How Are Schools Integrated?

 

Schools are integrated by the population of each school zone. Based off what I learned from this week’s module I became more aware of how deep racism is embedded into our history. African Americans have always been kept segregated and beneath the rest, even when it comes to their quality of life and living space. I wasn’t aware of the term “redlining,” which according to the definition given in video, The Disturbing History of the Suburbs, is how the government systematically prevented African Americans from getting loans for their home. In my mind, I think redlining is self explanatory, what does the color red normally signify? Wrong, stop, and no are all negative terms that I, and can assume many others associate with this color. I can imagine a home loan application appearing on a bank loaners desk and then crossing the application out with a red line as soon as the realize the applicant is African American. I was shocked to learn that things even went as far as writing laws that only allowed for caucasians to live in certain areas. 

After exploring this topic, I felt angry at not only the government but myself. I was angry at myself because I know that the government does all they can to prevent people of color from advancing in society, so I do not know why I was so shocked during this module. The federal government did and still intentionally segregates African American from communities by not making them affordable. It also goes way beyond just homes, they isolate them from good school districts, universities, hospitals, and healthy food options. Our government created the “hoods,” not the people who occupy them. The white picket fences no longer stand for the American dream to me, they stand as a form of separation because they only want whites to live beyond those fences. 

See you next post Readers,

                                                      Holly.

How Can Schools Be More Equitable?

 

There is often confusion between equity and equality. I believe this photo gives a visual definition of the two. The picture on the left represents equity when it comes to the children being the same height. In order for them all to be the same height, the girl on the left needs two blocks to help her be level with the tallest student. The middle student only needs one block to get him level with them all. The last student on the right is already the tallest so he does not need any assistance from the blocks to be level with his classmates. This demonstrates equity because everyone is given the same opportunity, but the amount support the get depends on how much then need to be equal to the others. The image to the right demonstrates equality, each student is seen standing on one red block, but you can see that they are not level to each other. Although they are each receiving the same amount of assistance, they are still not equal. Schools can be more equitable by providing students with not all the same amount of assistance, but assistance based off their needs so there are equal opportunities for them all. School populations are made up with numerous students from different incomes, backgrounds, and cultures. Especially when it comes to poverty in the classroom, those student may need more resources than the rest of their classmates. According to one of our readings this week, The Myth of the Culture of Poverty, there is no culture of poverty, it is just a handful of stereotypes based of those who have a low income. Schools and teachers often make judgments of students and fall into the trap of stereotypes. Some educators may not help the students who need more because then they are not giving the other students the same amount of help, but the thing is....those other students do not need as much as the others do. Educators need to take a step back a realize that equity makes equality possible. How can students be equal if they have varying needs? Equity allows students to reach equality with their peers. For example, if a student is still learning English and they need one on one tutoring before an exam and others who are fluent in English only need a study guide, that is equity. Providing the extra tutoring necessary gets the student who is struggling ready for the exam just like the study guide get the others prepared for the exam. Neither one of them is getting more help than the other, they simply getting the help they need. I believe the key to schools becoming more equitable is simply giving students the assistance and resources they each need based on their individual needs. Once this is accomplished, we can finally reach equality in school because each student has resources specific to them that put them at the same level for opportunities as their classmates.

Until the next post Readers,

                                                             Ms. Holly 

10/17/2021-11:02pm

How Can Educational Philosophies Influence Schooling?

I believe educational philosophies have a strong influence on teaching styles which then impacts schooling. I explored the five main philosophies, perennialism, essentialism, social reconstructivism, progressivism, and postmodernism, and they each have a different influence in the classroom. Perennialism has to do more with faith and will and instilling strong order and discipline into the classroom. I believe this is the kind of education some students may receive at an academy or private school and students may not have the freedom to learn about current topics that interest them. This would be a more traditional learning style that dates to the history of schooling. Essentialism has to deal with idealism and realism, by teaching students the traditions and cultures of the past. Relating back to its name, essentialism is based on the essential subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics. This is a more standard type of schooling that relies on using discussion and reading from common books. This kind of schooling in often found in public schools. Social Reconstructivism is centered around change and improving society through schooling. It places an emphasis on critical thinking to promote democracy and to push students not to settle for what is. A classroom based on this philosophy may involve lots of time in the community and dealing with societal problems. Progressivism has to do with a more hands-on type of schooling. A progressive classroom is more student-centered and promotes individuality and a democratic society. Students are in charge of their schooling and teachers play the role of the facilitator with no set curriculum. Postmodernism is schooling based off of critical theory and a combination of the other philosophies. In this type of classroom, reality is subjective and differs from person to person so there is also not a strict curriculum but more of a critical one that varies by each student.

Thanks for reading, 

Holly. 

 

10/10/21 - 10:32pm.

What Rights Should Be Protected for Students and Teachers?

 

I believe all of our civil rights should be upheld in the classroom, but I do think there are respectful limits for each right. For example, the first amendment should be upheld but there are limitations to this, students have to respect the classroom rules and in return their rights will be respected. Students could disrupt the class and try to get away with it by saying it is their first amendment right. Religion should also not be forced on students or instructors with the exception of private religious schools where students are enrolled by choice. Then according to the Free Exercise Clause, students and teachers may discuss religion as they wish as long as they are not promoting or forcing it onto others. Schools should also respect the right to privacy, especially when it comes to search and seizure. Property must be respected and not taken or looked through without good reason, but I believe the school also has the right to prohibit certain things from being brought onto campus for safety reasons. Schools should also grant everyone the freedom of expression and individuality as long as it does not violate or provoke others. I also believe the eighth amendment should be more strongly enforced in schools, especially ones that still use forms of corporal punishment. I think it would be a good idea the create a classroom bill of rights with your students that helps them maintain and know their rights within the classroom. Informing students and teachers on their rights only ensures that everyone is treated fairly to help promote a healthy learning environment. 

What Am I Willing To Do To Educate All Children?

 

As teachers, our job is to educate our students, but as individuals we have to be willing to educate all of our students no matter their race, beliefs, or gender. I want my students to feel welcomed in my classroom and not feel like they do not belong or are insignificant. In one of the videos I watched in this week’s module, the speaker presented a rap that a student had created and the student speaks about sitting in the back of the class waiting to escape, and that even when he does want to raise his hand in class, he knows it will go unseen. I believe that should never be case, a student should not want to raise their but shy away because the teacher does not acknowledge their hand. In order to help every student feel recognized, I will try and call on different students all the time and not call on the same hands. I will also occasionally call on students who do not have their hands raised because I know from personal experience that sometimes you have the right answer, but you do not feel confident enough to share it with the class. I also know that I may run into the problem of time and calling on each raised hand so my solution is to vocally acknowledge and thank them for raising their hands and ask if they have anything important to add before we move on since we have already answered the question. I will also mimic students’ own personal and cultural learning tools. In order to do this, I need to build a connection with each of my student so I can give them the kind of education they deserve. To make connections with my students, I can have my students create an “All About Me,” poster that will include insight on their home life and who they are and then be presented to the class. I could also send an iPad home each week with a different student and they will be tasked with recording a weekend in their life. By recording their weekend I can get a sense of their family structure and what they may deal with outside of school. I will also simply talk to my students and let them know I care for them and only want what is best for them. If the child feel cared for, they will feel safe and want to participate in the classroom. Another way of educating all my students is using parent involvement. Parent involvement helps me as the teacher get to know they family better and also builds a teacher-parent support system. Most importantly, classrooms should not be a place where discrimination occurs, every child deserves to be educated, and educated correctly based off each individual.

Until our next post readers,

 Holly. 

Does Gender Affect the Teaching Profession?

 

It is 2021, we would think that by now, gender does not affect the teaching profession but unfortunately, it still does. While trying to find an image for this blog post, I typed "teacher" into google and all the images that immediately loaded were of predominantly white and female teachers. I think the stereotype and view that teaching is a woman's profession is still in place today. Throughout my K-12 experience I have had eight male teachers and four out of the eight were athletic coaches. The coaches always went by coach in the classroom, but the female coaches were never referred to as coach in the classroom, but why? The female coaches had step into the teacher role in the classroom, but the same standard was not set for the coaches, because they thought of themselves as coaches, not teachers. There is still a significant difference in the pay of male and female teachers. Even if both genders are coaches and teachers, the males still earn more. During my senior year of high school, I was given the opportunity to visit the admin building for our school district meet all the available staff members. I cannot remember her name or her position anymore but her job position was directly below the superintendent, and since my class was all girls except for two boys, she told us a secret. She said, "They don't want us to make it, they believe that we (females) should stay in the classroom and leave administration up to the "big guys" but that we could change that by never giving up on a position we want just because of our gender." She then explained that she had wanted her current profession for two years before she was even considered for the position and she said she was even overqualified for the job and they were still hesitant because a woman had never held that position before. Since were able to speak to her in office, it was clear that she had followed the advice she had given us. In The Teacher Wars, there was a statement made that woman should be teachers because they are motherly and should take care of and educate the children. That once again emphasizes the stereotype that woman should stay home and raise the children while the men went out and did the "real" work. I have had motherly teachers, but what is wrong with fatherly teachers? I have had male teachers who cared for their class just as much as my female teachers, does that make them fatherly? I also do not agree with the idea that mothers should be forced to just be stay-at-home spouses, while their husbands get to receive an education and be a part of the workforce. Also, with how sexuality and gender and becoming more open today, I think schools should be more open-minded also. They look down on teacher who do not dress "proper" but really, they mean "girly." Then we also have teachers who do not identify with a gender and I can only imagine all the struggles they face in the teaching profession. Although, we have made advancements for teachers, we still have a long way to go. 

What is the Purpose of Schools?

The purpose of schools has changed throughout history. In the beginning, school was primarily based upon growing the country economically and to promote democracy. When religion was big in the colonies, it was based around the church. Then, school moved onto purposely only focusing on educating the elite and leaving the poor to self-educate or learn through the clergy. Schools were not equally accessible, they often left out students who had to work and they also did not see a point in educating women. After awhile, views shifted on the education of women and they began to learn more than reading and writing to help raise moral children. Once again, schools focused on educating children to help them learn the foundations of democracy to be able to be knowledgeable voters. They also saw education as a way of creating bonds among the diverse classes and promote American unity. I believe the purpose of school is to educate the future and prepare them to not only be apart of democracy. but to also be kind, smart, and upstanding citizens to help society improve with each following generation.