Immigration

Today's discussion=intense...I will say that. Mostly we were discussing the result of undocumented persons working, living, and experiencing life in the United States. Because immigration laws have been in the news lately...we discussed the effect that these laws and changes will have on the education system. I will admit that I had a very shallow view about immigration while I was in highschool...and I have been changing and developing my view point on this subject. Even having the literature circle give such a moving report about a first hand experience on the struggle of crossing boarders. I always thought that "illegal immigrants" stole meaningful jobs away from U.S. citizens. I believed that they should learn ways of the U.S. and mainstream into society...boy I sound shallow. I am still jealous of the fact that I never had a multicultural education...and I thank my mom and dad for allowing me to venture out and actually learn. I have matured so much on my experience with immigrants. Esepecially when discussing today with the fact that families would sometimes be split up when trying to become a U.S. citizen.

Why not give them a chance to continue to work...learn...they obviously fought to get to the U.S. for a reason. Sometimes I believe that citizens forget the passion that this country can have...and having to hear from an undocumented person about the passion of our own country...is kind of ironic. The people of which have to deal with these unfortunate instances do work jobs that most middle class Americans refuse to work...and they stimulate the economy. Too bad that there isn't some program to help these people become citizens while they are helping the U.S. There obviously isn't an easy answer to this problem...because there would already be a solution. However...I agree with Dr. W that the children of these undocumented persons are suffering because of their lack of papers. It is sad to know that children are suffering because of the difficulty the parents have in getting citizenship.

I just feel like that this society...even though we have issues in our education system...it does open many opportunities for people. My grandmother immigrated to the U.S. by herself when she was a teenager from Europe and the education system helped her become the amazing woman that she was. I just am ashamed that we deny this to many children...because of the the difficulty the parents face due to the lack of papers...sheets of paper...

This was kind of an angry reflection...I just am so passionate about this...because it is upsetting. And yet...I am still confused...it will be interesting to see what the government does...and where this problem goes.

Where to Begin?

So I have definitely slacked on my postings...and there is no excuse but that of midterms. However...I am a responsible adult (considering) and will take the consequences of my mistake. So...I have a lot I have written in my notebook and observation book...so I do believe this will be a HUGE post!!!

First of all, I would like to reflect on what I have learned in my Educ. class. On 3/2...another literature circle presented. The group presented the novel Dreamkeepers which is about successful strategies for teaching African American children. I plan on renting this book from my library during a break...because it seems very interesting and contributes to valid points that I agreed with throughout the presentation.

One of the facts that the group presented was the fact that there is usually a high drop out rate and behavior problems of African American children. Though some people may believe this is do to lack of intelligence among the students, however, these statistics really...as Billings stated...are a result to poor teaching methods in which the students become bored. They feel they have better things to do, other things to do, and end up not choosing school.

Another significant point the group brought up was that African Americans perform better in private schools. I would believe that because I know a lot of people who would benefit from smaller classrooms, smaller community, more unity, etc. However, I feel that we can strive to have similar classroom settings no matter if the school is public or private. As teachers, I feel we should be able to create a community in which everyone can achieve success.

Another aspect of the novel that I learned was the three basic teaching strategies:

Acceleration-When one teaches with culture, however it may not be everyone's.
Resocialization-When the teacher mainstreams all cultural behavior.
Capitalizing-When everyone can relate to their own culture.

Capitalizing has a majority to do with cultural relevance, another term in the novel. Cultural relevance is the ability to succeed in school without mainstreaming thoughts and beliefs. This allows the student to relate and identify with themselves while learning. Without cultural relevance, students see distorted views (or even nonexistent views) of culture.

Another thing that I feel was very important in the presentation was the fact that teaching should be a practice...not a curriculum. This, I believe, allows the classroom to be a very relaxing learning environment where both the student and teachers can learn. This is when education can contribute the most.

Finally, Dreamkeepers mentioned as teachers, we cannot confuse equality with sameness. The education process is effected by how teacher see themselves, their students, their students' parents, and the community. As future educators, we have to realize and acknowledge differences, because no one is the same. However, we still have the opportunity to treat equal...despite the differences.

In class on 3/7, we were supposed to discuss Nieto, Chapters 8 and 9. However, Dr. Winters really was curious about how our field work was going. It was great being able to hear from my peers their experiences, because I hardly get to check out their websites because I am never at the computer, but it was nice to discuss them. It is always fun to hear stories that happen during the day. Or the cute substitutes that we get at the junior high!!! Haha...just kidding...
But I couldn't be happier with my class. I really hope that I am doing an adequate job...the kids respect me however they trust me at the same time. I love hearing about what they are up to...my class is SO ecclectic. Lately, we have been learning about the Spanish culture...and I feel like I am contributing a lot. I spoke Spanish in high school, and was part of the Spanish Honor Society as well as tutored first year students. So, I was kind of excited when Ms. H asked me to help teach words, conversations, and read stories to the class. It was fun having them repeat after me and try to pronounce the bizarre words. My favorite was when I was teaching them a basic conversation, one of the boys C___, was so excited that he wanted to volunteer and talk with me infront of the entire class. He, however, got very flustered and forgot all the words. I then had to remind him and whisper to him what to say next...it was adorable. Plus, they always ask me if I could speak in another language. I have been fortunate to know sign language and now I speak German too, so they always ask me to teach them a new word or phrase!!!

The other day, we were writing poems. Since it is Women's History Month, we have been reading a lot of works by women. Lately, they have been studying Nikki Giovanni and her beautiful poems. One poem that they learned was her short poem about Knoxville, Tennessee. In this poem, she lists her favorite aspects of summer in her hometown. Everyone then, had to write a poem, implicating the style of the author. I came up with one too!!!

I always like dancing best...
spinning
jumping
feeling weightless
breathing hard
understanding poise balanced on your toes
strength
power
leaps and turns
espressing movement
elongated muscles placed specifically
writing a story to music...

Ok...so it isn't good...but it was fun. Plus...the students all got to share what they had written as well. One boy was witty and explained he"liked sleep best"...haha.

But...I couldn't be happier with my class. I enjoy helping so much...and I love going to my Tues. and Thur. ed classes. I really do...I always find what happens interesting...and I continue to learn. I really am happy that I am in this program...and I can't wait to grow even more. When I presented my culture project...I loved it. I love sharing...I love learning...and I got a rush standing infront of a group of people. I have missed that...

Now that I have gotten all mushy-gooshy...I will call this an end to this post for now.

School Antics

Bullying, teasing, belittling, the day by day process of students. How is it that these children learn anything but hate and pressure. I do not remember any of my school years sorrounded by so much annoyance. Even my supervisor, Ms. H, notices the pain that these students inflict on one another. It is another day in the life of a student at my school...self defense. Someone says something rude...only to be responded with another rude comment. How do these students learn in such a negative environment? It still baffles me why children are so commonly rude to eachother.

My favorite is that a girl was talking to me and she simply said, "I don't want to be mean, but..." then she said something very hurtful about a boy in the class. If she doesn't want to be mean...then why does she have to say that statement first? I have even asked a child why everyone likes to tease another. He simply said, "Thats what we do." However, does it make that ok...or am I overreacting...because it seems natural for them to quickly respond with a come-back...but is that how society has changed. That one must respond to negative connotations all the time? End of rant...

Some positives of the day...I was able to help teach Spanish to the Round Table class today. This week...they are learning about Mexico. I took spanish a lot in high school and belonged the spanish honor society. I just forgot...how teaching a foreign language can be a little difficult to those who have never spoken it before. Ms. H even let me teach a little conversation (Como estas? Bien...y tu?) and went over the required list. I like how the students were so passionate about learning something so exoctic...such as a new language. For them...a student said...is so unreachable. Being that very few have ever traveled outside of the country...that they are really enjoying learning about different cultures. I am just glad that they WANT to learn of another language...I just think that learning it at a younger age is more helpful...plus...more fun. I however never had the opportunity to learn another language until my freshman year in highschool...and felt very behind. So this...is a good way to get the children interested in maybe furthuring their studies in a certain language.

Another aspect of the classroom that I would like to discuss is the lack of preparedness among the students. Even my supervisor has discussed this with the class...she continually has to REMIND them to do everything. Take out paper and pen, sit down, turn in homework, take a test that was missed, remind those of missed work, take your coat to your locker, don't sit on the desk top...constant reminders that I would have believed to have been learned already. Simple stuff...such as being prepared to class by bringing in the right books and notebooks. Having a pencil...I know occasionally one forgets something...but the same people forget and continually waste Ms. H's time by distracting the class. This is the reason why the team has decided to intensify the punishments...such as no more warnings...straight detentions. When does one learn the skills of being prepared. I mean...in highschool...the teachers expect you to have everything ready for class...but when did we learn that. As students...when did it become expected to rely on ourselves?

I asked some friends when they thought they became prepared, responsible, dependent students. I question when teachers stopped asking them to take notes...when it was just expected as students we should take notes...or turn in homework? The majority of my friends said that this required of them by 5th grade. That they just assumed...that they should be ready. That the teachers never requested them to take out their notebooks...or homework...or textbooks. But then again...children usually don't have a syllabus until highschool...but still. Wouldn't you have the proper materials in class...so it would be easily prepared? Maybe I am being to harsh...but I believe the students are being babied...that it is ok to continually forget or be unprepared for class. That is just my opinion, but I can tell that the majority of the teachers that I have seen...are quite annoyed for the constant reminding to the students.

McCarthy & McCarty

"Legal directives pertaining to schools are likely to increase in number and complexity."

Really...I had to laugh extremely hard at this quote from McCarthy...because there are so many legal directives already. It is a little overwhelming...because being a student you take all that for granted. The only responsibility the student has is to show up...but there are so many things that the teachers are responsible for. And for McCarthy to say that things will only become more complex...is just insane...but I guess as more cases come up in the legal systems between disputes between teachers and students, parents, communities, schools, etc...I guess the list will continue to grow of warnings and precautions for future educators.

Some things that I found fascinating...

"The law is well established that public school teachers do not have a right to determine the content of the instructional program."

I guess I always realized this while attending schools...but I didn't know that it would have an effect on me until recently. Some of my friends...who are also future educators...talk about what THEY want to teach...and why. What they are not going to teach....so on and so forth. But after reading this journal...that doesn't seem like an option any more. Of course...some teachers that I had were able to teach all the requirements...and then one or two projects that they want to discuss. But this more refers to the next statement.

"While public school teachers are not empowered to determine the public school curriculum, courts have been receptive to teachers' assertions that they retain some discretion in choosing strategies to convey the prescribed content."

So this is where the loophole comes in for many teachers. That they were able to discuss what they wanted to...but through a required curriculum. I know that I had a teacher...which had to discuss a certain type of literature...which she hated and seemed like a waste of time to her...but used one of her favorite kinds of literature to compare how certain things continue in education...so we had to then comapre and contrast the required curriculum and the teacher's preferred curriculum. She met the requirements of the district...but through her wanted program.

I know another thing that is sometimes a thin line for teachers is student discipline. Even though the state establishes theachers so they are in loco parentis (in place of parent) during the time that the students are present at the school...there seems to be many struggles between what is appropriate discipline and what is not. Mostly agreed...that the punishment should be appropriate to the student's offense...but isn't that very much subjective? This is where a lot of educators get in trouble...because some parents believe that discipline should come from the household...and that it is not the schools, administrators, or staffs place to discipline their kids.

But then...when teachers are frowned upon for disciplining children...they are then found next liable for injuries...and blamed that it is their fault for damages. Funny...that parents can be hypocritical. Of course I believe the educators should enforce safe environments...I just found it odd that some people are saying that teachers should not discipline pupils but then are found guilty of situations when students become injured.

The last thing that I would like to contemplate is that of teacher termination. I understand that teachers are required to fulfill the required probation period...two to three years depending on the school district...and then recieved the tenured contract. However...I just believe that there are too many loopholes for teachers in a tenured contract. I had a teacher once...who did bare requirement for the curriculum...barely did a thing in his class. Sometimes he would be so lazy and just say, "...I don't even care because I am tenured and there is nothing they can do..." even when we complained...parents and students alike...nothing happened. So...for some cases...the only way you can get fired is if you do something absolutely terrible to a student...or fellow staff member. Because...there were many cases where tenured adults got away with the bare minimum requirements. Even though the law states that they can be fired for incompetency, neglect, immorality, insubordination...but again I feel that this is all subjective and presumely different per school district.

Overall...I have to continue studying these legal laws. There is a lot of information...and it is kind of depressing that teachers don't get the respect they used to. I remember my grandmother discussing what an honor it was...and how much she was respected. Lately...it just seems like teachers have to walk on egg shells...

Koinichiwa!!!

Today's round table was the beginning of my team's multicultural presentations. The first group to go was Japan. They taught the classes how to say certain school words, objects, requests, greetings, and other fun terms in Japanese. The funny thing is...the classes actually have to learn them and use them. If a kid would like to use the restroom...they have to ask in Japanese. The same thing for if they want to borrow a pencil...say hell...excuse me...I think it is fun. Plus...learning a language is so exoctic and different. I had a girl ask me if I spoke other languages and I responded that I did...German. Well...some of German...and some sign language. For kids not sorrounded by different languages...they are amused, entertained, and fascinated. They were going around all day saying Japanese words...not even in context...but just speaking the language. Also, another thing that I experienced was their lack of fear. As students tend to get older...they don't participate in class when they are not sure of an answer. Such as language classes...I am in one right now and I have noticed...that those who are unsure of pronunciation or what not...they don't even try and pronounce it. They just ask to be told...as opposed to sounding it out. The kids at school today...would say the word over and over again...even when it was wrong...with force and pride, until they pronounced it right. It made me laugh...because some kids would come up to me "What am I saying, Ms. Y...what am I saying?"...and try and get me to guess wrong. It was way too much fun. I am excited for my class to present. They will be doing Swahili from Kenya. I like learning from these students. They are definitely an ecclectic group of characters!!!

One girl that I would like to discuss is having a rough time. I forgot how education...is not always the first priority for some students. I had the blessing of both parents, and their encouragement of education. However, T__ is way from being like me. She shows up randomly to school....here and there...no pattern. I asked her how her weekend went and she told me not so well. I asked her what could be better...and she told me this story. Her mom is recently in the hospital...and she lives with her parents (mom and dad) and her uncle...and fellow siblings. She said that her dad works all the time...and her uncle is lazy. She said that she didn't even have time to do her hair this morning because she had to wake up her uncle...wake up "her kids"...and cook breakfast for them. I thought it most interesting how she calls her siblings, her kids. I could not imagine having that type of pressure on me as a 13 year old girl. I am amazed that she is able to get any homework done at all. She discusses how she is always taking care of the family...because she is the oldest. She tells me stories of how happy she is when she gets to visit her grandparents...because she is removed from that parenting responsibility. But she did tell me about her counselors that are helping her...so she is getting help. But it is still unfortunate...that she cannot enjoy the fact that she is a kid right now. However...she is strong...and proud of her family. I admire her stamina a lot...especially for her realistic viewpoints. But it reminds me...that not every student comes from the same household. Some kids cannot help but not do their homework...because of other responsibilities that weren't their's to begin with. I just fascinates me...that she is playing mother so young.

Life In Schools

On Thursday, another Literature Circle presented their book. I feel like I will have to read this book myself because I felt like they couldn't present all the important facts presented in the book. Also, most of the terms and ideas were new to me so it would most likely be very helpful. I really enjoy watching my peers present, I learn a lot from them because they have somewhat the same amazement as me in the subject. I feel that, even though we have different backgrounds and different ideas, we are still starting at the beginning and learning together. I thought they did a very good job with the presentation, it must have been a tough read, but very interesting.

Something that I noticed today. Just in my class...I would like to see how things are in other classes and settings, but I keep talking about these commercials the kids are developing. Well today...I had to video-tape them and I must say I noticed something funny. While the groups are well dispersed, male-female, friends and strangers, I found this interesting observation as I watched each group work. The groups with a female, finished and made decisions. Every group that I worked with that was just male, didn't have a leader, were very passive about what was being done. But the groups with a girl in it...the girl would usually take charge, decide what would be done, set a time line, and decided a lot of the final ideas. The weird thing is, I saw this in atleast 5 groups. The same thing happened. The boys were very submissive about what was being done, and the girls would be more ready to get stuff done. This is quite the opposite of what I experienced as a student in junior high. The groups that I was put in...the boys would push aside the girls. They would say that we couldn't comprehend or develop a well enough project to agree with them. So, as a female, I found it kind of interesting because I was always passed over in groups because I was the "smart, quiet girl" and the boys would take control. I remember Dr. W discussing this with us once, how in later generations they have been trying to teach more towards the girl and the boys have been left behind. Is this what I witnessed today? Is this what has happened, the girls are becoming more forward and aggresive when it comes to education while the boys hide? Interesting...just a little topic that I think I would like to look into.

Some Observations

Monday...I was helping some students with an assignment. One of the students that I was working with was having a difficult time. She could think fast on her feet, and tell me what she wanted to write...however...she would forget what she wanted to write when she put her pencil to the paper. She also writes very slow...taking her time on every stroke of each individual letter. So...to help her organize her ideas...i asked her to write down the main points that she wanted to express when she was writing an answer while she was talking to me. Not in complete sentences...but just notes. This seemed to help her...but I thought it fascinating because the majority of the kids that I have worked with...I found the complete opposite. That they had a hard time organizing their thoughts into oral speech...but were great at portraying thoughts and ideas on paper. I wonder why this is. Maybe she has always had the opportunity to speak her mind...or had situations where she had to be quick on her feet when it came to words. But I enjoy working with her...she is witty and always looks at things from new perspectives.

Tuesday...we discussed Immigrant Children and The American Project by Orozco. One of the questions raised by our class was what was acultralization of America? This is such a good question because America is a vast melting pot of culture. Everyone is different and has been brought up from different backgrounds. I find it interesting that those children that continue to speak their native tongue at home, learn faster and just as well as English speaking children because of the emersion of the language. My personal beliefs, I feel that those who are bilingual or even trilingual by the time they start learning English, have better opportunities. I found my peers' stories of children in their own schools fascinating. How some teachers gave up on the student because they believed there was no hope...how they give them unfair activities to do while they continue to teach other people...and mostly how some teachers just refuse to do anything about the difference. I believe that these teachers, first of all are thrown into a situation they don't know how to deal with, but also don't put a lot of effort out to help the child. I don't know...maybe its because in my highschool when we had Vietnamese children transfer to the school...a teacher had a friend who spoke the language and hired her personally to help tutor the kids. Plus, they all then shared the culture with the rest of the class...learning the language, sharing foods, etc. Who knows...maybe I just believe in the good and kindness of people and that I believe that we should help others to the best of our abilities. And to judge another who doesn't speak our language, or such, seems to be a little immature and off base.

Today...Ms. H was not at school...so she had written to the substitute that I would be able to handle a lot of the class. Mostly roundtable discussion and helping again. But it was fun!!! I got to talk to a lot of students that normally don't talk to me...and I got to help encourage some students working on a Kenyan flag, plus talk to a very introverted individual about books, because he happened to be reading one of my favorite authors. So it was a very relaxing morning. Plus...I feel like I am contributing to the learning of the classroom. There were discipline issues today....but every time I politely and calmly asked the student to do something, without singling them out, they would do it right away. I had one student fall asleep today in the middle of the lesson...I just casually walked by and woke him up without anyone really watching. Then I had a bunch of girls passing notes to eachother and giggling...I just simply asked them if they could do that at a later time...and they responded with a sorry and put the notes away. It is funny though...because a lot of the kids do stuff that they think no one can see them do...but I know for a fact that Ms. H sees them do it and I see them do it. It is just whether or not the teacher decides to act on it. But they think they can get away with a lot of stuff...but they don't!!!