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.  

Classroom Observation

 In the classroom I am in there aren't really any big troublemakers. There are a few students that come to mind who might act out a little, but the teacher who I am with is really good and still supports them after they act out. I'll talk about two instants where there was a child acting out in class. First there was a time where student A was picking on another girl in class during group time. The other student told on student A, the teacher acted in a clam way but also showed shock and said how that is not okay. I believe there was another incident that day with student A so the teacher sent her to someone outside of the classroom. When she came back the teacher gave her the opportunity to have another chance. The second problem was when student B threatened another student. The teacher sent the student to the principals office with the Teachers Assistant. When the two came back the TA who wasn't white explained to the teacher who is white that the student is probably used to being threatened because it is a part of the culture for a parent to say "If you don't clean your room I'll..." so the student didn't mean harm it is just what he is used to. The important thing is for the student to learn that it is not okay to threaten people. 

Blog Post 5

 This week for FNED 246 we had to read the preface and introduction to Shalaby's book. I really enjoyed reading this. As a future teacher, one of the things that I do not want to become is a brainless zombie who forces students to think inside of the box and to be perfect in society. What I do want is to encourage students to learn and to be free thinkers and not to lose themselves in the way the world is set up now. This reading actually reminded me of Pink Floyd’s album The Wall, specifically the song Another Brick In the Wall, Pt.2. This song is a protest song against the way schools punish and abuse kids. Which I think connects to the reading. One of the quotes that stuck out to me was “Our schools are designed to prepare children to take their assumed place in the social order rather than to question and challenge that order”. This is exactly what I do not want to happen. Being a teacher you have such an important role in shaping the rest of students' lives. You do not want to waste that time and turn students into something they're not or make them suffer or feel different just because they don’t meet all the expectations. The reading also talks about how children are forced to see adults' mistakes. These are horrors of shootings, wars, segregation, police brutality, and so many more horrors effect children. The author said something very powerful about what they are learning from these traumas. “Our children are learning that only some lives matter, that only some deaths are tragic, that only a precious few deserve relief from suffering.” This is so powerful because it is not okay. We need to teach our children that this is not true. We need to teach them that they have the power to change the way the world is. Another point the author talks about is that children who are seen as “troubled” are very influential and we need to listen to them and learn from them. She says how they are able to see what is wrong with the way schools are set up. They will scream out for attention, but no one will listen. Shalaby strongly thinks that we have to listen to them to know what to fix, and how the students are not in the wrong, but the system is. I agree with her. When I am a teacher, I want to remember these lessons. I want to allow all students to learn and to take the time to make sure they all do. I also want to listen to them to know when I need to make changes.