Whew! I am glad to see that others were just as confused as I was by this reading. Until this point I have really enjoyed all of the articles we have read for this class, especially the first ones that came from the book The Skin We Speak. But this was different for sure! I will try my best to relate to it.
I think I come from a very unique teaching situation. While I think of most schools as being either predominantly upper class or middle class or lower class, the school I teach at has a wide range and covers all the bases. I teach right in the middle of Boone, very close to the university, so we get a plethora of students. We get the kids from the poorest parts of the county who live in the trailer parks, we get the doctors kids who live in very nice neighborhoods, we get the average middle-class kids, we get the kids who have parents that are professors, we get the kids that have parents who are in school earning a degree themselves, we have almost all of the minority students in the county, and we get all of the kids who come from the different shelters in our community. I can honestly say that this is one of my favorite parts of teaching at Hardin Park in Boone. The kids come from a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences and they all learn from each other. Everyone has something to offer! And in first grade anyway, nobody is discriminated against, but I can't speak for the older grades. One thing that seems to be common, though, is that education is important to everyone. That is something that all of the parents I work with have in common. I'm guessing it has something to do with the college being so close and the influence that ASU has had on the Boone community, but it's nice to see. And even if the parents didn't have the means or knowledge to help their child prepare for school before coming to Kindergarten, they take suggestions well and are very supportive of all of the teachers. In fact, this past year I found that the parent who pushed her son and supported his education the most was one who was very young and never graduated from high school. She realized how important his education was and really wanted her son to be successful.
i can't say I was really surprised by the actions of the parents in the chapter, but i definitely can't relate to them. I have definitely heard people say that college is a waste of time. They obviously don't value education at all, or teachers, or school. I think that's a shame, but at the same time as the years go on more and more people are earning college degrees and seeing the importance of continuing their education beyond high school. I am a perfect example of that! On my mom's side of the family I was the second person to graduate from college; the first was my older brother. While my mom and her siblings weren't really given an opportunity to go to college, they value education. My going to college was never a question... it was expected. I grew up knowing I would go to college. I think more and more families are instilling this in their children and seeing the true value and importance in today's society.
Kelly Beckley
Comments (3)
It sounds as if I teach in a school very similar to yours. We have lots of students who come from homes that are like mansions to those who live in extreme poverty in government housing. I wish I was as lucky as you to have all parents care so much about education. I often find that some of my parents have the attitude that "you're the teacher, you'll give them what they need" and they don't understand how much education goes on at home as well. We keep hearing in our school system of how we need to do things to prevent drop outs. I think one of the most important things we could do is to EDUCATE both parents and students on the importance of a good education and the outcomes of life with and without an education.
Posted by Erica Spicer | June 23, 2009 11:03 AM
Posted on June 23, 2009 11:03
I would hope that in 1st grade there is no discrmimation or cliques. However, it would be intersting to know if it happens in the upper grades. I would hope it doesn't, but society always prejudges people and as teachers we know children learn from their parents. I would love to be a fly on the wall in some of those classrooms as well as some of the homes.
Posted by Loren Van De Griek | June 23, 2009 4:25 PM
Posted on June 23, 2009 16:25
Encouraging students to value education definitely should begin at home, but it is our job as a nation to also show children that education is the key to success. i am the only one from my family that went to college and earned a degree. i feel that with a little more pressure from my parents my older sisters would have continue their educational journey. They sure are regretting they didn't with this economy! Kim Shaw
Posted by Kim A Shaw | June 23, 2009 9:59 PM
Posted on June 23, 2009 21:59