Blog Post 7

Generally speaking, Ayers discusses building bridges in the classroom in a metaphorical sense. Ayers’ building bridges metaphor represents a way for problem solving. The students start constructing their bridges from the problem and conclude the construction of their bridges at the solution. Students could always work together to “build these bridges,” which we saw in the comic book as the students literally constructed a bridge for the classroom turtle. Along the way, students may encounter some construction on the road, which hopefully does not slow them down too much, but with the knowledge and assistance of the teacher and their fellow students, that particular student should pass the construction with ease. Two pertinent examples come to mind, while contemplating Ayers’ metaphor of building bridges. There needs to be a bridge built between the teacher and the students; more specifically, as the teacher imparts his/her knowledge on the students, the students also impart their knowledge on the teacher. Clearly, learning is a two way road, a give and take process. Another bridge that needs to be built is the bridge between the teacher and the parents of the students. This bridge not only allows the teacher to see what is going on with the students outside of the classroom, which could influence the behavior of the students inside of the classroom, but this bridge also crumbles the notion that teachers live in an entirely separate world from everyone else. I do not know how this notion was created, but it baffles me how students react when they their teachers outside of the classroom. 

In order to compose a lesson on the Holocaust, there are many factors I would need to take into consideration as I formed the lesson. First, I would start by asking the students what they already know about the Holocaust, a concept introduced to us by Freire. From there, I would fill in the gaps for them and encourage them to ask me questions along the way. By no means would I stand up there and lecture the whole time, considering my students’ minds are not empty vaults that I am trying to fill with material. Class cannot feel any longer when the teacher stands up front for the full duration of class and does not involve or interact with the students at all. Perhaps we could take a field trip to a local museum to learn more knowledge; I remember looking forward to the day of a field trip when I was in grade school. If we were to stay put in the classroom, I would come up with an interactive activity or have them do a discussion in small groups. I find that discussion in small groups makes the class not only go by quickly, but the other students could also explain a controversial topic in terms that the other students understand more clearly. Hopefully by the end of the lesson, students will have a solid grasp on the Holocaust. 

Blog Post 6

            In the excerpt we read, Freire introduces the reader to some interesting topics. The first topic Freire discusses is the banking approach to education. If I was to become a teacher, this is not the approach I would use in my classroom because it is quite alienating. There is simply no connection between the teacher and his or her students, and I would not appreciate the feeling of being disconnected from my students. As the teacher talks, the students listen, thus “filling” up their minds with narrations. Another way to look at the banking approach is by the teacher having an active role in the classroom, while the students have a passive role, just sitting in their desks mindlessly. Also, this approach does not take into account the circumstances of the students. Personally, I would want to be aware of my students’ lives outside of the classroom in order to better understand their behaviors. Thankfully, there are alternatives to the banking approach of education. For example, a teacher could begin with the experiences of the students, which is probably the route I would take in my classroom, and formulate lessons from there. There would also be a dialogue between the students and the teachers, versus the teacher being the only one speaking in the classroom. One aspect of education that aggravates me is how some teachers think they are above or superior to their students, and Freire proposes a wonderful solution to this notion. The teachers are in the classroom to learn as well, not just the students. The moment more teachers realize this, the efficiency of the classrooms throughout the globe will increase significantly.

Blog Post 5

Rofes’ piece is one of the most controversial pieces that I have read thus far. In terms of his concept of liberalism, he believes that parents and those closely related to the LGBTQ people should protect and stick up for those who identify as being part of that community. For example, if I see a gay man being bullied on campus, I could step in and defend him, and then I would be considered liberal in Rofes’ eyes. I attended an all girls high school, and obviously there were rumors of girls who were lesbians. Sadly, those rumors were never confirmed or denied because the girls who were suspected to be lesbians never came out. Perhaps they decided to not come out because my high school did not have an alliance posing as a safe haven for them. Another reason why they possibly did not come out was because they felt generally uncomfortable and feared rejection from their fellow students. Regardless of the reason, it saddens me that these girls did not officially admit to be lesbians because every student should feel accepted and loved by her fellow peers and teachers.  

Rofes discusses childhood in an interesting manner, considering he believes children are the most oppressed in today’s society. I really faced oppression when I was in grade school and high school. One of the most irrational rules in grade school was the fact that I could not where nail polish, and if you were caught wearing nail polish, the teacher directed you to take it off immediately. To this day, I do not understand the rationalization behind that rule. In high school, girls could not dye their hair drastically, and I actually witnessed someone from administration tell a student to change her hair back to its natural color. I believe a person has the right to identify himself/herself sexually however he/she wants to, and I would treat a member of the LGBTQ community like anyone else. In terms of children, considering I want to be an Early Childhood teacher, I adore children and would treat them with respect and try my hardest not to oppress them in my classroom.

Blog Post 4

This second quotation from Lisa Delpit expresses several ideas teachers need to keep in mind as they go about their business in the classroom. Teachers need to be conscientious of where their students come from. More specifically, teachers need to be aware that sometimes maybe the language spoken in the classroom is not the language their students are used to. For example, perhaps a student is a first generation American whose parents immigrated from Mexico, and his or her parents only speak Spanish in their home. Consequently, as the teacher gives her lesson to the class, that student might be translating in his or her mind what the teacher is saying in English to Spanish in order to better understand the concepts. If the teacher were to tell that student that his or her process of thinking was “wrong,” like the quotation says, then that teacher is being disrespectful. Not only does that student then feel unloved because that’s the language his or her nurturing parents speak to him or her, but that student also may be hesitant to participate in class now, fearing that the teacher will ridicule him or her.

This concept is also a two-way road. My physics teacher in high school is from Egypt. My teacher expressed to us one day that as we are asking her questions in English, she is coming up with her response in Arabic, and translates her response back to English in order to communicate with us. Even though I was frustrated at times with her, we were able to work with her as a class to get passed this language barrier. If more students and teachers realized where everyone comes from, then the classroom will be a more peaceful and an efficient place for learning.

Field Blog 1: Boulevard Elementary

After observing the four classrooms at Boulevard Elementary School, I made two direct correlations with the material we discussed in class. One of the concepts Ayers proposes in chapter two of his comic book is how “labeling students has become an epidemic in our schools- a toxic habit with no known limits” (18). Mrs. Bellini, one of the fourth grade teachers, did not treat her students any differently than students without disabilities. However, I am not saying that Mrs. Bellini was completely insensitive to that fact. In chapter three of his comic book, Ayers stresses the importance of the layout of the classroom. I could not help but notice how the open classrooms allowed for easy maneuverability and discussion between the teachers and their students. The only classroom I visited with four walls and a door was Mrs. Curry’s classroom. Considering her students were reading, I assume this type of classroom works to their advantage because they will not get distracted by the noise coming from the other classrooms, thus allowing them to focus on reading. I appreciated the incorporation of technology in all of the classrooms, an inevitable aspect of this day and age. More specifically, each teacher used a Smart Board in her classroom, and in Mrs. Bellini’s classroom, I noticed each student had a laptop in front of him or her. Thankfully, no major conflicts came up in any of the classrooms I observed in. With all of this being said, I cannot wait to begin my individual hours, and I look forward to the other field trips we will be taking as a class.