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.