Theorist Connection : Delpit
In my classroom the teacher has demonstrated sensitivity in a few ways. Although he is strict and yells at them, he knows they all come from different backgrounds and families. When a student raises their hand in his class he just yells "WHAT?" but I don't think he is doing it to be mean, he's doing it so they have structure in the classroom. He is nice to the kids when they are needing help and he defintely tries to fit everyones needs of the languages they speak at home. He sometimes gets mad when the kids talk in spanish to eachother because some of them are still learning english too, so he needs them to speak English more.
I am sensitive to my kids I work with because they do tell me stories about their homes when we finish what we are working on. Some child was telling me he just moved here from Ethiopia a few months ago because his parents got into a fight so one of them moved to the United States. I felt bad for the child and told him that everything would be alright and he should just focus on what their doing in school because he thought it was fun.
I related this prompt with Delpit because she explains the importance of how communication and the way rules and expectations are told to kids. Students need support from their teachers when their at school, just as much as they do when they are home.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Prompt 5 - Collaboration *
Theorist Connection: Kliewer
If I was the teacher of this classroom, the challenges that I may face would be the language barrier between the students and I. Most of the parents in the classroom speak only Spanish. I know this because I have talked to a few of the students and they say they get confused because at home they speak Spanish, but when they come to school they have to speak English. That would be the absolute biggest challenge in the classroom. The parents may think that I am saying something bad about their children if I was to use words that they didn't understand. If that happened then the parents could think I was a terrible teacher and try to find a way to get me fired. I would never say anything negative about a student anyways because if you have something negative to say you should definitely end it with something positive. These students are trying and if they don't know something it doesn't mean they are bad. To address the challenges of the language barrier, I could call in a translator who could help me communicate with some of the parents so they understand I am trying to fit their needs too. If I had to send a letter home to parents I would make sure I had one for both languages. There is a translator site online that can help you do so if you don't know how to already. To demonstrate respect for parents concerns I would make sure that they know I am just trying to help them and their children get through school to get into the real world.
I related this to Kliewer because he talks about disability in his article. Mostly about how everyone can do things in this world despite a disability. Although a language barrier isn't a direct disability, to someone who doesn't speak Spanish or someone who doesn't understand English this could be a type. Kliewer pushes everyone to succeed with a disability and this could be a push in the right direction of stopping the language barrier so all parents and teachers can work together so their children get good educations.
If I was the teacher of this classroom, the challenges that I may face would be the language barrier between the students and I. Most of the parents in the classroom speak only Spanish. I know this because I have talked to a few of the students and they say they get confused because at home they speak Spanish, but when they come to school they have to speak English. That would be the absolute biggest challenge in the classroom. The parents may think that I am saying something bad about their children if I was to use words that they didn't understand. If that happened then the parents could think I was a terrible teacher and try to find a way to get me fired. I would never say anything negative about a student anyways because if you have something negative to say you should definitely end it with something positive. These students are trying and if they don't know something it doesn't mean they are bad. To address the challenges of the language barrier, I could call in a translator who could help me communicate with some of the parents so they understand I am trying to fit their needs too. If I had to send a letter home to parents I would make sure I had one for both languages. There is a translator site online that can help you do so if you don't know how to already. To demonstrate respect for parents concerns I would make sure that they know I am just trying to help them and their children get through school to get into the real world.
I related this to Kliewer because he talks about disability in his article. Mostly about how everyone can do things in this world despite a disability. Although a language barrier isn't a direct disability, to someone who doesn't speak Spanish or someone who doesn't understand English this could be a type. Kliewer pushes everyone to succeed with a disability and this could be a push in the right direction of stopping the language barrier so all parents and teachers can work together so their children get good educations.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Prompt 4 - Professional Behavior *
Theorist Connection: Johnson
To be a teacher you must be able to deal with children who come from different types of homes, backgrounds, and etc,. My teacher does do a great job of doing that as well as being strict with them enough to get to the point. When I was younger, I went to the total opposite kind of school. A majority of the students were white and english speaking. We had a few african american, asian, and latino students. When I walked into the school I am tutoring, I felt a little uncomfortable because I wasn't thinking it would be like that. The girls wore the school outfitts and the boys wore what they wanted. The languages in the halls were mostly spanish with a few teachers yelling in english.
When I become a teacher, I don't know if I would be able to do it in these types of schools because I wouldn't be able to connect with my students in a way a teacher should. Although I can understand Spanish, being able to speak it is a different story. I feel like you should be able to communicate in the way your students feel comfortable. If they know Spanish well, then you should be able to teach them in Spanish, as well as if they know English well, teach them in English. The only advantage I would have in this classroom is that I do understand Spanish quite well. Other than that, that's all I have for an advantage. I have definitely thought throughout all of this that all schools are like my Elementary School when I was younger and that all schools speak English to teach.
I related Prompt 4 to Johnson because everyone says that they are not racist and they are not part of any problems. In a way a lot of people are racist. I never thought I had any part of that but then being in the situation of walking into the school and feeling uncomfortable at first made me think I may be a little racist. After a while of warming up to the kids I am a lot more comfortable and I would be able to work with these kids now because their English has improved a lot and they all want to work with me when I come in.
To be a teacher you must be able to deal with children who come from different types of homes, backgrounds, and etc,. My teacher does do a great job of doing that as well as being strict with them enough to get to the point. When I was younger, I went to the total opposite kind of school. A majority of the students were white and english speaking. We had a few african american, asian, and latino students. When I walked into the school I am tutoring, I felt a little uncomfortable because I wasn't thinking it would be like that. The girls wore the school outfitts and the boys wore what they wanted. The languages in the halls were mostly spanish with a few teachers yelling in english.
When I become a teacher, I don't know if I would be able to do it in these types of schools because I wouldn't be able to connect with my students in a way a teacher should. Although I can understand Spanish, being able to speak it is a different story. I feel like you should be able to communicate in the way your students feel comfortable. If they know Spanish well, then you should be able to teach them in Spanish, as well as if they know English well, teach them in English. The only advantage I would have in this classroom is that I do understand Spanish quite well. Other than that, that's all I have for an advantage. I have definitely thought throughout all of this that all schools are like my Elementary School when I was younger and that all schools speak English to teach.
I related Prompt 4 to Johnson because everyone says that they are not racist and they are not part of any problems. In a way a lot of people are racist. I never thought I had any part of that but then being in the situation of walking into the school and feeling uncomfortable at first made me think I may be a little racist. After a while of warming up to the kids I am a lot more comfortable and I would be able to work with these kids now because their English has improved a lot and they all want to work with me when I come in.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Prompt 3 - The Assessment *
Theorist Connection: Jonathan Kozol
The students in my class consist of mostly spanish speaking children. There is one white child who speaks english and only knows spanish because of what people teach the child. The teacher I work with is a white male who is very strict with his students. We start math as soon as I get there and the teacher checks over there behavioral report for the day and then gives the kids "Browne Bucks" so they can buy cookies and/or fruits from him for being good. He gets angry when the kids talk out of turn or get out of their desks without permission. When the students begin to talk in spanish, he quickly corrects them and tells them that this is an English math class and they must speak english. He does try to understand them and he doesn't mind if the kids talk to eachother in Spanish, but when it comes to learning everything must be English. He has come to me a few times to translate what one of the children was saying because they just moved to this country. I feel like he tries to talk to the kids and make them understand what he is teaching. He does take more time with certain children and if they struggle during practice problems he will send them to me. I feel like the white child in the classroom does feel a little left out of the conversations of the kids who are speaking in Spanish though. When the teacher puts the kids into pairs, he has to pick them because a lot of the kids don't really want to work with the other child who doesn't speak Spanish fluently. Browne Elementary school is deeply segregated and a lot of the kids seem like they don't come from good homes.
I related this prompt with Jonathan Kozol because he talks about how our schools are so deeply segregated and we need to do something to help them become integrated. As well as getting the students integrated they should find teachers like I said before who can speak their primary languages so they don't struggle too much. If we integrate our schools then more students would also maybe have a chance of doing better and they would be around other children of different races so that when there is that one white child they don't feel like they are left out because there would be a lot more white students.
The students in my class consist of mostly spanish speaking children. There is one white child who speaks english and only knows spanish because of what people teach the child. The teacher I work with is a white male who is very strict with his students. We start math as soon as I get there and the teacher checks over there behavioral report for the day and then gives the kids "Browne Bucks" so they can buy cookies and/or fruits from him for being good. He gets angry when the kids talk out of turn or get out of their desks without permission. When the students begin to talk in spanish, he quickly corrects them and tells them that this is an English math class and they must speak english. He does try to understand them and he doesn't mind if the kids talk to eachother in Spanish, but when it comes to learning everything must be English. He has come to me a few times to translate what one of the children was saying because they just moved to this country. I feel like he tries to talk to the kids and make them understand what he is teaching. He does take more time with certain children and if they struggle during practice problems he will send them to me. I feel like the white child in the classroom does feel a little left out of the conversations of the kids who are speaking in Spanish though. When the teacher puts the kids into pairs, he has to pick them because a lot of the kids don't really want to work with the other child who doesn't speak Spanish fluently. Browne Elementary school is deeply segregated and a lot of the kids seem like they don't come from good homes.
I related this prompt with Jonathan Kozol because he talks about how our schools are so deeply segregated and we need to do something to help them become integrated. As well as getting the students integrated they should find teachers like I said before who can speak their primary languages so they don't struggle too much. If we integrate our schools then more students would also maybe have a chance of doing better and they would be around other children of different races so that when there is that one white child they don't feel like they are left out because there would be a lot more white students.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Prompt 2 - Planning and Instruction *
Theorist Connection : Goldenberg
In the classroom I am tutoring in all of the kids speak Spanish as a first language, and on the info works website about my school it tells me that most of the students at Browne Elementary School are either African American or Hispanic. Therefore they are ELL (English Language Learners). Although I tutor in math, I still see the struggles for a few kids to speak the English language. My teacher, Mr. Smith pushes them to only use English words. One of the kids Carlos was reading a math problem and struggled with some of the English words. Mr. Smith refused to help him because he needed to learn how to read a little bit better. To me I believe that is the best thing he could have done, that way when the kids are struggling with words he can take time and let them figure it out. Carlos finished the problem he was reading and Mr. Smith told him he did a very good job.
When I am in the back with a couple of the kids helping them out with their math they tend to tell each other the answers in Spanish. I then remind them that I know exactly what they are saying and have them do different problems at the same time that way their are no issues. I also think that not only should Spanish speaking people and other languages should learn English fluently, but English people should learn at least Spanish fluently that way people aren't looked at like they are the odd ones out.
I connected this prompt with Goldenberg because in his article "Teaching English Language Learners", he talks about what is directly in his title. Goldenberg says in his article "Now, imagine that you don't speak English very well. Your job is to learn what everyone else is learning, plus learn English. And it's not sufficient to learn English so you can talk with your friends and teacher about classroom routines, what you are having for lunch, where you went over the weekend, or who was mean to whom on the playground. You have to learn what is called "academic English," a term that refers to more abstract, complex, and challenging language that will eventually permit you to participate successfully in mainstream classroom instruction." So basically you have a full time job at school and to have perfect behavior in my classroom. That is just too much. People should be able to learn in their own language and still know other primary languages so they can communicate with others. That does seem like a difficult job but I believe it should be done.
Some of the kids in the class always talk about certain events going on and what they have done with their families the weekend that just past. You can tell that they value their families and all of the different things that go on around their cities.
In the classroom I am tutoring in all of the kids speak Spanish as a first language, and on the info works website about my school it tells me that most of the students at Browne Elementary School are either African American or Hispanic. Therefore they are ELL (English Language Learners). Although I tutor in math, I still see the struggles for a few kids to speak the English language. My teacher, Mr. Smith pushes them to only use English words. One of the kids Carlos was reading a math problem and struggled with some of the English words. Mr. Smith refused to help him because he needed to learn how to read a little bit better. To me I believe that is the best thing he could have done, that way when the kids are struggling with words he can take time and let them figure it out. Carlos finished the problem he was reading and Mr. Smith told him he did a very good job.
When I am in the back with a couple of the kids helping them out with their math they tend to tell each other the answers in Spanish. I then remind them that I know exactly what they are saying and have them do different problems at the same time that way their are no issues. I also think that not only should Spanish speaking people and other languages should learn English fluently, but English people should learn at least Spanish fluently that way people aren't looked at like they are the odd ones out.
I connected this prompt with Goldenberg because in his article "Teaching English Language Learners", he talks about what is directly in his title. Goldenberg says in his article "Now, imagine that you don't speak English very well. Your job is to learn what everyone else is learning, plus learn English. And it's not sufficient to learn English so you can talk with your friends and teacher about classroom routines, what you are having for lunch, where you went over the weekend, or who was mean to whom on the playground. You have to learn what is called "academic English," a term that refers to more abstract, complex, and challenging language that will eventually permit you to participate successfully in mainstream classroom instruction." So basically you have a full time job at school and to have perfect behavior in my classroom. That is just too much. People should be able to learn in their own language and still know other primary languages so they can communicate with others. That does seem like a difficult job but I believe it should be done.
Some of the kids in the class always talk about certain events going on and what they have done with their families the weekend that just past. You can tell that they value their families and all of the different things that go on around their cities.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Prompt 1 - First Impressions *
As I pulled up to the school I was going to be tutoring as, I thought I was going to a Juvenile Facility from the way it looked on the outside. My school was down a side street with a lot of apartments very close together. As I approached the school in my car I slowed down to look at it and pulled over to the side right in front of it. I said to myself "Welcome to Browne Elementary School!" I walked up to the front door and rang the buzzer. Not even a minute later the door clicked and I opened it. As I walked in there was a glass window to my right where the secretary told me to come around. Let me tell you that the inside is not too much like the outside! When you walk in there are the kid's paintings on the walls and different types of decorations showing that the school was definitely trying to be nice. As I searched for the door to get in the office the secretary pointed and I walked in. Now to get in the office you have to go through two different doors and then right inside of that is two secretary desks which weren't too far from when you opened the second door. After I signed a book saying I was a visitor, the secretary then told me how to get up to Mr. Smith's classroom and on I went.
Mr. Smith welcomed me into his classroom with a big smile. As I walked in I looked around and saw that every wall had something on it that the kid's have learned. Some had spelling words, grades, birthdays of the kid's, and also books that they have already read. He then directed me to a back desk and introduced me to all thirteen of his kid's. He told me I would probably be working with about 4 - 5 of them that had different types of issues. All of the kids spoke english as a second language, but for me I understand Spanish, but cannot speak it too well so I didn't think this tutoring would be too tough. As he got his class settled, he introduced me and told the kid's why I would be there for the next couple months. As time went on in the day I could see that he valued discipline and respect in his class because each child had a disciplinary paper on their desks that they had to bring home by the end of the week to get signed by parent or guardian. After this long day at the school I really think I am going to enjoy it here! It is so much different than the Elementary School I went to when I was younger.
Mr. Smith welcomed me into his classroom with a big smile. As I walked in I looked around and saw that every wall had something on it that the kid's have learned. Some had spelling words, grades, birthdays of the kid's, and also books that they have already read. He then directed me to a back desk and introduced me to all thirteen of his kid's. He told me I would probably be working with about 4 - 5 of them that had different types of issues. All of the kids spoke english as a second language, but for me I understand Spanish, but cannot speak it too well so I didn't think this tutoring would be too tough. As he got his class settled, he introduced me and told the kid's why I would be there for the next couple months. As time went on in the day I could see that he valued discipline and respect in his class because each child had a disciplinary paper on their desks that they had to bring home by the end of the week to get signed by parent or guardian. After this long day at the school I really think I am going to enjoy it here! It is so much different than the Elementary School I went to when I was younger.
Monday, February 22, 2010
First Blog
Hey everyone! My names Jenna and I am a Junior here at RIC. I am a double major in Community Health and Physical Education. I just changed my major this fall because I didn't like what I was doing before. I am from Massachusetts, but live on campus. I work as a waitress at Red Robin at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA., not as good as the commercials make it seem, just to let you all know who haven't tried it yet. When I'm not working or at school, I like to spend time with my friends and family. They both are my life :)
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