I'd like for you to reflect so far on our readings and what you've seen in the video on the history of our educational system. We talked briefly about some things that seem to resonate from our past in today's schools and classrooms. Why is it that these things have not changed? Have our students not changed? How, as teachers, would you learn from the past and improve it for your students?
Remember, this is only a starting "prompt" for you - start here and run with it! ;) Can't wait to hear what you all have to say...sometimes class is too packed (especially as we catch up) to get to everyone!
Jump right in!
dr.m
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I feel that our classrooms might have changed for a couple of years but in the more recent years we are heading back to the way schools use to be. One thing that I have noticed especially in New Orleans schools if you are a minority you tend to go to public school and if you are white you go to a private school. Many parents will take out loans just to send their children to private school. This reminds me of how schools use to be segregated. It seems as though we are heading back to segregated schools whether or not we realize it.
I've started reading Shame of the Nation, and what Aissalynn just said greatly reflects what it said in that book.
I definitely agree that schools seem to be segregated. I am from Baton Rouge and our schools are exactly the same way...most public schools are inhabited by black students and even the magnet schools are schools for minorities for the most part. Although I don't think students should be segregated by race, I feel the major segregation factor is income. I thought long and hard about the state of our schools and I came to a conclusion, at least personally. Where I went to high school we had very few black students, but it wasn't because any of us minded; I guess it was either because they couldn't afford it or the individual parents didn't want to surround their kids with all white students. I'm not sure how to change that. On the opposite side of the spectrum, my parents took me out of public schools at an extremely young age, but not because I was in school with other races; they took me out because so many of the children were on lower levels and I was being held back academically.
I'm not fully educated on all the facts of what is going on in our schools, I only know my personal experience. I don't like the condition of segregation in the schools but I also don't know what I as a teacher or as a member of our community can do!
Maybe y'all have thoughts or other similar questions...I would love to know ways to help bring about change.
I agree with Marybeth and aissalynn. I went to the same highschool as Marybeth and it was very segregated. I always noticed that there were only a few students who were not white. Like aissalyn said there were lots of families at the school I went to that could not afford it, but refused to send their kids to public schools. It made students think bad about public school, because it was such a big deal to parents to send their children to the private schools.
At my highschool I don't ever remeber it not being segregated. I think we need to work harder make it be less segregated, but like Marybeth said, How can we as teachers do this?
I grew up in Ohio with an all white school. I never saw a really black kid until my junior year in high school. I had no preconceived notions (racism or prejudice) about black kids. Kareem was my age and his sister was two years younger when they first came to our high school. He sat beside me in English and I remember him teasing me about wearing my pony tail up on my head so high I looked like the girl on I Dream of Jeanie. I also remember he played football. He was a pretty good at English lit. The point is I got to know him and I remember him as a person and for the limited relationship we had, not just that he was a black kid in a mostly white high school. I think that is what we need to teach our kids. Judge people based on who and what they are, not what they look like on the outside.
lots of people use the argument that the problem in our public schools is not so much a race problem, but a class problem. these people say that in new orleans and other similar areas, the lower classes are mostly made up of minority race (blacks and hispanics)... so the theory is that we are not so much struggling against races as we are struggling against classes....
i don't know if this is true. it makes sense if you look at that argument for face value... sure most of our lower classes are minority races, and yeah it'd make sense for the lower classes to go to the public schools and the upper classes to go to the private schools that cost more...
but is that really what it is?
have we not escaped the same cirlcular pattern of segregation by classes/race?
i have gone to private schools in new olreans, and in both cases, they were majority white children, but actually pretty diverse in comparison to other schools. new orleans also has a handful of private/parochial schools that are majority black as well...
and when you look at the public schools, almost all of them are majority black, but then the magnet schools are pretty diverse with i'd say close to 50-75% white children....
why is this so?
it makes perfect sense if you look at the argument from the beginning of my post...
i do have a hard time seeing how this is all a result of racism... well not that it's a result of but a problem of... if we truly didn't look at races, we'd never see that it was all the white children in private schools, and black children in public... instead we would see the argument of classes.
but i just don't know. while the argument of classes vs. races makes sense to me, it also leaves a somewhat sour taste in my mouth like it's just covering up what is truly there....
so i think before anything we need to discover and proclaim WHAT is truly the problem/cause of this "segregation"
I also agreee with aissalynn and mary beth. It does seem as if we are going back to "segregated" schools in some aspects. However, where i grew up the way kids go to school do not resemble the way kids do in new orleans and BR. I lived in a town where everyone went to public schools no matter what race they were. This was simply just because we had an excellent education system. We had selective few private schools in my area and you went there if you were raised in a private school environment. I do, however, see how kids seem to be segregated in the larger cities. So maybe it is just based on the city we are in?
In my home town there is a private school that until recently did not allow black children to attend. Because of the law they would enroll them, but would make them so miserable that they would drop out within a week or two. I don’t think that we are heading back to the way things were because I don’t think they ever really changed. Is it the fact of going to school with minorities that is the reason some parents send their children to private schools, or is it the fact that the private schools are better than the public? I would like to think that if the schools in Louisiana were as good as the public schools up north, that I would have attended public school, and would have saved my parents a whole lot of money.
Everyone so far has all made valid points when referring to these very important issues...
I personally have also seen such issues in my hometown as well. New Iberia is a small place where there are only three schools. One Catholic school and two public schools. I graduated with a class of 104 and in my class i had 7 black students in my class. One of the public schools was in an area whose students were of the middle to upper class families, where as the other school was located near the lower part of town . both public schools contained students of all ethnic backgrounds, but the school towards the lower part of town held more minority races as the majority. This is where I agree with katherine that social class comes into a huge issue rather than race.
Each school set a stereotype for the other. For example the public school students saw the students from the catholic school as stuck up people or spoiled children where as some (not all) saw the other schools as lower to them or of a different standard.
I think this however is not directed towards the school systems problems but it goes back to the parents of the students. If you were born into a family who is more leaning towards the old traditional ways then you are going to be brought up to know that all ethnic backgrounds but that of your own should not be associated with yourself, whereas you are brought up with a more modern perspective and see everyone as equal.
Teachers are faced with all these issues, and not everyone will be able to handle them the same way. It depends on what the teachers upbringings were and how they handle situations.
As I have read the readings and watched the video I feel like a lot of our schools are segregated. I dont think its because we want to be with the same race as we are but what we can afford and what is best for us. I went to a private school and there were a few blacks but not many. But there was never an issue there. My mom taught in public schools for 20 years in Baton Rouge and she never wanted to send me and my sister there bc of what she expeirenced as a teacer and thought we could get a better education at a private school. But I think as a society that we need to do somthing bc in the future i feel like we will be back in segregated schools before we know it.
Great conversation so far...let me add some things to think about:
1. If you take "class" as an issue, can you really separate that from "race" in our country? In other words, what does our history of slavery and immigrant workers contribute here?
2. If you were to "control" if you will for economics (meaning everyone had the same amount of money) do you think these schools would automatically desegragate?
3. Is the perception that private (all white) schools are better than public (mostly minority) schools not similar to the "issue" being discussed in the other post/topic for this week?
Perhaps, our public schools are not as "bad" as we think they are - rather, because they are inhabited by primarily students of color, they are perceived as being "bad" - in other words white=good; black=bad. Thoughts?
Just some more things to think about...keep up the conversation.
dr.m
I do believe that our classrooms and schools may still be somewhat segregated; but I wouldn't necessarily say that we're heading straight back to segregation. The Civil Rights Movement was only so long ago, and as we know from our country's history, these things take time to change completely. It may seem like its taking a while but I see no reason to believe that all of our country's efforts have gone out the window. I know that racism still exists; I'm not denying that. But, as an optimist, I believe that this "era" will eventually come to an end. More and more people are becoming educated and realize that color and ethnicity means nothing. As teachers, I believe that we should support this idea and encourage our students to as well. We will be huge role models for them if we play our cards right. They will look up to us and most likely follow in our footsteps and take an interest in our beliefs and what we have to say.
I agree with what hilary said. But after I read the reading I got the impression that we make so much progress, then something happens and it goes back to the way it was. But I do feel like we are making more progress now. There hasn't been anything recently that changes that. But the schools are still segregated.
I also thought it was intresting what Dr. M said that white=good, black=bad, refering to our schools. It just like the video we watched. We were all asking why the children picked the white doll as good, and the black doll as bad. Our school situation has a lot to do with that.
Hillary...do you see anything problematic with asking all of our children to NOT see each other's race? Or teaching them that "color and ethnicity mean nothing"?
Aren't we just asking them to all me "white"...or at the very least, asking them to deny what is a very important part of their lives.
I challenge you the next time you're walking across campus or in your neighborhood or in the mall, to NOT notice that an African American is black. I'm not sure it's possible...I'm also not sure it's particularly productive - why shouldn't we be able to acknowledge each other's differences?
jenn
From Claire Wicker (who is having BLOG troubles):
All of the points made above are valid, and honestly I have never known or discussed this issue so in depth. I’m from Northwest Louisiana and went to a public Elementary, Middle, and high school. There was an even distribution of both races and no one really ever discussed how many black or how many whites you went to school with. Yes, there were a few private schools, but I guess my parents never felt the need to spend the money on placing me in a private school if an equal quality or opportunity of education was available in a public school. So, I’ve gone to school, cheered, danced, studied with, etc. different races all of my years in school and never thought twice about it. That’s just what everyone did. Maybe the public schools where I’m from do have better quality or are a better learning environment? It also depended on your school district or if you could participate in the magnet program if you did not live in that district. Until I moved down to Baton Rouge, I’ve never noticed or recognized how segregated the public and private schools are down South. I wouldn’t call myself naïve, but I just didn’t fully understand the extent of segregation in schools as to what has been mentioned above. I guess I could say I thought of private schools basically for the people who had money to spend on schools that they thought of as nicer, better equipped schooling environments.? I’m not sure, but like I said I never really thought so deeply about it. So, before reading all of the above posts, I would have stated that I think segregation in schools is decreasing when compared to the past. Someone made a good point, I don’t remember where I read it, but it was that our generation seems to have developed a more openness within our society regarding sex preference, etc. and that lead me to think that maybe there is hope and that one day eventually segregation won’t even be an issue or a discussion topic for inside a classroom. I also hope that as a teacher, and not being fully educated on today’s racial issues, that I can still provide a learning environment where race is not one of the main focuses and that children see past what someone looks like on the outside.
I went to high school in Franklinton, Louisiana. I graduated with 36 in my graduating class in a private school. There were no black kids in my class. And in the entire school (which was pre-k through twelth) I think there were maybe three black kids. There were about four local public schools around, and even there they were segregated very badly. Two of the public schools were mostly black and then two were mostly white.
I feel the placement of whites/blacks in public or private do have alot to do with money. Not everyone can afford to go to private shcool. I also know that some parents will do whatever they possible can to get their child in a private school because of education purpases. Because of the smaller amount of children in a private school you will get more one on one time with the teachers. This also works out with sports. Alot of students come to private schools because they feel that they can excell more in their sport at a private school.
However, I feel that the public schools are very segregated. My dad teaches at a public high school with maybe 5 white kids. It is really a great school. They have great facilities, great teachers, and many other things that makes a great school. However, many parents and students won't even put it on their list of consideration for high school.
I think it also comes down to the intimidation of being the only black kid in an all white classroom, or the only white kid in an all black school. You could walk into an all black school, being the only white student, with race nowhere on your mind, however, you will be scrutinized, picked on, and bullied. So many people want to change the way things are, but its just so hard to get everyone else on the band wagon when it comes to private school vs. public school, and black vs. white. We think we have grown up sense segregation, but its not true. We may have grown up in some aspects but in most people's minds everything is still the same as they used to be.
I think everyone has made excellent points, and I'm not sure if any one particular cause can be the source for all the segregation issues are having now. In my history class, we just recently learned about immigration and how the immigrants tended to live in their own smaller communities surrounded by people of the same background. This, paired with the racist issues that are still going on, I believe, are a few things that influence the ways schools are divided up between races and class levels.
I was born in Minnesota, and the elementary school I went to, looking back now, was very academically low. There were many, many different races that were first or second generations in America at the school, with actually very few white children. My parents ended up having to teach me at home the things I should have been learning in school because I was getting so bored in class. My family and I moved down here I was in 6th grade. My mom works in Baton Rouge, but my parents decided it was better for my mom to commute and me to go a better school in Livingston Perish. The biggest issue that prompted the decision to live in Watson was the desegregation of Baton Rouge schools. There were huge uncertainties at the time that I would be able to go to the same school for more than a year, and I would have to be bussed across town to a different district in some cases, unless my parents wanted to pay for private school. Live Oak, the high school that I attended was a very white school, with maybe only 15 black kids enrolled. I'm not sure why that was and still is, but everyone just took it for what it was worth and never really questioned it. The elementary school I went to in MN had many different economic backgrounds, along with racial backgrounds, but it was drastically behind in education, it just ended up that was the district I lived in.
test for claire
Wow! You made a really good point in class yesterday with the time line. I have never looked at it that way. I have always had the mind-set that in this day and age, you work hard for what you need and work harder for what you want. My family is neither wealthy nor poor, but we do live pay check to pay check most of the time (hence the reason I'm in school ). To bring history into this equation mixes a lot of things up. For more than half of our country's "life" there have been slaves brought in to do everything. Now, all of the sudden, everything's supposed to be okay because everyone is free and equal (by law). For hundreds of years, blacks, women, Mexicans... everyone but the rich white men, had no say so in anything. Can you imagine the frustration of knowing you're not dumb but never given the chance to proove it? It's scarey to think that this may still be happening today through the standerdized tests. Children begin that quickly to be divided on separate paths and usually remain on the same path the rest of their lives.
I understand that something needs to change, and it can start on the teachers level - us, but what?
Carrie made a good point about the history of our Country. I think the history of the slaves and the way that we treated them will always remain in the subconscious mind of the blacks. I think it's terribly wrong how they have been treated in the past, but we all know that the past cannot be changed. It is what it is. Which leads me to one of Jenn's questions...If everyone had the same amount of money, do you think that schools would automatically desegregate? Very tough question! After alot of thought, I would predict that desegregation would not occur. Although money is a MAJOR factor, i believe that it is also used as an excuse for segregation in some cases. Take for example what Heather said...the private school in her home town would make the blacks(the minority) feel so awful and out of place that they would almost be forced to leave. Still in today's society, we have drastically "labeled" each other. These "labels" and cultures would still dominate our segregation problem even if everyone was given the same amount of money. Don't get me wrong...the money situation would definitely help out! But, i think groups, cultures, cliques, etc. would still stick together where they feel their comfort zone is.
I hope I made sense, because I feel like I have sooo many thoughts running through my head about this topic! lol.
I am from Houston, TX and I have gone to public school my whole life. Unlike many places in Louisiana in a public school environment, my school was very diverse. BUT, it was very segregated at lunch time. It wasn't only race that was segregated, but also your "cool status" based on what other people thought. There were three eating locations - cafeteria, snack bar, and the court yard. "Preps" were found in the cafeteria - mostly white with your jocks and cool types. "Emo" was found in the court yard. "Band Geeks" and "Ghetto" were found in the snack bar. Even in a public school with a very diverse student body, there was still segregation - still living in the past.
With everyone mentioning history I thought I would bring up how many other races and religions have been persecuted throughout time. The most obvious one to me because it hits home for many of us… Cajun people were persecuted and chased from their homeland to end up here in Louisiana, to face even more scrutiny because they did not speak the same language or have the same cultural background. Jewish people as well as Catholics have been persecuted against for centuries. There are many more… Italians, Native Americans, Germans, Mexicans, and the list can go on for ever. The point I’m trying to make is that our country was created by people who once lived somewhere else and who had many different languages and cultures. WE ARE A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS!! I just feel like every ethnicity and religion has been persecuted against at some point in time and I think that it is high time we all build a bridge and get over it. Not to say we should ignore the color of people’s skin or their background but rather embrace it and learn about one another’s differences… because the truth is that is what makes life interesting, if everyone were the same life would be pretty boring.
As far as the classroom environment goes I think as teachers we should treat all of our students equally whether they are Black, White, Asian, Indian, Native American, Green, Blue or Purple!!! Maybe that is idealistic to treat everyone the same, and even more idealistic is my belief that teachers should have the same expectations for every student. No not all students will be on the same learning level but I expect all of them to try and do the best they can, if that means getting extra help, then that’s what it will take, help, not coddling or me feeling sorry for them, in the long run that will do them no good.
I guess I am a little touchy about the race issue because I had a bad experience in high school. I was raised in a middle class family that lives pay check to pay check. My dream in high school was to attend college out of state. My parents told me that I could not go away to school if I didn’t get a scholarship, we simply couldn’t afford it. So I applied for every scholarship that came through my guidance counselor’s office, I think it was upwards of 30…. That’s a lot of paperwork that took a lot of time. I figured I had a pretty good chance of getting a pretty descent scholarship, I mean I was student body president, involved in the community, had a 3.9 gpa, 30 on my ACT, 27th in my class of 400…. Of those scholarships I received one, one time only, $500 scholarship. Later at my senior awards night, when they announce the many scholarships everyone has received, I found out that every one of the scholarships I applied for went to minority students. Needless to say I did not go to school out of state, but I have very happy here, however, it will always be an experience I wish I would have had.
I don’t think a student’s race should define their academic merit or potential. In my opinion performance, perseverance and effort is what should define a student.
I grew up in the Jefferson Parish public school system. Most kids in my neighborhood and the areas around where my parents live went to the local public elementry schools. When it was time to move on to middle school most went to private school. If they did go for 6th then they went for 8th. My sister and my brother both went to private school for highschool starting in 8th grade. the local highschools were seen as a place you would not want to send you children to. My sister decided to attend NOCCA her junior year and therefore had to transfer to one of the local public highschools. She decided to go to Bonnabel. My mom was really scared to send her there but thought that if it was only for about 2 to 3 hours a day it was ok. My sister graduated number 7 in her class and loved Bonnabel. When it was my turn to choose a highschool most of my friends were deciding to go to private schools. I thought long and hard about it and decided to go to Bonnabel. I am from a very old upperclass part of Kenner and most of the people in that area would never think about thier kids going to Bonnabel so when I decided to go their people sort of looked down on me. They thought my education was not going to be worth anything. Since I was little I would always do homework with one of my friends and in highschool we continued the tradition. Since she went to a private school and I a public we would always compare our textbooks and notes each year. Most of the things we were learing were the same. I do think that it is up to the child what they get out of school. The teacher can teach something in a public school or a private school and it is up to the student what they do with that knowledge. Many of the people I know who went to private schools instead of public droped out of college or never made it in. Now I know many of my fellow classmates from Bonnabel never went to college but those who did are still working on thier degrees. I'm not saying that public schools are better but that a school is just a school, what matters is what the students get out of it and what they do with that knowledge.
I COMPLETELY agree with Jaqueline and I believe that is what this class is about; however, is it possible? What we need to realize as potential teachers is our own barriers that we are not conciously aware of. It's the same thing as being "color blind." Why claim to be color blind when there is obviously a color difference. We may try to over look color, race, religion..... so on, but we can not expect our elementary students to do so. Even if our class is getting along great, why is it that minorities score lower on tests and begin the path downward from there? It is an enormous bridge to close. I don't think it is impossible to do, but a lot of the work it will take is on us and how we teach our students. When I say teach, I don't simply mean about race. I mean math, science, reading... whatever it takes to help them get into mainstream society and not because they are a minortiy, rather because they are capable.
I think I misspelled a bunch of words!!!
I agree with Carrie. It is impossible to overlook race in the classroom, because it is part of their culture. It is wrong to treat any one student differently because of their race, but at the same time we should be able to appreciate our differences and see what they can bring to the learning environment. I went to public school my whole life. From Calcasieu Parish, to Houston, to San Diego, I had a lot of diversity in my classrooms. All of my school districts were also considered "good" public school districts. Race was never a huge issue because my teachers always used what we brought in to the classroom with us to educate the rest of the class. One of my favorite projects in High School was a cultural project. Everyone split up into groups and researched the cultures of many countries. As it turned out, most groups had someone who WAS from that country. It was a great way to learn and appreciate many diverse countries in my school. I don't know if anything i said makes sense to yall, but I just think it is important to find the medium between looking past and looking at the races in the classroom.
I think that our classrooms are headed back to the way they were before but I do not believe it's racial status as much as it is an economic status. Most of the families who can afford to send their children to a private school will do so because most of the ratings of a public school is based upon the economic status of the children. The testing children recieve predicts failure for children with low economic status. I agree there are some racial problems as well, however, I believe we can improve our schools by developing methods to help society increase their economic status. In reference to the segregated schools, we see it happening everyday. Each time a city decides it wants to be in its own district, it has been assumed it is because of the desegration of the schools. There are a lot of cities branching off and forming their own school districts.
Thinking about what Jacqueline wrote...What is the different between "equality" and "equity"? Anyone care to take a guess...this will be important in this discussion - certainly as it pertains to "treating everyone the same".
Tremaine...it's interesting to me that your last comment speaks about economics more than race; however you end with an example of racial separation with regard to cities wanting to annex themselves or their school districts b/c of race (if I read your post correctly).
Can we really separate economics from race in this country? Especially when looking at the white-black dichotomy and inequality?
Just some more food for thought...hope you all had a great weekend.
Looking at the question about the difference between equality and equity--just going to give it a shot--I belive equality is treating each person equally such as every person has equal(the same amount) opportunities. Equity is each person being treated fairly. They are not looked down upon for who they are as an individual. Equality is each person having equal "tangible" rights and Equity is each person having equal "intangible" rights.
Many of our discussions have brought up equality for all people. I am not sure I know of many places that a specific group/race or ethnicity is not allowed to physically attend or be apart of. It is actually the equity of all people. we must allow their actions to speak who they are and treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve.
I am not sure that it actually made sense.
I agree with most of the resent posts I especially wanted to comment on Carrie and Sarah's posts. I definitely agree with what you both said. I guess in my rant from earlier I didn't stress enough that we should not ignore race in the classroom, but we should embrace it... of course children will notice the differences in their skin color, and we should definitely teach about the many different cultures and explore them as a class. My main point was that we should not be color blind but at the same token we cannot have lower or higher expectations for one child in comparison to another just because of his or her race... I think that this could be one reason we are in the predicament we are in now. My issue is with expectations based on a child’s race… I think you should have one expectation for every child or at least on goal and that is for them ALL to succeed in your classroom and beyond.
I find that the video of the history of our education is extremely interesting. The part I find most interesting is how they read and studied the Bibles in schools. Now a days Bibles are not even allowed in public schools. It's weird how our country was founded on Christianity and had incorporated that into the schools back then and now we can't even do that.. teachers are not even allowed to talk about God in most public schools. It's also very interesting how people loved going to school then and how many many people hate going these days. I don't believe we are heading back to the way schools used to be but far far away than they used to be which is a crime in many aspects.
I'd like to comment on what Dr. M said. I definitely agree that everything "class" wise as far as blacks vs. whites can definitely still be dependent on the large history of slavery in our country, but other minorities such as Asian and Hispanic I can't explain all that well. I know that they are new to a country and are unfortunately 'disadvantaged' by default based on the American perspective, which is a racism issue in itself. But the issue of are public schools 'bad' because 'black is bad', I don't think so. If you spend one day in EBR's public school system and another in our private schools you will see the enormous educational gap. A child raised in the private schools would be going years backward in the educational process to enter into public school. This isn't fair for the children in the public schools either to be the lower end of the educational gap. It is not because they lack ability, I think it is a much larger problem than that. That is why when I get my degree I do not plan to run from the state for 'better schools' or go into private schools to just 'have it easy' as some might say. Not that anything is wrond with either of those options, but my passion is here and now. I want to go into the inner city schools and work side by side with these children who deserve better. I want to go where I can make a difference! I think the school system is failing from what I've seen because the teachers' focus has turned off of 'teaching' and has been turned to 'passing' the child and just 'pushing them on' to the next level. This is not right...kids need to learn and experience why education is important. I get very frustrated because I can't seem to put my finger on the exact issue that makes public schools 'bad' and private schools 'good'. I do not think it is capability, but maybe content taught. And also when you are in the private schools you are escaping the giant trap of 'testing' for the most part. Standardized testing is still done, but the impact of those tests doesn't even begin to compare to the effect it has on a child in public school.
I just wanted to add something I thought of while reading everyone's comments.
During the few months after Katrina were my family was not able to live at home I attended a public school in Atlanta. This school was completely different than any other public school I have been in. The school was not like most of the schools in the lower LA area were schools seem to be segregated. The students at this school and most of the others in the area around it come from various economic and social backgrounds. The school does not seem very segregated at all. This makes me wonder if maybe the issue of segregated schools in the south is maybe just in some areas.
I agree with aissalynn when the thought of is why the way we think this way about segregation because of where we live. In other areas this entire idea is not an issue. It most places race and social status is not the top issue and concern like it is in the south. But I do think that there are other large issues in other areas that the south doesnt concern themselves with. So I think it all comes down to the location of where we live and I think that Jenn can relate to that because she just recently moved here and im sure that there are noticeable changes between us and Texas
Jacqueline has made a valid point along with everyone else. But I agree with the thought of rather ignoring the issues embrace them. All of these issues go back on what makes you a "GOOD" teacher and what makes you a "GREAT" teacher. Its important when you are in a classroom to instead run away from the issues bring them up in class in a way that the kids will understand and be like wow thats cool that im different. I love how the mom in our readings explained to the boy about his background and about slavery on a level that he could understand and in a way that the boy felt proud to be who he was. I think its a talent and a gift if you can relate situations and share them in a way that always ends positive in a childs mind, because if you give them a negative image in their mind then from that point on they are going to think negatively about those issues, whereas you explain and share things in a positive mindset then the child will think highly of those situations.
I just wanted to comment on what Mary said about private school versus public school and kind of about what we discussed in class last week. It is obvious that NCLB is not working in our public schools and it can also be argued that neither is our standardized way of testing students. In public schools today, teachers have no room to be creative because they are so consumed with paper work, and strict curriculum provided by national, state and local governments, among many other things. But in private schools it seems to be that teachers actually have time to TEACH!! I think it's great that people want to go into the inner city schools and fix them, but my frustration is how can they be fixed? Like we said in class the other day… This is a problem that cannot be fixed one teacher at a time; it’s something that is going to take all teachers to stand up to. I don’t think it’s fair to say that going in to the private schools is an “easy way out” because believe me private schools have their problems too… your bosses are the parents and well let’s face it some parents can definitely be a bit off their rocker when it comes to their child. What appeals to me with the private schools is that I might actually be able to put to use what I have learned in college. Why am I spending boat loads of money on an education I might actually not even be able to put to use in a public elementary school? Like we said in class it is as if our public school system no longer trusts that we are a proper judge of our student’s capabilities. When I graduate I just want to be able to do my job, and the more I learn about our public school system today I don’t know that I will be able to do my job in a public school. I really want to be a great teacher… but how can you be a great teacher if you aren’t allowed to really teach and your main concern is teaching the kids how to pass a standardized test? If the public school system is not going to allow me to be the best teacher that I can be, then why participate in that system? I’m in no way saying that I do not want to teach in public schools, I grew up in public schools and I received a wonderful education. I just wanted to point out the pluses of working in a private school especially in a failing school district, and not to think of it as “an easy way out” but more of a way to actually do your job.
i agree with jacqueline.
its very disheartening and discouraging to learn that there are so many rules and standards and that we as teachers will be restrained from doing our absolute best.
however, we just need to find the ways around it, find the ways to be that great teacher in a failing system.
it will take a lot more time, and dedication... but it almost motivates me. i want to be the one great teacher some children might have. i want to find out a way to "do my job" by the parish/county, state, and national standards, and yet still be able to do my job by the children i teach.
i think the benefit we have, is that we see it NOW. we see the problem and we can all discuss it together and come up with ways to still be that great teacher... we as a group of teachers can work together to be the best we can be.
Katherine...I like your point about working TOGETHER...too many times teachers close the doors to their room, teach in isolation, and get frustrated...developing a professional network is crucial to being a great teacher!
To go along with Katherine and Jenn, on of my assignments for another class was to interview a teacher. There was a series of questions that i was intended to ask her. Out of the 12 questions i asked her her response to about 5 of them was collaboration. She could not express enough about how important it is for teachers and faculty to collaborate together. This is one of the many things that i agreed with her on. To make a good teacher you need to see where all the students are coming from and if you cant seem to get one student or need advice on how to deal with a certain problem, ask a fellow teacher. Collaborate on what works for each of them and work together to find a common solution to help you and your students.
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