According to dictionary.com to reflect means to think, ponder, or to meditate. Well, during this class, to say that I reflected would be an understatement. I reflected so much that I started seeing double. Therefore, the quote from Michel Foucault is a perfect representation for my though process this summer:
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.
Reflecting is what makes me a better person, a better mother, and most definitely a better teacher. If I cannot reflect and make changes, then my friends, my family, and most of all my students will suffer. As a result of the reflecting I have done during this class, I have grown and learned so much.
With our first readings by Delpit and Dowdy, my first thoughts were – he we go again, more pity for the African Americans. I had a hard time understanding why teachers would even consider Ebonics as a language to teach or use in school. African Americans have lived in the United States for centuries so why is it so hard for them to speak “proper English”? After reflecting, now I understand the answer to my question – culture.
I don’t think I will ever forget Ladson-Billings chapter, “I Ain’t Writin’ Nuttin’.” I still think about my students last year and the thought that I may have given them “permission to fail.” Throughout this course, whether in readings or in classmates’ posts, I recognized a common obstacle – pressure. I feel pressure from my district office to make sure my kids score high on their EOGs. I feel pressure from my colleagues, because they have to stay and remediate my students. I feel pressure from my principal to do the extracurricular activities which takes time away from my family. I feel pressure from my family, because I have to do the extracurricular activities. It is a revolving door and I cannot escape. For that reason, I know I am not permitting my students to fail, but who is?
While reading the two qualitative research papers, I became irritated. It just didn’t seem rational for Henry to say that “teachers who ignore issues in the lives of minority students leave them “voiceless.” I looked back at how I treated my Hmong and Spanish students. I treated them fairly and I cared for them and I helped them learn, but I did not go the extra mile to learn about them. They were “voiceless” in my classroom. Again, after reflecting throughout this class, I began to understand. Students in a classroom make up a team and minority children, in the classroom, start with a disadvantage on the team. They are unfamiliar with the rules, the plays, and their teammates. Therefore, their coach has to take extra time to research these particular players and come up with a few sideline plays so they can participate in the game as well. Next year, I am going to step out of my comfort zone and learn new cultures. I am in the process now of buying novels and folktales based on other cultures. I want to learn from my students. I don’t ever want my students to feel “voiceless.”
This course has been a long journey for me. I have traveled to Africa, England, the Caribbean, India, and Sudan. I have learned about many different languages. I have learned about many different cultures. However, one common thread was seen all the way through – stories. Stories speak the natural language and keep the culture alive. I want to use stories, from around the world, in my classroom. Most of all, from the stories, I want my students to appreciate and accept culture.
Loren Van De Griek