Week 8, 3/20/12
This week’s reading was very interesting and elaborate. I found both the articles useful. When I read such articles, I feel I am on a road to some social reform and I wish I had the ability to bring one in. The article by Valenzuela, A. brought about some very nice points that I had never thought of. The students, parents and outsiders really view school as one unit. But I felt after reading the article that the teacher’s blame the guidance counselor for inefficiecy and the guidance counselor feel that they don’t have enough support or resources. What we need to understand here is that we need to take responsibility, we need to take initiatives. By the term “we” I mean teachers, administrators and the staff in general. If one doesn’t start one shall never gets done. I felt a feeling of complacency in the overall attitude of the so called advocates of students. It is imperative that the teachers make the student feel cared for and loved at school. Teachers’ attitude to make the students feel bad about them can severely jeopardize their self esteem. Students are not encouraged to ask questions and this makes them feel that they are stupid as per one of the students in that article. One of the things that struck me was that the teacher blatantly expressed that she was not a social worker. The teachers have to keep in mind all the time that it is because of students that they get paid. The teachers’ job exists because of students. A school won’t exist without them. I have seen as part of my school years that some teachers are quite old and incapable of doing their jobs. I feel bad about their physical conditions but they need to retire and enjoy their years after being in the teaching field for several years. Instead they stretch out till they are quite incapable of working and the authorities will continue with the same teachers for several years. I observe that here in the US too that some teachers are not able to function at their optimal but they continue to be there, they continue to dominate and they have a major say in who gets hired as a future principal. It is clearly stated in the article that how the administrators are dependent on their subordinates and their willingness to cooperate. I felt sad to read that parents, PTA members and community advocates’ appeals are routinely dismissed.
This week’s reading was very interesting and elaborate. I found both the articles useful. When I read such articles, I feel I am on a road to some social reform and I wish I had the ability to bring one in. The article by Valenzuela, A. brought about some very nice points that I had never thought of. The students, parents and outsiders really view school as one unit. But I felt after reading the article that the teacher’s blame the guidance counselor for inefficiecy and the guidance counselor feel that they don’t have enough support or resources. What we need to understand here is that we need to take responsibility, we need to take initiatives. By the term “we” I mean teachers, administrators and the staff in general. If one doesn’t start one shall never gets done. I felt a feeling of complacency in the overall attitude of the so called advocates of students. It is imperative that the teachers make the student feel cared for and loved at school. Teachers’ attitude to make the students feel bad about them can severely jeopardize their self esteem. Students are not encouraged to ask questions and this makes them feel that they are stupid as per one of the students in that article. One of the things that struck me was that the teacher blatantly expressed that she was not a social worker. The teachers have to keep in mind all the time that it is because of students that they get paid. The teachers’ job exists because of students. A school won’t exist without them. I have seen as part of my school years that some teachers are quite old and incapable of doing their jobs. I feel bad about their physical conditions but they need to retire and enjoy their years after being in the teaching field for several years. Instead they stretch out till they are quite incapable of working and the authorities will continue with the same teachers for several years. I observe that here in the US too that some teachers are not able to function at their optimal but they continue to be there, they continue to dominate and they have a major say in who gets hired as a future principal. It is clearly stated in the article that how the administrators are dependent on their subordinates and their willingness to cooperate. I felt sad to read that parents, PTA members and community advocates’ appeals are routinely dismissed.
The article also touches upon dress code and ethnic differences amongst student population. It was interesting to learn the term 1.5 generation. This group includes students that immigrated to US very young but were not necessarily born in the US, so instead of second generation this group is called “1.5 generation” youth. Whether the youth is second generation or first generation they tend to get so influenced by the American way of life that sometimes they tend to forget their origin, they forget all the hard work and sacrifices their ethnic parents have put in. I enjoyed reading the different case studies.
The article by Dance, L. J. was an eye opener. We all judge people by the way they dress up and of course their demeanor. In teaching industry demeanor means a lot. Teachers get hired based on how they appear and how they behave. Truly speaking middle class Americans including my family lead a vey sheltered life. We don’t walk the streets of inner city Boston especially after dark. We are protective of our children and perhaps will never let them go to “dangerous neighborhoods” at night. This may not be true for everyone but I grew up in a protective family that cared for my well being. So it's totally beyond my realm of things to imagine dealing with gangsters, teaching them let alone living around them. If I were to live and fend myself on a day to day basis will I dress like one? Will I prove that I am one of them? Will I prove that I can kill someone if I have to, to survive the streets? It is so difficult to answer these questions. It is even more difficult for adolescents to make a decision for themselves. Their brain is not completely developed, they lack good leadership and they don’t have role models. This is not a generalization but it seems true for the cases presented in Dance’s article. It was interesting to know the difference between “Hardcore”, “Hardcore Wannabe” and “Hardcore Enough”. The youth under study don’t have a direction or goal. The crime they commit are unintentional or accidental. They perhaps don’t even have a good understanding of the consequences. I’d like to share this article/story that I heard on National Public Radio this morning.
I think a lot of crime and bad behavior can be prevented. Clearly the hard students lack caring environment. They haven’t been exposed to unconditional love. If they are treated with care they can change their behavior. Sadly the cost is very high. It may cost many innocent lives before the Hard adolescent is able to understand and change his/her behavior. It becomes a teachers responsibility to share love and compassion with these students. These students truly need value education besides the curriculum oriented education in classroom. The students can learn in this value education that we are all humans in different colors. We have different opinions and we can resolve our conflicts in a peaceful way. We need to respect one another regardless of our differences.
At the end I’d like to share this quote from the church group that my family is part of. This summarizes how we should view each other. I have no intentions of imposing my view or religious belief nor am I trying to advertise as I share this.
There is only one religion, the religion of Love.
There is only one caste, the caste of humanity.
There is only one language, the language of the Heart.
There is only one God, and He is omnipresent.
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