SL Post #5 in reponse to Prompt #7

SL  Post #5 in response to Prompt #7

I consider the volunteering to be not only rewarding, but also an eye-opener. I was able to collect a lot of information from the teacher I worked with; unfortunately, most of it was not encouraging.  Overall, I feel that this experience has been a very discouraging one.  I enjoy being able to help out the teacher and the students.  She is very thankful to have me there; and, I really appreciate her honesty.  It makes me feel great when a student asks for my help; it feels wonderful to praise them for doing a good job, and have them smile back at me.  And, to be able to assist them and help them through a lesson or a question is rewarding.  But, to spend every day in this environment and have so many students under-achieve is very disheartening.  Even the teacher has told me that teaching at this school, in this environment, has not been the rewarding experience that one imagines teaching will be.  There are not many job openings for teachers in Rhode Island; many of the openings are in this urban setting, and honestly, at this point in my life, I wouldn’t teach in that environment.  The only reason I can make that choice is because I am certified and employed in another profession.  So, I continue to remain uncertain of my future in this program.

Teaching after Brown vs. Board of Education

Teaching after Brown vs. Board of Education

Statistics show that integrated education had a positive impact on the lives of black children.  The achievement gap between black and white children shrank between the years 1970-1990 because the black children were achieving higher grades.  This positive impact also carried on to the next generation.  So you have project and ask yourself what will be the outcome in the next couple of generations as the educational landscape becomes segregated once again?  And, the other consequence could be less racial tolerance….are we moving backwards to the 1950’s/1960’s again?  As far as the classroom I am volunteering in, there are no white children in that classroom. 

Regarding the videos on the blog, it was very disheartening to see the reactions of the black children to the black dolls. To see them associate “bad with black” and then have to point to the black doll that looked like them because of their skin color – very disturbing.   I thought the blue eyes/brown eyes exercise was constructive and demonstrative to impact the student’s thoughts about racial intolerance and discrimination……..Progressive thinking on the part of that teacher to educate her students about the racial tension all around them in 1968.

SL Post # 4 in Response to Prompt # 6

 As I have mentioned in a previous blog, there is one child in this third grade classroom who does not speak English.  She has been given essay assignments to write in Spanish, and the caliber of her work clearly demonstrates that she received a solid educational foundation from her country of origin.  She still does not like to try to speak in English in the classroom, reluctant to participate in morning circle time, which does not mean that her grasp of the English language is not improving - she may not feel confident enough yet to participate.  When I am in the classroom, she sits at a desk cluster where I am usually assigned to help out.    I always feel drawn to watch her, because I can’t imagine how she is feeling or what she is thinking.  I am there during math lessons.  The teacher presents the lesson, and then the children work on the assignment supporting the lesson.  I usually try to help her, even though I do not speak a word of Spanish.  The first week they were working on bar graphs; the second week they were working on temperatures.  I have tried to use visuals with her.  The first week, I quickly sketched a graph and pointed to the information on my graph and the corresponding information in the book.  The second week, they had printouts of thermometers and they had to locate the temperature on the printout, and color in the mercury bar in the center of the thermometer.   I jotted down the temperatures that they were looking for on a separate piece of paper, and pointed to the number on my paper, and then to the  column of numbers on the thermometer. The girl who sits next to her is bilingual, and did some translating for me as well.  The teacher also has this other student translate for her.  I did ask the teacher why this student doesn’t spend time in a bi-lingual classroom, and evidently, the girl’s parents did not want her in a bi-lingual classroom, despite the recommendations of educators/administrators.   After observing her in this classroom, I really have to wonder if she would have benefited from a bi-lingual classroom.  How much has she been able to learn?

SL Post # 3 In response to Prompt # 5:

The classroom I am assigned to is an ESL classroom.  The teacher has told me about the communication barrier she faces with parents.  Not only does the language barrier pose a difficulty, but also, in some specific cases, the parents’ lack of interest and participation causes problems.    She has two children in her class with severe behavioral issues; in both cases, there is not only a language barrier with the parents, but unfortunately, even when interpreter services have been utilized, the parents are only concerned about whether or not a suspension is being handed down – corrective measures are not discussed because the parents stop the discussion. 

One of the other issues she has raised is the parents’ lack of knowledge regarding the services that are available to help their children…..these families are not part of the “culture of power” we have discussed in class, and do not possess the tools necessary to make informed decisions about their child’s education.  And, it appears that administrative school personnel are not always conveying information regarding available services to the parents.   Also, she has found that some of the recommendations that administration makes to parents are not always the best remedies or “fits” for the actual classroom.  It sounds as though there is a huge lack of communication between not only the parents and the school, but also the teachers and administration.   

One other comment that was made to me was that years of experience has shown that children and parents of certain cultures,  not all,  tend to display a level of disrespect to school personnel who are not bilingual and only speak English. 

These types of situations cause an underlying level of frustration for the educator which carries into the classroom environment.

SL Post #2 : Prompt # 2:

The classroom I am assigned to is composed primarily of black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and Asian children.  There are no white children in this classroom.  Demographics on Infoworks for this school indicate that 70% of the students surveyed were of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity.  Race demographics showed 14% white, 5% Asian, 20% black or African American, 40% other.   Data states that 85% of the children at this school qualify for the subsidized lunch program.  As mentioned in my first blog, (1) there is one girl in the classroom who does not speak any English at all, and, (2) the teacher indicated that many of the parents do not speak English, making it very difficult for her to communicate with them about their children.  Cultural capital refers to non-financial assets, such as education, intellect, worldly experience, which can propel people forward to attain a higher social/cultural status.   These parents do not possess the American cultural capital necessary to pass along knowledge needed to promote educational or social success to their children.  The language barrier makes it virtually impossible for these parents to assist their children at home with homework and school projects. The level of poverty in which they live does not afford them to opportunity to learn or know how to guide their children to a better life than the one they are now living.  These children bring a variety of customs, culture, and traditions into the classroom.  I am unsure if any of these cultural differences are discussed in class to expose children to different customs or traditions, with the teacher being able to contribute information about American culture and customs.   This could be an area of concentration in social studies, allowing the children to learn about American culture, gaining some of the tools necessary to succeed as an American, while still being able to retain their own heritage.  With great hope, these children can bring knowledge home to their own parents.

SL Post # 1:

My in-field assignment is in a third grade ESL class at a school located in a depressed neighborhood of south Providence.  The school facility appeared clean and maintained; the classroom size was adequate; however, the teacher’s area in the classroom was small and not well provided for.  There were about 18-20 children in the classroom; I was told that two were suspended the day before I arrived, so the teacher expected the day to move along rather smoothly, with little to no disruption.  According to the demographics on InfoWorks, the student teacher ratio works out to be about 18:1, so the classroom size reflected the ratio pretty closely.  Even though an ESL classroom doesn’t necessarily mean that the foreign language is Spanish, I did expect to meet a teacher who was at least somewhat proficient in a second language.  That, however, was not the case, and as I talked with the teacher before class started, I learned that the communication barrier between her and not only some of the children, but with most of the parents, is a great difficulty, impairing the learning process.  There is a girl in the classroom who does not speak any English (only speaks Spanish), and I tried to imagine how it would feel to be that little girl, sitting in an environment for six hours a day, not really understanding what was happening around me.  The classmate who sits next to her is bilingual and translates as much as she can for her. 

Data on InfoWorks indicates that 85% of the student population at this school qualifies for a subsidized lunch program.  When I walked into the school, some of the children were helping an employee bring large-sized lunchboxes to the outside of each classroom.  I had no idea what they were doing; these containers held a breakfast meal for each child.  So, once they entered the classroom and settled in, the students sat down with a juice box, orange slices, and a granola bar to start their day.  When they lined up for lunch time, I did take notice that no one was carrying a lunch box or lunch bag with them, realizing then that they would receive school lunch in the cafeteria. 

As I assisted one child, and then some of the others sitting at his desk cluster, with their morning math lesson, I did take notice around the classroom, and observed that many of them seemed to be struggling with the math.  I observed maybe one at each cluster who was very proficient at the work; that would work out to about 5-6 students who really appeared to be catching on quickly.  The 2011-12 NECAP 3^rd grade math results indicate 22% of students  scored "proficient" in math.  That percentage applied to this classroom would equate to about 4-5 students, which is in line with what I actually did observe in this classroom. 

The children responded well with their teacher; they seemed comfortable in the classroom (it is the end of the school year).  They seemed excited about a poster they would be working on, which the teacher had already hung on the back wall of the room.  But, the overall atmosphere didn’t feel “scholarly” to me.  They just seemed to be “surviving,” making it through the day.  They didn’t seem to care whether they learned or didn’t learn; the teacher had commented to me that it’s not so much that they don’t “care,” but rather that they are already accustomed to not achieving.  What a discouraging thought that is to me. 

Post 1:  This is the first blog I have ever created, so this is all new to me.  I have spent my career life in the business world as a CPA.  I am looking forward to taking classes and learning something new.  When I am not working, the majority of my free time is spent with my 11 year old daughter and our three labrador retrievers.  Juggling her school schedule,  my school schedule, and working this month will prove to be an interesting endeavor.