final reflection on spring 24' semester - 04.15.24

This semester has certainly been a wild ride! This class has offered me a lot of new perspectives that I probably wouldn't have considered otherwise. Here are my top three most impactful experiences in this class.

1. Shalaby, Troublemakers. - I think out of every author we discussed in class, Shalaby had the most innovative ideas. I found Shalaby's argument to be relevant, powerful, and easy to expand upon. I especially connected with Shalaby's language and appreciated this text a lot.

2. Queering Our Schools - I really found this text engaging, especially because of my personal connection. This text in specific has given me a lot to think about in regards to how best to support students.

3. Service Learning - There is nothing like getting real experiences within the classroom. Getting to connect with the students, make a difference, and learn how to become a great teacher has been both a blast and a sincere challenge. I think service learning has been the most rich experience at RIC for me thus far.

a few reasons why i hated tenth grade - reflection on "queering our schools" by the editors of rethinking schools (04.07.24)

 Blog Post #10

Reflection on “Queering Our Schools” by The Editors of Rethinking Schools

(Hi! This blog post uses the phrase “queer” in a reclaimed sense of the word. There is power in taking back what you have been called. Thanks!)

Admittedly, being queer in a public school sucks hardcore. As someone who grew up as one of maybe ten other queer students in a suburban small town with more farmland than critical thinking, being out in high school was one of the most frustrating, isolating, and annoying experiences of my life. I was outed as queer in 8th grade and immediately realized that school was no longer a fully safe space for me. For much of it, my sexuality went undiscussed. Most of the students around me either made no note of my identity or kept it to mildly polite microaggressions and weirdly personal questions about my relationships. In 10th grade, a boy I was tutoring asked me if “he could watch” me and my partner at the time. When I told my teacher, the boy was pulled from class, but still returned to our session the next week and continued to ogle at my girlfriend when she would shuttle me snacks after her class. I was never asked how I felt about the incident. In 11th grade, the boy who sat behind me in American History would kick my chair and whisper slurs when I walked by. He asked me once if I thought God would forgive me for kissing a girl. I told him I was late for class and then snuck off to find solace in the upstairs bathroom. The boy never got in trouble. 

Throughout high school, queerness existed as both a taboo, not to be mentioned nor discussed within the classroom, and a spectacle. I can note far too many instances of blatant homophobia and hate within my school. There is something so incredibly dehumanizing about watching the other members of your community being attacked for no reason other than existing and doing nothing about it. As many times as I spoke out against the prejudice, there were twice as many times I bit my lip and kept my head down. When the only openly gay teacher was harrassed constantly by students and parents alike, I gave him a private smile and kept my head down. When the nonbinary student a grade below me became the target of seemingly unending bullying, I told them I liked their flag and kept my head down. When the girl next to me in AP Art grinned that “at least you're bisexual and not like, a full on lesbian,” I laughed it off and kept my head down. I knew nothing would be done. 

During this time, I had one teacher who fought for me, my community, and my identity, no matter what. I won’t name him in the interest of privacy, but this educator is the reason I find myself pursuing a teaching degree today. In my opinion, this teacher is the pinnacle of pride, mentorship, and kindness. He taught me to be proud of myself and to speak out against hatred. He taught me how to write, how to craft my words into weapons, and face discrimination with the shield of education. He is the best teacher I’ve ever met. He is the point of this long, drawn-out anecdote. As I read this text, I reflect on this teacher's actions and recognize a key aspect of how we, as educators, can stand up for our queer students. We must, as Delpit reiterated in her own text, prepare our students for the real world. This text encourages us to include queer identities in our curriculum. I can certainly agree with this sentiment, but I do not believe it to be universal. While it is helpful to queer students to have our identities prevalent, it also places us further on display. In my own experience, being on display was something I was subjected to often. I think, as educators, we can support our queer students best by empowering them with the skills to stay unshaken of homophobia. Teach our queer students to write, to debate, to be proud of themselves, to enable them to make the decision to educate or ignore. Teach our queer students to be fully, 100% confident, and proud of their identity. Teach them to shine. 

With this post, I’ve attached a video essay by Contrapoints on gender. Really interesting if you're curious about the spectrum of queer identities and also I am obsessed with everything Contra does. Check it out!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pTPuoGjQsI

To Share: The author of this text states that 82% of queer students have been verbally harassed on the basis of their sexuality. What does being queer mean to you? Have you ever faced discrimination, and how did it affect you? How were the queer students in your school treated?

girls with too much pizzaz -reflection on "eliminating ableism in the classroom" by hehir (04.05.24)

 Blog Post #9

Reflection on “Eliminating Ableism in Education” by Hehir

By this point, it is no secret in our class that I have ADHD! It affects me daily, whether it be sitting down to write these blog posts, late nights filled with creative bursts, or a generalized inability to keep myself from chatting with everyone in a 20-mile radius. It may, however, come as a surprise that I love having ADHD. To me, my ADHD is a special and unique way that I get to view the world. It makes me more creative, and less socially anxious, and I feel as though it acts as my natural spark. Over time, I have come to love my ADHD and appreciate it as part of what makes me, me! This, however, was not always the case. It has taken me many years and a lot of reassessing my own thoughts for me to untrain my internalized ableism. Ableism, that was perpetuated throughout my education. 

In first grade, my nickname when in class was “popcorn” because I simply could not stay in my seat. I was all across the room, a small, overly emotional, and overly excited kid who had far too much energy and nowhere to disperse it. I often found myself in trouble for causing distractions, whether through trying to talk about recess drama during a math test or because I had asked to go to the bathroom for the 100th time just to have somewhere to go. As I read Hehir’s text, “Eliminating Ableism in Education,” I find myself reflecting on my own experiences. Hehir calls for us to acknowledge the ableism we see and search for ways to create accommodations. As someone with a learning disability, Hehir’s words mean a lot to me. I wasn’t given an IEP until around 6th grade, when I was officially diagnosed, however all of the signs were there. While some of this may relate to the fact that I was a girl with ADHD and not a boy, who is far more easily diagnosed, I find myself bitter about the lack of support I received.

    Even when I had my IEP, I often found myself fighting to get my accommodations realized. Many teachers, in my experience, are far too eager to write off behaviors that exhibit a larger problem as a “behavioral issue” rather than taking the time to search for the larger cause. Like Hehir states in their text, I believe much of my own struggle could have been lessened if my teachers were more educated and aware of learning disabilities. As we move forward on our path to becoming educators, it’s key to recognize the importance of acknowledgment. Even having a teacher recognize that I was not struggling on purpose, that I didn't mean to be distracting but that I simply was having a hard time, would’ve made me feel so much more known. 

With this post, I’ve included a hyperlink to an article on supporting students with learning disabilities. I encourage you to check it out and add it to your “future teacher” toolbox!!

https://sites.ed.gov/idea/idea-files/guide-positive-proactive-approaches-to-supporting-children-with-disabilities/

language in the classroom - reflection on "aria" by richard rodriguez (04.05.24)

 Blog Post #8 

Reflection on “Aria” by Richard Rodriguez

 

Language is one of the keystones of our society. One of the facets of humanity that separates us from other animals is our ability to communicate with one another. As educators are those tasked with teaching and preparing the students of the future, we must recognize our role in the development of language. 

“Aria” by Richard Rodriguez is a text that reflects the delicate balance of teaching a new language without erasing the past. This central idea is best represented by a quote on page two, where Rodriguez states that as a young Spanish speaker learning English,  “...[Rodriguez] couldn't believe that the English language was [his] to use.” (pg 2).

In my own opinion, this quote summarizes one of the central themes that has been discussed in class thus far. When we regard our MLL students, it’s important to consider the identity-related confusion that is ever present as they navigate learning a second language. Teaching students whose first language is not English is an incredibly delicate subject, as it is key to recognize the fine line between teaching them English in order to prepare them for the real world, and not erasing their cultural heritage. 

We can also compare this text to Delpit’s “Culture of Power,” as we note that both authors are encouraging us as educators to prepare our minority students for the world they will face outside of school. It is a fact that linguistic racism exists, and will likely exist for many years to come. In order to best prepare our students, we just equip them with the power to “speak white.” It is the unfortunate reality that POC students will obtain more opportunities and successes if they are able to communicate with those who hold the power. However, we must also encourage these students to hold onto their home language. To teach our students the codes of conduct related to the workforce in a country that places white people at a significant level of privilege is to arm them with the ability to defend themselves and their ideologies no matter what form of bigotry is thrown at them. 

With this text, I’ve included a hyperlink to a wonderful resource on strategies for teaching MLL learners! Check it out, it’s very helpful and provides wonderful insights on how to approach the topics we are grappling with in class on a more “real-world” scale. 

https://pce.sandiego.edu/11-essential-strategies-for-teaching-english-language-learners-for-any-teacher/