In the book that I am reading "Why Gender Matters", the chapter on school gives some very interesting strategies on teaching to gender. And how as teachers we need to be well versed in the language of the opposite gender. For example, the chapter mentions at how girls feel as though their male teachers yell at them. . .well biologically girls hear better than boys and as students have a tendency to sit in the front of the classroom to be a 'good' student. So where the male teacher may be projecting to those in the back of the classroom, to the girls up front it sounds as if he is screaming. The book offered a really cool solution. . .move the boys to the front(since they have a hard time hearing) and the girls to the back. Now I tried this in my classroom but set my room up where the desk were set up in quads and my desk was in the middle of the room. That way when I went to the board, (which is where I sat the boys) it didn't appear as if I was at the "front" of the room. The girls could hear me and I had the boys attention at all times because I was in the center when at my desk and close to them when I was at the board. I thought this was absolutely genius. I also didn't find myself repeating directions to the boys as much as I did before. (who knew)
Coed middle schools causes a lot of grief and leaves quite a few scars on students. Liking someone who doesn't like you back, kids making fun of your due to the ackwardness of growth spirts, and just the overall rage of hormones that overtake the body in this particular age bracket. By separating students by gender in their school setting will eliminate alot of the crazed questions that tend to go through the mind of middle schoolers and keep them focus on the task at hand which is their education. This model of education scales down on the ills of social behavior of students worrying if they belong to the 'wrong' clique. Instead students begin to worry if they are contributing to their community and question their responsibilities in it.
As parent, administrators, and educators continue the push for gender-based schools, especially in urban areas, professional development as to how to relate to students based on their gender is a temporary alternative. By making small changes in how we relate to our students we will see improvements in test as well as overall classroom performance. Cost will always be a factor in the world of education, but it is one that shouldn't cause us to compromise the success and growth of our students. With grant funding and reallocation of current professional developments focusing on gender-based learning should be a direction that education should be headed into.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Blog #14 - We all say Amen. . .
God, Allah, Budda, Om, Ganesha. . .now let's break it down into denominations, sects, and cults. . . getting interested or bogged down??? Religion in education has a very small place based on the legal ramifications that it can bring about. Skills, knowledge, and mapping are the only things the law allow the field of education to give its students. Faith, respect, and culture are the things that are ‘inferenced’ to come from home. Knowing that this is not the case in all children’s lives as educators the most we can do is give a ‘cultural’ lesson, if you will, and if religion comes up, it comes up. (but only momentarily) The respect factor is what hinders our understanding in most topics that are this sensitive in nature. For example, the terroristic attacks that have come to our country are deemed religious in nature. But when you get to the heart of the matter, it has nothing to do with religion at all.
These people, in simpler terms, want the US to get out of their country. Now, I am going to play devils advocate, appealing to your sense of patriotism and love for this country, if another tried to come and implement their version of ‘civilization’ on us wouldn’t we deem it necessary to push them out. Don’t get me wrong, I know that there are some fanatics who take things to far, but the essence of why these believe in what they are doing is because they love their own country, as we love ours?
We teach our students, hopefully, not to take what isn’t theirs. And world history shows us over and over again how many nations have tried to ‘mandate’ what civilization should look like, but in the end both side ultimately lose some part of the battle. Respect is vital in this volatile world and if we don’t learn from previous mistakes it will hinder the next generation in ways we cannot imagine. We must do better as a world society for the benefit of those we have audience with on a daily basis. When looking at the ‘main’ religions they all have the same premise, take care of your fellow man, honor your family, honesty, don’t take another’s life, be charitable, and pray. In this we see our similarities even though there are significant differences, the basis is the same. So why not build on the similarities and follow our faiths and be truthful with one another about our intentions, feelings, and needs.
I know those who may read this may ask ‘what type of utopia is she dreaming of?’ One that we can fellowship and worship as we choose with respect towards each other to do so, oh it’s already in existence, the USA. Why do we have to be reminded that this is what we are founded on? The fact that in this country we are created equal no matter your religion, culture, or gender. So no matter how you slice it, at the end of the day we all say Namo Amida, Selah, Shalom, Amen. . .
These people, in simpler terms, want the US to get out of their country. Now, I am going to play devils advocate, appealing to your sense of patriotism and love for this country, if another tried to come and implement their version of ‘civilization’ on us wouldn’t we deem it necessary to push them out. Don’t get me wrong, I know that there are some fanatics who take things to far, but the essence of why these believe in what they are doing is because they love their own country, as we love ours?
We teach our students, hopefully, not to take what isn’t theirs. And world history shows us over and over again how many nations have tried to ‘mandate’ what civilization should look like, but in the end both side ultimately lose some part of the battle. Respect is vital in this volatile world and if we don’t learn from previous mistakes it will hinder the next generation in ways we cannot imagine. We must do better as a world society for the benefit of those we have audience with on a daily basis. When looking at the ‘main’ religions they all have the same premise, take care of your fellow man, honor your family, honesty, don’t take another’s life, be charitable, and pray. In this we see our similarities even though there are significant differences, the basis is the same. So why not build on the similarities and follow our faiths and be truthful with one another about our intentions, feelings, and needs.
I know those who may read this may ask ‘what type of utopia is she dreaming of?’ One that we can fellowship and worship as we choose with respect towards each other to do so, oh it’s already in existence, the USA. Why do we have to be reminded that this is what we are founded on? The fact that in this country we are created equal no matter your religion, culture, or gender. So no matter how you slice it, at the end of the day we all say Namo Amida, Selah, Shalom, Amen. . .
Blog #13 - SCREAM. . . I'm sick of the community I work in!!!!!
Let me begin this blog by stating that I LOVE my career choice. I love to teach and I love opening minds to the possibilities that are available to them in life . . . no matter where you come from. But I am sick and tired of 'parents' and 'administrators' who blame teachers for the lack of skill that students come to you with. Teachers aren't given credit for bringing these students up to speed and helping them get on course, but blamed for the lack there of. So my question to the parents is 'What in the H*LL have you been doing with this child at home???' Or better yet you didn't think to ask the teachers they had before they got to me? Oh yeah, think of hiring a tutor or looking into the free programs that are made available to this community? No you just decided to come and tell me off about the 'disservice' I am doing for your child, God forbid you were the one 'disservicing' your own child.
How are you a disservice you ask my ‘loving’ parent? By not taking out the time to read with your child . . . no, no, no, that’s my job although I have never met the child before coming to my classroom. How about inquiring about how your child’s natural talent may help them in the classroom . . . no, no, no, that’s my job, even though I only get them 45 minutes out of the day. Okay how about this, teaching your children common courtesy toward others . . . again, no, no, no, that’s my job as far as you are concerned. Teachers have families of their own that we have to care for and need out attention, just like yours, but the deficit in all of this is that you, parents, are not giving your child what they need at home. The only thing they should ever require of their teachers is their education, encouraging words, and a map for them to chart how they plan to reach their goals.
Now to my well trained, forgetful, unappreciative administrators . . . how dare you forget the struggles of the classroom. Of how Johnny couldn’t do his homework because the power has been off in his house for two months. How dare you forget the egregious amount of paperwork that is demanded of teachers on a daily basis besides the management of a classroom of 28 students and making sure that you are trying to meet all of their needs. Again, how dare you forget to support your teaching staff when you yourself had support to get to where you are now. How dare you let central office tell you to run your school as a business and not as a school. Webster online dictionary states that a school is an institution for the teaching of children. Not, how many are here each day so that we can increase our federal and state funding. Not, are we going to meet AYP this term so that we can be ‘recognized’ or ‘exemplary’? Not, no matter the child behavior let him continue to disrupt your classroom. ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!! Okay maybe my aim is a little low, maybe I should be charging these questions to the superintendents of districts, state government, or even federal government, but shouldn’t it start with those who are closest to the child?
Okay as you can see that I have had a horrible week with parents and administrators. Mainly because I have held my students responsible for not completing a portion of their six weeks project over spring break, the portion of the project that they needed to complete was to gather 'TWO' articles from the community section of the newspaper. It they didn't have access to the newspaper, I made arrangements at the local library to donate the paper to the students all the students had to do was to ask one of the two librarians that I made the arrangements with. (Please understand that these librarians are at the library everyday and one of them is the managing librarian, the other the community liaison) Out of 127 students only 63 of them made use of this resource, 28 called on relatives to gain their resources, the rest of them came to class with nothing. So when their progress reports reflected that they were failing 17 parents became upset. (They get a newsletter every six weeks about expectations and projects that are going to take place in my class) The kicker to all of this is that my administrator relays the message to me that I can not fail these students because they have not completed this particular portion of their project. (THIS IS ONLY A PROGRESS REPORT & THEY HAVE THREE MORE WEEKS TO BRING UP THEIR GRADE!!!!!!! ALSO THIS IS A PROJECT THAT IS MANDATORY BASED ON THE CURRICULUM IN WHICH THE DISTRICT HAS SET IN PLACE!!!!!!) If the teacher is making information readily available and you choose not to read it then that is on the parent.
I guess my rant here is really for parents and teachers to get on one accord. I feel that if the parents get frustrated enough with the system and not the teacher, maybe the real changes will take place. For example, why are there people who work in the Department of Education who have never spent time teaching in front of a classroom FULL of children, and those who have, have never taught in a low SES area. For the same amount of proving your worth in the classroom, those who make major decisions for education should go through the same rigorous process. We ask our children to be accountable every day; shouldn’t we put that same accountability on ourselves? Don’t just apply to the teachers, but to the Education Department, governments, districts, administrators, and parents as well.
How are you a disservice you ask my ‘loving’ parent? By not taking out the time to read with your child . . . no, no, no, that’s my job although I have never met the child before coming to my classroom. How about inquiring about how your child’s natural talent may help them in the classroom . . . no, no, no, that’s my job, even though I only get them 45 minutes out of the day. Okay how about this, teaching your children common courtesy toward others . . . again, no, no, no, that’s my job as far as you are concerned. Teachers have families of their own that we have to care for and need out attention, just like yours, but the deficit in all of this is that you, parents, are not giving your child what they need at home. The only thing they should ever require of their teachers is their education, encouraging words, and a map for them to chart how they plan to reach their goals.
Now to my well trained, forgetful, unappreciative administrators . . . how dare you forget the struggles of the classroom. Of how Johnny couldn’t do his homework because the power has been off in his house for two months. How dare you forget the egregious amount of paperwork that is demanded of teachers on a daily basis besides the management of a classroom of 28 students and making sure that you are trying to meet all of their needs. Again, how dare you forget to support your teaching staff when you yourself had support to get to where you are now. How dare you let central office tell you to run your school as a business and not as a school. Webster online dictionary states that a school is an institution for the teaching of children. Not, how many are here each day so that we can increase our federal and state funding. Not, are we going to meet AYP this term so that we can be ‘recognized’ or ‘exemplary’? Not, no matter the child behavior let him continue to disrupt your classroom. ENOUGH!!!!!!!!!!! Okay maybe my aim is a little low, maybe I should be charging these questions to the superintendents of districts, state government, or even federal government, but shouldn’t it start with those who are closest to the child?
Okay as you can see that I have had a horrible week with parents and administrators. Mainly because I have held my students responsible for not completing a portion of their six weeks project over spring break, the portion of the project that they needed to complete was to gather 'TWO' articles from the community section of the newspaper. It they didn't have access to the newspaper, I made arrangements at the local library to donate the paper to the students all the students had to do was to ask one of the two librarians that I made the arrangements with. (Please understand that these librarians are at the library everyday and one of them is the managing librarian, the other the community liaison) Out of 127 students only 63 of them made use of this resource, 28 called on relatives to gain their resources, the rest of them came to class with nothing. So when their progress reports reflected that they were failing 17 parents became upset. (They get a newsletter every six weeks about expectations and projects that are going to take place in my class) The kicker to all of this is that my administrator relays the message to me that I can not fail these students because they have not completed this particular portion of their project. (THIS IS ONLY A PROGRESS REPORT & THEY HAVE THREE MORE WEEKS TO BRING UP THEIR GRADE!!!!!!! ALSO THIS IS A PROJECT THAT IS MANDATORY BASED ON THE CURRICULUM IN WHICH THE DISTRICT HAS SET IN PLACE!!!!!!) If the teacher is making information readily available and you choose not to read it then that is on the parent.
I guess my rant here is really for parents and teachers to get on one accord. I feel that if the parents get frustrated enough with the system and not the teacher, maybe the real changes will take place. For example, why are there people who work in the Department of Education who have never spent time teaching in front of a classroom FULL of children, and those who have, have never taught in a low SES area. For the same amount of proving your worth in the classroom, those who make major decisions for education should go through the same rigorous process. We ask our children to be accountable every day; shouldn’t we put that same accountability on ourselves? Don’t just apply to the teachers, but to the Education Department, governments, districts, administrators, and parents as well.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Blog #12 - Discipline 'a chapter for my book summary'
‘What is your secret? My child loves and respects you far more than they do me.’ I have heard this one too many times in my career as an educator, once being too many. Parents seem to have forgotten their authority in their relationships with their own children and some appear comfortable enough to let the teacher know it. This is a gross misjudgment on behalf of the parent and one that should be corrected immediately. ‘Why Gender Matters’ discusses how parents should/can go about disciplining their children in a positive manner and gain the parental control of their household. The book goes on to mention Norbert Elias observations as to how the parental/child relationship has drastically changed over the past three decades. (between 1960 and 1990) Loss of parental authority has only worsened the issues that we witness daily with our children. From teen pregnancy to teen drug abuse, trying to be the friend and not the parent has weakened our children’s respect for authority altogether.
For example, child obesity runs rampant in our society. Partly because instead of just feeding our children healthy meal choices, we ask for their input on what they would prefer for dinner. Common sense would dictate that of course burgers, pizza, and fries will be on their menu, but as I have come to the realize, common sense isn’t all that common. Children want what they want, not what they need especially if you give them a choice. I am not a parent, but I do spend a lot of time with my three year old niece. Now my niece is a pretty good eater, meaning that she loves broccoli, salad, baked chicken, green beans, apples, all in all love fruits and vegetables. But if I give her the ‘choice’ between an apple or a pack of skittles. . .trust that she is going for the skittles. For her overall health I am going to give her the apple, without asking, and after dinner give her a handful of skittles, without asking. Letting her make the decision, in this scenario, is not the most logical thing to do. As she gets older the conversation should and will grow, but when she comes to visit me she will already know that junk food everyday is not an option.
The book addresses positive discipline, referring to using parental authority in positive ways to expose the child to the world or to reward good behavior. (p 172) In other words don’t ask. . .tell. Taking a page out of my own life, all of my friends had their own phone line and television in their room when I was a teenager. So of course I asked my parents for my own, the phone line was a definite no. . .which I understand why now, having the privacy to say what I wanted how I wanted may have led to situations I didn’t want to be in. The television on the other hand was a bit of a compromise, if I worked to purchase my own television I could put it in my room, but I had certain scheduled hours in which I could watch it. There was no eating my dinner in my room to watch my favorite show, that was family time. I couldn’t stay up late on a school night to watch the Arsenio Hall show, lights out meant lights out. If I disobeyed any of these expectations, my parents would take my television for a week. Now this was a television that I paid for myself, but I would rather follow those rules than loose something that I paid for all together. Similar rules applied when I bought my first car, but without those standards in place, I may have ended up like some of those old friends of mine pregnant or not finishing college. Ultimately when it comes to parenting, to each his/her own, but that dynamic changes when a child enters the classroom and in the classroom all rules apply to everyone, no exceptions. How should a parent who caters to their child prepare them for this type of setting?
For example, child obesity runs rampant in our society. Partly because instead of just feeding our children healthy meal choices, we ask for their input on what they would prefer for dinner. Common sense would dictate that of course burgers, pizza, and fries will be on their menu, but as I have come to the realize, common sense isn’t all that common. Children want what they want, not what they need especially if you give them a choice. I am not a parent, but I do spend a lot of time with my three year old niece. Now my niece is a pretty good eater, meaning that she loves broccoli, salad, baked chicken, green beans, apples, all in all love fruits and vegetables. But if I give her the ‘choice’ between an apple or a pack of skittles. . .trust that she is going for the skittles. For her overall health I am going to give her the apple, without asking, and after dinner give her a handful of skittles, without asking. Letting her make the decision, in this scenario, is not the most logical thing to do. As she gets older the conversation should and will grow, but when she comes to visit me she will already know that junk food everyday is not an option.
The book addresses positive discipline, referring to using parental authority in positive ways to expose the child to the world or to reward good behavior. (p 172) In other words don’t ask. . .tell. Taking a page out of my own life, all of my friends had their own phone line and television in their room when I was a teenager. So of course I asked my parents for my own, the phone line was a definite no. . .which I understand why now, having the privacy to say what I wanted how I wanted may have led to situations I didn’t want to be in. The television on the other hand was a bit of a compromise, if I worked to purchase my own television I could put it in my room, but I had certain scheduled hours in which I could watch it. There was no eating my dinner in my room to watch my favorite show, that was family time. I couldn’t stay up late on a school night to watch the Arsenio Hall show, lights out meant lights out. If I disobeyed any of these expectations, my parents would take my television for a week. Now this was a television that I paid for myself, but I would rather follow those rules than loose something that I paid for all together. Similar rules applied when I bought my first car, but without those standards in place, I may have ended up like some of those old friends of mine pregnant or not finishing college. Ultimately when it comes to parenting, to each his/her own, but that dynamic changes when a child enters the classroom and in the classroom all rules apply to everyone, no exceptions. How should a parent who caters to their child prepare them for this type of setting?
Monday, March 1, 2010
Open Blog #11 - Travel, Race, & Gender
I love to travel and have lived in a couple of countries that I love, although those two countries are male dominated. Everything catered to men, so being a female, especially one of color, made life a bit difficult from time to time. Travelling through male dominated countries could be very trying at times, especially when you are brokering business deals or trying to handle household mishaps that 'men' are suppose to handle. I just love the phrase 'so this is why you are single' when you get, for lack of a better work, aggressive about your request. Let's take this example, living in Spain a pipe burst in my flat. Well being my Father's oldest child, I knew how to stop the water from taking over and flooding the place. When I called a plumber and explained the situation he came over and asked where my husband was so that he could ask him how 'he' turned the water off. Naturally I said 'I turned it off by this valve' he said 'Are you sure, because if not and I do the wrong thing it will cost extra'. At this point I am laughing to myself and replied, 'yes I am sure because I am the husband who turned it off'. Now understand that there is a language difference here so of course he thinks I have made a mistake. So as he smirks at my 'ignorance' I continue to state that, 'I am not married therefore I am the husband and the wife' to this he looked at me with surprise and asked 'How did you learn to be so handy?' to this I replied, 'My Father raised me to sufficient in all things.' Now I thought that this would end the conversation, but of course it didn't. . .the plumber goes on to state, 'Oh that's too bad, you may never get married, who wants such a strong minded wife', again I reply, 'A strong minded man'. Well, this led to a bright red face and a quick fix of my pipes and a 15% off discount without a thank you.
As I reflected back on this whole scenario, I wondered what I gained out of it? Did I really change this persons mind or did I just upset/embarrass him? I can't answer the question that I have posed, but I look at it this way. . . hopefully he walked away with a better understanding of women. Most importantly what I realized is that it is not my job or my calling in life to ‘change people’s minds. We are reflective of our upbringing, situation, and circumstance, what they believe is what they believe and if those beliefs are founded in ignorance and not in the mindset of people are people no matter their gender or race, then (in my opinion) their mindset is flawed.
I guess this portion of my blog is as good as any time to reflect on my encounters in Japan. There were times that the color of my skin played more of an issue as well as my gender. As I evaluated this issue I had to come to the realization that I was living in a country that did not have a lot of interaction with people who didn’t look like them. All of the exposure that they had to my race was what they saw on television . . . and to be clear, the media perspective of Black America is one that is shameful to say the least. So I found myself fighting and dismantling horrible stereotypes that were portrayed on the television in which they were exposed to. Even more so, those businessmen or ‘other’ foreigners in which the Japanese encountered who took it upon themselves to reinforce those stereotypes the minds of the Japanese. In all of this miseducated chaos, I had to be the light of intellect to ‘prove’ that what they were exposed to was a misrepresentation of my race and even my gender. (I mentioned my gender due to the fact that black women were stereotyped as the ‘seductress’ who is only out for your money and to destroy you) Although there were times when I wanted to tell people to kiss my behind due to the ‘sly’ racist questions and constant repetition of things I have already told you. . . I chose to take the high road and ‘graciously’ answer their questions for the sake of international and race relations.
I guess that is why when I finally moved back to the States I find that I have a lack of tolerance for race issues due to the fact that we have lived in the country for how long and people still don’t ‘understand’ the cultures that live in your own country? As a Black woman who have travelled and endured the stares, questions, and discrimination of other countries, I refuse to stomach it in my own country. . .especially when it is my own country that has displayed these horrific images of who I am ‘suppose’ to be to the world in the first place. So if I am a bit short or indifferent to the ignorance of Americans it is because I believe that they choose to be, so why should I take the time to waste my precious breathe to educated someone who has had the information at their fingertips their whole life and has chosen not to accept, relate, or confirm it for themselves.
As I reflected back on this whole scenario, I wondered what I gained out of it? Did I really change this persons mind or did I just upset/embarrass him? I can't answer the question that I have posed, but I look at it this way. . . hopefully he walked away with a better understanding of women. Most importantly what I realized is that it is not my job or my calling in life to ‘change people’s minds. We are reflective of our upbringing, situation, and circumstance, what they believe is what they believe and if those beliefs are founded in ignorance and not in the mindset of people are people no matter their gender or race, then (in my opinion) their mindset is flawed.
I guess this portion of my blog is as good as any time to reflect on my encounters in Japan. There were times that the color of my skin played more of an issue as well as my gender. As I evaluated this issue I had to come to the realization that I was living in a country that did not have a lot of interaction with people who didn’t look like them. All of the exposure that they had to my race was what they saw on television . . . and to be clear, the media perspective of Black America is one that is shameful to say the least. So I found myself fighting and dismantling horrible stereotypes that were portrayed on the television in which they were exposed to. Even more so, those businessmen or ‘other’ foreigners in which the Japanese encountered who took it upon themselves to reinforce those stereotypes the minds of the Japanese. In all of this miseducated chaos, I had to be the light of intellect to ‘prove’ that what they were exposed to was a misrepresentation of my race and even my gender. (I mentioned my gender due to the fact that black women were stereotyped as the ‘seductress’ who is only out for your money and to destroy you) Although there were times when I wanted to tell people to kiss my behind due to the ‘sly’ racist questions and constant repetition of things I have already told you. . . I chose to take the high road and ‘graciously’ answer their questions for the sake of international and race relations.
I guess that is why when I finally moved back to the States I find that I have a lack of tolerance for race issues due to the fact that we have lived in the country for how long and people still don’t ‘understand’ the cultures that live in your own country? As a Black woman who have travelled and endured the stares, questions, and discrimination of other countries, I refuse to stomach it in my own country. . .especially when it is my own country that has displayed these horrific images of who I am ‘suppose’ to be to the world in the first place. So if I am a bit short or indifferent to the ignorance of Americans it is because I believe that they choose to be, so why should I take the time to waste my precious breathe to educated someone who has had the information at their fingertips their whole life and has chosen not to accept, relate, or confirm it for themselves.
Blog #10 - Love of Language
My love of language started in my home. I had an array of grandparents from different cultural backgrounds and they wanted to be sure that I had an appreciation of all of it. I guess you can say that my respect for different cultures started at home as well, being that I saw my grandparents respect one another whether it was for the love of their grandchildren or not they shared their backgrounds with one another and respected their differences. Portuguese, Cherokee (Tsalagi), Choctaw (Chahta Anumpa), and French Creole were languages that were heard and spoken in my home, not to mention the cuisine. Although my parents and grandparents made sure that my first language was Standard English, they also wanted to make sure that I had knowledge of their native languages as well. It was pretty cool though when it was time for family reunions as well. My mother made sure that we visited relatives that lived all over, so when my cousins came from their respective homes, my sister and I were the translators. (Even though we all lived in the US). Relatives from Connecticut, Louisiana, and California all spoke with different dialects and accents which made it a challenge for them to understand one another. Therefore, as I began to travel picking up languages and the dialect of those languages wasn’t as difficult for me as it may have been for most.As an educator I have taken a great interest of bilingual education in our public schools. I feel as though it is completely one sided if only Hispanic children are given the opportunity to this type of education. In many other countries bilingual is made available to all children and has left the US in the dust when it comes to linguistics. I would love to see bilingual education as a co teaching effort in the US. This would put teacher’s minds at ease and also give them an opportunity to learn another language as well. The students of this country would no longer be last in an ever changing world when it came to language if we would implement foreign language into our nation’s curriculum. We have and are doing our students a disservice by not exposing them to various languages. In the Southwest region of this country it is imperative that bilingual education take place in the classroom, starting with Spanish instruction for all students in all subject areas. I know that this is a fear for quite a few teachers who feel as though their jobs would be at risk, but in a co teaching model all stand to benefit. My plan would be to assign a language based on the majority of minorities in that particular region. For example, the Northwest would focus on Japanese and Chinese, where as the Northeast would focus on French bilingual education. The North central region of the US could focus on German where as the Eastern seaboard could teach Russian and Italian. I know this is a pipe dream, but how cool would it be that our nation could be just as multilingual as it is multicultural. Other countries teach English as a mandatory second language, but what is awesome about their curriculum is that students get the opportunity to choose a third language as well.
When I taught in Japan most of the teachers I worked with understood academic English which made it easy for me, but to challenge myself I tried to speak Japanese whenever I wasn’t teaching, I co-taught with a teacher whose native language was Japanese but was certified to teach English. This was an awesome pairing due to the fact that I was there to help students with the conversational portion of the English language as well as day to day vernacular. (The stuff that wasn’t in textbooks) This caused me to study English more in depth because I wanted to be sure that I could address any questions about the English language beyond my academic and regional knowledge. I had to explore Great Britain, Australian, Irish, Scottish, and American English to truly give my students a full and fair view of the different styles and types of the English language. What I learned in the process of this research is that just as vast as the English language is on American soil it is just as vast everywhere else too. Also, that each language has a large variety of dialect and accents due to regional and grammatical differences. This taught me that there is a standard in any language, but to get to the heart of the people is to understand and appreciate their dialect as well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)