I went to my elementary school again this week. I arrived and went to the front office to check in and sign the VIPs book. I went into my classroom and the kids were running around and playing games with one another while they waited to switch classrooms. One of my kids came up to me and asked me to read a book with her while we waited. This particular student is at a very low reading level and struggles to read words like at or the. The book she picked up was pretty difficult and she wanted only me to read to her, but I explained that we could take turns reading a page each. She ran off, because she did not want to read. The teacher was getting ready for the day and asked if I would go make photo copies of a few pages the kids could work on while she did testing. When I returned from making copies, another student I work with came up to me with a book about New York. He does not speak so it is difficult to get him to read to me. I read the first page to him and then the bell rang and it was time to get into our groups.
I took my first three kids first. Last week was a difficult week, because they fought the entire time and did nothing but accuse each other of cheating and yelled at one another. I explained that this week everyone was going to talk in a low voice and play by the rules. They were much more well behaved this week. The first game we played was Candy Land and they did well with reading the sentences. They are improving slightly as the weeks go on. When it came time to switch groups, the teacher was doing testing instead. Each student had to go up and read a certain book and she tested them on their skills, so she didn’t switch groups. The kids were doing an assignment, so I went and got my other three kids and switched. They played Candy Land as well. We got through several games which is a change, because usually we only get through one due to the fighting and arguing. They were a lot better with their reading this week.
Overall the kids seem to be improving. My student who never speaks and if he does he will whisper was whispering a lot to me this week. Sometimes he goes without saying a single word, but he was more talkative then usual which is a positive thing. The kids are learning to get along a lot better then they had been and there reading skills are improving week to week.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Sixth Visit
Today I went to my elementary school. I arrived at 9:00 with my friend and went to the front office to sign into the VIP’s book. We signed in and then I went to my classroom. When I got to the classroom the kids were all gathered on the front carpet and the teacher was reading a book to them. Some of the kids started to misbehave and the teacher sent them to their desk to write out the rules that they broke. In the front of the classroom the teacher has a list of the rules on a piece of paper that she hangs up. Whenever the students break a rule repeatedly they must write the rule or rules that they broke a certain amount of times.
The teacher finished reading the book and the students returned to their desk. They had enough time to each pick out their own book and to read for a little while on their own. Some kids decided to run around the classroom instead and play with each other. The teacher was setting up things for the day so she didn’t say anything to the students. At 9:30 the other teacher from a different classroom came to take her kids and some other kids came into my classroom.
I took some of my kids that I would be working with and I was with three of them for the first session. They all wanted to play Candy Land but that is the game we usually play first so I told them we had to either play one round of Bingo or Go Fish before we could play Candy Land. They choose to play Bingo. They spent most of the time fighting with each other and moving the markers on each other’s mats. They usually yell at each other and claim that someone is cheating which isn’t possible, because you work on your own and either had the word or not.
The kids do not seem to make much progress. The words on the Bingo mat are words like mop and mope, pin and pine, and Tim and time. It is trying to teach the kids how to distinguish the words from each other. Every week I teach the kids hints of how to remember the words, but they can never remember.
After this group I received my second group of kids. I played Go Fish with them and they read the words well. I was working with two kids, but the other kids in the class who I never work with wanted to play too. I explained to them that I was only working with these two students, but they would not leave the table that we were working at. After a few minutes, they finally left and went to work on their own work. It had is hard to play Go Fish with my two kids, because one of them does not speak at all. He will only whisper if that. Go Fish requires talking to he points to the person he wants to ask and then shows the card. I have been trying to work on getting him to speak or even whisper more, because I know he can read, but he won’t and I am not sure why.
Overall, this week was similar to all the other weeks I was there. We play the same games every week and the students do not seem to make much progress. I hope that in time they will be able to learn the words we go over weekly and improve on their reading skills. I also hope that my student who does not speak will learn to talk more or even whisper more which will be some progress for him.
The teacher finished reading the book and the students returned to their desk. They had enough time to each pick out their own book and to read for a little while on their own. Some kids decided to run around the classroom instead and play with each other. The teacher was setting up things for the day so she didn’t say anything to the students. At 9:30 the other teacher from a different classroom came to take her kids and some other kids came into my classroom.
I took some of my kids that I would be working with and I was with three of them for the first session. They all wanted to play Candy Land but that is the game we usually play first so I told them we had to either play one round of Bingo or Go Fish before we could play Candy Land. They choose to play Bingo. They spent most of the time fighting with each other and moving the markers on each other’s mats. They usually yell at each other and claim that someone is cheating which isn’t possible, because you work on your own and either had the word or not.
The kids do not seem to make much progress. The words on the Bingo mat are words like mop and mope, pin and pine, and Tim and time. It is trying to teach the kids how to distinguish the words from each other. Every week I teach the kids hints of how to remember the words, but they can never remember.
After this group I received my second group of kids. I played Go Fish with them and they read the words well. I was working with two kids, but the other kids in the class who I never work with wanted to play too. I explained to them that I was only working with these two students, but they would not leave the table that we were working at. After a few minutes, they finally left and went to work on their own work. It had is hard to play Go Fish with my two kids, because one of them does not speak at all. He will only whisper if that. Go Fish requires talking to he points to the person he wants to ask and then shows the card. I have been trying to work on getting him to speak or even whisper more, because I know he can read, but he won’t and I am not sure why.
Overall, this week was similar to all the other weeks I was there. We play the same games every week and the students do not seem to make much progress. I hope that in time they will be able to learn the words we go over weekly and improve on their reading skills. I also hope that my student who does not speak will learn to talk more or even whisper more which will be some progress for him.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Talk Point # 10
“For example, it’s very important to begin the school year with a discussion of why we go to school. Why does the government force us to go to school? This would set a questioning tone and show the children that you trust them and that they are intelligent enough at their own level, to investigate and come up with answers.”
This quote stuck out to me, because many of my teachers have done this in the classroom. I think it is important for students to know why they are in school and why they are learning what they are. One of my high school teachers would apply every chapter in math to something in the real world and how we would later use it in life which made it practical to learn. Also, it is important for teachers to show they trust that their students are capable of learning.
“If the aim of intellectual training is to form the intelligence rather than to stick the memory and to produce intellectual explorers rather than mere erudition, then traditional education is manifestly guilty of a grave deficiency.”
In high school I always felt that I memorized things rather than actually learning them. I made my way through school my memorizing, because it is easy for me. Teachers should teach the subjects to the children so they learn it and are able to remember it. Teachers should not just give the information for the students to regurgitate on the test then later forget about it. Students should also want to go to school to learn more and not just the bare minimum.
“If the student’s task it to memorize rules and existing knowledge, without questioning, the subject matter or the learning process, their potential for critical thought and action will be restricted.”
As I said, I made it through high school by memorizing, but that never stopped me from questioning things. It is important for students to question the knowledge being presented to them and for students to question the knowledge being presented to them and not to just accept everything a teacher says. If a student does not question things their critical thought will be restricted and so will their opinions. When questioning certain things I think opinions can be formed.
I enjoyed reading this article, because it addressed many issues that I always wondered about as to why we go to school and learn the things we do. My mother always told me growing up that my habit of memorizing would not get me far in life. She always said I should learn the information and it will stick with me and expand my mind. I now think it is important to learn rather then memorize and regurgitate the information.
This quote stuck out to me, because many of my teachers have done this in the classroom. I think it is important for students to know why they are in school and why they are learning what they are. One of my high school teachers would apply every chapter in math to something in the real world and how we would later use it in life which made it practical to learn. Also, it is important for teachers to show they trust that their students are capable of learning.
“If the aim of intellectual training is to form the intelligence rather than to stick the memory and to produce intellectual explorers rather than mere erudition, then traditional education is manifestly guilty of a grave deficiency.”
In high school I always felt that I memorized things rather than actually learning them. I made my way through school my memorizing, because it is easy for me. Teachers should teach the subjects to the children so they learn it and are able to remember it. Teachers should not just give the information for the students to regurgitate on the test then later forget about it. Students should also want to go to school to learn more and not just the bare minimum.
“If the student’s task it to memorize rules and existing knowledge, without questioning, the subject matter or the learning process, their potential for critical thought and action will be restricted.”
As I said, I made it through high school by memorizing, but that never stopped me from questioning things. It is important for students to question the knowledge being presented to them and for students to question the knowledge being presented to them and not to just accept everything a teacher says. If a student does not question things their critical thought will be restricted and so will their opinions. When questioning certain things I think opinions can be formed.
I enjoyed reading this article, because it addressed many issues that I always wondered about as to why we go to school and learn the things we do. My mother always told me growing up that my habit of memorizing would not get me far in life. She always said I should learn the information and it will stick with me and expand my mind. I now think it is important to learn rather then memorize and regurgitate the information.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Video: Boy's Perspective
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8-zsPkKprc
I found this video to be very interesting. It is interviews conducted with boys that attend an all boys school. They all say very positive things and why they like it so much. They talk about how boys and girls learn differently, there are less distractions, they have less to worry about. It is interesting to actually see what people who experience it have to say about it instead of just reading about studies being conducted.
I found this video to be very interesting. It is interviews conducted with boys that attend an all boys school. They all say very positive things and why they like it so much. They talk about how boys and girls learn differently, there are less distractions, they have less to worry about. It is interesting to actually see what people who experience it have to say about it instead of just reading about studies being conducted.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Talk Point # 9: Kliewer
“Now we know that people with disabilities can learn and have a full’, rich life. The challenge is to erase negative attitudes about people with developmental disabilities, get rid of the stereotypes and break the barriers for people with disabilities.”
This quote stuck out to me, because of how powerful it is. People with learning disabilities are capable of learning and having a full life, they just have to approach it in a different way then someone without a learning disability would. People need to move past the stereotypes and realize a person is not different just because they have a disability and having that disability does not make the incapable of learning. It is hard enough as it is for someone to learn so why add to the problem by forming stereotypes against them. People should be helping someone who needs the help, not causing more problems.
“Success in life requires an ability to form relationships with others who make up the web of community.”
I believe that success in life does require forming relationships with others. No one can be successful on their own. People have to go through life with the help of others whether they realize it or not. That is not to say that a person must depend on others, but they must receive some help in life.
“Such acceptance is the aim when children with Down syndrome join their nondisabled peers in classrooms, and many schools and individual teachers have entered into this effort, which seeks and finds community value in all children.”
I think this is a very important factor. When putting a child with Down syndrome into a classroom with nondisabled children there is always that fear that they will not be able to keep up or fit in. Acceptance amongst all students is very important and it is important that teachers try to help make the transition easy. All children are important and help to make up the community in a classroom. When a child is taunted, teased, or unaccepted because of circumstances they have no control over it causes a barrier in the classroom amongst the students. Acceptance is the most important thing to teach all children in a classroom together.
I found this article to be interesting and to make good points. I like that it put an emphasis on accepting people with disabilities and that it is not that they are incapable of learning it is that they learn differently. They may struggle, but they are still capable and time should be taken to help these students learn. They should be accepted by all, because they really are no different they any other person.
This quote stuck out to me, because of how powerful it is. People with learning disabilities are capable of learning and having a full life, they just have to approach it in a different way then someone without a learning disability would. People need to move past the stereotypes and realize a person is not different just because they have a disability and having that disability does not make the incapable of learning. It is hard enough as it is for someone to learn so why add to the problem by forming stereotypes against them. People should be helping someone who needs the help, not causing more problems.
“Success in life requires an ability to form relationships with others who make up the web of community.”
I believe that success in life does require forming relationships with others. No one can be successful on their own. People have to go through life with the help of others whether they realize it or not. That is not to say that a person must depend on others, but they must receive some help in life.
“Such acceptance is the aim when children with Down syndrome join their nondisabled peers in classrooms, and many schools and individual teachers have entered into this effort, which seeks and finds community value in all children.”
I think this is a very important factor. When putting a child with Down syndrome into a classroom with nondisabled children there is always that fear that they will not be able to keep up or fit in. Acceptance amongst all students is very important and it is important that teachers try to help make the transition easy. All children are important and help to make up the community in a classroom. When a child is taunted, teased, or unaccepted because of circumstances they have no control over it causes a barrier in the classroom amongst the students. Acceptance is the most important thing to teach all children in a classroom together.
I found this article to be interesting and to make good points. I like that it put an emphasis on accepting people with disabilities and that it is not that they are incapable of learning it is that they learn differently. They may struggle, but they are still capable and time should be taken to help these students learn. They should be accepted by all, because they really are no different they any other person.
Visit 5
This Friday I went to my elementary school. I arrived at 9:00 and sat in the back of the classroom while the teacher read a book to the students. After she finished reading the book, the kids were running around and waiting until they had to switch classrooms. Once they switched my kids came in. The teacher took group two first so I worked with my group one kids first. I work with six of them and they are split up in half.
I first worked with a boy and girl, because one of the other students was not there so it was just the two of them. We played Candy Land first. They fought the whole entire game of how to play and who was cheating. Giselle was yelling the whole time, because she easily gets excited and does not know an inside voice. Treshaun was arguing with me the whole time and did not want to play. When he lost in the end, he stormed off and when he came back I tried to explain to him that some times you win games and other times you lose games. He was pouting the whole time and finally decided to start participating again when we played Go Fish. I then took the second group of kids and we played Candy Land as well. They were more well behaved then the first group.
The teacher then took Group one onto the carpet to work with them so I had my next group of kids. There are four students I work with from this group so I split them in half and take them half the time each. The first group was Adetola, because the other boy was not here. She gives me problems every week, but this week she was well behaved. We played Bingo and she was going along with playing. She is at a very low reading level and struggles a lot. She gets easily discouraged and always wants to give up. I can see some improvement in her from week to week. We play a lot of the same games each week so she is beginning to learn the words better. I then took my second group which was Angel and Natalia. Angel fell off his seat and hit is neck on the desk. The other kids started laughing at him and he began to cry for 10 minutes straight. I explained to him that everyone falls and accidents happen. I also told the other kids in the group that it was not nice to make fun of other people. After a while he calmed down and began playing. He was fighting with everyone else the whole time over the game and would not listen to what anyone was saying.
Overall this week was hectic. The kids seemed to be off the wall, but maybe it was because it was the Friday before April vacation. They were all very energized and fighting with each other a lot. As a whole, I can see some improvement in the kids. They are starting to learn the words we are studying better and are becoming quicker when reading sentences and identifying words in Bingo which is an improvement.
I first worked with a boy and girl, because one of the other students was not there so it was just the two of them. We played Candy Land first. They fought the whole entire game of how to play and who was cheating. Giselle was yelling the whole time, because she easily gets excited and does not know an inside voice. Treshaun was arguing with me the whole time and did not want to play. When he lost in the end, he stormed off and when he came back I tried to explain to him that some times you win games and other times you lose games. He was pouting the whole time and finally decided to start participating again when we played Go Fish. I then took the second group of kids and we played Candy Land as well. They were more well behaved then the first group.
The teacher then took Group one onto the carpet to work with them so I had my next group of kids. There are four students I work with from this group so I split them in half and take them half the time each. The first group was Adetola, because the other boy was not here. She gives me problems every week, but this week she was well behaved. We played Bingo and she was going along with playing. She is at a very low reading level and struggles a lot. She gets easily discouraged and always wants to give up. I can see some improvement in her from week to week. We play a lot of the same games each week so she is beginning to learn the words better. I then took my second group which was Angel and Natalia. Angel fell off his seat and hit is neck on the desk. The other kids started laughing at him and he began to cry for 10 minutes straight. I explained to him that everyone falls and accidents happen. I also told the other kids in the group that it was not nice to make fun of other people. After a while he calmed down and began playing. He was fighting with everyone else the whole time over the game and would not listen to what anyone was saying.
Overall this week was hectic. The kids seemed to be off the wall, but maybe it was because it was the Friday before April vacation. They were all very energized and fighting with each other a lot. As a whole, I can see some improvement in the kids. They are starting to learn the words we are studying better and are becoming quicker when reading sentences and identifying words in Bingo which is an improvement.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Talk Point # 8: Anyon
“In a sense, some whole schools are on the vocational education track, while others are geared to produce future doctors, lawyers, and business leaders.”
This quote stuck out to me, because I never really thought of schools in this aspect. When I was in high school I went to learn and to get into a good college was a college preparatory school which is what it was geared towards. Some students go to a vocational high school to learn about a particular trait. I never thought about how I choose to go to a high school that would prepare me for college. I just went and that was it. Some students choose to go a completely different route and go for completely different reasons.
"In the middle-class school, work is getting the right answer. If one accumulates enough right answers, one gets a good grade."
I choose this quote, because it is not something I agree with. I do not think school should be all about grades. I think that learning is a process and it is sometimes tedious. Teachers assign tests, students study, and regurgitate the information back. They sometimes learn it only for that particular test and later forget it and that is not what learning is about. Unfortunately, school is based on right and wrong answers and good grades and bad grades.
“Work tasks do not usually request creativity. Serious attention is rarely given in school work on how the children develop or express their own feelings and ideas, either linguistically or in graphic form. On the occasions when creativity or self-expression is requested, it is peripheral to the main activity or it is "enriched" or "for fun."
I believe that creativity should be incorporated into every aspect of school work. It does help to make things enriched and fun, so why not incorporate into all aspects. It also helps student to develop and is positive for students in many different ways.
I found this article to be very interesting and informing. It is interesting to see how different environments learn and how different schools have different goals from one another. Some are geared towards being career oriented and teaching a particular trait to their students while others are geared for preparing students for college. Also, different teachers have different practices when it comes to teaching their students. All teachers teach differently, causing students to learn different things.
This quote stuck out to me, because I never really thought of schools in this aspect. When I was in high school I went to learn and to get into a good college was a college preparatory school which is what it was geared towards. Some students go to a vocational high school to learn about a particular trait. I never thought about how I choose to go to a high school that would prepare me for college. I just went and that was it. Some students choose to go a completely different route and go for completely different reasons.
"In the middle-class school, work is getting the right answer. If one accumulates enough right answers, one gets a good grade."
I choose this quote, because it is not something I agree with. I do not think school should be all about grades. I think that learning is a process and it is sometimes tedious. Teachers assign tests, students study, and regurgitate the information back. They sometimes learn it only for that particular test and later forget it and that is not what learning is about. Unfortunately, school is based on right and wrong answers and good grades and bad grades.
“Work tasks do not usually request creativity. Serious attention is rarely given in school work on how the children develop or express their own feelings and ideas, either linguistically or in graphic form. On the occasions when creativity or self-expression is requested, it is peripheral to the main activity or it is "enriched" or "for fun."
I believe that creativity should be incorporated into every aspect of school work. It does help to make things enriched and fun, so why not incorporate into all aspects. It also helps student to develop and is positive for students in many different ways.
I found this article to be very interesting and informing. It is interesting to see how different environments learn and how different schools have different goals from one another. Some are geared towards being career oriented and teaching a particular trait to their students while others are geared for preparing students for college. Also, different teachers have different practices when it comes to teaching their students. All teachers teach differently, causing students to learn different things.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Fourth Visit
Today I went on my fourth visit to my school. I went to the main office and signed in the VIPs sheet. I then went to my class and waited for the kids to switch rooms. Once my kids came in I worked with three for the first session and three for the second session. With my first three kids we played Bingo first which the kids love. They were all acting off the walls today. They kept yelling and screaming and grabbing each other cards. Some of them kept cheating and had difficulty focusing. We got through one game of this and I decided to play Candy Land next, because the kids like that more. Again, they were all fighting over who got to go first and who got to be which color. They just couldn’t seem to get along today. They all did well reading their words except for one girl. She can barely read the word he and she is in the second grade. She is very far behind, but can be difficult to work with. She doesn’t get along with the other students and tends to make fun of them.
The second group of students I took were a lot more well behaved. The three of them actually got a long and worked together to help each other. We first played Bingo and after two games of that we played Go Fish instead with their reading words. The kids did very well on the story they are currently learning. They knew all the words. One of the kids only whispers, if that. He will not speak out loud and today he was especially quiet. He wouldn’t even whisper to anyone today. He seemed very nervous when it came to picking a person to ask if they had a card in Go Fish. I think he was so nervous, because it is more difficult to play if you do not speak.
Overall, it was a somewhat stressful day. The kids were acting up and arguing a lot which became frustrating. When trying to play the games, no one wanted to cooperate so it became difficult to play games with them.
The second group of students I took were a lot more well behaved. The three of them actually got a long and worked together to help each other. We first played Bingo and after two games of that we played Go Fish instead with their reading words. The kids did very well on the story they are currently learning. They knew all the words. One of the kids only whispers, if that. He will not speak out loud and today he was especially quiet. He wouldn’t even whisper to anyone today. He seemed very nervous when it came to picking a person to ask if they had a card in Go Fish. I think he was so nervous, because it is more difficult to play if you do not speak.
Overall, it was a somewhat stressful day. The kids were acting up and arguing a lot which became frustrating. When trying to play the games, no one wanted to cooperate so it became difficult to play games with them.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Talk Point # 7: Weil
“Enough parents were impressed that when Foley Intermediate, a school of 322 fourth and fifth graders, reopened after summer recess, the school had four single-sex classrooms: a girls’ and a boys’ class in both the fourth and fifth grades. Four classrooms in each grade remained coed.”
This quote stuck out to me and something I thought to be important in the article. I have never heard of a school that has both co-ed classroom and single-sex classrooms. I have heard of schools that were only co-ed and I have heard of schools that were only single-sex, but never a combination. I also thought it was interesting that they were able to transition the classrooms so quickly. It only took a summer to make the transition. I think the concept of having both is interesting. It brings the best of both worlds into the picture. If parents choose to have their child in a single-sex classroom they can and at some points throughout the day such as recess their child still has the option to interact with students of the opposite sex.
“Among his early proposals was that boys should start kindergarten at age 6, a year later than girls, in order to ease the “sense of scholastic incompetence” that so many boys feel early on because they tend to develop later. Several friends quickly convinced Sax that American families would never go for this. So Sax started thinking it might be better for boys and girls to be in different classrooms.”
This quote is interesting, because at first Sax wanted to take a different approach. He wanted boys to start an entire year later then girls. I do not think a lot of parents would go for this, because I think that most parents want their child to start school on time just like any other student. I believe that more parents would think it is better if their child started school on time, but were separated by gender. If boys mature at an older age then girls, then it would make sense to put the boys together since they are all at the same maturity level in a sense and for all the girls to be together as well.
“Baby boys prefer to stare at mobiles; baby girls at faces. Boys solve maze puzzles using the hippocampus; girls use the cerebral cortex. Boys covet risk; girls shy away. Boys perform better under moderate stress; girls perform worse.”
This shows that even as babies, there are such gender difference and as a person grows older, the differences only become noticeable and complex. I can understand why it makes sense to separate boys and girls in the classroom. Boys learn a like and girls learn alike and the way boys and girls learn can differ. If the separation is made, then students may be able to learn better.
This article made a lot of good points. I never realized schools with coed and single-sex classrooms existed. I think it can work well, because it gives students the chance to learn with students of the same gender and better their education, but they are not deprived of being around students of the opposite sex which I think is very important. I also believe it depends on the student as well. I went to a coed and received a very good education and good grades. I know people who went to single-sex schools and said they enjoyed it, but wish the opposite sex was around more. This arrangement gives the best of both worlds.
This quote stuck out to me and something I thought to be important in the article. I have never heard of a school that has both co-ed classroom and single-sex classrooms. I have heard of schools that were only co-ed and I have heard of schools that were only single-sex, but never a combination. I also thought it was interesting that they were able to transition the classrooms so quickly. It only took a summer to make the transition. I think the concept of having both is interesting. It brings the best of both worlds into the picture. If parents choose to have their child in a single-sex classroom they can and at some points throughout the day such as recess their child still has the option to interact with students of the opposite sex.
“Among his early proposals was that boys should start kindergarten at age 6, a year later than girls, in order to ease the “sense of scholastic incompetence” that so many boys feel early on because they tend to develop later. Several friends quickly convinced Sax that American families would never go for this. So Sax started thinking it might be better for boys and girls to be in different classrooms.”
This quote is interesting, because at first Sax wanted to take a different approach. He wanted boys to start an entire year later then girls. I do not think a lot of parents would go for this, because I think that most parents want their child to start school on time just like any other student. I believe that more parents would think it is better if their child started school on time, but were separated by gender. If boys mature at an older age then girls, then it would make sense to put the boys together since they are all at the same maturity level in a sense and for all the girls to be together as well.
“Baby boys prefer to stare at mobiles; baby girls at faces. Boys solve maze puzzles using the hippocampus; girls use the cerebral cortex. Boys covet risk; girls shy away. Boys perform better under moderate stress; girls perform worse.”
This shows that even as babies, there are such gender difference and as a person grows older, the differences only become noticeable and complex. I can understand why it makes sense to separate boys and girls in the classroom. Boys learn a like and girls learn alike and the way boys and girls learn can differ. If the separation is made, then students may be able to learn better.
This article made a lot of good points. I never realized schools with coed and single-sex classrooms existed. I think it can work well, because it gives students the chance to learn with students of the same gender and better their education, but they are not deprived of being around students of the opposite sex which I think is very important. I also believe it depends on the student as well. I went to a coed and received a very good education and good grades. I know people who went to single-sex schools and said they enjoyed it, but wish the opposite sex was around more. This arrangement gives the best of both worlds.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Talk Point # 6 : Rose
1. “How does hip-hop rise to the level of being studied at places like Brown and Harvard, of all places?”
This quote stuck out to me, because of the way it is worded. Brown and Harvard, which are Ivey league schools, have studies about hip-hop. The man who spoke this quote made it seem as though hip-hop is not worthy of being studied, especially at higher education schools like Brown and Harvard. I think that it is something worth being studied by anyone. It was almost as if he was degrading the study of hip-hop.
2. “Hip-hop is just one moment of a long tradition of African American cultural creativity made almost always under duress. And hip-hop is a very important example of this. It is both a sign of enormous creativity and hope and a crippled state of life in the post-industrial city where Black communities have just been devastated by a variety of things, some of them racially specific, some of them just about changes in urban policy at a broader level.”
Hip-hop is an African American culture and in a sense gives people hope. In a Black community, bad things may have happened and some may be because of race, but the long tradition of hope can help people who have gone through a tragedy have some sense of hope. Also, creating hip-hop involves a lot of creativity. It is something to be appreciated and looked deeply into.
3. “Now, those images - I call them in the book hip-hop's trinity; the gangster, pimp, and ho trinity - because commercial hip-hop takes over - these images take over commercial hip-hop in the mid-'90s.”
I think that commercial hip-hop has given traditional hip-hop a bad name. Some hip-hop is derogatory towards women and people of particular races. It has become “gangster, pimp, and ho” and that is what gives it a bad name to some people. If traditional hip-hop was listened to, people would be able to tell the difference between commercial hip-hop and traditional hip-hop. It should be creative, and inspiring to people. It should not be derogatory towards certain types of people.
I thought this interview was very interesting. It made a lot of good points that I agree with. I think it is something that should be studied and looked upon. I also think certain artists give hip-hop a bad name and turn people off of it. Old school hip-hop or traditional hip-hop is very different from commercial hip-hop. I think it should be given a fair chance to be listened to, because it can be poetic, creative, and send a powerful message.
This quote stuck out to me, because of the way it is worded. Brown and Harvard, which are Ivey league schools, have studies about hip-hop. The man who spoke this quote made it seem as though hip-hop is not worthy of being studied, especially at higher education schools like Brown and Harvard. I think that it is something worth being studied by anyone. It was almost as if he was degrading the study of hip-hop.
2. “Hip-hop is just one moment of a long tradition of African American cultural creativity made almost always under duress. And hip-hop is a very important example of this. It is both a sign of enormous creativity and hope and a crippled state of life in the post-industrial city where Black communities have just been devastated by a variety of things, some of them racially specific, some of them just about changes in urban policy at a broader level.”
Hip-hop is an African American culture and in a sense gives people hope. In a Black community, bad things may have happened and some may be because of race, but the long tradition of hope can help people who have gone through a tragedy have some sense of hope. Also, creating hip-hop involves a lot of creativity. It is something to be appreciated and looked deeply into.
3. “Now, those images - I call them in the book hip-hop's trinity; the gangster, pimp, and ho trinity - because commercial hip-hop takes over - these images take over commercial hip-hop in the mid-'90s.”
I think that commercial hip-hop has given traditional hip-hop a bad name. Some hip-hop is derogatory towards women and people of particular races. It has become “gangster, pimp, and ho” and that is what gives it a bad name to some people. If traditional hip-hop was listened to, people would be able to tell the difference between commercial hip-hop and traditional hip-hop. It should be creative, and inspiring to people. It should not be derogatory towards certain types of people.
I thought this interview was very interesting. It made a lot of good points that I agree with. I think it is something that should be studied and looked upon. I also think certain artists give hip-hop a bad name and turn people off of it. Old school hip-hop or traditional hip-hop is very different from commercial hip-hop. I think it should be given a fair chance to be listened to, because it can be poetic, creative, and send a powerful message.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Third Visit
Today was my third visit to the elementary school. The previous week I had been placed in a different classroom, because the teacher was absent so I was unsure of where I was going to be placed this week. I met with the VIP’s coordinator when I arrived and she said I was going back to my original classroom and she had a group of six students that I was going to be working with. I was going to take two at a time and work with them on their reading.
I went to the classroom and was set to work with 2 girls. One of them was absent so for the beginning of the class I only worked with 1 student. She was a handful. She was very uncooperative and did not want to read. I think it is because it is not a strong area for her and she would become very discouraged. If she did not know a word she would try to change the activity we were doing. She had a very negative attitude and a behavior problem. The VIPs coordinator was aware of this, because before I went to the classroom she told me if this student gave me a huge problem to just send her back to her seat, because it was common for her. We read a book together and then played Candy Land. The board game was set up to help them learn how to read. They had to read certain phrases before they could move through the spaces.
The second group I took was a boy and a girl. We went through the reading and then played Candy Land and Go Fish. I found that these students read well and had positive attitudes. As we were reading a lot of the other students kept bothering them and trying to play the games with us which was a huge interruption for the students. The third group I took was three boys. One of the boys would not speak and only whispered. Everything he said he would say in a whisper. The other students made fun of him a lot and I explained to them that there was nothing wrong with his whispering and he shouldn’t be treated any different. I could tell it upset him when they made fun of him. He read very well though and I think he was just assigned to me, because of the fact that he always whispered.
I went to the classroom and was set to work with 2 girls. One of them was absent so for the beginning of the class I only worked with 1 student. She was a handful. She was very uncooperative and did not want to read. I think it is because it is not a strong area for her and she would become very discouraged. If she did not know a word she would try to change the activity we were doing. She had a very negative attitude and a behavior problem. The VIPs coordinator was aware of this, because before I went to the classroom she told me if this student gave me a huge problem to just send her back to her seat, because it was common for her. We read a book together and then played Candy Land. The board game was set up to help them learn how to read. They had to read certain phrases before they could move through the spaces.
The second group I took was a boy and a girl. We went through the reading and then played Candy Land and Go Fish. I found that these students read well and had positive attitudes. As we were reading a lot of the other students kept bothering them and trying to play the games with us which was a huge interruption for the students. The third group I took was three boys. One of the boys would not speak and only whispered. Everything he said he would say in a whisper. The other students made fun of him a lot and I explained to them that there was nothing wrong with his whispering and he shouldn’t be treated any different. I could tell it upset him when they made fun of him. He read very well though and I think he was just assigned to me, because of the fact that he always whispered.
Second Visit
Today I went to my school again for my second visit. I arrived at the school with my friend and we went to the front office to sign in. I went to the classroom that I had been in the pervious week. Today I was supposed to be assigned the students I was working with. I went into my classroom and my teacher was absent and there was a substitute teacher in. She didn’t know what to do with me and put me in the back of the classroom to read to a student who was acting out until the students changed rooms.
My friends mom works at the school and saw that there was a substitute teacher in the room and went to speak to the VIP’s person to see what I should do. The coordinator of VIPs called the classroom I was in and spoke with me. She said the day before there was an incident in the classroom and she didn’t feel comfortable with me in there so she switched me to the classroom that my friend was in. I went in there and was assigned to work with a group of nine students. We sat at a large round table and the teacher gave me a stack of words that the students were learning. I held the cards up and together the students would read aloud what the word was. Some students were quicker than others and some students did not know any of the words. It was as though the same students were able to read the words. After we finished going through the new words, the students read from their books then answered their worksheet pages.
The class switched mid way and I worked with a second group of students. There were about ten students in my second group. The teacher gave me a new stack of words, because the two groups were on different reading levels. We went through the words and I noticed the same things. The same students were able to read the words out loud. Once we went through the words, this group read from their book as well and answered their worksheet pages.
The students I worked with this week were a lot more well behaved then the students I had worked with the week before. I also found the teacher and her assistant to be very involved and had very positive attitudes towards the students. They did not yell at the students if they did something wrong. They had set rules and for the most part all the students behaved. It was a positive atmosphere that the teachers created.
My friends mom works at the school and saw that there was a substitute teacher in the room and went to speak to the VIP’s person to see what I should do. The coordinator of VIPs called the classroom I was in and spoke with me. She said the day before there was an incident in the classroom and she didn’t feel comfortable with me in there so she switched me to the classroom that my friend was in. I went in there and was assigned to work with a group of nine students. We sat at a large round table and the teacher gave me a stack of words that the students were learning. I held the cards up and together the students would read aloud what the word was. Some students were quicker than others and some students did not know any of the words. It was as though the same students were able to read the words. After we finished going through the new words, the students read from their books then answered their worksheet pages.
The class switched mid way and I worked with a second group of students. There were about ten students in my second group. The teacher gave me a new stack of words, because the two groups were on different reading levels. We went through the words and I noticed the same things. The same students were able to read the words out loud. Once we went through the words, this group read from their book as well and answered their worksheet pages.
The students I worked with this week were a lot more well behaved then the students I had worked with the week before. I also found the teacher and her assistant to be very involved and had very positive attitudes towards the students. They did not yell at the students if they did something wrong. They had set rules and for the most part all the students behaved. It was a positive atmosphere that the teachers created.
Talk Point # 5 Kahne & Westheimer
1.)"With the current interest in and allocation of resources to service learning comes a growing need to clarify the ideological perspectives that underlie service learning programs."
I picked this quote, because it raises the question of what service learning actually is. It shows that there is an interest by people to perform service learning, but people first need to find out what the ideals of it are. It is done for a reason and before people can begin they must learn why they are actually doing it.
2.)"These curriculum theorists and education reformers wanted students to engage in service learning projects so that they would recognize that their academic abilities and collective commitments could help them respond in meaningful ways to a variety of social concerns."
I agree with this quote. Through the field of education and through the classroom, students can help those who are in great need. I know that through all my my education through grades K through 12 my schools were always doing things to help those in needs and students could participate. In my high school there was even a class based on service learning. I think it was very important for the students and helped them to have a commitment to someone who depended on their help.
3.)"In doing so, we create opportunities for changing our understanding of the other and the context within which he or she lives."
People are quick to judge others. If we help others we will get a chance to see how they really live and what they go through on a daily basis. When we see a person we automatically form an opinion of them, but in reality we have no idea what kind of life they live or what they are going through. By helping others, we can help
ourselves to be less judgmental and give everyone the chance they deserve.
I enjoyed this reading. I thought it gave a new perspective on the classroom and discussed something I think is important for people. Service learning is something that is not done everywhere, but I think it is important for it to be integrated.
I picked this quote, because it raises the question of what service learning actually is. It shows that there is an interest by people to perform service learning, but people first need to find out what the ideals of it are. It is done for a reason and before people can begin they must learn why they are actually doing it.
2.)"These curriculum theorists and education reformers wanted students to engage in service learning projects so that they would recognize that their academic abilities and collective commitments could help them respond in meaningful ways to a variety of social concerns."
I agree with this quote. Through the field of education and through the classroom, students can help those who are in great need. I know that through all my my education through grades K through 12 my schools were always doing things to help those in needs and students could participate. In my high school there was even a class based on service learning. I think it was very important for the students and helped them to have a commitment to someone who depended on their help.
3.)"In doing so, we create opportunities for changing our understanding of the other and the context within which he or she lives."
People are quick to judge others. If we help others we will get a chance to see how they really live and what they go through on a daily basis. When we see a person we automatically form an opinion of them, but in reality we have no idea what kind of life they live or what they are going through. By helping others, we can help
ourselves to be less judgmental and give everyone the chance they deserve.
I enjoyed this reading. I thought it gave a new perspective on the classroom and discussed something I think is important for people. Service learning is something that is not done everywhere, but I think it is important for it to be integrated.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Christensen Talk Points
“As Tatum’s research suggests, the stereotypes and worldview embedded in the stories become accepted knowledge.”
I agree with this statement. Children’s stories send strong messages, but no one questions them, because of who they are directed towards. People believe that things written for children must be correct and not stereotypical because it is written for children, but almost all children’s stories are stereotypical in some way. The message that is given through these stories are just accepted by all. People should begin really looking into what message is being portrayed and decide if it is correct or not. For example, all Disney princesses portray the idea that a woman needs a man to come save them. Most children will say they want a prince charming, because of what the Disney story is telling them. These ideas for children should be corrected, because in reality life is not like a Disney story.
“Many students don’t want to believe that they have been manipulated by children’s media or advertising. No one wants to admit that they have been “handled” by the media.”
I think one major problem is no one likes to think that children’s media is manipulating, because it is a huge part of a child’s life. Many children read books to help improve their reading or watch movies for the same reason. These books and movies are supposed to be for children to learn, but instead it can sometimes portray the wrong idea. Many people as well fall for advertising, but people do not like to believe they are capable of falling for any sort of advertising. People like to believe they can overcome an ad or what the media is saying, because they are higher then that. In reality, the media is in almost every aspect of a person’s life so it is hard to ignore.
“I started by showing students old cartoons, because the stereotypes are so blatant. We look at the roles women, men, people of color, and poor people play in the cartoons.”
Older cartoons I believe have more stereotypes that are extremely obvious. They portray the role that men and men should have in society. It also shows the place of people of color and people who are rich and poor. I think that cartoons today still do this, but it is not as obvious. I think everything has become more subtle. It does not mean it is not there, it just means that people have to look harder in order to see it. Cartoons for children do show people’s place in society. For example, many Disney princesses start of as people who are considered to be “no one”. They are either people who are treated as maids or poor and only become someone when they marry a prince. The prince makes them who they are which I do not think is a good message to be sending to children.
I enjoyed reading this article and thought it made a lot of good points. It discusses a topic that people do not give a great deal of thought to. Children’s cartoons are supposed to be innocent, because it is children who are watching them. When looked at closely a great meaning can be found whether if it saying what role a person plays in the world or what type of message they are trying to convey.
I agree with this statement. Children’s stories send strong messages, but no one questions them, because of who they are directed towards. People believe that things written for children must be correct and not stereotypical because it is written for children, but almost all children’s stories are stereotypical in some way. The message that is given through these stories are just accepted by all. People should begin really looking into what message is being portrayed and decide if it is correct or not. For example, all Disney princesses portray the idea that a woman needs a man to come save them. Most children will say they want a prince charming, because of what the Disney story is telling them. These ideas for children should be corrected, because in reality life is not like a Disney story.
“Many students don’t want to believe that they have been manipulated by children’s media or advertising. No one wants to admit that they have been “handled” by the media.”
I think one major problem is no one likes to think that children’s media is manipulating, because it is a huge part of a child’s life. Many children read books to help improve their reading or watch movies for the same reason. These books and movies are supposed to be for children to learn, but instead it can sometimes portray the wrong idea. Many people as well fall for advertising, but people do not like to believe they are capable of falling for any sort of advertising. People like to believe they can overcome an ad or what the media is saying, because they are higher then that. In reality, the media is in almost every aspect of a person’s life so it is hard to ignore.
“I started by showing students old cartoons, because the stereotypes are so blatant. We look at the roles women, men, people of color, and poor people play in the cartoons.”
Older cartoons I believe have more stereotypes that are extremely obvious. They portray the role that men and men should have in society. It also shows the place of people of color and people who are rich and poor. I think that cartoons today still do this, but it is not as obvious. I think everything has become more subtle. It does not mean it is not there, it just means that people have to look harder in order to see it. Cartoons for children do show people’s place in society. For example, many Disney princesses start of as people who are considered to be “no one”. They are either people who are treated as maids or poor and only become someone when they marry a prince. The prince makes them who they are which I do not think is a good message to be sending to children.
I enjoyed reading this article and thought it made a lot of good points. It discusses a topic that people do not give a great deal of thought to. Children’s cartoons are supposed to be innocent, because it is children who are watching them. When looked at closely a great meaning can be found whether if it saying what role a person plays in the world or what type of message they are trying to convey.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Talk Point # 3: Carlson
1.“…gay people have for the most part been made absent, invisible, and silent within this community and at the same time represented at the deviant and pathological ‘Other.’” (223).
Unfortunately in today’s society gay people are made absent, invisible, and silent, because they feel as though they can not be true about who they are. Since other people are not accepting of this and discriminate against them, it forces gay people to be quiet. It is not easy to come out and tell the truth. Society also makes it seem wrong and that particular people are wrong for being gay. They are viewed as being “others” because they are not like everyone else in society. It is sad that someone cannot come out and talk about who they truly are, because they fear others.
2.“The official policy in most school districts is in fact identical to that of the U.S. military, namely: “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” Interestingly, while this policy is being challenged by gays in the military, it has not been forcefully challenged by gay teachers in public schools yet…”
This quote stuck out to me, because not to long ago I had a conversation about gay people in the military. A new law was passed that overrode the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law and now men in the military can be openly gay and they not be discriminated against in a sense. Teachers in public schools should be allowed to say they are gay if they choose to do so without any repercussions. If it is not allowed for a teacher to come out, this may give students the idea that they should not come out either and that is sending the wrong message. People should be allowed to be who they really are without having to worry about losing their job or being discriminated against by the other members of the school board.
3.“Among other things, it involves the constitution of a whole network of support services and organizations designed to help individuals “come out” in a supportive environment and participate in the gay community, including gay counseling services, drop-in centers, support groups, athletic leagues, choruses, and political organizations.”
This quote stuck out to me, because it describes all the different types of counseling gay people can receive when they choose to “come out” in different types of situations. As a straight person, I do not have to think twice about revealing my sexual orientation no matter what type of situation I am in. Someone who is homosexual has to worry about who they reveal it to and may even have to receive some sort of counseling after they come out. They have to think twice about telling people in their community and hope it goes well where as I can say it to whomever I want without anything negative happening to me.
This article describes the different effects “coming out” has on people and the different types of situations people can be in. It is frowned upon in society by many people to be gay which forces gay people to have to keep silent about their sexual orientation. If they do “come out” they have to worry about what may happen to them or if they will lose their job over it. It also goes into great detail about the school systems opinion on the entire situation and how for a while it was similar to that or the military with the “don’t ask, don’t tell”. They were not saying you could not be gay, they were saying you cannot tell anyone you are which is not right.
Unfortunately in today’s society gay people are made absent, invisible, and silent, because they feel as though they can not be true about who they are. Since other people are not accepting of this and discriminate against them, it forces gay people to be quiet. It is not easy to come out and tell the truth. Society also makes it seem wrong and that particular people are wrong for being gay. They are viewed as being “others” because they are not like everyone else in society. It is sad that someone cannot come out and talk about who they truly are, because they fear others.
2.“The official policy in most school districts is in fact identical to that of the U.S. military, namely: “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” Interestingly, while this policy is being challenged by gays in the military, it has not been forcefully challenged by gay teachers in public schools yet…”
This quote stuck out to me, because not to long ago I had a conversation about gay people in the military. A new law was passed that overrode the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law and now men in the military can be openly gay and they not be discriminated against in a sense. Teachers in public schools should be allowed to say they are gay if they choose to do so without any repercussions. If it is not allowed for a teacher to come out, this may give students the idea that they should not come out either and that is sending the wrong message. People should be allowed to be who they really are without having to worry about losing their job or being discriminated against by the other members of the school board.
3.“Among other things, it involves the constitution of a whole network of support services and organizations designed to help individuals “come out” in a supportive environment and participate in the gay community, including gay counseling services, drop-in centers, support groups, athletic leagues, choruses, and political organizations.”
This quote stuck out to me, because it describes all the different types of counseling gay people can receive when they choose to “come out” in different types of situations. As a straight person, I do not have to think twice about revealing my sexual orientation no matter what type of situation I am in. Someone who is homosexual has to worry about who they reveal it to and may even have to receive some sort of counseling after they come out. They have to think twice about telling people in their community and hope it goes well where as I can say it to whomever I want without anything negative happening to me.
This article describes the different effects “coming out” has on people and the different types of situations people can be in. It is frowned upon in society by many people to be gay which forces gay people to have to keep silent about their sexual orientation. If they do “come out” they have to worry about what may happen to them or if they will lose their job over it. It also goes into great detail about the school systems opinion on the entire situation and how for a while it was similar to that or the military with the “don’t ask, don’t tell”. They were not saying you could not be gay, they were saying you cannot tell anyone you are which is not right.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
First Visit
On Friday I went for my first visit at the elementary school I was assigned to. My best friend and I were assigned to the same school, so she picked me up at 9:00, because we had to be there for 9:30. We arrived a few minutes early and new exactly where to go, because her mom is a teacher there and we had both been there many times before. We went to the front doors and we were buzzed into the school. We went to the front office to drop off our VIPs sign in sheets and then met the director of the program for reading at that particular school.
The school that I was assigned to is located in the Smith Hill section of Providence. This area is not the best of areas, because there is a lot of known violence that occurs in this section, but we had no problems when we went. As of September, 2009 the elementary school had 540 students enrolled. Of those students, 47.8 were female and 52.2 were male.
The director met with my friend, myself, and one other girl from a different college. She explained that this week she would put us in our classrooms, but we would not be working with any specific children. Since February vacation was the following week she would take the time then to go through our assigned classrooms students and see who the “target” students were. These students are ones who performed low on test scores and needed extra help in the classroom. When we return after February vacation we will be assigned students to work with on a weekly basis.
I was assigned to a first grade classroom with a female teacher. I walked in the classroom and she greeted me warmly. She was reading to her “homeroom” and in a few minutes the kids would be switching classrooms. I sat down at a cluster of desks and watched her read a Curious George book to the students. I took the time to observe the classroom. There were shelves and tables full of books that the students could read when they had spare time. On the front chalkboard was a weekly helper chart with students names and their chores for that particular week. There was also a calendar that the students put together each month. There was a number and letters chart at the top of the chalk board as well. The other walls were filled with art work done by the students and some of their class work as well. There were two computers in the back of the room that the students were allowed to use. There was also a bubbler in the corner. The classroom’s desks were set up in clusters of four and in the back of the room was a larger table that could fit approximately six or seven students. There was also a table with a tape recorder that the students used when they had to do listening assignments.
After the bell rang the new group of students came in. The teacher immediately called group one to come sit on the rug. She explained to me that I was going to be working with group two. They were going to be coloring in a book then putting it together. Group one consisted of approximately 15 students and group two consisted of six. I sat with group two at a cluster of desks and they worked on coloring. There were two girls in this group and four boys. Two of those boys were extremely quiet and just sat there and colored. There were exceptionally good at coloring for their age and took their time with the assignment. The other four students were constantly talking and trying to avoid doing the assignment. One young girl in the group was giving me a very hard time about doing her work. First she was coloring with markers and the teacher told her she was not allowed to. When I tried to take the markers to put them on the teacher’s desk she yelled at me and would not give me one of the markers and continued to color anyways. After a few minutes I finally got the marker from her. She then stopped coloring and just sat there and would not listen to anyone. One boy at the table kept taking things off the teacher’s desk that he was not supposed to. He was trying to take a stapler that was not even working and he too would not listen when I told him he was not supposed to be doing that. After they finished coloring I had a worksheet for them to work on. Only a few of them made it to the worksheet.
After about 45 minutes the teacher called group two to come sit on the rug and I was now working with group one. There were many more students now and they were spread out amongst the classroom as opposed to all sitting together. They had to work on two workbook sheets and then they could do the coloring assignment. One girl immediately attached herself to me. No matter where I went she would follow me. She finished her workbook pages and was now coloring and kept begging me to color with her. I was helping other students who were struggling to finish their workbook pages and told her I would come color with her as soon as I finished, but she would not leave my side. One boy had a huge personality. He wrote on all his papers “Young Money” ,who is a professional rapper, as his name. It was also his birthday and he was very excited. He was having a lot of trouble with the workbook pages so I helped him with that.
The school is made up of many students of different ethnicities. The majority of the students in the school are Hispanic. They make up 56.1 percent of the students that attend the school. The second largest group is African American who make up 25.7 percent of the students. The minorities in the school are whites who make up 9.3 percent, Asians who make up 8.5 percent, and Native Americans who only make up 0.4 percent. The classroom I was in reflected these statistics. The majority of the class was African American and Hispanic students. There was one white student in the class and he sat at a table by himself while doing his work. I eventually saw him playing with another Hispanic boy, but for the most part he kept to himself. I think some of the other students may have isolated him, because at point when he was sitting on the rub he was pinched by another student and started to cry hysterically. When I tried to help him with his workbook pages he was very shy and quiet and would not let me help him.
The demographics of the school definitely influence the classroom and how the students learn. A lot of the students were ESL students and were still in the process of learning some English. Because of this, they were not at the grade level they should have been in. Having to learn English may have been a setback for them. There was also a lot of diversity in the classroom. There was not just one race in particular, but there were students of many races. I overheard students refeering to thigs about their particular culture, but I am not sure they even noticed this. For example, one girl was talking to another student about how they celebrated her older sisters Quince Anos over the weekend. She had to explain what it was because the other student had never heard of it before. That is a tradition that most Hispanics take part in, but I am not sure she even realized that. It just showed that many people come from many different backgrounds and she was sharing a part of her culture with another student.
I enjoyed visiting the elementary school and working with the students. I am more excited to be working one on one with a few students, because I found it difficult working with 15 students at once when I wasn’t given much direction of what to do with them. I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks.
The school that I was assigned to is located in the Smith Hill section of Providence. This area is not the best of areas, because there is a lot of known violence that occurs in this section, but we had no problems when we went. As of September, 2009 the elementary school had 540 students enrolled. Of those students, 47.8 were female and 52.2 were male.
The director met with my friend, myself, and one other girl from a different college. She explained that this week she would put us in our classrooms, but we would not be working with any specific children. Since February vacation was the following week she would take the time then to go through our assigned classrooms students and see who the “target” students were. These students are ones who performed low on test scores and needed extra help in the classroom. When we return after February vacation we will be assigned students to work with on a weekly basis.
I was assigned to a first grade classroom with a female teacher. I walked in the classroom and she greeted me warmly. She was reading to her “homeroom” and in a few minutes the kids would be switching classrooms. I sat down at a cluster of desks and watched her read a Curious George book to the students. I took the time to observe the classroom. There were shelves and tables full of books that the students could read when they had spare time. On the front chalkboard was a weekly helper chart with students names and their chores for that particular week. There was also a calendar that the students put together each month. There was a number and letters chart at the top of the chalk board as well. The other walls were filled with art work done by the students and some of their class work as well. There were two computers in the back of the room that the students were allowed to use. There was also a bubbler in the corner. The classroom’s desks were set up in clusters of four and in the back of the room was a larger table that could fit approximately six or seven students. There was also a table with a tape recorder that the students used when they had to do listening assignments.
After the bell rang the new group of students came in. The teacher immediately called group one to come sit on the rug. She explained to me that I was going to be working with group two. They were going to be coloring in a book then putting it together. Group one consisted of approximately 15 students and group two consisted of six. I sat with group two at a cluster of desks and they worked on coloring. There were two girls in this group and four boys. Two of those boys were extremely quiet and just sat there and colored. There were exceptionally good at coloring for their age and took their time with the assignment. The other four students were constantly talking and trying to avoid doing the assignment. One young girl in the group was giving me a very hard time about doing her work. First she was coloring with markers and the teacher told her she was not allowed to. When I tried to take the markers to put them on the teacher’s desk she yelled at me and would not give me one of the markers and continued to color anyways. After a few minutes I finally got the marker from her. She then stopped coloring and just sat there and would not listen to anyone. One boy at the table kept taking things off the teacher’s desk that he was not supposed to. He was trying to take a stapler that was not even working and he too would not listen when I told him he was not supposed to be doing that. After they finished coloring I had a worksheet for them to work on. Only a few of them made it to the worksheet.
After about 45 minutes the teacher called group two to come sit on the rug and I was now working with group one. There were many more students now and they were spread out amongst the classroom as opposed to all sitting together. They had to work on two workbook sheets and then they could do the coloring assignment. One girl immediately attached herself to me. No matter where I went she would follow me. She finished her workbook pages and was now coloring and kept begging me to color with her. I was helping other students who were struggling to finish their workbook pages and told her I would come color with her as soon as I finished, but she would not leave my side. One boy had a huge personality. He wrote on all his papers “Young Money” ,who is a professional rapper, as his name. It was also his birthday and he was very excited. He was having a lot of trouble with the workbook pages so I helped him with that.
The school is made up of many students of different ethnicities. The majority of the students in the school are Hispanic. They make up 56.1 percent of the students that attend the school. The second largest group is African American who make up 25.7 percent of the students. The minorities in the school are whites who make up 9.3 percent, Asians who make up 8.5 percent, and Native Americans who only make up 0.4 percent. The classroom I was in reflected these statistics. The majority of the class was African American and Hispanic students. There was one white student in the class and he sat at a table by himself while doing his work. I eventually saw him playing with another Hispanic boy, but for the most part he kept to himself. I think some of the other students may have isolated him, because at point when he was sitting on the rub he was pinched by another student and started to cry hysterically. When I tried to help him with his workbook pages he was very shy and quiet and would not let me help him.
The demographics of the school definitely influence the classroom and how the students learn. A lot of the students were ESL students and were still in the process of learning some English. Because of this, they were not at the grade level they should have been in. Having to learn English may have been a setback for them. There was also a lot of diversity in the classroom. There was not just one race in particular, but there were students of many races. I overheard students refeering to thigs about their particular culture, but I am not sure they even noticed this. For example, one girl was talking to another student about how they celebrated her older sisters Quince Anos over the weekend. She had to explain what it was because the other student had never heard of it before. That is a tradition that most Hispanics take part in, but I am not sure she even realized that. It just showed that many people come from many different backgrounds and she was sharing a part of her culture with another student.
I enjoyed visiting the elementary school and working with the students. I am more excited to be working one on one with a few students, because I found it difficult working with 15 students at once when I wasn’t given much direction of what to do with them. I am looking forward to the upcoming weeks.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Talk Point # 2
Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez Jenna Petrucci
1.“Id rarely leave home all alone or without reluctance. Walking down the sidewalk, under the canopy of tall trees, I’d warily notice the –suddenly- silent neighborhood kids who stood warily watching me.” This quote shows how isolated the author felt when he was a child trying to learn a new language. He felt that he could not even leave the house, because people would stare at him as if something was wrong with him. Learning a new language is hard enough as it is and when others make a person feel bad about themselves it can make it that much harder. It also makes a person feel unmotivated to learn.
2.“Without question, it would have pleased me to hear my teachers address me in Spanish when I entered the classroom. I would have felt much less afraid. I would have trusted them and responded with ease.” His home language gave him a sense of comfort and when he was not able to speak it, he felt uneasy. If he was able to go to school and speak in Spanish and not have to speak in English, it would have been much easier for him. Kids are supposed to been at ease when they are in school. They are not supposed to feel afraid and they are supposed to be able to trust their teachers. He was very young and it is sad that he was afraid to go to school. It is such a big part of a child’s life and they should be comfortable with attending school and he was not able to do that.
3.“With great tact the visitors continued, “Is it possible for you and your husband to encourage your children to practice their English when they are home?’ Of course, my parents complied.” The nuns visited the authors home and asked them to speak English to their children at home. For some reason this kind of shocked me. I would not have expected a teacher to visit a student’s parents at home and ask them to change their whole way of living. The parents only spoke Spanish and now they have to change their lifestyle and only speak English to their children. It would definitely be beneficial to the children since they spend a lot of time at home.
This article was an easy read and interesting. I thought it was sad that a young boy had to go through that growing up. He felt secluded and uneasy doing something as simple as going to school. I don’t think twice about going to class and he spent so much time worrying about it. Many people have to go through that and it is something I don’t even have to think about.
1.“Id rarely leave home all alone or without reluctance. Walking down the sidewalk, under the canopy of tall trees, I’d warily notice the –suddenly- silent neighborhood kids who stood warily watching me.” This quote shows how isolated the author felt when he was a child trying to learn a new language. He felt that he could not even leave the house, because people would stare at him as if something was wrong with him. Learning a new language is hard enough as it is and when others make a person feel bad about themselves it can make it that much harder. It also makes a person feel unmotivated to learn.
2.“Without question, it would have pleased me to hear my teachers address me in Spanish when I entered the classroom. I would have felt much less afraid. I would have trusted them and responded with ease.” His home language gave him a sense of comfort and when he was not able to speak it, he felt uneasy. If he was able to go to school and speak in Spanish and not have to speak in English, it would have been much easier for him. Kids are supposed to been at ease when they are in school. They are not supposed to feel afraid and they are supposed to be able to trust their teachers. He was very young and it is sad that he was afraid to go to school. It is such a big part of a child’s life and they should be comfortable with attending school and he was not able to do that.
3.“With great tact the visitors continued, “Is it possible for you and your husband to encourage your children to practice their English when they are home?’ Of course, my parents complied.” The nuns visited the authors home and asked them to speak English to their children at home. For some reason this kind of shocked me. I would not have expected a teacher to visit a student’s parents at home and ask them to change their whole way of living. The parents only spoke Spanish and now they have to change their lifestyle and only speak English to their children. It would definitely be beneficial to the children since they spend a lot of time at home.
This article was an easy read and interesting. I thought it was sad that a young boy had to go through that growing up. He felt secluded and uneasy doing something as simple as going to school. I don’t think twice about going to class and he spent so much time worrying about it. Many people have to go through that and it is something I don’t even have to think about.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Talk Point # 1
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh Jenna Petrucci
1.) “I have often noticed men’s unwillingness to grant that they are over privileged, even though they may grant that women are disadvantaged.” I think that this quote is important, because it relates to all the other factors mentioned in the article. I also think it is true to an extent. There are a lot of men who will not admit that they are over privileged. Some are willing to say that women are at the disadvantage in the sense that women are viewed as being weaker. For example, it is safer for men to walk down the street alone at night then it is for women. Men realize this and will admit that, but they will not note that they are at the advantage.
2.) “As a white person, I realized I had been taught about racism as something which puts others at a disadvantage, but had been taught not to see one of its corollary aspects, white privilege which puts me at an advantage.” This quote is something I can relate to. In school I always learned about racism and why it is such a bad thing and all the negative effects it can have on people. No one ever explained white privilege and the advantage that it put me at. It is almost as if people just assume that it is there and that everyone realizes the concept of white privilege. It is less talked about that racism.
3.) “In addition, since race and sex are not the only advantaging systems at work, we need similarly to examine the daily experience of having age advantage, or ethnic advantage, or physical ability, or advantage related to nationality, religion or sexual orientation” There are other of aspects of life besides race and sex that give people advantages. It is not something people think about, it is something that is just taken for granted. For example, I never think of my youth as an advantage. There are things I can do easier than an older person can, but I never think twice about it. Same for my religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and my physical ability.
I thought this article was interesting and easy to read. It relates to other articles we have read, because this discussed white privilege and it did the exact same thing other articles have done when it made a list of things people can do without having to worry. I find the points made interesting, because most of the things on that list I am able to do without having to worry and people of different races have to worry about doing some of the simplest things.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
All about me
My name is Jenna. I am a sophomore and just transferred to RIC this semester from Suffolk. I am a secondary ed. English major. I live on campus and like living back in Rhode Island. So far my semester is going well and my schedule is pretty easy. When I am not in class or busy with school I love hanging out with my friends :)
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