Aria By Rodriguez

 Blog #8: Reflection

Reading this text reminded me a lot of my service learning experience. In the classroom I'm placed in, two students do not speak English very well or even at all. Spanish is their first language and most likely the only one they hear at home. From the outside looking in, these students appear to be going along with their lessons but once it is time for them to put their understanding to the test, you can tell that all they are doing is copying things down trying to get by. We cannot blame them for doing this because there is no one to help them understand, they are expected to get through without knowing the language. Whenever I am assigned to work with these students, I try to reexplain what the teacher was giving a lesson on but in Spanish. When I do this I notice that the students not only have a glow in their eyes from understanding but also feel comfortable because there is someone there that is like them, someone that speaks their language. A lot of times students who do not speak English are seen differently by their peers and this can make them feel like they're doing something wrong, they can feel like their only option is to stay silent and to the side until they can fit in with everyone else. This experience relates to when Rodriguez was talking about the American culture being pushed on him and his family. This expectation of having to fit into the American culture, overtime created a separation within his family Along with this idea he mentions that "children lose a degree of 'individuality' by becoming assimilated into public society" which I believe to be very true, children can become afraid or insecure of who they really are because being different is viewed negatively. 

Non-English Speaking student Cartoon

This cartoon shows the irony of placing a non-English speaking student in an English-only class in which he/she does not understand anything. It shows the feelings of frustration and confusion these kids experience.

Literacy With An Attitude by Patrick J. Finn

 Blog #8: Reflection post

This text really gets into the serious gaps we've got in our education system. It shows how a kid's background can shape the kind of education they get. It is very eye-opening to see the things Jean Anyon talks about in her research on working-class schools. It is like a mirror image of what I've seen attending public school in Providence and even volunteering at the elementary school I was assigned to. This problem clearly is not strictly in Jersey. Creativity in the schools is being put on the backburner which results in just one more problem for students and when you're in a school with a large amount of poverty, it's like the problems just stack up. This quote "work [is] often evaluated in terms of whether the steps were followed rather than whether it was right or wrong," and "teachers [make] every effort to control students' movement" (Finn, 10-11) shows what matters to the school system, it is not about the students but it is about how they students can make the school look by getting things "right". Teachers are all about making sure the kids follow the steps, not really caring if they get it right or wrong. This strategy can easily block real learning and creativity from students because they will learn to only care about checking the right box, not necessarily knowing why they are checking said box. Kids are curious by nature, but the way things are going, they're just getting boxed into a routine.

The image bellow shows different and creative way in which children learn and grow in joyous ways.

Creative Learning Outlets

Video Analysis

 Blog #7

What To Look For In A Classroom

 Blog #6: Reflection Post

 

Kohn's article talks not only about the physical items that are in the class, but the environment that the teachers and students bring into the room.

Reflection: Looking back at my elementary school years, I see hallways full of color and posters. I see student artwork and good test grades. I remember feeling a sense of community and belonging when walking the halls or even just being in my classroom. Our artwork was up on the walls, we had our groups to sit with while in class, and occasionally our seats would get moved around in an effort to make us socialize with the other students. Our rules and expectations also hung on the walls but what was nice about it was that we had a say on our classroom rules and expectations. I remember being asked at the beginning of the school year for several years what we as students thought our classroom norms should be and it always felt nice to have a voice in things like that. As I entered the later years of middle school and high school I was very blessed to have encouraging and creative teachers who fostered a welcoming environment and did not subject me to strict rules and stereotypes that if we did not follow we were deemed the bad troubled kids. The teachers that I had, most of the time, had grace and understood that we were young adults but not only that, but we were also just human. I will admit that the colorful bright artwork on the walls was lacking in the classrooms, but the teachers' personalities and the environment of the classrooms made up for it. Needless to say, our hallways were filled with student-painted murals. 

Below is an article that speaks on this same topic of fostering a positive environment for students in the classroom 

How to Foster a Positive Classroom Environment