Blog Entry # 5 - Different Issues in Education

For this blog entry I have been asked to read to following articles:

“Educating the Children of Katrina” by John C. Goodman

“Teachers’ Cost of Living Matters” by Danielle Georgiou, Pamela Villarreal, and Matt Moore

“Green Schools Don’t Make the Grade” by Todd Myers

“In Our Own Backyard: The Hidden Problem of Child Farmworkers in America” by the American Federation of Teachers

And

The Sesame Workshop Website

Then asked to reflect on the following: Think about your own experiences in schools. In what ways has the selected information directly impacted your school, your teaching, or your students.

First I will address the articles individually and write about the impacts I have felt when directly relating to the issues presented.

In “Educating the Children of Katrina” Goodman argues that schools should receive $7,500 for each student who had to leave Louisiana and Mississippi due to the hurricane and relocate to Texas. My first argument is what about all the students who were relocated elsewhere? Tennessee, Utah, Idaho, et cetera? And secondly should we really be making educating children a competition for money? It is not fair to place a monetary value on those students. They have a completely new set of needs that many educators may not be capable to handle. What these children need are professionals who will be able to help these students realize what has happened to them, and how to deal with that. The idea of Value Added ratings to schools and educators takes away from the real things that educators do in the class room. From what I have seen in a Value Added school situation that there is not much value placed on Value Added ratings by the teachers or administration, as they only place value on standardized tests. I value the fact that I am teaching students how to write essays that have NEVER written an essay before (this is the 8th grade). I place value on the fact that I expose my students to art and artists that interest them and make them more cultured and educated members of our society. I place value on the fact that my students trust me and rely on me to help them in their times of need. I do not place value on recruiting displaced children to my school or the test scores they receive. I place value on the fact that I have helped them, and that they are more well-rounded individuals when they leave my classroom.

I believe that what the article “Teachers’ Cost of Living Matters” by Danielle Georgiou, Pamela Villarreal, and Matt Moore is missing is HAZARD PAY, which is what we refer to teachers who receive higher pay for living in less than desirable areas. A teacher in Memphis, TN is paid more because they have to contest with students who bring guns to school, fighting and other dangers that teachers in Boise, Idaho do not. I believe that adjusting for the cost of living is great, and should happen, but the comparisons are way off. What they are not adjusting for is the dangers of working in Los Angeles, and Memphis as compared to Oklahoma City. They are not comparing the fact that there are still positions that are open in schools around Tennessee that have yet to be filled because of the lack of qualified teachers to fill them in high poverty, dangerous schools. Those are the real factors that are affecting teacher pay, which maybe no one wants to recognize.

The article “Green Schools Don’t Make the Grade” by Todd Myers the author addresses the fact that Green schools are not stacking up to the energy efficiency, nor absentee rate that was previously expected. But, I can say this WHO CARES!!??!! I love the environment and wish all schools were green, but the fact of the matter is the air conditioner in my school does NOT work. I do not really care about students in Washington who are trying to make their schools more energy efficient at this point. Right now, I care about my students being comfortable and able to learn. It is impossible to do activities in a room that is 85 degrees and all the kids are whining and the teacher is grouchy because it is so dang hot!! I honestly am all for the green movement, but I cannot address that until all students are in schools that are safe, with no mold growing on the walls and with HVAC units that actually work!

The article “In Our Own Backyard: The Hidden Problem of Child Farmworkers in America” by the American Federation of Teachers addresses the issues of child labor in the fields and the lack of protection of these children. Having worked in an area where schools were on a schedule designed to work with farming and crop schedules I am very familiar with the problems of this type of child labor. This is not only not fair to the students, who should not be working, but a reflection of how farmworkers have been treated for years. The issue is that farmworkers and their children and families are treated unfairly, are not paid proper wages, thus why the children are working.

After visiting the Sesame Workshop Website I was intrigued to see how the PNC Foundation has donated so much time, research and money to changing academic accomplishments of underprivileged students in the Chicago area. The information from the website presents a wonderful program for students in the involved schools. I personally have never benefited from such a wonderful program. In the school that I currently work in, the district only has a limited number of science and math kits for the entire district, so our school only receives the kits for a few weeks. This is totally unfair, and seems to me that maybe more money should be invested in those programs. The issue that saddens me about reading this article is that foundations have to donate research, time and money to our education system. Why? Shouldn’t the government be providing resources for teachers and schools? Shouldn’t schools and teachers have resources at our finger tips, not begging for grants?

After reading my blog I am sure many people may think I am a negative, jaded teacher. I am not. I love my job, and I love going there everyday, but I believe that there are so many things that our school systems in the United States are lacking, and I believe the resources to make the necessary changes are available, but are locked away by people who have never been in underprivileged schools. I will continue to fight for my students and their needs. I will continue to go against this system, until my students receive the same education that the rich kids less than 10 miles away receive. As far as I am concerned I am a good teacher, and I care greatly about my students, and I will always work in a school that needs help, never in one that does not.

Blog Entry #4 - Multiculturalism and the Curriculum

For this blog entry I have been asked to read the following three articles:


“Organizers See ‘New Civil Rights Movement’ in Immigration Protests by Niko Kyriakou,

“Multiculturalism in School Curriculum” by Adam Waxler,

And

“Toward a Centrist Curriculum: Two Kinds of Multiculturalism in Elementary School” by E.D. Hirsch Jr.

And reflect on the following: Think about your own experiences in schools. In what ways were the curriculum, policies, and structure of your school used as a means of social control?

I fully agree that my own experiences in school were a means of training me to be a member of society. As a high school student I vividly remember being assigned to read a book from a list of authors and I decided that I did not want to read any of those books, so I read some Vonnegut, and did the assignment. I turned in a paper about the book I chose and the response from the teacher was all about social control. She wrote on the paper that she was glad I had an interest in such books, and that she was glad that I did the assignment, but she would not give me a better grade than a 60% because I did not complete the assignment as asked.

Now, as a practicing teacher I feel that if a child wants to read a book that is well over the required reading level of the books from a list, why not? Who am I to say what a child should read, or enjoy reading? If they want to read Vonnegut, read Vonnegut, if they want to read Chaucer, read Chaucer! As far as I am concerned, at least they are reading!!

But, beyond that this teacher was really teaching me how to function in the world beyond the 10th grade classroom. You cannot simply read whatever you want in college and turn something in that is not related to the curriculum. You cannot just do whatever kind of work you please at work and expect to retain employment. I agree with her now, that there are rules that need to be followed, but as a teacher I would not suppress my students’ ability and desire to read beyond a reading list.

After reading “Toward a Centrist Curriculum: Two Kinds of Multiculturalism in Elementary School” by E.D. Hirsch Jr. I let out a sigh of relief, this article was the first I have read about educational theory that spoke to me, in a long time. I fully believe that we must first have students reading and writing at grade level. Students must have a basic understanding of math and science before we can give them a true multicultural education. They will not be able to understand the contributions of African-Americans or the Chinese to America in the 1900’s without basic abilities.

I also found the idea of Cosmopolitanism to be very interesting. The idea that we need to recognize that we as humans are part of the human race and that we need to understand that our impact as individuals reaches much farther than what we really recognize. Our economy is global, shouldn’t we also be?

I also agree with Waxler that a multicultural curriculum is possible, and will also prepare students for standardized testing. I personally really just wish I did not have to write that. I’m truly sick of standards; I wish my students were afforded freedoms to study what interests them through the curriculum that I present. I do many of the activities that he suggests, such as looking at different viewpoints and exploring the lives of others.

The new civil rights movement has lost it’s momentum since when the article was published in 2006. I believe that the students I teach, who come from around the world are a blessing. I also believe that the idea of illegal immigrants and the possibility of arrest really hinders my parent involvement. I wish everyone in this nation would remember how we all got here, and remember that the people who come here do so because they want a better life, just like our forefathers did.

Another way I as a student was given a very structured education was my studies. I was not able to decide what classes I would take, or what I would study, beyond my choice between Chemistry and Horticulture and Spanish or French. Students and teachers are bound by laws to be taught and teach certain “standards”. The districts are required to test these “standards”. But, where is that really getting us?

I believe that my education in the late 1980’s until 1999 was much less structured than it is now. Students now must reach certain benchmarks, pass certain tests, and take certain classes to graduate. There is no room for individuality on the part of the teacher therefore also for the student. To me it is sad that students are not given more freedom to explore, we all know that as we go further from school and into the working and university world that we must follow greater rules and abide by certain standards. I believe schools should be helping students to become productive members of society, but not at the expense of their individuality.

Blog Entry #3

For this blog entry I was asked to read the following articles:

Pithissippi Burning: Race, White Nationalism and American Culture
Posted by PJ Tobia on Mon, Feb 23, 2009 at 10:00 AM from the Nashville Scene

"Why Multiculturalism is Wrong"

The Challenge of 'Multiculturalism' In How Americans View the Past and the Future
Samuel Taylor

I have to say I was absolutely shocked as to how people have reacted to Multiculturalism in the United States. The most shocking thing for me was the reactions that people have had to teaching Multiculturalism in American schools. I never would have thought that there are people in the world who were so adverse to teaching the histories of the many different peoples of the United States. I had no idea people were so worried about "White" culture in the United States. To me culture is in the home and with family, I know my family celebrates holidays differently than most - we celebrate some holidays like Catholics, we celebrate the Day of the Dead as it would be traditionally celebrated in Central and South America, but we don't really celebrate Easter, but we do celebrate Columbus Day as the Day of the Race, as it would be celebrated in Puerto Rico.

Speaking about the argument of how people affected by Columbus "negatively" really, from the experiences I have had in Puerto Rico, do not view it that way. Puertorricans that I lived with in San Juan, Puerto Rico celebrated it like a joyous holiday. Many said without Columbus they would not live in Puerto Rico, or be who they are. Many people celebrated around the island, and we were all out of school and off work. So, it is really strange that people say that Puertorricans do not like Columbus, when they were joyous about his discovery of their island and even have statues of him around the island. I wonder if maybe people impose that idea on Americans so we feel guilty.

After reading the article "Why Multiculturalism is Wrong" article, I was left with a wha????? I really did not know how to feel after reading that article or what was really the point the writer was trying to make. I do understand how the country makes the culture really does make sense.

When one is from a certain country a person usually identifies with the culture of the country being their own culture. I certainly identify with being "American" and know what life and culture is like for me.

I really have a hard time with people imposing any kind of culture on me. Yeah - I may be white, but I've lived around the world. I lived in Puerto Rico and have brought those cultures with me. I lived in Austria and celebrate Christmas and Lent much like an Austrian, not because I became Catholic, but because I enjoyed the celebrations.

I really hate supremecists telling me "my" culture is dying, because it isn't. My culture lives with me, inside of my heart, mind and home - I just wish everyone would quite judging me by it.

Blog Entry #2 - What is English Grammar?

Teaching grammar plays a central role in every ESL/ELL teacher's classroom. The important question that needs to be answered is: how do I teach grammar? In other words, how do I help students learn the grammar they need. What are your thoughts?

The main struggle I have with defining "Standard English Grammar" stems from my experiences living and working with Spanish-speakers in the United States. I have met so many people who do speak English very well, but often Code-Switch and use both English and Spanish as they speak to other speakers of both languages. It is the most interesting I have ever heard, and I wonder why this has not become a larger question in the definition of Standard English like the African American Vernacular - which to be completely honest having lived in both California and the American South, have never really heard, though I do spend time with African Americans.

The big question is how do I teach grammar? Well, I do lots of things!! I try very hard to differentiate instruction so students can show an understanding of of their knowledge of grammar without worksheets. I usually follow this basic outline when I teach grammar:

1 - PowerPoint presentation of the grammar with students taking notes

2 - a worksheet to practice

3 - Grammar Graphics where the students will have to identify different parts of speech and draw a visual representation of the part of speech above it. (Yes, this rings of diagramming sentences, but I was one of those kids that enjoyed it and if there are 2 or 3 that get it if I do it this way it's not hurting the ones who dislike it!!) http://www.grammargraphics.com/

4 - differentiated instruction "Menu Options" where students are asked to use the topic studied in a variety of ways

5 - *this is ongoing* MadLibs! I know it may sound cheesy, but we start every Language Arts class with a couple online madlibs to get our brains creative, we do these as a class through the computer and projector, it is FUN!! We were rolling on the ground today!!

6 - Test at the end of the unit to determine what needs to be revisited.

That is how I teach grammar. My class is both inductive and deductive I try to really differentiate instruction and show students in a variety of manners how the grammar point works. I am a self-proclaimed "Grammarian" I love grammar and to study it, but I know how much fun doing worksheets is, so I try to keep it light and quick, so students do not feel bogged down. Though I have noticed that they do really enjoy grammar once they realize it isn't as bad as they previously thought!

Blog Entry #1 - Multicultural Education

What is my definition of Multicultural Education?
To me Multicultural Education is any time a teacher brings a different culture into the classroom. To me a teacher can use literature written by authors who are not of the canon. I believe that even though we as a society study mostly white American authors, a caucasian author holds as much value as a non-white. Students can learn so much by reading and studying the works and collective histories of different authors and cultures, and they will benefit not only as students, but as future employees and members of society. Multicultural Education is recognizing everyone and their place in our society.
My personal and reflective thoughts regarding the challenge of defining multicultural education.
I feel that after Gorski's working definition of Multicultural Education I do my best to hit his major bullet points, but I feel the definition if general is missing the point that teachers have to teach what we are told to teach, I can deviate a little and have selected books for my students that are multicultural and written by immigrants or children of immigrants, but the lacking section is what school boards, districts and administration needs to do to provide teachers with the means for teaching multiculturally. I cannot make non-canonical literature appear in my classroom without funds from somewhere - lord knows I don't have them, nor do my 96% free and reduced lunch families. I would love to provide these things and do my best to, but I can only do so much without the proper support from my district.
I try my best to be understanding of the many different lives my children live and to be accepting of them and provide an avenue for them, I want to have a classroom where all students feel accepted and all students learn about their cultures and I feel that I am doing my very best at that right now. I know my classroom is very student-centered, and I will always continue to keep it that way.

The classroom challenges facing teachers as they strive to implement multicultural practices in their classrooms.
These are vast and I will probably not be able to hit most of them, but the first thing that popped into my mind was "Where is the money coming from to buy the books from authors outside of the canon, who are of the cultures of my children?" I live and work in an English-only school system where my Title 1 funds that do buy books are not allowed to buy books that are not in English. I do not have the money, nor can I require students to buy books to read in class. Where will I get the funds to buy 30 books by Gabriel Garcia Marquez?
What if I have no idea about the culture of the students that I am teaching and do not have the time to find anything out?
How can I provide texts from cultures that do not have a written language?
How can I provide information and solidly teach a concept that I am unfamiliar with?
How can I do all of this, plus make sure I hit all the standards, plus have lessons planned in a timely manner, plus sleep?
All the questions aside I already know I am way ahead of many teachers in the aspect of Multicultural Education. I realized that my students will not be reading any novels written by white Americans - all of my literature this year will come from authors who are mostly from Central and South America as well as the Caribbean and Japan. I have lived and worked in different cultures, so I know that I strive to bring other cultures into my classroom. The hardest part for me to buy into is that the "Leader" of Multicultural Education is not, nor according to his CV ever been a classroom teacher, I think it's fine and dandy to want change, but it has to be in the classrooms of America, not from an elite university. Give me the resources to make the change and I will, I WANT TO!!

Who is Jen?

You all may ask "Who is Jen?" Well... Jen is a teacher of Spanish and ELD who is currently studying to get her M.Ed. She is happily married to a wonderful man. She is currently training for a half marathon, loves to cook, and read (which will be mostly school stuff for the next 9 months).

Jen hopes you enjoy her blog and become a follower if you please!! This blog will cover some of the following issues: Multicultural Education, Standard English, Immigration, and Educational issues in America.

ENJOY!!