Sexual Orientation & Religion in the Classroom

I really enjoyed the conversations we had today about religion and sexual orientation in the classroom.  It allowed me to hear other opinions about how to address these issues within the classroom and to be more open-minded about other perspectives.  In my classroom I plan on acknowledging these issues that occur within society while taking a neutral stance.

While I intend on staying neutral in viewing sexual orientation and religion in the classroom, I hadn’t considered refraining from  things that I would consider so routine, such as wearing a crucifix.  We, as teachers should recognize the influential power we have on our students and be weary of every word we say and action we take–even when it comes to things we may generally overlook.

Alpha & Beta Land

I thought today’s culture game was a wonderful approach on learning the aspects of different cultures.  I think the concept of feeling like an “outsider” penetrate much deeper when you’re given the opportunity to experience it first hand.  This exercise would also be a wonderful tool to demonstrate the mixed feelings and emotions that are attached to being in a new culture for the first time.

Similar to the Blue Eye/Non-Blue Eye exercise, this Alpha Land/Beta Land exercise will allow children to walk in the shoes of others and to think more critically.  Exercises like these will provide more memorable teachable moments for the children to take with them throughout life.

Gentrification

I have never heard of the word gentrification.  I have never recognized the process of removing people from their communities and replacing them with a different group of people.  Where do the “removed” people go??  I always thought that when neighborhoods got remodeled or revitalized, everyone benefited.  I guess not.

After having the class discussion about the small gaps between middle-class, working-class, and the poor, I had an even more sobering experience today when I realized that the people that have been removed from their homes are poeple just like me and you that perhaps just had a few less opportunities.  Many of us think that things like this could never happen to us, but unfortunately it does.

I think becoming more aware of situations like these make me look at the world in an entirely new way.  The next time I drive by an old apartment complex that has been boarded up, I will ask myself, “Where did those people go?”

Help Save the Starfish!

I really enjoyed the quote of the day we had in class. It brought on the same feeling I had when Jane Elliott closed the video yesterday with the quote about the Lutheran Minister not having anyone to save him from the Nazis because he hadn’t made the effort to save anyone himself.

I think we should challenge ourselves to convey the importance of these messages to our future classrooms. If everyone makes one improvement in the life of another, think of the ripple effect our future students can create on society! The world is full of beached starfish, how many can you throw back?

White Privilege

I really enjoyed watching the video in class today. I admire the way she incorporated white privilege into her third grade classroom by segregating the blue-eyed students. I think it is a wonderful method of heightening the awareness of privileges possessed by only select members of society.  Race, gender, and sexual orientation are some of the factors that unfairly classify individuals, and time must be spent unifying everyone as a whole rather than drawing lines of boundaries.  Until everyone recognizes the need for change, no improvements can be implemented.

QECR

I think I always assumed that providing a quality education was already a constitutional right to everyone in the United States.  Even if children are required to be enrolled in school, this does not ensure each child is actually being provided a “quality education.”   I think that having such an in-depth conversation about the QECR organization opened my eyes to the improvement that needs to be made within the United State’s educational opportunities offered to its students.  We, as future teachers, are critical components of this essential process of change and should help support the efforts directed towards these changes.

Visiting Teachers from Mexico

Talking with the teachers from Mexico was an incredible opportunity. Many of the students in our future classrooms will be from Mexico and I appreciate learning more about the culture that the children will bring to my future class. I really enjoyed learning about the different aspects Mexican elementary schools have that the United States elementary schools do not.

One of the interesting aspects that was mentioned is that all of the schools visited in the Atlanta area had very strong structures implemented into the school, such as quiet talking, always walking in lines, and having separate rooms for each subject area, such as art, music, and P.E.

In Mexico, the structure is not so strict. Students are not constantly told to “Shh, shh, shh,” by the teacher, children are not forced into single-file lines, and all the educational activities take place in one community-like classroom. (Teachers from each area of expertise will come into the classroom.) The teachers from Mexico also explained that teachers and students in their schools will often times hug and exchange kisses on the cheek; it is a much more loving family-type environment compared to the schools in Atlanta.

First Day of Class!

I really enjoyed our first day of class…It’s even more interesting than I thought it would be. I’m very excited to see what the next few weeks have in store! Although we did a bunch of interesting activities today, my favorite part was participating in the activity when we traveled around the room to each of the words or phrases that we most relate to individually and sharing our thoughts on the surrounding issues. I’ve never had an opportunity to share so many personal aspects with so many diverse individuals–it’s very refreshing!