Philog #5

I am humbled by what we have discussed about privilege and power.  The first time I realized my “caucasionism” was when I was a young girl about the age of nine.  We were living in Bossier City, Louisiana in a beautiful home that my parents had renovated.  Down the street, there was a row of three shacks where an African-American family lived.  The conditions were dire.  We passed those three shacks every single day – if not several times a day. 

One Christmas, I summoned up the strength to ask my parents if I could deliver some homemade loaves of bread to this family.  My parents obliged and it was a lesson of a lifetime.  That afternoon I learned what it was for me to be a privileged white girl.  It has left an impression on me to this day.

However, I never fully realized the power that I had.  Even to do this day I do not see myself as better than anyone else because of my skin color.  I am aware that I do have more privilege but I feel that in the same sense, I have privilege because I am also American.

Why do I want to be a teacher?  Because I believe we all have gifts and I truly feel that I have the gift of teaching.  My heart’s desire it to continue working in a Title I school and to work with underprivileged children.  I want to serve and give children opportunities that they normally would not be exposed to.

Philog #4 Inclusion/Exclusion

Let me try this again.......I guess I didn't copy and paste the entire thing Saturday night.  UGH.  Maybe this will make more sense.  :(

It seems as if we have fought so many barriers for inclusion.  Our society obviously began as a proponent of exclusion in the classroom.  Inclusion, in itself, has been an on-going battle since the beginning of organized classrooms and schools.  Exclusion has surfaced its ugly head with sex, race, and disabilities. 

This topic is one that I take seriously when it comes to education.  I firmly believe that if the best setting for a child is to be totally inclusive, then that is what needs to happen.  I also see that there are times when this setting might not be ideal for a student as well. 

After watching the movie about Samuel, I can’t help but wonder how he would have been impacted from having a program that pulled him out from his class.  He was quite the social butterfly and enjoyed being around his peers.  At the same token, the girl who struggled with psychological issues couldn’t have made it in the regular education classroom.  I believe it all boils down to LRE and the question of how can we best meet the needs of this student?

I’m not sure that I have completely developed my core values.  To be honest, I’ve never really explored them on my own but rather have just adjusted to what I know and what I see as truth.  I believe that teachers, in general, have their own set of values that definitely influence their teaching.  One must be careful to evaluate these to examine if they are in tune to what needs to be taught in our classrooms.  For example, if I do not value diversity in the classroom, I have no business setting foot into this profession.

Philog #4 Inclusion/Exclusion

It seems as if we have fought so many barriers for inclusion.  Our society obviously began as a proponent of exclusion in the classroom.  Inclusion, in itself, has been an on-going battle since the beginning of organized classrooms and schools.  Exclusion has surfaced its ugly head with sex, race, and disabilities. 

This topic is one that I take seriously when it comes to education.  I firmly believe that if the best setting for a child is to be totally inclusive, then that is what needs to happen.

Equal Educational Opportunity

An equal educational opportunity means that everyone in this country should have the opportunity to go as far as they would like in terms of education.  Whether an individual wants to complete their education at the high school, college, graduate, or doctorate level is entirely up to them.  I also see where opportunities abound for people to make their education tailored to what they want to study.  The idea of tracking in high school and CNM (as well as many other community colleges) provide this opportunity.  If an area of study does not require more than an associate’s degree, then that can be pursued.  Regardless, it is available to all who live in America and for those who come here to study as well.  I find it interesting at how many nationalities we have represented in our schools and colleges today. 

I am educating my students to achieve the unthinkable.  So often in special education, the “bar and limit” is dramatically lowered, per say.  Unfortunately, students already have the stigma that they can’t learn and will verbalize that they are dumb.  I see it as my responsibility to really know my student’s learning styles and to teach them in ways that they can learn and succeed as a student.  I understand that it might be done in baby steps but the overall goal is for my students to make gains in their education.  The method that I currently use for these goals are IEP’s and of course the grade level standards.  By law, I have no choice other than to use the IEP goals and grade level standards are there to see if my students have learned or are learning what they need to for that particular grade level.

 Unfortunately, students in special education are normally not performing at advanced levels at their grade level.  There are times when they can be twice exceptional and I have seen students gifted in one area but learning disabled in another.  What a strange combination!!  Ultimately, it is our job as teachers to challenge our students, regardless of what is being taught.  I really feel that the classroom needs to be a place where all learning styles are embraced and strengthened.  It is also important to incorporate a culture-rich environment that will enhance the diversity and needs within that room.  I really feel that’s the toughest challenge within today’s classroom – being able to adequately meet the demands of culture and the different learning levels that the children have.  It is exhausting having to teach at so many different levels but I truly feel that it is also rewarding when you look at short-cycle assessments and see that the hard work has paid off and students are making progress!

Week 2

Education plays a huge role in today's society.  At the beginning stages of our country, settlers realized the importance of educating their children.  This system was Christian-based and ran by the church.  It is interesting to see in how our educational system and beliefs have changed over the course of time.  Some of these changes have been good, some not so good.  

To me, the core of becoming an educated society is so that we can move forward.    There are all types of education that one can pursue today but I believe the overall idea of educating the masses is so that we become productive citizens rather than a drain.  Just compare what we have done with our educational system to that of a remote village in a foreign country.  I just can't imagine what America would be today had Jefferson and Mann not dedicated themselves to providing a state-controlled school system.  

Do my overall beliefs and values align?  I would have to say that overall the answer would be a "yes".  In general, I believe that it is important we have a system that not only outlines what our children should learn, but what teacher's need to teach.  I may differ on my individual values and do realize that every teacher values things differently.  The bottom line is to work thru those differences and learn to become united on what should be done......and that is educating our children.

Students should be focusing on becoming full-time learners, regardless of background.  Going back to the early stages of our country, many children did not have a choice and were made to work.  Families were dependent on their children for their livelihood.  Thankfully, we have made laws that protect our children and require them to be in an educational setting (traditional or non-traditional schooling) during their early years.