Prompt 1: First Impressions: Let The Truth Be Told

It has been quite some time since my last post. I guess I have gotten caught up in the drama of life again. Ha Ha. = ) It seems I am always busy these days. But I am happy to be able to have a lot to write about, because during that time I have been busy taking observations and enjoying my time both at the school in which I volunteer and the college atmosphere.

Anyways, every Friday morning, I have the privilege of walking through the doors of my Elementary school. From the second you enter the parking lot it is clear that diversity is knowledgeable among it's students. There is no playground area and very little grass, but the children still manage to be loud and have fun at recess. You can hear them, first thing in the morning, rolling with laughter and screaming with joy as they run around the vacant lot behind the school. It reminds me of how I could find pleasure in the little things much easier when I was younger and how now I often take those things for granted. Being able to work within this school and start teaching again, has reminded me that everyday will be a new adventure and I will have so much to learn in going back a "second time".

More about the school itself: Infoworks shows that the entire school is just as diverse as the classroom, with 35% white, 33% Hispanic and 26% African American. This is much different my own elementary schools, where the majority of students were white. The neighborhood is rural. It's quiet and the houses are closely spaced together. I don't really know much about the poverty levels, but I would say that it is lower-middle class. In my classroom alone, 5 of the children come from a bilingual/multilingual family and many of them have parents that are either not a part of the child's education or do not wish to be involved within the school. = (

The entrance is a small door on the left side of the building. It has an intercom system to gain entrance and the main office is up the stairs. I go in and fill out all the necessary forms I have to and say hi. Everyone is nice there. They are always striking up conversations. It makes it easy for me knowing that if I ever had a problem that they are approachable and would be able to help me out. Once all that is done, I am on my way.

The building has many more levels than I remember my elementary school having. Had I not had a mini tour the first day I showed up, I would probably have gotten lost. The building itself is dimly lit with narrow hallways and the bathrooms have very little room to move. The classrooms are really close together and somewhat cluttered. There is a hall next to each room with hooks to hang your coat and backpack on. Personally, I think that is a nice touch. Not only because it frees up some classroom space, but also because it is organized and the students know where to find their stuff if need be. It also gets them into the habit early on of lockers, which is a good aspect for the future in both middle and high school. Also they switch classes. I have a 9:00-10:35 time slot. At 10 the schedule changes and they go off to meet another teacher for art, gym, or music. I think that helps too since when you first switch over to another school the transition is hard enough without having to worry about a rotating schedule and "I have to meet this teacher when and where?" or "I have to go to another room?". I know when I first started middle school I was overwhelmed by that fact, so I think it is nice that they are starting these students on it, or the concept of it, early on.

The classroom is also home to tons of papers and backboards posted all over the walls. I still don't know a hundred percent what each one is covered in. I know that there is some student work, and spelling, and math, but much other than that I couldn't tell you. In fact, I was having some difficulty deciphering what was most important. And I have yet to see if the teacher actually applies all the concepts to her lessons.



Additionally, there is a bookshelf in the back too, but the selection is limited to big textbooks and kiddie books(aside from the Dr. Suess selection which was brought to the school in honor of Dr. Suess's birthday), which seem much too easy for third graders to be reading and many of them carry their own books to school to read. I noticed the "Diary Of A Wimpy Kid" comic strip-like books are highly popular. = )

The morning routine is very much chaotic to me. The kids sit in close proximity to each other in small groups of chairs. I don't even think there are enough chairs for the 24 students in the room. The teacher does her best to take control and I think she is good at what she does. She cares about them, but at the same time knows she has to be stern in her order to get the point across. Obedience is critical I noticed. Since I often show up about fifteen minutes earlier than the school opens I have gotten to meet quite a few of the teachers and they all have the same approach. Even more so, the teacher who I work with encourages questions. I found that if I ever had a question about something she always has an answer and if she doesn't she tells me how I can find out.

The two students I work with are amazingly adorable. They both have an enthusiasm for reading and playing a weekly game of Candyland. Already I can see that the 40 or so minutes I give to them each week is helping. They are always so eager to participate. = ) Hence, if the experience is fun then learning will be too. The best way to teach is actively and the product is simply that in which we make it, or how we produce it in how we carry it out.

Participation challenges the experience of education. If a student feels that they cannot get a positive benefit out of a lesson they will become uninterested. Uninterested students learn that education is something to put up with and that asking questions is prohibited. This is in fact is wrong, we need to support differences in opinion and curiosity; let them ask questions, let them experiment. Students need to be involved! This is one thing I believe the school strives on. The students don't belittle each other for their ideas and often try to help each other.

Diversity is also a big thing in the school. Students don't seem to have problems seeing themselves as different, but rather knowing they are and respecting each other for that. On the other hand, the curriculum does not take into account the diversity of the classroom and therefore the students do not know that the differences between them are important.

A society's strength is based on the common interests it has and the communication across those differences. In order to make that known, communication between student, teacher, and the norms set by society, is key! I recall an incident in the hall outside the gym the other day where a boy said that the girl could not join them because she was Chinese. Her friend looked over at the boy and said "Why not? She's just like me and you! (pointing she continued) Ears, eyes! You see? And look she even has a heart! Who are you to judge her?" The boy apologized and then invited the girls to play with them. It is evident then that the stereotypes still exist, but the children are also aware that they shouldn't be. Perhaps it is a lack of the understanding of these differences that is causing such conflicts.

There is another girl there at the same time as me too. We became somewhat friendly and started working together. What we do now is start off by working one on one with our students and then we meet up for the last 10 minutes of our 40 minute lessons to play some sort of game or act out a skit. So I have gotten to know her students as well. I think working together is an advantage on our part. We get the honor of working with someone as coworkers, much like we will be when we are certified teachers, while also playing into the strengths of each other to better help the minds in which we are molding literature and literary skills.

One thing I have noticed, as I am working with these children is that each student needs help in different ways. This is probably an obvious fact, but sometimes I tend to overlook it. Whereas one may be good at coming up with sentences, another may have some problems deciphering the difference between the words he/she reads. I love the differential challenges it uses to test my mind and my capabilities in effectively helping them to understand.

Lisa Delpit discusses, in her article, "The Silenced Dialogue", that as teachers we should encourage diversity and that not all children come into a classroom with the same knowledge. In such, teacher educators must help create the attitudes and skills to articulate their values and effect social change, the act or process of changing the way individuals or groups interact with social systems or structures. Hence if the system is biased, children will get hurt.