A Multicultural Classroom

I have been talking to a first grade teacher in my hometown. I really respect her insight because she has been teaching for about twenty-five years. She has pretty much seen it all. She has taught students from many different cultures and who speak different languages. She has also taught special education students. I asked her how she accommodates all of her students’ differences. She told me that the number one thing to remember is to always respect the differences. A teacher should not force student’s with different backgrounds to learn exactly the same. One example that she gave me was two Hispanic boys that were in her class. During reading time, most of the class sat on the floor. However, these two boys stayed in their desks and listened. Because of their culture, these two did not want to sit on the floor so she allowed them to stay at their desk as long as they were attentive.
I thought this was a very important concept that many teachers ignore. Some teachers make all of their students do and learn the same thing. They teach based on American standards which some students do not understand. It is important to incorporate all of the cultures in your classroom when planning lessons. For example, during something as simple as reading time, the teacher can read a book dealing with other cultures then American. The teacher can even teach the students about how people are different and that those differences are what make us special. This way the students will still be proud of their backgrounds and know that they should celebrate it, not hide it. I believe that doing this could help classroom unity and allow all students to know that their opinion is valued. As a teacher, I will do my best to make sure all of my students feel comfortable being themselves. I will also incorporate multicultural lessons within my lesson plans.

Ron Clark: My Educational Hero

Over the past month, I have been second guessing my passion for teaching. I asked myself if I could really make a difference in my students’ lives. Fortunately, I was able to go to a lecture in which Ron Clark was speaking. I have always admired him. Mr. Clark was one of the reasons I decided to teach. He believes that his students can do anything. That all they need is encouragement and motivation. Clark helps give this motivation by implementing creative lessons. He often uses songs and dances to get the information across. Mr. Clark is also a co-founder of the Ron Clark Academy. Along with imaginative lessons, this school also has founding for trips that cover the globe.
Because the school is in the inner-city, most of the students are African American. We got the opportunity to meet many of them during the lecture. They performed three songs, two that they wrote themselves. I was amazed that these young students where so motivated to write songs about the topics they were learning. He also talked about race and discrimination. Their youtube video had many negative, racist remarks. Clark explained that it is not enough to talk about slavery in schools. He said that these students needed a history to be proud of. The school sent off DNA samples of the students to see what tribe in Africa they descended from and then taught the history of their tribes. This brought many students together and gave them a chance to be proud of where they came from. He also explained that a teacher should always have high standards for their students. Where most teachers believe they should teach to the intellectual middle, he teaches to the highest and then tries to get everyone else on that level. As an example, Clark showed a project that one of his students did that he gave a 45. He then showed the next project that student did. Honestly, I thought it was college level work.
I saw that Mr. Clark made a huge impact on these kids’ lives by just doing what he loved, teaching. Because of this, my faith in myself as a teacher was renewed. If you are passionate about what you are doing, it shows. Your students can tell and they will be excited too. The students at the Ron Clark Academy are just like the students at every other school; they are just held too much higher standards then public schools. This shows me that it really is the teacher who helps give the students direction. Seeing how much Mr. Clark influenced these kids gives me motivation to do the same.

Stereotypes Aren't Fair

People are stereotyped all of the time. Many children are raised with their parents teaching them some stereotypes. We hear things like black people are good at sports, or Asian people are good at math. However it’s not just a race issue. We also stereotype people because of gender, class, or where they come from. I try not to do this but subconsciously, I still do. For example, if I hear of someone who went to private school, I automatically think they are stuck up. Most of the stereotypes I have personally dealt with were people thinking I wasn't as smart as them because of my southern accent. However, I knew that I was just as capable of doing whatever anyone else could so I did not let it trouble me.
However, this year was different. I was stereotyped not because of the way I look or talk, but because of where I grew up. I am from a small, southern, conservative town. Because of this people assumed I was conservative which I am not. Normally, this would not be a problem for me but there were a few times it really bothered me. One day in my class we were discussing gay rights. We had to get in small groups and discuss our opinions. Before I could even say what I thought, someone in the group cut me off saying that my argument would probably be that the Bible is against homosexuality. This really upset me because my opinion was completely ignored and replaced with a fallacy.
Because of this, I now have a better understanding of how people feel when they are stereotyped. People want to be an individual and to be listened to. If we always assume we know a person based on our stereotypes we will never truly understand people who are different from ourselves. This realization is very important when it comes to teaching. I know now that stereotyping students can cause them to loose their voice in the classroom. I will try my best to treat every student the same and get to know my students based on their personal traits not outward appearances.

What should be taught?

Teaching evolution in Science classrooms within public schools has become a very hot debate. Some people believe that the subject should not be taught. They believe that teaching this could cause there children to believe that evolution is fact. One quick fix that a school board had was to put a sticker on their text books saying that evolution is a theory not fact and should be studied with careful thought. I personally believe that evolution should be taught in Science classes. The theory of evolution has scientific evidence to prove its validity. It is the school’s responsibility to present the evidence and educate the students. It is the students’ job to learn and decide what they believe. If the school did not provide this information, then the student could be hindered later on during their school career.
In the video “War in Dover” we see a school board fighting to teach intelligent design. Just as evolution has scientific backing, intelligent design does too. Therefore, I would agree to teach both. However, the school board in the clip seemed to interchange intelligent design with creationism which is unconstitutional to teach in a public school. The board members appeared to not know much about intelligent design. They found it difficult when asked to define. It seemed that they just wanted something other then evolution to be taught. I believe that both can be taught but when teaching intelligent design it is important to stay open and not refer to your individual god as the omnipotent being.
My high school taught only evolution. However, before the lesson my teacher announced that he was not claiming that we evolved from apes. He was just trying to show us examples of how people and other creatures have evolved through time and to show us why this theory is plausible. This seemed to smooth the topic for some students in the class and they listened with an open mind. He also gave us the opportunity to decide for our self and did not push his own beliefs on any of us. If evolution and intelligent design could be taught in this manner, then students would be given different theories and could decide what they agree with instead of just agreeing with parents. Students would also be better prepared or future science classes. Overall, when teaching either theory, it is important to stay focused on just presenting facts not personal opinion.

Accents are what make languages interesting

Although I missed class on Friday, I was informed that we discussed languages and accents. To most people it is pretty obvious that I have a Southern accent. I am from a small town in South Georgia called Alma. It was here that I was born and raised. If you visit Alma, you will hear that most people who live around there have the same accent. However, my “Southern drawl” was one of the worst. I use the word “was” because surprisingly my accent has changed. I have been living in Athens for almost three years and most of my friends are from the Atlanta area. Because of this, some of the words I say are different. For example, I used to make one syllable words like “store” a two syllable word “sta-or” and some words like woman used to be “woeman.” Although it has changed, the accent is still noticeable to most of the people I associate with in Athens. However, when I go home I get called a Yankee and get picked on for having a Northern accent. My father has even corrected me when I used the word “on.” He informed me to say it like the word “own.” I think this is pretty humorous and have concluded that I just don’t fit in anywhere which is fine with me. One of the funniest experiences that I have had with a miscommunication because of accent was asking for ice at a convince store in Delaware. The cashier just gave me a weird look because she did not understand me. Finally she realized what I was asking for and informed that she thought I was asking for some ass.
Other languages have different accents too. One of my friends is from Argentina and she speaks Spanish and English fluently. Another friend who is a Spanish major had a teacher from Spain. As they tried talking to each other in Spanish, they realized they could not understand some of the words the other was saying. They even had arguments on how to say certain words. However, both were saying the words correctly they were just adding a different accent to them. My friend’s Argentinean Spanish accent also influenced her English accent. She always has a slight lisp no mater what she is saying.
Overall, I believe that it is important to know that other languages can sound different depending on location just as English does. In order to learn this, students should be required to learn a different language. Many other countries do this and often times make their students learn English. Because the United States is supposed to be a “salad bowl,” we have to appreciate everyone’s differences including language. If everyone was required to study another language this goal could be realized and would make a more accepting society.

Inclusion Gone Bad

In class this week, we discussed inclusion. Basically, inclusion means that a child with special needs is in the same class with general education students. In the past, I have observed and worked in a full inclusion classroom. I was able to see first hand how at least this class worked. There was only one student who had special needs. The special education teacher would only come in thirty minutes a day to help the boy. When she was not there, the general classroom teacher and the assistant teacher would help him instead. Mrs. Crews, the regular education teacher would wear a microphone to help the student pay better attention. She was very good with the student, but most of her attention had to go to the other twenty students in the class. Therefore, the assistant teacher would work with the boy. However, I believe she did an awful job. She would yell at him if he did not get an answer right or if she had to remind him how to do a certain task. The teacher would even make jokes in front of the class about how this student will never understand certain things and call him stupid in front of other teachers. Not only was this bad for the student’s progress but it was unprofessional. The teacher would also alienate the boy by telling other students not to play with him. Mrs. Crews would get annoyed when the other teacher would do these things, but she felt uncomfortable saying anything so the bad treatment continued. Although this is just one particular case, this same problem could be happening in many full inclusion classes.
Personally, I disagree with full inclusion classrooms. First of all, the regular ed. teacher has not been specifically trained to accommodate children with special needs. Because of this, the student may not get the full benefits that education provides. The special ed. teacher knows how these students learn best and can implement different ways for the students to learn. I think that partial inclusion is the best option. In partial inclusion classes, general ed. students and special ed. students still have the same exposure to one another that they received in a general education classroom. But in this case, all students will be able to receive the optimal education. Special education classes are often smaller then general ed. classrooms as well. This means the teacher will be able to spend more time with students. Overall, I believe that partial inclusion benefits all.

Homosexuality in the School

Homosexuality can be a heated issue. However, for teachers we are supposed to look pass our personal beliefs and respect the student. I have seen many examples of my high school teachers treating students who identify as gay differently. Often times, they would not call on that student or provide them with much help. The male P.E. teachers were the worst. They seemed to think that just because one of their male students was gay they could not equally participate in activities. These teachers/coaches would sometimes not allow gay students to play on their sports teams. They seemed to be worried that the homosexual students could turn other students gay which is a complete myth.
The student body also rejected homosexuality. Many students would often times bully other students within the gay community as the teachers just looked away. Because of this, many of my fellow classmates felt uncomfortable speaking of their true feelings. They did not want to be ostracized or discriminated against. I believe this kind of intolerance can affect the students educationally and socially. Because they feel that they must hide who they really are while in school, they may feel awkward in the school environment. These students could be reluctant to stand out amongst their peers and therefore may not ask for help or discuss a classroom topic. The strain of having to cover up the truth can also harm these students socially. One boy from my school denied being homosexual for the four years he attended. Even so, most other boys at the school picked on him while the teachers did nothing. While on Spring Break during his senior year, he committed suicide. This student’s friends later acknowledged him as a homosexual. He could not hide his true identity any longer and felt that this was his only way out.
To avoid situations such as this, it is important for the teacher to be open minded and accept the students as is. Teachers must discipline any acts of bullying as soon as it is recognized whether it be physically, emotionally, or psychologically. Every time a teacher turns away from a student in need, it causes that student to become more discouraged. It is also important for the teacher to be open to their students and let the student know they are there to support them. Overall, it is the teacher’s responsibility to make every student feel welcome in their class regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation. Many students come into school with pre-existing prejudices and stereotypes learned by their parents or friends. It is our job as the teachers to try and change these beliefs and to try and create a more unified student body.