#10

   Three Meaningful things from this semester.

1.  One thing from this semester that I saw as meaningful was the video classroom tour. It was really helpful for me to see an example of what a good classroom looks like (in my opinion). Another meaningful takeaway from this video was being able to see examples of Culturally responsive teaching in the form of a classroom setting. 

2. Another meaningful thing from this semester was being able to see the RI Laws regarding guidance to "Foster an educational environment that is safe and free from discrimination for all students, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression,"(pg.1). I thought that this can be a very helpful thing to have in a classroom. Having the definition in your classroom can possibly answer questions a student may have. This also lets your LGBTQ students know that you're an ally. 

3. The last thing that I have as a meaningful takeaway from this semester is a quote from Why Intersectionality Can't Wait. Crenshaw says,  "People of color within LGBTQ movements; girls of color in the fight against the school-to-prison pipeline; women within immigration movements; trans women within feminist movements; and people with disabilities fighting police abuse — all face vulnerabilities that reflect the intersections of racism, sexism, class oppression, transphobia, able-ism and more. Intersectionality has given many advocates a way to frame their circumstances and to fight for their visibility and inclusion.". I never knew what intersectionality was, as well as its importance to anyone fighting for visibility and inclusion. This quote was really meaningful to me because it gifted me with a new perspective.

RI Laws/Queering our School/Video

 RI Laws/Queering our School/Video 

Quotes:

    The first quote is from the RI Laws regarding the guidance for Rhode Island Schools on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students. In the document itself, one of the purposes for the guidance is to "Foster an educational environment that is safe and free from discrimination for all students, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression,"(pg.1). The laws within all correspond and respond to the contents of the previous quote. Everything within that quote is explained thoroughly. It really is important for any teacher in the Rhode Island school system to have some familiarity with these laws. 

    The second quote is from Queering Our Schools. "And Sasha Fleischmann's skirt was set on fire on an Oakland, California, bus by a 16-year old students from another school (Sasha is an agender youth)"(pg.22). This quote is from the beginning of the article and really sets the tone for the rest of it. Bullying and discrimination within schools toward the LGBTQ+ community is intolerable and is the main focus of this article. Solving this problem within the school system and making schools safe for adults and students within the LGBTQ+ is still going on today. 

    The third quote comes from the video Woke Read Alouds: They, She, He easy as ABC. During this video the speaker says, "You are going to meet people who liked to be called more than one thing." This is the main point of the read aloud. The target audience is children, and the read aloud is to further their understanding that some people do liked to be called more than one thing, and that some people don't like to be called certain things. In school systems, bringing up to younger audiences the concept of pronouns is becoming more and more popular today. 

Here is an article that further discusses the school climate surrounding transgender individuals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1059840518818259

Hehier

Eliminating Ableism in Education

Hehier

Reflection: 

    This article hit me a little more personally than the other articles we have looked at. I have a close friend who had poor opportunities in school because of his disabilities, until he went to highschool. Richard had faced numerous challenges throughout his life, mostly due to a disability that affected his mobility and his health, Richard also has autism. However, his determination never let this obstacle define him. Growing up, Richard was a beacon of positivity, he always knew how to look at the bright side of life. It wasn’t until my sophomore year of highschool that I became friends with Richard and our friendship blossomed into an unbreakable bond over the years. Though his education failed to address his specific needs, he never let it deter him from pursuing his dreams. Richard would always tell me about how his previous schools treated him poorly. Richard was extremely grateful to be at a private school and would always talk about it. At our highschool, Richard was equipped with professionals and classes that would help him accomplish his goals. Despite facing challenges, Richard relied on his compassionate ability to connect with others. He frequently would talk about all his many friends. Richard always had a thirst for knowledge too, he would frequently tell me what he was doing in class and what his thoughts on it were. It was honestly impressive to me to see the man he became over his 4 years in highschool, and seeing that he was able to receive the proper education he deserves really warms my heart. 

 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gscAjUlKc7Y

Examined Life Video: 

This video was an interesting watch, having someone with disabilities speak on behalf of what it's like to live like that is important. Society is just still too ignorant towards those with disabilities. I totally agree with Taylor saying that EVERYONE needs help. 

Rodriguez

Aria

Rodriguez

Hyperlinks: 

    Mr. Rodriguez is speaking the thoughts of many people in the schooling system today. There aren't many bilingual teachers in today's society. In my own experience from performing school observations, I have noticed how difficult it can be sometimes for Spanish speaking students to learn from a teacher who cannot speak, or poorly speaks the language. I have seen firsthand how this can create problems both socially, as well as intellectually. I can agree, from personal experience, that attempting to teach/assist students with a language barrier is trivial. Recent studies have shown that demand is increasing for multilingual teachers. A point that Rodriguez, in regard to children talking less with their parents as they learn more English, is really important. If the student's parents barely speak any English, this makes learning a new language even more difficult. Similar to how if a student does not do their homework, they will learn the information at a slower rate since they are no longer confronted with the material. Although demand for bilingual teachers has increased, this increase is not dispersed about the country evenly. Certain states need bilingual teachers more than others. Using data to justify this statement, it is apparent that the population of Spanish speaking students in schools has multiplied over the years. The reasons listed above portray why teachers with a "Seal of Bi-Literacy" should get be given a higher initial salary. There are many beneficial things about being bilingual, and I think it should across everyone's minds as something to consider.

Finn

Literacy with an Attitude

Finn

Reflection: 

    I found the story given in Chapter 1 to be really interesting. Specifically the part about how working-class and poor kids relate to authority. Authority is so important in the classroom because it is a crucial part of maintaining discipline. Seeing the way that he taught left me with some takeaways that I could incorporate into my own teachings. The fact that he can get assignments graded within the next class is great. This quick feedback helps students understand where they are and what they might need to improve on. 

    In Chapter 2, as expected, the schools that have the top earning families are predominately all white schools. Hearing what some of the teachers had to say about students was terrible. I have been around teachers who have talked negatively about their students. I don't understand why teachers feel the need to bash students behind their back, or in some cases, to their face. As a teacher you should be eager to help the students reach their goals. The mentioning of personal development and creativity are crucial to understand. As a developing teacher, I find that creativity is something that is lacking in the developing youth. Creativity and outside-the-box thinking are not something  one might take into consideration when teaching, it is always important to include them. Something I wish I took more notice of throughout my own schooling was my personal growth. Personal growth aids students in gaining self-awareness, developing traits, and improving potential. 

Here is a link to an article further explaining why personal growth in schooling is important. 

https://exceptionalchildren.org/blog/personal-growth-necessary-educators-implement-trauma-sensitive-practices

Blog Post #6

Blog Post #6

Video/How Structural Racism Works

Professor Rose

Reflection: 

     Something in the Structural Racism works video was very interesting to me and I have decided to write about my thoughts on it. In the video there are 5 key areas of society where racism is highly consequential. The areas listed are, housing, education, mass media, wealth/jobs, and criminal justice. I have seen countless examples of racism throughout all of these areas. In the area of housing I have seen people act and say racist things in their household. This is a really important thing to combat because the children of tomorrow shouldn't grow up with racism in their household, it then becomes a "normal" thing to them. Racism still plagues the education system. While attending school in previous years I have heard kids bully others because of skin color, and I have heard things people have said, that shouldn't be said. Kids of color need a better education, inner city schools need to be fixed, especially the public schools. In mass media, racism is everywhere you look. I don't even need to use examples, you all have phones, you know what I'm talking about. Racism is present in the line of work as well, someone should never have to feel uncomfortable to go to work. Work is supposed to be a safe place for people to go to make money to live. Lastly, the criminal justice system is a joke. A lot of people that are locked up shouldn't be there, you have guys serving a longer sentance for marajuana possesion than guys who commit way worse crimes. The prisons themselves are unstable, dirty, and cruel. In every major aspect of life racism is right there, this Is a sad thing to realize. Change starts with us. 

Here is a link to a recent news video on the crumbling prison system.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8W0HbVpUJQ

Video Analysis

 Teach us all: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_xDxTLamOcZtaF0UCk9j2k4y-jjSspD8Qh4bgYB8zU8/edit

Classroom Tour:

Precious Knowledge: