This experience has definitely taught me a lot about my teaching identity. I have realized that I have a lot of patience for the little ones in my first grade class. I really enjoyed watching my teacher interact with the children especially during "rug" time. I was able to help a lot when they were doing work individually in the class room and I learned so much as to how to explain certain things to them and simplify questions for them to better understand. I even got to read a book to them and ask each child to read a page. I am hoping to go back to my classroom more as a helper rather than a reading buddy. I don't think the reading buddies program helped me as much as being in the classroom with all the students did. I got more of a feel for what the classroom environment was every day and what to expect in future classrooms that I visit.
When thinking about my teacher identity I relate most with Kahne and Westheimer's charity and change model. I discovered that I would hope to be a teacher that helps my students with the change model which understands and creates more social bonds. I want to benefit my students and I want to benefit from them as well. Charity shows the students that the help is a one way street, not both parties benefiting from them. I would like my students not to have a narcissistic look on life and if they were to help others they would be able to see how it would benefit them as well. I would most likely do projects and have them show examples to me of what they learned from each charitable experience.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Prompt #4
When I was growing up all through elementary school I was in a mainly white-middle class community. Through my nine years in a public elementary school I saw maybe three Hispanic or African American children. Once I was a freshman in high school I had moved to Florida in again a middle, upper class neighborhood, but there was a lot more diversity in my high school than before. My schools population consisted evenly between white, African Americans, and Hispanics. It was a little bit of a culture shock for me because I had barely ever conversed with someone from a different ethnic background or race than myself, let alone become friends with them.
Through my five years in Florida I became friends with people from very different backgrounds than myself and learned so much about different cultures and traditions they took part in. Going to high school in a diverse setting definitely broadened my horizons if you will. I am glad that I can go into my VIP's tutoring classroom and have a more understanding about the backgrounds these children come from and be more comfortable working with them.
I did not have a lot of cultural bias in my life before this experience but the friends I hung around with in high school would make racial slurs and make assumptions about different ethnicity and races that were different than themselves. This service learning experience helped me block out stereotyping and appreciate each child's differences.
I believe my personal history and my new experience in this elementary school backs up the claim Jonathan Kozol made in his article Still Separate, Still Unequal. The schools in the United States are most definitely being segregated again not like they were in the past but more by socioeconomic class and economic backgrounds. I barely see any white children at Green Path elementary school, the population is mainly African American and Hispanic children. Kozol did more qualitative research to back up his statements about U.S. schools and he looked for patterns as he interviewed children in our schools. His major argument in his article was that segregation and inequality in our schools have to transform and de-marginalize society. I saw exactly what Kozol was talking about in my recent service learning experience and also when I look back on my school days.
Through my five years in Florida I became friends with people from very different backgrounds than myself and learned so much about different cultures and traditions they took part in. Going to high school in a diverse setting definitely broadened my horizons if you will. I am glad that I can go into my VIP's tutoring classroom and have a more understanding about the backgrounds these children come from and be more comfortable working with them.
I did not have a lot of cultural bias in my life before this experience but the friends I hung around with in high school would make racial slurs and make assumptions about different ethnicity and races that were different than themselves. This service learning experience helped me block out stereotyping and appreciate each child's differences.
I believe my personal history and my new experience in this elementary school backs up the claim Jonathan Kozol made in his article Still Separate, Still Unequal. The schools in the United States are most definitely being segregated again not like they were in the past but more by socioeconomic class and economic backgrounds. I barely see any white children at Green Path elementary school, the population is mainly African American and Hispanic children. Kozol did more qualitative research to back up his statements about U.S. schools and he looked for patterns as he interviewed children in our schools. His major argument in his article was that segregation and inequality in our schools have to transform and de-marginalize society. I saw exactly what Kozol was talking about in my recent service learning experience and also when I look back on my school days.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Prompt # 1
When I first drove up to Green Path Elementary School it was a very nice brick building with two floors, gated parking lot for the faculty, decent houses around the school. The neighborhood seemed to be a little bit run down but nothing to write home about. I had to be buzzed into the school and the secretary asks who you are and what your buisness at the school was before you entered the building. When I walked into the school there were a lot of children walking around and what seemed to be unsupervised. The school seemed to be clean, but a much older building that is decorated like it was built in the nineteen sixties. I met the principal, who is a very nice man and actually looks exactly like our current president Barrack Obama if you ask me, he told me what an honor it was having VIP's tutors in his school and what a great service we were doing.
When I walked into my first grade classroom my first impression was it was very cluttered. To my right there was a red carpet underneath a black board on the wall and an easel with white paper draped over it. The desks were set up in groups of four, making about five squares in the classroom. There were also a couple of desks alone facing the wall, my first guess was those desks belonged to misbehaving children. All the children were very excited to see a new face in their classroom and were whispering to each other and giggling. My teacher Mrs. Grump introduced herself to me and welcomed me with a smile and then immediatley gave me the children I was going to be working with and sent me into the hall with one desk and four chairs. She then quickly started yelling at a misbehaving child for figiting in his chair.
I introuduced myself to the children that had my attention, Charlie, Ann, and Shannon. They were very outspoken individuals to say the least. Ann didn't seem to need any reading help when we started the activities, she read everything in a reading level higher than any other student I had. She was very easily frustrated with other students like Charlie who had a hard time keeping up with the rest of the kids. He was at a reading level of a kindergartener if not worse. Shannon was intermediate, she was at a first grade level of reading it seemed but struggled with some words.
The vaules in this classroom did not seem to be equality, Mrs. Grump definetally seemed to be trying her best with a diverse group of students and I can imagine the struggles she must endure but she looses her cool very easily with this loud bunch of children. I feel like in this classroom students are treated as they treat the teacher. If they interrupt or shout out something exciting that has happened in their lives they seem to be scolded for it. The students do not seem eager to learn as much as I had hoped. They loose focus easily when they are doing their work at their desks and also during carpet time when Mrs. Grump reads to them. I feel like this classroom is a little caotic and needs to be managed in a calming and more encouraging way.
When I walked into my first grade classroom my first impression was it was very cluttered. To my right there was a red carpet underneath a black board on the wall and an easel with white paper draped over it. The desks were set up in groups of four, making about five squares in the classroom. There were also a couple of desks alone facing the wall, my first guess was those desks belonged to misbehaving children. All the children were very excited to see a new face in their classroom and were whispering to each other and giggling. My teacher Mrs. Grump introduced herself to me and welcomed me with a smile and then immediatley gave me the children I was going to be working with and sent me into the hall with one desk and four chairs. She then quickly started yelling at a misbehaving child for figiting in his chair.
I introuduced myself to the children that had my attention, Charlie, Ann, and Shannon. They were very outspoken individuals to say the least. Ann didn't seem to need any reading help when we started the activities, she read everything in a reading level higher than any other student I had. She was very easily frustrated with other students like Charlie who had a hard time keeping up with the rest of the kids. He was at a reading level of a kindergartener if not worse. Shannon was intermediate, she was at a first grade level of reading it seemed but struggled with some words.
The vaules in this classroom did not seem to be equality, Mrs. Grump definetally seemed to be trying her best with a diverse group of students and I can imagine the struggles she must endure but she looses her cool very easily with this loud bunch of children. I feel like in this classroom students are treated as they treat the teacher. If they interrupt or shout out something exciting that has happened in their lives they seem to be scolded for it. The students do not seem eager to learn as much as I had hoped. They loose focus easily when they are doing their work at their desks and also during carpet time when Mrs. Grump reads to them. I feel like this classroom is a little caotic and needs to be managed in a calming and more encouraging way.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
All About Me! :)
Hey Wonderful Classmates of my FNED 346 class!
I'm Holly a "continuing sophmore" at Rhode Island College. I am 20 years old and plan to major in Elementary Education specializing in special education. I am looking forward to our serivce learning project very much. I work at a day care and love spending time with children. I cannot wait to read everyones blogs and their experiences in the classrooms!
I'm Holly a "continuing sophmore" at Rhode Island College. I am 20 years old and plan to major in Elementary Education specializing in special education. I am looking forward to our serivce learning project very much. I work at a day care and love spending time with children. I cannot wait to read everyones blogs and their experiences in the classrooms!
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