At the beginning of this course as I sat and thought about Foucault’s quote, There are times in life when the questions 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, I did not really have a clear picture of what the underlying mean was, but after reading many articles, stories, posts, and comments I feel I have a better understanding of what the quote means for me. Like children, no one child thinks the same; therefore my thoughts on Foucault’s quote may be completely opposite of the meaning Foucault had for others. Foucault is saying that for every situation a person is involved in, they must take the time to take a step back before, during, and after to find out what works and does not work for them, and then make appropriate changes for the betterment of all.
I have grown so much as a person and as a teacher from the readings this semester. I have learned how to look at things from the outside looking in, instead of the inside looking out. This idea has made my personal bias of situations, people, and periods a lot more real. Meaning, that I looked at life, with blinders on, not really wanting to believe that others may have a difficult time. I know that I have to take my blinders off and look at the picture in real time, because children’s lives are not cookie cutter perfect.
At first I didn’t understand the point in reading all these articles about other people, they way they speak, the lives they live, where they come from, etc…but now I have a better understanding. I was taken from a person who had a hard time reflecting on readings and wanting to only summarize what I have read; because I was comfortable knowing what I was doing was correct. Then I was turned into a person that now takes everything into account and begins to look at my life and my situations and use what I have learned to begin to change my thinking. I would not have done this had it not been for this course. Throughout the semester these readings have ignited memories in my life, memories of my past that were good and some that were bad; memories that have made me who I am. These memories have helped me to realize that I was just like the children that I teach and that I learned from everything I experienced in life. When I began this semester I knew that children came from different backgrounds and needed my support as a solid foundation in their lives.
As I read through Delpit and Dowdy’s article I felt a major connection between Maya as she spoke about getting plastic surgery because she was not quite like the world thinks she should be. I felt this in my life, as I grew up. I was not the way I wanted to be, and I constantly put myself down because I was not like my older sister, the one who everyone thought was a beauty queen and everyone spoke so highly of. As I read this article I thought about how I could be the teacher who made everyone feel as if they were the best person in the world, and prove to them that no one is perfect. “It doesn’t matter what other people think about you, you have to be who you are. It’s their problem if they can’t appreciate how wonderful you are.” This quote was completely eye opening for me; it was the turning point of my thinking in life. I had heard that comment in one shape or form before in my life, but it never really hit home until I used it to reflect on my life and teachings.
Noll’s work reminded me that students struggle to make sense of their lives and a place they have in the world; they have two completely different lives they lead, their home life and their school life. As I have taught the past few years, I never really thought to take into considerations what life my children were living outside of my classroom. My teaching style was based upon my upbringing and how I viewed life, but now that I am aware that I need to become more in tune with my students and what their lives consist of, I think I will have a better understanding of how to meet their needs. Knowing my students will allow me to help them become better learners using their interests and lives to help guide instruction. Coming from a school with mostly white, Hispanic, and Hmong children I know some things about their life, but I need research these nationalities in order to fairly instruct them.
Relating to my students on their social level can be a very dangerous, but at the same time it can also be very beneficial. After reading Staples article, Hustle and Flow, it helped me support my decision to interact with my children. Having a connection between myself and my students through language choice, music, and sports has helped me to understand some of the choices students in my classroom and throughout the school are making. Knowing and understanding what these students are going through allows me to help each student when they are experiencing peer pressure and different situations. Having this relationship with students gives them an outlet (an adult) to talk to and get proper advice from in order to help those who may not have someone at home to talk to.
In Perry’s article I was reminded of how much the world has changed from generation to generation, and as a teacher I have to change from day to day in order to be the best person I can be for each of my students. I must learn as much as I can about where they come from and what they have to offer. Knowing this information and what they are knowledgeable of can make for a better classroom, and a better chance at survival for everyone. Perry stated that we have to import and export experiences from different contexts, and to me this means that everything has to be taken into account in my life and my student’s lives in order to give them what is best for them.
Overall from this course I have learned that my way of life is not always the right way, and that I cannot base what I do in my classroom around who I am and what I’m being told to do, but instead I must make myself a better teacher for all students. I thought that I gave my children choices in their learning, but the choices I have given them were based around what I thought was correct. Through a lot of self reflection I know that I can be a better teacher and provide more choices for my student’s based upon their various discourses. Each year when students are given a new class, with a new teacher, they feel like strangers in a new place. I have a goal to make these students feel comfortable and trust in me as Hick’s was able to do with Laurie and Jake. I have decided that I am going to begin this coming school year, with two different self made surveys. Both surveys will be used to guide my instruction and learn as much about my students as I can. I have not developed the surveys yet, but my vision for these surveys will be based around the interests of the students from their point of view and the interest of my students from their parent’s point of view. Using these survey’s I will hopefully be able to get an idea about what intrigues my students and what backgrounds they are coming from.
Since critiquing or even reflecting on one’s life is a difficult task to complete, it has been a great learning experience for myself to have to sit back and think about the things in my life I do. Looking at those things from a different perspective has helped me to decipher between what I need to continue to do and what I need to change, not only in my everyday life, but also in my life as a teacher.
Meredith