work it takes to create it. My interest in music will help me relate to other musicians and make me favorable to playing music in my classroom. However, my knowledge of pop culture is zero as a classical musician. I need to be willing to expand my repertoire and encourage my students to relate our discussions to the music that they love as well.
14. Stuffed Animals playing cards- We love anything cute and cuddly, and we love a good joke. Also, more movie references- we love Disney. Disney is pretty universal-something I have discovered from my Russian roommate. My love of Disney will help me get ideas across to a wide variety of students, however, I once again need to be aware that some students have not seen the movies and I need to provide multiple ways of accessing an idea.
15. Superheroes- We value personal strength and heroic acts. Individuality is something we take a great deal of pride in as Americans. However, some cultures take more pride in community. I need to be sure to encourage pride in both individuality and community in my students.
16. Ducks and Turtles- we have hundreds of pictures like this because we value wildlife and God's unique creations. Once again, religion is something that is understood differently by everyone. As well, I do not participate in hunter culture. I find killing animals I don't intend to eat repulsive. However, coming from a rural area, I am aware that many people do not share this feeling. I can read Hatchet with my students and value their ideas and comments as well.
17. The Dog- yes, I would consider the dog a cultural artifact. We are well enough off that we use extra time and money to take care of another being. We also value the loyalty and companionship he provides. Some families cannot afford or do not want dogs, other students will have experienced little friendship besides their dog. Having never had a dog as a child, and loving the one we have now that I have moved away I can relate to some of this. Old Yeller will always mean more to the students who lost a beloved dog, but at the same time, there will be those who simply cannot understand it--and I need to be okay with that.
18. My Personal Blog- My family relies a lot on technology to keep in contact. We may not always talk, but we always let people know about how our family is doing. We value the relationships that we have and want to keep them going. Some students will come from families where close relationships are not valued, and they may not understand or may be heartbroken when they read works like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I need to be sensitive to the backgrounds of my students who did not have the ideal family life I grew up with.
19. A reminder to grab my keys- I often forget that other people lock the door out of habit, and so I need my own keys. This is a result of a community that values honesty and security, so many people don't lock their doors during the day. This is a hinderance as I have been informed that students will steal my things if I do not lock them up. I tend to be less cynical than many people, however. I tend to believe that if someone is desperate enough to steal something, they probably need it more than I do. Of course, as a school teacher, I am unlikely to have much worth stealing...
20. Gingerbread Castle- We love sweets. Anyone bearing treats will get a free pass into our apartment. Now, high school students are too old for constant bribery to be acceptable. However, I see no reason why I should not award an occasional brilliant comment or a student who stayed after school to work with a piece of candy. Some of them this may be a meaningless reward, but for some it will bring pleasure, or at least recognition.
It took me a while to figure out what I considered to be my own cultural artifacts. We take so many things for granted- such as the sticky notes we leave all over the apartment. For most of us this is normal, but for my Russian roommate, it is probably a little strange. Many of my cultural artifacts show me that I can interact with students better than I thought, a result of my cultural capital. I value friends and family, harmless jokes, and cleverness. However, there will be students who come from homes where they cannot relate to my obsession with sweets, the love of a pet, or the importance of having a chore chart. My own culture can help me relate or make me more distant from my students. I need to be able to pick out the things we have in common and bring them into our discussions so that they feel like they have some cultural capital to work with and feel comfortable in my classroom.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Are You Here To Volunteer? Why Yes, Yes I Am.
I chose to volunteer at the Food Care and Coalition center in Provo for my Community Experience, and boy was it an eye opener. I always toss in a few cans and packages of stuff from the back of the cupboard when the boy scouts come around for a food drive, but I never gave much thought to where it went after that point. I rather assumed that it all went to a bishops storehouse kind of operation where people came and picked up what they needed. Now, some of this food is used this way, but there are obviously many other needs that I was not aware of.
While I volunteered, I was asked to help put together boxes of "backpacks."During the week, public school students who don't get enough food at home can get free or reduced school lunch and breakfast. However, these kids still have to make it through the weekends when their parents can't bring in enough to feed them. To make up for this, the food bank sends each school a certain number of boxes packed with "backpacks" which are ziplock bags with enough food for a small meal. Every preschool, elementary, middle, junior, and high school is sent the exact amount of food needed to send home with their students.
It was amazing to see how many people are helped by the food bank. It was also heartbreaking. Imagine being a parent whose child is hungry, and have nothing to give them. Imagine being a child who knows that the only food they may get is what they bring home in their backpack. My family is not wealthy, but we have always had food on the table. The food in the lunches isn't a lot, just a couple of granola bars, a fruit cup, and maybe a serving of macaroni and cheese- hardly a big or balanced meal. I will be a lot more aware next time somebody announces a food drive-because I may be a poor college student, but I eat a lot better than any of the children receiving the lunches I packed.
While I volunteered, I was asked to help put together boxes of "backpacks."During the week, public school students who don't get enough food at home can get free or reduced school lunch and breakfast. However, these kids still have to make it through the weekends when their parents can't bring in enough to feed them. To make up for this, the food bank sends each school a certain number of boxes packed with "backpacks" which are ziplock bags with enough food for a small meal. Every preschool, elementary, middle, junior, and high school is sent the exact amount of food needed to send home with their students.
It was amazing to see how many people are helped by the food bank. It was also heartbreaking. Imagine being a parent whose child is hungry, and have nothing to give them. Imagine being a child who knows that the only food they may get is what they bring home in their backpack. My family is not wealthy, but we have always had food on the table. The food in the lunches isn't a lot, just a couple of granola bars, a fruit cup, and maybe a serving of macaroni and cheese- hardly a big or balanced meal. I will be a lot more aware next time somebody announces a food drive-because I may be a poor college student, but I eat a lot better than any of the children receiving the lunches I packed.
Friday, October 3, 2014
Being the "Other"
It is always interesting to see just out of place you can be without moving very far. It always seems like my friends in other disciplines live in entirely different worlds, so I decided to attend a pre-med class, Pathophysiology, to see what it was really like for an hour.
Observations:
Environment:
- Large auditorium
- Powerpoint guided
- In the new Life Sciences Building. Everything was looked very clean, with straight lines and little extra decor.
Professor:
- Hyper organized- everything in steps and sub-steps , with graphs, color codes.
- Lecture format- reliant on notes and power points.
- Contradicts other professors.
- Big division between the professor and the students.
Students:
- Reserved, business casual or t-shirts. Nobody looked or acted unusual.
- Made up of pre-med students, nurses, dietitians, nutritionists, etc.
- Hard to quiet down the class at first, and then dead silence--no side conversations. Only one speaker at a time after raising hands.
- Quiet even during break time.
- General preference for laptops.
- Didn't notice an outsider in the large group.
Class:
- Talk about direct applications, not very hypothetical.
- Assumption that there is a single truth.
- Everyone wants to be on the same mental page.
- Very focused
- Specified language- symbols and medical terminology
- Pre-determined work groups made of of different majors.
- Made movie references and inside jokes that baffled me.
Where I was uncomfortable:
To be honest, the whole thing was a little uncomfortable because everything went way over my head. The class was focused on some very complex microbiology and PH in the blood, a far cry from what I am experienced with in the English program. Naturally, this made me nervous to ask questions, although I did talk to the small group that I joined. I was also a little queasy during part of the lecture.. Just the explanation of how one would test muscle tissue for changes in structure and lactic acid was enough to make me a little nauseous, but the class seemed to be very involved in the topic.
I was also feeling bored pretty quickly, whereas everyone in the class was very focused and involved. I was distracted by the cute baby on the other side of the class, but the other students didn't even give him a glance. I was also surprised by the uniformity of the class. In an english class, at least a third of the students are wearing more eclectic apparel, and the conversation wanders wherever we chose to take it. There is no need for agreement, and coming up with something different is valued. The professor is also a part of this in an english class, where everyone talks on the same level, instead of the way the professor of the pathophysiology class is considered to have the last word. I was also surprised that nobody really seemed to recognize an outsider. In my own discipline, you quickly learn the names and personalities of the people in your class, and are usually comfortable working with different people every time. In contrast, the pathophysiology class was very quiet and reserved, with people only knowing those in their pre-set groups.
Overall, attending the pathophysiology class was very interesting, but I was entirely lost. I had no idea what they were talking about most of the time. To understand, I would have to have the same level of education and experience, and I felt too uncomfortable and out of place to really get involved.
Just this little step out of my comfort zone, as a student who went to the same school with the same kids her whole life, was a huge step towards understanding students who feel like the "foreigners." It is frightening, and I think compassion plays a huge role in making a difference. Students are often too absorbed in their own problems to notice others, but as a teacher, I need to be aware of all my students. Just because it looks like someone fits in, doesn't mean they feel comfortable there. Being human, we are all very good at pretending we fit in, trying to fly under the radar. We pretend we understand in class, pretend we are happy, and pretend we have everything under control when in reality we feel very different. As a teacher, I need to be aware that my students may feel just as out of place and make an effort to make them all an equal part of my class.
Just this little step out of my comfort zone, as a student who went to the same school with the same kids her whole life, was a huge step towards understanding students who feel like the "foreigners." It is frightening, and I think compassion plays a huge role in making a difference. Students are often too absorbed in their own problems to notice others, but as a teacher, I need to be aware of all my students. Just because it looks like someone fits in, doesn't mean they feel comfortable there. Being human, we are all very good at pretending we fit in, trying to fly under the radar. We pretend we understand in class, pretend we are happy, and pretend we have everything under control when in reality we feel very different. As a teacher, I need to be aware that my students may feel just as out of place and make an effort to make them all an equal part of my class.
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