Blog Post 11

 For this weeks blog post I had to look at everything we have done this semester and think about what stood out to me in a meaningful. The first thing from this course that will stick with me is Troublemakers by Shalaby. I loved reading it and it really opened my eyes on how important it is to listen to and learn from your students. I also agree heavily with this quote from the reading “Our schools are designed to prepare children to take their assumed place in the social order rather than to question and challenge that order”. I think this quote very much apples to the current times. Another one of the reading that stuck with me is Aria by Richard Rodriguez. This reading was very informative for me because I only speak English and I live in a place where English is the most common language. In my future as a teacher I will be having students who speak spanish, in my placement classroom half of the students speak spanish, so I want to know what will be the best way for me to teach them. This reading has encouraged me to learn at least some Spanish so I can be the best teacher I can. One final thing I liked from this course was when we watched the classroom tour. It was interesting seeing how much effort she put into her classroom. I liked seeing how she added her personality into her room. It also helped me see some practical things that I can maybe incorporate into my future classroom. 

How A Sanctuary for Self-Expression Can Change Lives Tedtalk

 In class today we watched a Tedtalk and in it there were two people talking about their experiences. There was a girl who is trans, and a mom who has a son who is gay. It was very moving hearing them talk about their experiences and how camp I am helped them. I really liked when one of them said how her parents and the camp didn't make her trans, but just encouraged her to be herself. I think it is important for people who are struggling with this to know that there are people like them out there who will support them. 

Blog Post 10

 This week for FNED we looked at information about students who are apart of LGBTQ+ specifically students who are transgender and gender nonconforming. In the reading it says, “42% of gender nonconforming youth report frequently or often being called names and 40% reported being frequently or often excluded”. The reading is very informative on the topic of how those students are treated. They also talk about the laws put in place to help those students. Like “The Federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin”. It is very important to make all students feel comfortable in the classroom. School is the right that everyone has as a place to learn. It is hard to focus on learning in a place you do not feel comfortable in. The reading also gives definitions of different words and terms that apply to what the writing is talking about. For example, “Gender Expression: the manner in which a person represents or expresses gender to others, often through behavior, clothing, hairstyles, activities, voice, or mannerisms (GLSEN, 2015)”. I think this type of information is good for all people to learn about. Things like sexual orientation and gender expression are parts of a person that other people can’t change, yet some people still try. It's important as future teachers we know that we do not have to understand every little thing that our students do or the ways they express themselves, we just have to accept it. I know how important it is for people to need to feel like they can be themselves and not get judged for it. I have had many friends who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community and have in one way or another delt with hate. I do think where we like, here in Rhode Island, is a very inclusive area. Yet, no matter where you are there will be some person who is a bully and disagrees with equality. I also think this is an important time to be talking about these topics because of what's going on in the world right now with the threat of people's rights to be taken away. It is important to remember to be compassionate and helpful to people. I want to be a teacher who’s classroom is welcome to all. I hope to be in a school that feels the same way. I hope to live in a country that feels the same way too. I hope that in our future we can make everyone feel seen and accepted. 

Blog Post 9

 This week in FNED we had to read Thomas Hehir's “Eliminating Ableism in Education”. It was broken into sections that we had to read. The first sections I read were Ableist Assumptions and Ableism and Schooling. In this I was introduced to Penny and her son Joe. Penny was told after Joe’s birth that he would have disabilities. This was Penny’s first time having a child with a disability. “‘I have lost a child at birth, and I have had a disabled child. I know the difference. My son is a gift not a tragedy’ (p.1). Penny was quickly developing the view, held by most disability advocates, that while disability is not a tragedy, society’s response to disability can have tragic consequences for those who have disabilities.” I think this quote is a good introduction to the reading because the author goes on to explain how the world treats people with disabilities in a bad way. The next thing Penny does is go to activists' rallies because she sees how the world treats her son unfairly. I think it's good that she does what she can to help. In the reading they define ableism as “a pervasive system of discrimination and exclusion that oppresses people who have mental, emotional and physical disabilities. . . . Deeply rooted beliefs about health, productivity, beauty, and the value of human life, perpetuated by the public and private media, combine to create an environment that is often hostile to those whose physical, mental, cognitive, and sensory abilities . . . fall out of the scope of what is currently defined as socially acceptable” Then he talks more about ableism in the school setting. One thing that teachers will do is expect disabled kids to do things the same things that nondisabled kids do, when in reality they need extra help. At the same time disabled kids shouldn’t only be looked at with pity, they can do great things. The next part I read was The Education of Blind and Visually Impaired Children. In this reading they talk about how important it is to teach children brail. I didn’t even know this was something that people were arguing about, I thought every blind and visually impaired person was taught brail. The author argues how important it is because a child should have the right to read and not have to rely on others for that. I agree every child has the right to read. I think it is extremely important to give every child the opportunity to learn, and then the opportunity to also act with that knowledge instead of making them believe they can’t do anything for themselves. 

Blog Post 8

 This week's reading was Aria by Richard Rodriguez. This reading talked about bilingual education and what it is like. I am not familiar with what it is like to be a bilingual student in America, but when I am a teacher, I will most likely have students who are Spanish speakers or bilingual. For this reason, it is important for me to take the time and learn about their experiences, so I know how it is best to help them in the future. The author talks about how when he was younger, he felt like English was not his to use. This made his classroom experience difficult because he was uncomfortable, which resulted in him mumbling. He explained how he felt like English was the language for the public and Spanish was the language for private. The nuns from his school came to his home and talked to his parents and encouraged them to make sure he was speaking English at home. This then led to his parents and siblings to start speaking English at home to encourage him. After a while of this he spoke out in class loudly in English. He said, “The belief, the calming assurance that I belonged in public, had at last taken hold”. This then led to a change in his home life because the more comfortable he became with the outside world, the less he became at home. This led to him talking to his parents less and less. Later he talks about how he had a difficult time because he felt like he did not fully fit on either side. The author ends his writing by saying how assimilation can affect a person gravely if they do it or even if they do not. He says how they lose a part of their private identity if they do but gain a public identity, and same goes the other way. This blog post was one of the more difficult ones for me because I have never had to deal with speaking a language that is not the prominent language for the area that I am in. So, it was hard for me to relate to the author, but I am so happy I had the opportunity to learn more about this topic. 

Blog Post 7

 This week for FNED we had to read Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick J. Finn. It was a very interesting reading. The topics he discussed were really sad but through research proven true. He talks about how the school a student is sent to really sets them up for their future, good or bad. Students get a label put on them if they are smart or dumb very early on and then are treated differently depending on that label. One shocking thing that I learned about was how they treated troublemakers. Finn talks about how some schools will be set up in a way where students took a test on their knowledge and if they got a high grade they would go to the higher class, and if they got a bad grade they would get sent to a slower class. This was a way for the schools to make sure all their students were learning at a pace that was right for them. The shocking part is that teachers would have students who were seen as troublemakers in the higher paced classes and send them to the slower classes just because of how they acted, not because of their grades. A student should not have their education taken away as a punishment. The author also covers how back when he was a teacher, he was known being very authoritative. Looking back on this he doesn’t think that was the best way to teach kids because he was just making them find the “right” answer quietly at their desks. He then goes on to say how including more creative ways would have been better. Then he goes over an analysis someone else had done on different schools with different class students. Overall, it showed that the wealthier the school is, the better education and opportunities the students get. There are still many flaws with higher class education, not all the problems just disappear. For example, he says how the in the working-class schools' teachers said how they cannot teach the kids, they just keep them busy. Then with the higher-class schools the students had more leadership roles about teaching themselves and others. I do not think that whatever money you're born into or school you go to puts you on one path, and one path only for the rest of your life, but I do think it can be a big part. All students have the right to equal education, but sadly that's not the reality of the world we live in. I hope for a future where all students, no matter what money their family has, get a good education that challenges their minds and supports creativity. 

Blog Post 6

 This week in FNED we learned about what Kohn says to look for in a classroom. There are multiple different areas he talks about like the furniture and if the tables are set up just all facing forward or if they're in groups. He says how certain things are better or “good signs” and other things aren’t as good or “possible reasons to worry”. For example, a classroom with nothing on the walls is not as beneficial as a classroom covered with students' work or other information on the wall. I agree with this, I feel as though being in a classroom environment that physically makes me feel more comfortable helps me learn better. Like in high school, a few of my teachers had lamps in their rooms. This helped me feel more relaxed and less stressed, which helped me. Kohn also talked about things like the sounds in the classroom and the students' faces. He says how it's good to have a classroom that has a hum of activity where students can share their ideas with one another. It's also good to be aware of how they look and to make sure they are eager and engaged. I know in my future classroom I want to be aware of how my students are feeling and make sure they have the support to talk to one another to grow their knowledge. Another thing I agree with is with class discussion having an emphasis on thoughtful exploration instead of just looking for what's the “right” answer. I hope in my future that I am in a school that meets what Kohn thinks is a good school by having an appealing atmosphere, hallways filled with students' work, a well-stocked library and other good things. Another thing we focused on in FNED this week was about how students are individuals who have their own needs and how schools need to adapt to the needs of their students. I think that is very important and something we all should be aware of. In the classroom that I am working in right now I can see when certain students need extra help and thats why its so helpful that there is the head teacher and the assistant teacher. This way there is more of an opportunity to help different students.