RE_5539

"There are times in life when the question of knowing if one can think differently than one thinks, and perceive differently than one sees, is absolutely necessary if one is to go on looking and reflecting at all." ~Michel Foucault

Before i took this class, i considered myself to be a teacher who saw each child as an individual and who didn't look at class, race, or gender; but boy was i wrong. I had no idea how much i paid attention to those things; or how little attention i paid to them, each scenario is detrimental to the child. I've learned so much through reading the two texts in this class. I love the above quote, and it basically sums up my feelings on the course. If i had never been introduced to these ideas, and had an open mind about them, i'd still be the same old teacher next year, who cared about her students, but rarely saw them DEEPLY. I never realized that the way i had been thinking and behaving weren't right.

I have to admit that when i began reading our first text, The Skin that We Speak, i was skeptical. I didn't like how it seemed as if the authors were ok with language other than standard english. It seems like such an ignorant thought now. I even commented to my father that i was frustrated b/c the author was writing in ebonics...at this point my father rolled his eyes and said that he wouldn't even read the book. Wow have my outlooks changed! I know that when school starts up next year, i'm going to do a language/home/family study with my fourth graders. I think they are going to be excited about it, and feel accepted by me and their peers. I want them to know that my classroom is one of cultural exploration and acceptance and respect. Language is so powerful! Language studies can build the bridges that are necessary for children to learn and want to learn. If a child knows that the language/dialect they speak at home, and with their "others" is accepted and respected at school, they will be more open to want to learn their teacher's language. If the teacher does a good job in explaining the time and place for certain dialects, kids will be able to switch (code switch) back and forth from home language to school language to professional language. I think this should be a teacher's main focus.

The second text we read, although harder to read, was actually my favorite of the two. I liked learning about Jake and Laurie, and about the issue of class altogether. I had never read or researched anything on this topic. I'm glad i had the chance to open my eyes to something new and different, so that i could decide for myself the importance of it and relevance of it in my own professional and social life. We need to really SEE each child and their families. I'd like to hold a conference at the beginning of the year and do some type of interest inventory with the family (about their child and themselves), and then do the same with the kids. I think the parents would feel important and they would know that their child's teacher cares about where they came from and will work to preserve that cultural background. Before this class, i didn't realize how class affects children. Now i see that a child's homelife has EVERYTHING to do with how they learn and their attitude about school. I will use this knowledge to my advantage and try to reflect on their situations before teaching and reacting.

I have always known that all children learn differently, but now i have a little more insight to why that is (based on class, gender, and race). I'm so glad that i took this course. I had no idea that my perception could be changed so drastically. It WILL affect my teaching, for the better! It always feels so good when you come away from something knowing what you can do to incorporate what you've learned and knowing that what you've learned will have an impact on those around you. I hope to show my students the importance of learning new things and thinking differently as well. I'll end with the quote that i think says it all: "We can only change the world that we can SEE." ~Iris Murdoch.