TED 3380

Ill have to admit I had some doubts comming into this particular class, I am one of those students who doesn't like to be asked to think outside the box. I also was worried that my opinions of certain social issues would change, this was actually the exact opposites. Through or studies of race, class, gender, sexuality, power and privilege I began to understand opinions different than mine, this not only gave me insight into the views of others and it let me re-define my own.

In our class we explored different themes seen in educational society. We learned about the Worth of a student, value of a student, identity of a student, humanity of a student, access to opportunity, and consciousness, humanity, and liberation. All of these topics are crucial to future teachers in that we need to be prepared to deal with differences within the classroom and this course will help you do that. 

All in all it was a fun course in which the professor allows you to speak your mind and give as much input as you want. Just remember to go into it with an open mind and make sure that you know your own views before you decide to discuss the viewpoints of others. 

Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom

About passion in the classroom ~ “The classroom should be an exciting place. If we are all emotionally shut down, how can there be any excitement about ideas? When we bring our passions to the classroom, our collective passions come together and there is often an emotional response, one that can overwhelm” (pg. 154).

I think that this quote by bell hooks shows us teachers that we need to make sure that we keep the spirits in the classroom high. Lots of times from experience I know that if a teacher is mad one day then the students will not respond as well to the lesson being taught. As the old quote says "Misery loves company". I also believe that hooks made a good point in that if there is passion involved in teaching and learning then students will perform better. I think bell hook is telling us as teachers to love what we teach so that students will love to learn, it is in a way teaching by example. As a novice teacher working as an interventionist in the schools I believe that hooks brings up the vital point of the necessity of care about subject matter. Ultimately if the environment is happy and energetic then the students will become more engaged and interested about learning, also by being interested in the students they will realize that you the teacher is trying to do whats best for them and therefore they will make more of an effort to please you.

Essay 1: The shame of the nation

President Obama,

When asked to serve as a teacher representative on the commission I took it upon myself to interpret what Kozol was saying but also the environment around me. I looked at the two extremes of teaching in inner city schools as seen in “The shame of the Nation” and teaching in Waco and tried to notice the similarities between them. In his book Kozol tries to get a few points across; one of the things he claims is that America practices apartheid schooling meaning that it is racially segregated due to either the economy or simply by location. Another main factor in Kozol’s argument is that he cause of racial segregation in schools is the economic differences seen between whites and minorities. I think that Kozol meant that though this idea is seen by many as the cause, economic differences is in fact just an excuse for explaining the lack of support to minority/inner city schools.

Another major argument that Kozol focuses on is the lacks of support inner city schools receive from funding. It is true that if the environment is not suitable for learning the children will not learn. I do believe that it is very important that school receive equal funding per student in order to ensure that a specific worth is not being placed on their education. Honestly I believe that money is not everything and it is part of the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that learning is taking place in their classroom, but on the same note it is important to keep the facilities and resources up to par to give the students in inner city schools equal opportunity of success. And as a teacher I know for a fact that it is much easier for students tolerant in an environment that is not run down and actually dangerous for students to be in. In his book Kozol described a school, designed for 1000 students being over packed with over 1,500, schools with holes in the roofs and not enough desks for the students to sit in; to me all these factors seem like they would have a great contribution to the number of dropouts and poor performance seen in inner city schools today. If funding were adequate then maybe this problem would not be as apparent.

Kozol also brings up the fact in chapter 4 that students are being told that the best position they can be in is that of a manager. I see this as a way of preparing children of a life of mediocrity. Kozol shows that this was what the teachers encouraged, the job of a manager was something to long for and work hard to get. What about a doctor, or a lawyer or even president? I believe that teachers should not dictate to kids what they should be but give them options to look into, don’t get me wrong a manager position is a great job but by encouraging this it shows that the teachers and schools saw no potential for these kids. How many great leaders have we lost because they were told that they would be good managers? If a higher standard is set for the children you will be surprised to find that they will strive to meet those standards especially if it is moving toward a career that they are interested in.

One thing that I would like to bring up is the idea of de facto segregation that occurs simply due to culture and possibly economy. People commonly live with their own race in communities in which their race is accepted. This type of segregation happens with no input from the government or state, people will live in the culture that suits them best. And another social injustice I have come to realize is that parents need to play more of a role in their child’s education let alone lives. If the parents saw what kind of education their child was getting and cared then they would do their best to change what is wrong. Also if parents are involved then children will take their schooling and future more serious.

After my research I have come up with a few suggestions that can be used in the fixing of this problem. First of all the government obviously needs to provide more funding to inner city schools, not only to help with the segregation problem but to make the schools equal in their facilities and resources. By doing this the schools will seem more appealing to whites, but I have to remind you that de facto segregation will almost always be an issue until the government start assigning housing to everyone, and then democracy goes down the drain. Another thing that can be done is to ensure that the abilities of a student are not assumed, not every child is to be a manager, and they can do great things if they try. You have to get the idea that these students are not capable out of these teachers’ heads because I assure you this is one of the biggest problems. And lastly try to get the parents more involved in all aspects of children’s lives, put a commercial on TV or some billboards up encouraging parents to become involved in their child’s education, who knows they could be the parents of a president some day.

Thank you,

Rebecca Braswell

Rebecca Braswell

5-4-3-2-1 Intro-6

 5…

      The Shame of the Nation by Jonathan Kozol is a novel that serves the purpose of revealing the injustices seen in inter city public schools. He points out that the schools are overpopulated and rely solely on using curriculum to educate their young children. Children act like lifeless robots that on respond with what the teachers want to hear. Funding and the amount of available resources given to these schools are disgraceful. The authors main goal is to first introduce us to the situation in order to eventually initiate change that is long overdue.

4…

 Pg. 41: “In another… until noon.”

Pg. 74-79 Levels

Pg. 89-93 Manager positions

Pg. 105 school to work

 

3…

“Authentic Writing” pg. 71- driven by curriculum

Levels pg. 74

School to work pg. 105

 

2…

One connection that I made was actually one to my mother who attended a school in South Carolina that was predominantly black; she was one out of the 6 white kids in the large school. She told me stories of how the teachers treated her and how terrible the schools were for the children there.

In panama there are schools related to this one in that they have little funding and resources available to the teachers and students. And because of this there is a limited amount of progress that can be made.

1…

What were these schools strategy to handling special ed children if there was one?

 

Reflect: What is the worth of the individual student in your classroom?

How can a worth be placed on an individual student or their education? I personally do not think its possible. I believe that each student has the potential to do great things, and by shortchanging them and setting a limit on the worth of an education, it shows that they have little support in doing their very best. If the goals are set high then more will be expected of the student and they will have to achieve more to succeed. This is precisely why I believe that teachers in any situation must do their best to provide an adequate and substantial education for each child that passes through their classroom. 

A child's education has no set worth. When it is all said and done the child will show what they have learned and how good of a job their teachers did in giving them the tools they need to succeed. 

5-4-3-2-1, chapters 11&12

In the last two chapters of the book I think that Kozol is trying to get the audience to understand that with chance there is still hope. In chapter eleven he tries to explain the problems sen in the way in which the government has handled the education crisis in America in the past 28 years. He also focuses on the fact that funding is crucial for the progress of the schools, and there will be no equality without equal funding. Chapter twelve consists of accounts of Kozol's observations in inner city school. He gives the reader hope in showing that there are teachers that still do there best teaching their students even with the limited resources they are given. 

4 Key Passages:

1. pg. 270 "He's a beautiful child... direction."

2. pg. 274 " Its a hard thing... disappointed still."

3.pg. 292 "Mr. Bedrock comes back... his company."

4. pg.316 "A segregated education... reject defeat."

3 Key terms

1. No Child Left Behind- an act designed to create skills test for each grade in order to ensure that children are progressing and the schools are teaching correct information for each grade. 

2. "standards- based reform"- educational reform based on measurements of student performance. 

3. Brown v. Board of Education- Supreme Court decision in 1954 that declared segregation of public schools unconstitutional.

2 connections

1. The first connection that I made was to the NCLB act. Since I have been in the education program at Baylor the act has become more familiar, along with the idea of standardized tests. 

2. The second connection that I made was to the efforts made by some of the teachers, like the ones in chapter 12. I knew a teacher in Panama that was in the same position, limited funding and lots of work. She did her best to design activities and lessons that the students find interesting enough to distract them from the terrible condition that their school is in. 

1 question

What are others ways in which the education in inner city schools can be improved besides NCLB and additional funding?