Ms. Beck
This experience has shaped my teacher identity and confronted some stereotypes/assumptions in ways that I could have never imagined. This is my first experience in a classroom not being a student. I enjoyed every minute of it. One of the biggest things that I think changed about myself is that I never imagined myself as an inner city school teacher. I am not really sure why, perhaps fear or lack of experiences. Now, having firsthand experience and knowing the statistics that these students, whom I now know personally, are faced with, I think this is where I belong. Only 20% of the kindergarteners in my school are ready for first grade at the end of the school year. This breaks my heart and makes me want to change it in anyway I can.
From observing, I have learned some do's and don'ts of teaching, and also some things that I would do differently from other teachers. A do is, do set your expectations regarding behavior and their participation before you start an activity. I have found that they are much better behaved if they know what you expect of them from the beginning. On the other hand, do not yell at the top of your lungs for an entire period because you will receive zero respect from your students. I observed this everyday from the art classroom where the literacy office is located. I think my biggest fear is not having control over my class. I heard my classroom teacher make references to moms and dads and Santa Clause. I will not in my classroom because I am educated to understand that not all students have moms and dads and Santa Clause, or even if they do have Santa, maybe he is not affordable.
I think that all of the theorists that we have studied are somewhat related and they have all certainly shaped my teacher Identity for the better. I want my classroom to be a democratic one where all voices are heard and everyone participates. I want to give my students meaning and understanding to what they are doing and why they are doing it. I also want them to be able to question me and the material. I want my students to experience education as something they do, not something that is done to them. By allowing all students to participate and welcoming all voices, we may encourage some negative things. I want this in my class so we can critically analyze any of these statements together and get to the bottom of it. I want to give my students the critical agency they need to protect themselves. Most of all, I want my class to be a safe place where kids can be excited and eager to learn new things. I think Shor, Boler, and all of the other theorists would agree.
posted by Morriah @ 10:08 AM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Hey Morriah,
I completely agree with what you said. I definitely feel like this experience has illustrated to me some great ways to be a teacher, but also some ways that are not as effective when dealing with children.
I also hope that when my time comes, my own classroom will be a democratic and multicultural one, as Carlson advocates for. I truly want my students to feel free and comfortable to question the rules and question the material. I do not want to create complacent robots who simply do what they are told, and only do so because they know or feel like they have to in order to succeed. True success, to me, is developing that sense of critical agency and being able to critically analyze something.
I completely agree with Boler when she speaks about how educators should empower students to develop critical agency and give voices to the marginalized students. I want my students to be able to state their opinions, even if they might be negative. The only way to educate the students about such stereotypes, privilege, and other negative statements is to provide a safe space for them and engage them in an open dialogue, as Carlson also supports.
I think as teachers it can be very easy to fall into a slump and even forget why it was that you became a teacher. It will not always be easy, especially when you have to face the corruption and systems of privilege that are dominant in society. It may be tempting to just be passive and teach the children the facts, and follow the prescribed curriculum. However, as Allan Johnson would argue, we are all a part of the system of privilege. If we choose the passive approach in our classroom then we are only enforcing the status quo and helping to perpetuate privilege. We need to challenge systems and the dominant ideology. This does not mean that we simply criticize and assign blame. However, we must take responsibility and accountability, create an open dialogue, and keep the conversation alive.
I realize that this is easier said than done, but I hope it is something that we will all continue to work towards as we become teachers.
Kayla
I really admire the type of teacher you hope to be. I think we are at a stage where we are starting to see what needs to change in this system of privilege and oppression, but we are not completely sure how to change that just yet. It frustrates me from time to time, because I know we all wish we could wave a magic wand and somehow have equality and opportunity for all of our students!
I also really loved what you said at the end about creating a safe space for students. As Megan Boler pointed out, it is crucial that students feel safe inside their classrooms. If students are comfortable, it is much more likely that they will express their thoughts and opinions. This provides the teacher with opportunities to discuss issues (like racism, sexism, feminism, etc) that may not come up if students feel they will be judged or penalized for voicing their opinions. Once those voices are heard, an open discussion can happen, hopefully quelling any negativity and replacing that with tolerance at the very least.
It is our responsibility to make that space, because there is really nowhere else in society where such dialogue can happen without conflict or ignorance defeating the purpose of such conversation. If a child cannot feel protected or accepted inside the classroom, it is highly unlikely that they have a safe haven elsewhere, and that is something we all need.
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