RE_5539

andrea,

i really like your post! "we can only change the world that we can see"... i also loved that quote. what a profound statement!

it is unfortunate that you and your children have to hear the teacher beside you yelling at her students. perhaps she needs to read your books? how frustrating that must be for your children and you as well. personally i hate to be fussed at or yelled at...actually i dont care for frustration and im an adult...what must her children think? ive had those teacher before...they can make for a miserable year! do you ever sometimes wish you could take her children to your class?

donna byrd-wyatt

Hi Andrea,
Just like you, this book has made a huge impact upon me as a teacher. I can’t wait to start school this coming Fall! I have always thought that I knew a lot about each of my students; however, I have now realized that I didn’t know near enough. I will definitely make an effort to get to know my students lives outside of school. I now see the importance of connecting students lives in the classroom to their lives at home. I also liked the quote that you included by Murdoch. We can only change those things that we look at with an open mind and an open heart.

Kelly Mabe

I agree with your response 100%. I was looking for the quote on page 151 to put in my response, but I could not locate where I had tabbed it. I think that statement is powerful and says a lot to educators. It’s up to hear this and make a change. "Poor and working-class children don't just reject our discourses; they reject us- the others whose gaze envelops them in a destructive value context." If only every teacher understood this and applied it to their classrooms; how much more powerful we could be at reaching more students.

I was confused reading this chapter also. It took me a few pages into it for me to start to grasp what the author was saying. Even though I think I have done a deceit job at getting to know my students and their families this book has shown me that I need to implement a few more things in my class to reach these children and their families. I hope to apply some of what I learned into my learning environment next year.

The first quote from the book is an excellent summary of the author's thoughts. It truly sums up what she is trying to teach the reader. Jake and Laurie were two students who very much looked up to their parents. The educational system that taught them how to read, write, spell and add failed both of them during their schooling. The system did not allow them to build upon their strengths as students coming from diverse backgrounds. Ms. Hicks' book has exposed us to a new way of thinking that will enable us to teach every child in our classroom. More teachers and administrators should be exposed to these studies.

Beth Rigsbee

Andrea,

I believe with you wholeheartedly about your statement, "We can only change the world that we can SEE" by Iris Murdoch. This statement is so true. If we walk around with blinders when we are educating our students, then we fail. If we see and understand our students situated histories, their beliefs, practices, class, and gender, THEN, there will be success for all involved.

Thank you for insightfulness.

Andrea, I think you hit on a very important point when you said that a child needs to believe that they are important and need to see that their teacher truly believes that they are. Children are very aware of a teacher who is fake. I too had a teacher this past year down the hall from me who yelled at her students constantly and made it very clear that she did not value them or their contributions to the classroom. She found it so hard to believe that they struggled so much with academic and behavioral success in her classroom. How can we expect our students to succeed in the classroom if we do not show them every single day that we truly believe that they are capable of succeeding? Students will often work to whatever achievement level they think they can reach. If we show them that we KNOW they can reach higher success levels, then they will believe this too and will work to meet those goals. We as teachers have a huge impact on our students' self-concepts and self-images. We help them determine who they are and who they can become. So set the bar high and do everything you can to help them reach it! ~Allison Reese

Andrea,

It is exciting for me to read that you’ve been inspired by this book. As a busy graduate student, I constantly weigh in my mind whether each class that I have taken makes me a better teacher or has wasted my time. This class, RE 5539 has stretched me, made me reflect on my teaching practices, beliefs, and ideas. It has totally been worth my time and effort. I feel that it has made me a more reflective teacher.

Written by
Heather Holland

Hi Andrea!
Your post was thoughtful, well written and summed up the message of the text beautifully. Yes, as you point out, we (teachers) need to see our students for who they are (gender, race, class, beliefs,dreams, expectations,fears,desires)and use that knowledge, or understanding, to build a classroom environment that reflects the diversity of our class. Sometimes it is difficult to find the time and energy to do that; perhaps the teacher next door who yelled frequently was merely stressed by the conflicting demands she perceived were placed upon her by her supervisors, students,and the general public! She may have simply been trying to defend her own belief system. Maybe she could gain some insight from reading this text! Ironically, the only way we, as individuals and educators, will withstand the pressures of the job will be to invite our students, their parents, our co-workers, and commited others to join with us in the ongoing conversation (the hybrid language) regarding literacy. Along with truly seeing our students comes the equally pressing need of hearing (listenting to) them!
As you so eloquently stated, such a simple idea........why do we find it difficult?
Betsy Baldwin

Andrea,

I also plan to learn more about my students' backgrounds from now on. This class has really opened my eyes to the value of knowing more about my students than just their academic and behavior histories. Effective teaching requires skillful discernment on the teacher's part in order to create a perfect balance in the classroom atmosphere in which students feel valued and respected by their teacher, and receive instruction that enables them to achieve the most academic progress as possible.

Wow I really like that quote! It makes a lot of sense when it comes right down to it. I think that after reading this book everyone plans to read into their students backgrounds much more than usual. I can't wait to see how this enhances the high school setting and my relationship with my students there. I have to be careful becuase I am still learning my boundaries in that setting but I feel much more confident after reading these two books.