Essence Extractor: Ch. 5 (S. Fess)

Knowlege is not something hidden in a book.

Literary Luminator: Ch. 5 (S.Fess)

“Whether they exercise it or not, classroom teachers (particularly in these communities) have great power in determining the official curriculum.” (pg. 87)

In my opinion, designing lesson plans involves utilizing more than the state standards; it requires teachers to design their instruction to meet the needs of their individual classroom. With this in mind students will naturally become more engaged and motivated to learn if the lesson plans are designed to help them understand and appreciate cultural differences and similarities and that recognize the accomplishments of diverse ethnic and racial groups. I think teachers must plan according to where their students are rather than teaching to an adopted “standardized approach.” In other words, teachers should plan their instruction in a “responsive way” rather than through a “one-size-fits-all” approach.

Creative Connector: Ch. 5 (S. Fess)

The text says, “Some of the smartest youngsters I’ve worked with have been right here in this community, but a lot of time they don’t believe in themselves. School saps the life out of them." (pg. 96) This reminds me that as a teacher, I need to remind my students that they are in charge of their own destiny. Some students are naturally enthusiastic about learning, but many need a teacher to inspire, challenge, and stimulate them. I believe that effective learning in the classroom depends on the teacher’s ability to maintain the interest that brought student to the classroom in the first place. Whatever level of motivation my students bring to my classroom will be transformed, for better or worse, by what happens in my classroom.

Idea Illustrator: Ch. 4

"Knowlege is something that each student brings to the classroom..." (pg. 95)

Literary Luminator Chap. 1-5--Meredith O.

“ Different Children have different needs and addressing those different needs is the best way to deal with them equitably.” (36)

I think this quote is important because teachers need to recognize their students’ differences in order to better teach to an equal level. One way we do this is with IEPs, which help to “level the playing field” for students with disabilities.

“ …that the classroom itself, where students come face to face with others who are different from themselves, is the place for real integration.” (p. 36)

I think this is something that teachers forget sometimes about their classrooms. It’s important for students to meet and get know the other children in the room because they aren’t all the same, and they need to know how to work with different people.

“ Every weekday morning when I wake-up I know I’m on my way to work with the most important people in the world.” (p. 40)

I picked this passage because I think it is a good attitude to have when you start your morning. I think sometimes it’s easy to thinks “ugh, work!” but thinking of your students this way can change the way you look at things.

Essence Extractor Chap. 1-5--Meredith O.

Teachers need to notice the differences to get equality.

Creative Connector chap. 1-5--Meredith O.

“Different children have different needs and addressing those different needs is the best way to deal with them equitably.”(P. 36-37)

This reminds me of a story that I was told about a gym teacher who tried to explain the difference between being treated “fairly” versus being treated the “same”. The gym teacher hung lollipops all over the gym at the same height. When the students came in the only child who could reach them was the tallest in the class.

” They have to care about each other and to depend on one another before we can really get anything meaningful accomplished.” ( p.44)

My first class did not get along. They called each other names, stole each others stuff, and made fun each others problems. They couldn’t focus on learning because they were too busy hating each other.

“And those tests!... They don’t begin to test what the kids really know. ” (50)

A lot of the students I have worked with have test anxiety. Some of them get so nervous they cannot complete the tests to the best of their abilities, but when you ask them to do a project in art, music, and other media they excel because the pressure to perform is removed.

Vocabulary Vitalizer chap. 1-5--Meredith O.

Vocabulary Vitalizer

Magnet Schools (6)- A school with specialized programs, that are not available elsewhere in the district, that increase diversity in the students population.

Preparatory School (12)- a school that prepares students for college

Ancillary personal (23)-Staff in a school that are necessary for the running of the building, such as custodians and paraprofessionals.

Tutors(24)- Are teachers that believe that students can improve academically and that they, as their teachers are the ones that will help their students improve.

General Contractors (24)- Teachers that hand over the job of improving their students to someone else such as the resource room teachers and paraprofessionals, rather then taking responsibility for their students’ education.

Custodians(24)- These teachers think their students cannot improve, and do not give the task of teaching these students to anyone else.

Referral Agents (24)- These are teachers that do not believe anything can be done to help their students, but do try and give responsibility of their education to special education teachers or other ancillary personal.

Conductors (26)- These teachers think that all students can achieve excellence and strive to help their students themselves.

Coaches (26)- these teachers believe that all students can achieve excellence, but they work with other teachers, parents, and community members to achieve this goal.

Culturally Relevant (38)- Teachers with high self-esteem and esteem in their students abilities, trying to draw out information from their students, helping them make connections, and is part of the community.

Assimilationist (38)- This teacher does not believe all can succeed, encourages education to escape their community, and sees educating their students as depositing information

1.) Billy’s teacher, who believed in being a tutor to her students, encouraged him by believing in him and educating him.

2.) As a culturally relevant teacher, I worked with my fellow teachers and local library to create a service project for my students.

3.) Teachers should work with their ancillary personal to ensure that students receive extra help when they need it and have a safe and clean environment to work in.

Essence Extractor: Chapter 4

Culturally relevant teaching teaches to and through strengths of students.

Literary Luminator: Chapter 4

The text says, "Culturally relevant teaching honors the student’s sense of humanity and dignity” (p. 82), this reminds me that teaching empowers students intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically by utilizing cultural references (skills, attitudes and knowledge). It essentially means that teachers create a “bridge” between students’ home and school lives while meeting the curriculum requirements.

Cretive Connector: Chapters 1-4

“One of the ways Lewis builds community in her classroom…” pg. 44.

Over the years I have spend countless hours preparing my classroom to meet the learning needs of my students…from developing the curriculum to the preparation of bulletin boards. However, once the room was full of students with different personalities, strengths, and needs my job as a teacher seemed to really begin. Each student brings their own unique diversity to the classroom. Building a sense of community, caring for each other, and being able to work cooperatively is very important to establish at the beginning of every school year. At the beginning of every school year, I usually take my students on a day trip to Camp Arrowhead. The focus of the trip was on getting to know you games, role-plays for appropriate behavior, team building, communication, trust, and problem solving. This trip helped promote not only life-long skills, it also gave my students a strong foundation of classroom community.

In addition, I also found it very important to not have the “time of day” dictate when I was finished with my school responsibilities. Working from 7:30 – 2:30, was not the norm for me. Informal sessions with kids after school, involvement with chaperoning after school events, and simply being visible before and after school made students aware that I was dedicated and willing to work with them at “unscheduled” times.

Creative Connector Chapters 1-4

“First, let us begin with a look at the many teachers who are reluctant to acknowledge racial differences or grapple with these and other differences in the classroom.” pg. 34

As I reflect back to my teaching at John Marshall HS, I believe that I was “color-blind”. I was a veteran teacher of 10 years. I was not culturally aware, let alone able how to develop a culturally sensitive curriculum that integrated diverse viewpoints and histories. I thought I knew how to apply instructional strategies that encouraged all students to achieve, but as I reflect back to that experience, I was way off tract. I was not conscience of the differences in my classroom (or I just tuned it out). I did not receive any direction from my administrators or colleagues. I did not have any professional development or training on how to teach to a diverse classroom. In hind-sight, my traditional approach to instruction clearly did not work for the entire classroom. Unfortunately, it was a very narrow approach to teaching.

Chapter 1-3

Well, in the begging I was really frustrated because I felt like it was too focused on color... and segregating people from one another! Well, there may be benefits in separating African American males from their females but exasperating them from whites in general does not make sense to me. We live in one world and we all need to get along... honestly, as the book called it I am one those "Black-White" people. I didn't grow up in the city or attend city schools as I child... I was in a private school or in the public school system for most of my educational years. So knowing this, that might effect the way that I preserve things... but I really believe that many African Americas need to stop comparing themselves to other people, especially whites. I believe they have done that for so long that it has almost became a handicap to them furthering themselves within the community. I do not forget all of the negative things that whites have done to blacks but I also know that we have come a long way from slavery and if we as a people need to capitalize on that. It upsets me that there are so many problems within the city schools... I understand that the living dynamics are different but I also know that all of those students are not living up to their potential... if I can do it, so can they! Our skin is the same but our mindset isn't. 

Secondly, one thing that I really like about these chapters where the authors personal stories... it allowed me to become more actively engaged with what she was saying and recognize that she's had a lot of different experiences that have shaped her and make her more knowledgeable about what she is talking about that other people might not have or be... I like it when she said, "I remember all of my teacher." Who is she... lol... does she have a photographic memory? I can't even remember what I had for breakfast... much less remember who all of my teachers where! lol... but the positive or negative impact that they had on her life was SO strong that she will never forget them...I pray that I will be one of those teachers that have a lasting positive impact. Based upon the teaching experience you have had so far, what do you believe your students would say about you? Positive or Negative?

So far, I enjoy the book.. there are a lot of things that I will share in our discussions but I enjoy hearing and learning from the eight teachers that were interviewed for this book... the perspectives and insight is very interesting. So far, So Good!

Response to Surveys

I had a similar result on my survey that Hannah did. I don't really seem to fit any of classes very well. I think part of that has to do with the way the survey was set up. I also tested as slightly multicultural. The problem with surveys is that they only tell part of a story.

I grew up in a unique district and now proudly work in that same district. When I was growing up I had friends from all over the world. My friends came from England, Bosnia, Russia, Sweden, Pakistan, India, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Portugal, Brazil and a few more places. In our school we had morning shows and newspaper articles about different cultures holidays and religions. Our discussions at the lunch table weren't just about what movies were playing or what homework assignment we had due Monday, but about each others cultures and religions. I was very fortunate to grow up in such a diverse town and it has shaped my attitudes and opinions in a very positive way.

It isn't just a district that is diverse culturally. Even when I went through the district 7 years ago, students with disabilities were included in the general education population. That participation has only increased. In fact, we've had parents of students in special education tell us their doctors recommended they move to our district because of how we treat and work with our differently abled students. Our teachers try to see students positive qualities and personalities. I myself was a students with Learning Differences. I am dyslexic and I had teachers and tutors who worked with me to determine how best I learned, how to advocate for myself, and gave me strategies that would make me independent. By middle school I no longer qualified for services because I was utilizing the strategies that they taught me. Later at the end of middle school and throughout high school my teachers bent over backwards to help me succeed when I became too ill to attend school on a regular basis. A tutor was sent to my house to help me keep up with my work. My teachers collected my homework and sent it to me so I could still graduate on time.

This is not to say that the district is perfect and discrimination and mistakes are made, because no place is perfect, but it was certainly a very cool place to grow up and live.

Slightly Multicultural

Apparently, I could not survive in poverty, middle class, or wealthy circles. What really defines who you are or what you can become? I believe that who I am separates me and has helped me become slightly multicultural by simply being in the minority. For those that are not, and they may differ in opinion, but I believe that it is very easy to cultivate with those that look like you, walk like you, talk like you, etc. and not bother to open up ones mind to the world of difference. Being forced to grow up around whites has helped me to be more opened to diversity... and allowed me to be understanding to difference... I love difference... but I still have those lines where it is difficult for me to cross. Difference tends to be good but only to a certain point!