Section A: The article by Mandy Savitz-Romer & Suzanne M. Bouffard was a very crisp and clear article for college readiness. It summarizes what exactly students would need prior to applying to college. It is sad that students of color will perhaps not be rushing to their mail boxes as compared to the white students. It would be ideal if each school system came up with a comprehensive plan ahead of time. It would also be desirable to have these plans implemented as early as seventh or eighth grade as this would give the students an opportunity to start thinking and preparing ahead of time for their future education. This would also give them an opportunity to set goals for the future.
I used to be amused when my daughter used to tell me in her Kindergarten year that she wanted to become a scientist. Then one day she told me she wanted to become a chemist and one day she told me she wanted to become a dentist. I wonder what happens to those teachers that instill these thoughts so early in these tender minds. Do they disappear? No. These teachers exist but their goals change. They are now focused on getting their jobs done. They don’t have so much time to show the caring behavior that we have been learning about in this course. The room for creative thinking loses ground and perhaps everyone seems so engrossed in standardized test prep come High School years. Can we slow down a little? Can we re-think our policies and start over? As we spend so much time in educating our “smart” students and preparing them for college we are perhaps forgetting about our “non-white” students. We just need to equip them with the tools to reach their cherished dreams.
I found this really interesting article in the Atlantic magazine that I’d like to share here. It is not directly pertinent to college preparedness but it talks about an education system in a country where educational standards are the same for each and every student which I thought would be relevant to our course.
Section B: Noah Rubin’s talk: I thought it was really nice to have listened to Mr. Rubin talk to us. He brought in a wealth of information and I wished I chatted with him after class. One of the points that struck me the most was his caring attitude towards his students in his inner city school in New York. I was touched by his gesture to buy fruits for them since he knew they were hungry and they couldn’t afford the food. His gesture reminded me of the teacher Mr. Sosa in the article Teacher-Student Relations and the Politics of Caring by Valenzuela, A., pg. 111. In this article, Mr. Sosa the band teacher cared for his students. He realized they were poor and hungry. The young kids needed food for their sustenance. So Mr. Sosa put in his time, money, and energy and above all love and made taquitos for his students. He won them over with his caring attitude. And he served them taquitos without any expectations. He showed the wonderful gesture out of love and concern for them.
I see myself as doing something like this for my students. I totally mean it. I want to share one more incident that happened this weekend. This is about a student I had when I did long term substitute teaching at a high school. As part of my conversation with the students I had found out that the student’s parents owned a Thai restaurant. I had told the student that I like Thai food and I’d like to visit his parents’ restaurant some day. He was very delighted and he thanked me for even thinking about it. So one day I did actually visit his parents’ restaurant. I was expecting him to be there since he had mentioned that he worked there on weekends. However, on the day I visited he wasn’t there. However I introduced myself to his mother. She was very thankful that I visited with my family. We had delicious Thai food for dinner that evening. I could tell from my research and reading that this family value education. For many of the immigrant families schooling is nearly the only ticket for a better tomorrow (see Carola Suárez-Orozco and Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco, Children of Immigration, pg. 124). They respect the teacher and they are happy to see the teacher. They are hard working and their goal is to do well in this country. At the end of the dinner the mother offered us complimentary Thai tea which I didn’t really want to have. But at the same time, I am familiar with Eastern culture so I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings. It is common in Eastern culture to be very hospitable to their guests and in this situation the guest was the teacher whom we respect.
Hi Neeti,
ReplyDeleteMuch thanks for the article and the comments. After beginning to read, I realized I had read this a bit ago. But, it's a good refresher, here—especially since we learn that Finland used "equity" as a goal for reform.
Given the high stakes testing, etc., I, like you, have thought about a focus at the 7th and 8th grade level. Every time I enter an 8th grade class now, I do take time to mention certain choices the kids will be making in a very short time. I try to do the same with the 7th graders; but, I've found it harder at that grade. This may only be my impression, though.
On Mr. Rubin's presentation, I was struck by his ideas on design. It seems so fundamental; yet, we don't bring it to the fore. Of course these desks, chairs, and spaces are hold-overs from the industrial era. Yet, we seem to look past it.
Thanks again for your observations (and the article which was a GREAT addition to our on-going "conversation" on education).
Thanks Rob for a positive feedback. With 21st century and all its technological innovations we are making progress as a human race. So there is a fierce competition and our students need to be prepared for challenges in life. So yes, we need to train them. But do we (as in teachers across the board) make conscious effort? I appreciate your attempts at it with the 8th graders. Personally, I have more experience dealing with high school students, so I can't say much about 7th or 8th graders. But please continue what you are doing. I think it is a positive reinforcement for that age group.
ReplyDeleteHi Neeti,
Delete"Do we, as teachers across the board, make conscious efforts?"
I certainly hope so. MOST of my experiences with other teachers allow me to reply "Yes."
I do think, though, that aspects of that competition you mentioned can restrain them. Yet, that competition is very real "out there" in the real world.
And, there are, of course, teachers who do not make conscious efforts. We only can try to "shift" the potential negative effects once the student enters our classroom.
Kudos,