Final Reflection

The artifacts I have chosen as the most significant towards my growth as a teacher in the making are the School Scenarios, Debates, Gingerbread Kid, and “The Class” video. Whereas I feel that the course as a whole has enriched my newfound understanding of what it means to be a teacher; I feel these artifacts have made me think in ways I hadn’t before. Similarly enough, they have touched on issues beyond the surface, which is where the heart of teaching finds itself. It does not suffice to do the bare minimum as an educator; but rather go beyond that to know with certainty that the minds I have positively influenced can make a print on the world on their own.

The school scenarios raised controversial issues that as an educator, I will find myself facing. Due to the fact that there are no Best Practices that can guide me towards the “correct” decision-making, I know I will have to acknowledge all sides of an issue, and inform myself thoroughly to act upon the best interest of my students. The debates really highlighted this idea of not closing myself into thinking one side of an issue will always be correct while dismissing the other. Both sides can be just as legitimate; but it is crucial to know all the facts. As an educator, informing myself from all angles will only make me that much of a useful resource rather than a teacher that simply knows how to carry out a curriculum and nothing else. The Gingerbread Kid has impacted me in assuming the role of a parent, and how I could ideally want my child to someday be. This was an interesting activity in the sense that I molded my child into all the positive qualities I would want it to possess, because through that, I am designating to it all of the things I find important as well as qualities I wish I possessed myself. As an educator, I am not going to have the perfect classroom with highest performing and complying students, but rather, be challenged on a constant basis. Either because of the students themselves, or because of the parents I am going to also form relations with. This can especially be problematic when my students will come from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. While we will share the same ideals on how to educate their children on the one hand, we may also have vastly opposing views on the other; but knowing how to address these issues and finding a middle ground will have to be the way we find solutions together. As a long-term Substitute Teacher, I have seen at first hand the rebellion that arises from students in K-12 as was presented in the film, “The Class” but to a lesser degree. Teaching a class of 28 or so is very difficult, especially when the students are not reciprocating the respect and attention you exert. Yet, I know that by laying down the rules and being consistent with them will create a learning environment more accepting of wanting to learn vs. resisting to learn. It’s inevitable that students will challenge my authority, and I will have to improvise on many occasions because I wont know how a given discourse’s outcome will be, but it is vital that my teacher-students know that I care and am there for them. It is easy to criticize the teacher from the film because he failed to address some issues appropriately, but I’ve come to understand that as a teacher I am going to be far from perfect. What I can do instead, is learn from my mistakes, figure out what works and what doesn’t, and consistently grow and continue to grow as an educator.

The Education 261 learning activities I would consider trying on my own teaching would be the Debates. Since I am going to become an Elementary teacher, I feel it is relevant to apply these debates in social studies; especially if I teach the higher grades. It’s important to not only improve my student’s speech skills in front of the classroom, but have them listen to other sides of an issue. The goal at hand would be to educate them further into not solely persevering into having their issue “win,” but rather learn from the other side and see how those opposing views can be just as valid. The goal would not be to shut down a student’s side of the debate, but rather have students formulate in their minds the reasons that both parties have for expressing their points/concerns on a given issue and learn from it. 

REAL School Scenarios

As a professional educator, one of my biggest roles will be to create a respectful, safe classroom, and school environment that can promote good learning. It’s very important that as of Day 1, students know what I am expecting from them; this being to work hard, to ask questions as many times needed, to respect each other’s ideas and personal belongings, follow directions, and so forth. It is crucial that my student’s feel that they are wanted. Therefore, I would strive to create an environment that is both enriching as well as accepting; whether it be celebrating a student’s work, or their failure. Unfortunately, there will be scenarios that will disrupt the way in which I would want my ideal classroom to be run. The questions that will arise will be centered on how do I address these issues to enrich my students on a whole other level; no matter how controversial they may be. Ultimately, I have to acknowledge all sides of an issue, and find the best solutions for my students because it is all about them after all.

            As soon as teacher’s sign up for the job, it becomes their right and responsibility to act upon their student’s best interest. The scenarios discussed in class are undoubtedly real scenarios that occur in schools everyday. It’s very difficult to attest as to how one can handle a given situation until you actually find yourself in it, but I definitely think that they serve the purpose of preparing us for it by already thinking of how we can approach them.

            The scenario of an unsupportive father in regards to his daughter’s aspirations to someday attend college is one that is very hard to dismiss. As a teacher you’re going to acknowledge and motivate all of your students to aim for higher education, but when your views differ from their parents, how does one respond to that? While you want to be sensitive to the opposing side, how can you allow for such competent students to settle for the minimum when they are very well capable of much more? One can view this as the parent being both sexist and uneducated; yet, how do we go about fixing it? Deliberately telling the father he is wrong for so and so reasons? Hope that he’ll eventually change his mind? Disregard the parent’s wishes and act upon your right as a teacher to supply your students with adequate resources to pursue a college education? These are all very valid questions one has to consider despite the challenges it will present.

            The scenario regarding inclusion is one that I feel many teachers, administration, and parents feel strongly about because it changes the classroom structure from being entirely General Ed to both General and Special Ed. which can be something very new for some (especially teachers and students). On the one hand, the General Education addresses to the Special Education her concerns as well as the parents concerns about a student who is disruptive to their learning. Yet, rather than removing the child from the classroom (drastic approach), they work together to properly enact the “No child left behind” policy. As a teacher, I feel this response is very thought out and logical, you want to accommodate all students despite their backgrounds, but you also want to be on agreeable terms with parents, as well as provide a safe learning environment for the rest of your students, so how would you go about doing that? This is difficult to determine but I believe that with your personal reflections about the situation as well as open communication with your colleagues for support and guidance will be the most effective ways to address this issue. You definitely need to look at the overall picture, put personal feelings as well as biases aside, and fully assess what will ultimately be more beneficial for your students and act upon it. 

Knowing both sides of the issue

Knowing the information on both sides of the issues is important because it can further aid your understanding of the issues in it’s totality, rather than a portion of it. Individuals need all of the information available to become educated enough in standing by, against, or perhaps even in the midpoint of an issue. Humans are prone to be stubborn beings that have reasons to be either for or against an issue and in doing so, close themselves from acknowledging the contrary. What needs to be understood is that just because you are listening to a perspective different from your own, does not mean you are forced to alter the manner in which you believe something to be and accept it, but rather open yourself into hearing another perspective that in the end may change your ways of thinking in a positive light,  may help you think of things you hadn’t thought about before, or comprehend the reasons for which your views differ from others. In the biggest extreme, you may very well be convinced of something you were in opposition with. Yet, that change came about by making yourself more knowledgeable, which is what we should be when addressing both sides of an issue.

            The implications for this in teaching is that it allows teachers to really consider all aspects of a student’s linguistic and cultural diversity. As teachers, we are bound to have students that come from such diverse backgrounds than our owns, but we have to be able to be able to see all aspects of why a child is behaving and talking a certain way before we define what it is. Teachers should make inquires about their students and really attempt to get to the root of things before a judgment is placed. We are not perfect; there is only so much we can see with our own eyes, but the reality of it may be far from that. The article that comes to mind when addressing this prompt, is “Funds of Knowledge” by Moll et al; and how a teacher observed her student’s family. During this observation, she gained so much information about the culture, language, histories, and so on that encompasses her student; in doing so, she could then comprehend not only the surface of her student as only her student, but moreso about what influences modeled him to come out just the way he is; specifically, his funds of knowledge. Therefore, she acquired so much insight about the Lopez’s that she would have not learned had she not engrossed herself to this fieldwork by which she could later apply to her teachings.

There are differing views as to what is the best way we can teach students; yet, as educators we really need to familiarize ourselves with as many resources possible to accommodate our students learning; education is constantly evolving, and being flexible enough to keep up with it will only further enrich us.

Supports and Constraints in the Learning Process of "The Class"

The absence of learning is evidently seen in “The Class” in several ways. On the first day of school Mr. Marin falls short of establishing classroom rules and procedures. Rather than having mastered classroom management, the students themselves are the ones who seem to have more power in regards to what will be learned, what will not be learned, and on what terms. I find it interesting that on his 4^th year of teaching, he has not reflected on his teaching skills and modified whatever aspects were clearly not working with his past students to enact with his present students. But rather seems to lack the desire to affirm what his position is and what their positions are. Befriending them and pushing them too much as to lead them astray from their comfort zone is not the way he is going to gain his students.

            The learning process was constrained by the fact that the students walked into his classroom lacking a distinct boundary between their teacher and themselves. Since some of the students have had this French teacher in the past, they know just how far they can go, which seems to be pretty far. They get away with using profanity, failure to complete homework assignments, disrespecting their teacher and their peers, being off task, and so forth. It was clear that Mr. Marin failed to use the appropriate language in the classroom; thus, setting himself up for inevitable questioning. As he wrote a sentence with the name Bill, some students found it out of context to use  “weird” names (American), and instead use names more commonly used in their culture; thus, this being something they could relate to. Learning is known to occur more readily when student’s are exposed to things familiar to them; yet, if something has no meaning to them, it will be that much more challenging to engage them in.

Surprisingly enough, the learning process came into effect in a later moment, despite the student’s initial resistance to it, through a self-portrait assignment. A classroom consensus revolved around how their lives were not as interesting as that of Anne Frank’s; therefore they would not do the assignment. Yet, as Mr. Marin had the students expand on what they meant by that, was he able to in a way “trick” the students into sharing things about them even if they were “ashamed” of it. The more the students shared something, the more others would soon follow. It was almost as if their peers stories were somewhat relatable despite how different their story was. Specifically, one of the boys shared about being ashamed of having been around wealthy people because of his own inferiority to them, although his particular story does not apply to his classmates; perhaps they can empathize with him because they share a common background, this being living in impoverished areas. Same with the girl who said people were ashamed of their appearance; although she said she was ashamed of their ears because they stuck out, others can relate to the fact that they too are insecure about their appearances. Thus, learning occurs because they are learning something applicable and relatable rather than foreign and dull. 

"The Country of the Blind" and School Relations

Several themes set forth in the “Country of the Blind” can trace back to how school relations tend to unfold and how students are more inclined to befriend and group themselves with others whom share the same values, interests, extracurricular activities, status, and of the sort.  Although they are all present in the same educational institution, their vast differences are readily apparent; especially when taking a glimpse into the cafeteria setting; where students place themselves in areas that allot them a particular label; one of their preferential liking for some, while one not so favorable to others.

When Nunez made an unexpected; almost alien-like appearance in the Country of the Blind, the residents of this area automatically placed a label on him; this being a “wild man—using wild words,…his mind hardly formed yet.”  Whereas Nunez reciprocates that same initial impression on the blind when he see’s how the walls are plastered with various colors in a non-uniform manner. Thus, calling the man who did that “blind as a bat.”

There is an evident clash of language and culture in this story that stems from the fact that although they “comprehend” what the other party is saying, they do not actually understand the content behind it; rather than making an attempt to sympathize with one another, they automatically dismiss one another. In the school setting, certain cliques have certain phrases or sayings applicable to the group only, therefore, if you are an outsider, you would not know how that phrase is translated universally. A phrase I can recall from the movie “Mean Girls” is “that’s so fetch.” Clearly, if you were part of the Plastics, you would know that that translates into meaning cool or awesome. While Nunez attempts to enlighten the Country of the Blind by speaking of mountains, Bogota, and sight to name a few, they fail to place a meaning behind it.

When students are not accepting of one another’s differences, a clash is bound to happen such as how Nunez and the blind people clashed when they found it beyond themselves to accept one another. Just because you listen to someone’s standpoint that differs from your own does not automatically imply that you are obligated to believe them; the way one should approach that situation is by being respectful of what other’s believe in just as one would want other’s to respect their beliefs despite how much in opposition they may be. In the school setting, students have the tendency of talking behind people’s backs as a means of showing just how much the lack of respect is present. Things then get blown out of proportion and the entire school gets caught up in rumors and rather than peers working out their differences and coming to terms with one another, they only end up condescending each other and believing that their way is the only way; such as how the Country of the Blind and Nunez get caught up with their culture being the one and only righteous one of all.

Where I'm From...

I am from the city of Angels,
where stars glister in the dark blue sky,
I am from the country whose proud flag has the colors red, green, and white.
I am the only daughter who clung tightly to her mother's thighs as soon as the
school bell alerted it was time to say good-bye.
I am from two cultures, Spanish being spoken at home, and English once I walk out the door.
I am from Mexican-born parents, who blessed me with not 1, or 2, but 4 brothers, I being the only girl. Lucky for me, with the privacy of my own room, while the boys all bunched up and upset the same for them did not hold true,
The sweet smell of pancakes and music on Saturday mornings I hold dear,
just as the routined Saturday night pizza and t.v with my grandma in full gear.
I am a tomatoes and strawberries, eating until my stomach says "no more,"
I am the quiet one, but with a temperament when provoked,
I am the dreamer, who is fascinated with traveling the world, and one day becoming just like the woman I most adore, for she is exceptional and loving, and so much more.
I am from "do your best" and "yes you can!," and soaking up every bit of knowledge my sponge-like mind could absorb, and being a teacher's pet, surely not to disappoint.
I am from mid-days swims in the pool, to afternoon strolls in the mall with Mom,
and taking out my dog for occassional walks.
I am from family get together's on every Holiday, with bar-b-q's, fruit punch, and boardgames that oozed with fun, from laying on the living room couch watching Saved by the Bell re-runs.
I am the one who called shot-gun when riding in the Astro-Van, to get a better view of all there was to see, but shortly after, I would find myself in a deep and pleasant sleep.
I remember those trips to Griffith Park, where a pony ride would brighten my heart, and afterwards a picnic lunch under the trees would put me at ease.
I am from a lemon tree, whose leaves dangle delicately with a soft breeze, and there I stand, overlooking all there is to see. As I lose myself in the sky, I imagine myself traveling oversees to visit my beloved Italy.