I have really enjoyed getting to know everyone in this program. I have learned something from each and every one of you! I hoped I have contributed something to you as well. As I look back on our journey in this program, I feel that I am a changed teacher. I have grown in so many ways. I am much more reflective of my practice, I am more conscious of others’ identities, and I see my students in a new light. I hope everyone has a great end of the year and summer!!!
I enjoyed this week’s class and having the opportunity to look at President Obama’s education plan. It is definitely time for a change, and I think that President Obama is the person to make the changes in education. We have already seen the benefits of Obama’s new policies…I got a $50 raise last month 
. That is always a morale booster! I think that it is important to address issues such as standardized testing and actions being taken in respects of struggling schools. I like that Obama finds education to be an important issue in politics today, and it must be addressed and policies must be changed to improve education for all children.
I enjoyed reading chapter 10 in the textbook. I have found that parental involvement is scarce at many schools, mine included. I find it sad that more parents are not or cannot be involved in their child’s education. However, it is easy to blame parents for the downfall of student achievement, due to lack of support, but most families are just trying to make ends meet. Their hectic schedules do not allow them to be more involved, which is unfortunate, but reality.
I was also interested in reading about the fact that most schools and teachers complain of either not enough parental involvement or too much involvement. As a teacher in a Title I school, I want more parental involvement. However, what is too much parental involvement? Can parents be so involved, that it becomes an annoyance to teachers? They are always around, always making suggestions, maybe even telling the teachers what to do. The grass is not always greener on the other side.
The discussion this week about assessment was a topic that I am very passionate about. I want to focus on standardized testing. My stance on this subject is that standardized testing is absolutely awful!!! It makes me angry that we, as teachers, have to teach to a test. People can deny that that is what is going on, but it is what is going on. The district leaders put pressure on administrators, administrators put pressure on teachers, and then teachers put pressure on students. I do not think that it is fair to base what a student knows on one test. As a teacher of lower grades, it is hard to make the children understand the importance of these test as well. Also, what about our ESOL population. How can a child who speaks no English be required to take a test in English? It is ridiculous! How are these test scores a true representation of what these students know or have learner, or what their teacher has taught them.
I know that assessment is an important aspect to see where kids are, but I think that there couldbe much more effective forms of assessment that could be used in schools. Why not give a pre-test in the beginning of the year based on all standards forthe grade. See where the kids are starting, and then have a post-test at the end of the year. The students could be assessed on improvement and gains throughout the year. This makes so much more sense to me. We could look at what our students are accomplishing, rather than what they are struggling with.
Bouncing off of my prior blog, I reflected on my life and how I have been raised; what beliefs I have and have been taught. I consider myself to be an open minded and overall good person. I grew up in a very southern family here in Atlanta. I also grew up with some very racist relatives. My grandparents and other extended family members used racial slurs as typical Sunday dinner conversation. I remember, as a child, hearing these hateful words and cringing at them. Luckily, my parents had different views than my extended family, and racism was never brought into my home. I embrace everyone, no matter what race, religion, or culture they come from. But, I ask myself all the time if the family I grew up in, caused me to hold biases of others even if I do not think that I do. Do I really, deep down, not hold biases towards others? Do I subconciously hold biases towards others and I don’t even know it? It’s a real question that I have for myself, which I internalize due to the fact that I do not want others to judge me. I love my family very very deeply. My grandparents were very important to me, and no matter what views they had, I loved them and cherished them. This is why I question myself. Because I love them so much, did they really influence my beliefs in a negative way that maybe I have internalized?
I really liked the article that Rhina let us read during class. I think that it is important for us to understand that people come from different places and come with different experiences. It’s good to question beliefs, but being judgemental is hurtful. It’s important to remember to respect where people come from and how they have been brought up because, as we know, not all people are raised to value the same things as everyone else. This is important for us to remember as teachers. Many of our students will come to us from cultures and values that we are not familiar with, and we must embrace them and their beliefs. I love learning from people with different views, beliefs, and experiences from myself.
I found the articles we read this week very interesting. I know that there is bias in many works of literature in many classrooms. However, I guess I never really thought about the extent of the bias that can be found in books and stories! Cultural, gender, racial, and even sexual orientation biases are all very common in books that students read everyday. I think that teachers, unfortunately, overlook these biases as times when they are reading books to their studetns and presenting books for independent reading of the students. Reading through the articles this week has made these biases much more apparent, and I plan to look more closely at my classroom library and discuss stereotypes and biases that may be found in some of the books with my students. I think that it is healthy for children to learn how to critique the literature they read.
It was interesting to read about the history of classroom management techniques, and how they have changed over time. There, obviously, has been a shift towards a more progressive way of teaching and managing students from past to present. I think that I am a good classroom manager, although I hope to keep learning new strategies and techniques to use in my classroom. However, it is so apparent that many teachers, even in my school, have not changed towards becoming a progressive teacher. Many of them are stuck doing the same management strategies with all of their students. I think that it is important for teachers to remember that what works one day in a classroom, might not work the next day. And, what works with one student, might not work with another. It’s a balancing act that is constantly changing in order to make a classroom run smoothly.
As many people have mentioned, Freire’s 8th letter was a bit difficult to understand, however past the confusion, what he says is very important. We discussed the quote from Freire about how there is a dynamic relationship within people between what we inherit and what we acquire. This stands out to me. When a child is born they are “wired” with some inherited traits, but over time, and through experiences they acquire distinct personalty traits. It is external forces that mold a child’s acquired traits. This is important for teachers to remember because we are a major external force in our student’s lives. For some children, we are the most reliable and consistent adult in their lives. Children are like sponges; they soak up all of the day to day interactions with their parents and teachers. We, as teachers, need to remember this so that we can always be role models for our children.
I really found this week’s article interesting. How far can or will a teacher go to make themselves heard? And, is the voice worth the possible repercussions…reprimands or even possible loss of job. The situation in the article showed that in many situations teachers have no voice, and when they decide to get one, they are silenced. Not only does this silencing trivialize the opinions of teachers, but it makes a statement to others that we, as teachers, are not valued and we need to keep our ideas and thoughts to ourselves. How can we be advocates for the children if we are expected to sit back with our mouths shut, and how do we ever expect society to take education seriously when the people on the forefront, the teachers, are not even valued in the educational sysytem.
