Blog 4: Students Communities and Backgrounds

When Lisa Delpit said  “[Teachers] should recognize that the linguistic form a student brings to school is intimately connected with loved one’s community, and personal identity. To suggest that this form is “wrong” or, even worse, ignorant, is to suggest that something is wrong with the student and his or her family” (p.33) I started to think about how as a future teacher I would respond to students from different backgrounds, family and home life. At my high school a large part of our education included treating everyone one the same and with respect. Through during service and seeing and meeting people from different communities allowed me to act on this idea. While now I like to think that I treat everyone the same, I do still believe that it can be hard at times. Kids form different backgrounds allow the possibility to bring different qualities to the classroom. As a future teacher I want to be able to see a student, get to know them, and then allow their best qualities to be reflected in my classroom. Accepting someone for who they are also lets them know that you care about them, thus strengthening your relationship with them. While differences between students and their community and personal identity will be noticeable, I agree with Delpit when she says that we shouldn't suggest that their way is wrong or ignorant. I also think that it is important to be aware of the differences students have because of their background. Many kids may talk differently, act differently, and learn differently but I think that as a soon to be teacher it is important to set our beliefs aside and do our best to teach them what they need to know for their future. 

Blog 3: People Watching

After going to Chipotle to observe people I was surprised with what I saw and interpreted based on my beliefs. My t-chart differed in many ways from the description side to interpretation side. As someone walked through the door I would immediately write down what they were wearing, their hair color, and other aspects of their physical appearance. I noticed my self focusing a lot on their clothing which then led me to start making interpretations. My interpretations included their jobs, if they had kids, sometimes what typeof job they had, how they spent their free time,  etc. While I wasn't able to get every detail about every person who walked in, I wrote down details about the people who stood out to me the most. One man came in wearing business clothes, nice dress shoes and pants, a button down shirt, and a tie. He had dark hair and I guessed that he was in his mid 30’s. From his appearance I interpreted that he was some type of business man, maybe in sales. I noticed he had a wedding wring on so I thought maybe he had just gotten married or it could have been a few years ago. I wondered if he had kids and then noticed myself practically writing this mans life story just from what I saw and without even knowing him. Then a woman came in wearing athletic clothes. I thought maybe she could have just come from the gym, or maybe she worked at a gym. Like the previous man I started to give this woman a life. She was older, married, she had kids but they had already gone to college and moved out of the house. What I noticed about myself was that I was writing stories for everyone who walked in. Their appearance set the foundation for the type of life that I thought they would have. I learned about myself that through these stories I hoped that these people were happy with their lives, jobs, kids and families. My beliefs were a factor in how I interpreted people but I think it was in a more positive way than a negative way which pleasantly surprised me. I have always enjoyed people watching but this blog made me think about it in a different way and see how my beliefs affected my interpretations.

Post 2: Lisa Delpit Quote Response

Having a belief system is important to essential life. It allows us to form our own opinions and thoughts. Peoples beliefs are often affected by their past experiences, their family, where they are from, and much more. How one is effected by all these things is different for everyone, but they still contribute to shaping us into the person we are. When Lisa Delpit says “We do not really see with our eyes or hear through our ears, but through our beliefs.” (Curtis and Carter, 2000, p. 9) she implies that our beliefs play a large roll in how we interpret certain situations. While everyone may physically see the same things and hear the same things, each person has their own perspective of the situation. These interpretations are often formulated through our beliefs. Like discussed in class, race, ethnicity, financial status, gender and much more will vary amongst students. Similar to how differences will vary throughout each class room, the teachers response to the differences will vary from room to room. Some teachers may treat each student differently because of their differences compared to other students, others may see past these differences and treat all their students equally. Some teachers may think that they are being fair to everyone, but really aren’t without even knowing it. Peoples beliefs often affect their reaction to situations like this. If a teacher believes in equality for all he or she will most likely react differently than someone who struggles to see everyone as equal. Like mentioned by Curtis and Carter in “The Art of Awareness” being aware of the fact that everyone perceives things differently is important. Curtis and Carter also say that being knowledgeable of how our notions  impact a situation can help us see past our bias interpretations. It is important to have beliefs but not let them impact how we see a person. 

Post 1: Class Survey

1. Preferred name: Caroline

2. Hometown: Troy, Michigan 

3. Would like to teach high school math preferably Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Pre-Calculus, and Trigonometry. 

4. During my high school career I played golf all four years, but chose not to continue on with it in college. Golf played a major role in my life during high school and it is still one of the most important things in my life that I enjoy. I spent time in high school doing service projects as well as  leading and participating in various clubs. This semester I plan on getting involved in CSSA, and joining a sorority. I also plan to work somewhere on campus during the school year. 

5. A major belief that I have is the thought that it is best to surround yourself with positive people. The linked article below explains multiple reasons as to why surrounding oneself with positive people is a good thing. I believe that the better people there are in your life the better your life will not only be, but the happier with your life you will be. Everyone has certain people in their life that always leave a positive impact. As I got older I was able to realize that the more people like this in my life, the happier I was. I also noticed that I myself started to become a better person a little at a time. I think that it is important to have people in your life that accept your differences, support your decisions, and want what is best for you. A perfect example of this would be family and friends that someone considers close enough to be family. By surrounding yourself with good company, you can make it through anything.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leon-logothetis/kkeeping-good-company-why-you-should-surround-yourself-with-good-people_b_6816468.html
6. I think to be comfortable to take positive risks in a college classroom, trust is needed throughout the entire class. The students have to trust their peers and their teacher and the teacher has to trust his or her students. I also think that everyone should be open minded, patient and not quick to judge those in their class so that each student can get the most out of his or her time in the classroom.
7. A formative experience that I had as a student was receiving a teacher that today serves as the person I would like to be most like when I am a teacher. Junior year I was able to have the teacher that confirmed my decision to want to be a teacher. He not only taught the material well, but he also cared for each and everyone of his students. He was a good person and reflected his values and morals which left an impact on every student he had. Because of his care, big heart, teaching ability, and values, throughout an entire year I was able to see the type of teacher I wanted to be.
8.  In education I think there are many issues. Right now technology plays a large roll in the world of education yet its usefulness hasn't quite been discovered. While technology in the classroom has many benefits it also has many disadvantages. I think that more research and development spent on this topic could allow the best way to use technology in the classroom to be discovered. I also have concerns with what is being taught. I think it needs to be thought about what kids really need to know for the future. Yes, math, science, english, history are all important, but what about how to pay bills, how to apply for a student loan, or the process of buying a house. While many of these things can be taught by parents, some students don't have the best parenting system, and schools should be teaching it more than they currently are.
9. Questions for the class/teacher: What was your reasoning for entering the field of education?