TAKE-ONE: Happy Gilmore! In this movie a hockey player must play golf to save the family home. Adam Sandler’s character is faced with many problems as he tries to balance the etiquette of golf with the aggressive behaviors of a history of hockey training. With-in two hours his problems are solved and he even gets the girl!
TAKE-TWO: Elizabeth Achor! In this real life drama a poor girl must find a way to be understood as she navigates the unclear waters of education! The show begins with a young girl entering first grade with a background much different from the teacher and the other students. Discourse! Discontent! Disconnect! Disappointment! It has been playing now for 45 years and there are many episodes to go! Thank goodness that I have survived to find a loving husband, a fulfilling career and a voice for change!
How many times have you heard a teacher say “those students just need to act right?” What they really mean is that “those” students need to act like me! Our students may come from many socio-economic backgrounds that we are not familiar with and it is up to each of us to find a way to engage, connect and understand in order to build a better tomorrow for all! I have always loved learning! It has been difficult at times because I was viewed as “the poor white girl” and that somehow made me less intelligent. One of the limiting factors to low socio-economic students is experience. Many times they do not travel, eat out or go to zoos and museums. This is the case of Elizabeth Achor. School was an amazing place that sometimes showed me things that I had never seen before. My first public library experience and my first time “eating out” happened on a field trip! School was also a place where they call a bucket a pail and you were stupid because you didn’t know the difference! My life has been a series of challenges and I have finally come to the understanding that I do have a choice in how I view the world! What I have to say and what I believe are important to what I teach and how I bond with my students. I teach in a low socio-economic area and part of what I teach is choice. Students are given a choice of reading texts and a variety of ways to express themselves. Can I do a better job? YES! Education is the key. By reading case studies and taking graduate level courses and by working through my fear of writing I am learning to empower my students. Don’t just tell your students to “act right”, explain or TEACH them how to act right!
The common thread of the readings so far has been GOLDEN! Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Do you want to feel unwanted and stupid? Do you want to feel special and empowered? What we, as teachers, do and say each day can make a child feel GOLDEN! When we make the right choice we give our students a voice that can change their world!
Elizabeth Achor
Comments (4)
Elizabeth,
Bravo! I love the connections that you made between the reading and yourself in your post. After reading your post, I reflected upon the great values and opportunities that are available through education. No matter the discourse, schools have an abundance to offer all students, if we will encourage them to make the choice to embrace it! Your experiences that field trips allowed you to have reminded me of the opportunities that we are taking away from children in education because of budget cuts. It is always exciting to go on a field trip, and hear a child say, "I've never been here before!". It is unfortunate that budget cuts are affecting these students from having these "first-time" experiences. We, as teachers must find ways to integrate these experiences in the classroom for students of different class, as well as seek ways to overcome obstacles of funding.
Posted by Katie Johnson | June 21, 2010 5:55 PM
Posted on June 21, 2010 17:55
Wow, what a critique. First of all, congrats on 45 years of teaching! During the school year, we often spend more time with our students than their parents do. I myself, hold high expectations for my students. Well, Mrs. Steele, how do they know what is expected? WE HAVE TO TEACH! Teach expectations in the hallway, teach expectations in the bathroom, teach expectations at the lunch table; teach, teach, teach! This works the same way with our academic subjects. We don't put out 15 different groups of things and tell students to "figure it out"; we tell them to separate the colors, graph the results, etc. Why would we teach literacy skills any different? We have to do our job in all areas of the school day and that is to TEACH!
Posted by Angela Steele | June 21, 2010 9:12 PM
Posted on June 21, 2010 21:12
Thank you for your comments. Yes, it is up to the teacher to TEACH expected behaviors as well as the academic curriculum. Many times I have heard teachers say “if those kids would just act right then I could teach them something”. I want to say “if you would teach them what you expect then they will learn something”. People who do not work with children often have a hard time understanding everything that goes on in a school day. Teachers are responsible for the emotional, physical and academic needs of their students. Some days the emotional needs need more attention. These days can be exhausting but the energy spent is well worth it when we are finally able to work together to learn something. The classroom needs to be a safe environment where each student feels respected and cared for. One of the posts talked about experiencing diversity for the first time in college. I would say that the first experience with diversity our children face is the first day of school.
Elizabeth Achor
Posted by Elizabeth Achor | June 22, 2010 10:10 AM
Posted on June 22, 2010 10:10
I am right there with you! I know so many of our students come to us and we expect them to be able to do all the things we ask. It has taken me many years to understand and follow through because I KNOW EACH CLASS IS DIFFERENT! I think sometimes I forget that each year the kids don't know what I expect until I show them. This year I felt like I was STILL showing them in May....it was one of those years I guess. I truly love that part of teaching. Showing your kids how to do things and then watch as they learn time after time of watching you, then doing it without you! That is the ownership kids show after they get it that makes me love what I do. To see how proud students get when we take the time to listen, show, and love it makes all the difference, no matter what class or culture they are!
Posted by Abby Boughton | June 22, 2010 8:32 PM
Posted on June 22, 2010 20:32