Tuesday, August 19, 2014

6164 Professional Hopes and Goals



When I think about working with children and families who come from diverse backgrounds I hope that they feel important, valued, and well-cared for when they are in my classroom.  I love the quote above by Jimmy Carter.  It speaks to the idea that we are all different as our are values, hopes, and dreams.  When he compares it to a beautiful mosaic you can tell that he values these differences and sees them as important.  I want families to know that I am on their side and will do anything I can to make them feel welcome and valued in my classroom.

One goal that I have personally is to address issues rather than shy away from them.  When I think of past conflicts between children in my classroom I realize that there have been many missed opportunities to teach about diversity, equity, and social justice.  I tend to move past a conflict or the mean words of a child by telling them that what they said is not okay.  My goal would be to dive deeper and work through the conflict more thoroughly so that both the child who said something and the victim know why what they said is hurtful and not acceptable in our classroom.

I would like to say thank you to all of you for your help during this course.  The thoughtful posts, probing questions, and meaningful discussions allowed me to see things from many different perspectives.  I've enjoyed learning and growing with all of you during this course.  Good luck in your future coursework!

Saturday, August 16, 2014

6164 Week 7 Blog

For the purpose of this assignment I am going to imagine that I have a family moving from Spain and enrolling their child in my Kindergarten class.  This has happened several times before, but without advanced notice I will say that I don’t feel I was as prepared or as culturally sensitive as I could have been.
I would want to first prepare myself by researching their country of origin and finding out as much information on the family as possible.  Being well-informed will lead to a better understanding of where the family is coming from culturally, linguistically, etc.

Another thing that I would consider quite important is ensuring that I am able to say the child’s name correctly.  Sometimes names have special accents or can be hard to pronounce.  It would be important for me to know how to address the child properly so he/she felt welcome and valued.  My brother’s name is Nasser and it is commonly mispronounced.  He gets frustrated when people don’t even try to say his name the right way.  I also previously had a student from Spain who went by his middle name instead of his first name.  All are important things to know ahead of time.

The family’s language of origin would be something important to know as well.  Assuming that a family from Spain speaks Spanish could be a mistake, however well-intentioned.  I had a student from Spain a few years ago and it turns out he and his family spoke perfect English.  While they had lived in Spain for a few years they were there for the husbands work and had previously lived in the US.  Checking to learn real information instead of making assumptions would be important.  If the family did speak another language primarily I would be curious to know how much English they know.  If the answer is no or limited English, I would be looking for a translator to help bridge communication.  I might also learn a few words or phrases to help ease the child into the classroom and better communicate with parents.

Learning what holidays are celebrated by the family would be another step.  Our school calendar follows Christian holidays as far as days off go.  If the family practiced another religion I would want to know and be aware that they may miss days or celebrate alternatively.  It would also be imperative to know their religious practices if they had any effect on the child’s diet.  I have previously taught children who had religious beliefs that prohibited them from eating both beef and pork.

Finally, I would want to know about the culture of their country as well as their family culture.  It would be important to know the roles of family members and their views on education.  If one parent was the spokesperson more than another I would want to know that.  Views and values on education are important to understand when they are different from my own.  I have had families who have very high expectations of their Kindergartners and others who do not value the lessons taught in hands-on ways and would prefer worksheets.  These are all things that are important to know.


My hope would be that these preparations would give me a foundation on which to form a relationship with the family.  Even if the information I gathered was not all accurate, the family would see that I am trying and that I value them as a part of my classroom community.

Saturday, August 9, 2014

6164 Week 6 Blog

During the summer I work as a receptionist at a summer rental property.  My job entails answering phones, responding to emails, and working with guests when they come to check in.  My boss is an amazing, kind, and funny woman.  That being said, she has many ideas about people that I would say are not “politically correct” and customer service is not her strong suit because of this.

Today my boss took a call from a woman with a very heavy Russian accent.  She apologized for her rough English to start the conversation.  When the woman spelled her name for her reservation I heard my boss comment to the woman that it was sort of a crazy last name.  Later she said, “You are very hard to understand, did you know that?”  The woman was embarrassed by her limited English to begin with and I’m sure the comment did not help.  After hanging up my boss commented that she hated calls from “those people” because she could never understand them.

This interaction made me feel very uncomfortable.  On one hand I wanted to say something to stand up for the woman on the phone.  On the other hand I was worried about upsetting my boss by bringing up something that she had done.  It was a very awkward situation and I ended up not saying anything.  While I did not encourage her behavior I also did not stop it, which is how things are allowed to continue.


The comments my boss made diminished the equity of the woman on the phone.  She was made to feel inferior because of her broken English.  To set the situation right my boss would have needed to be more culturally sensitive and respectful or the woman would have needed to say something to combat the behavior. 

6165 Week 6 Blog

The adjourning phase of group or team work is when everyone leaves to move on to other projects.  I have had a few groups that I was sad to leave but there have been others that I was more than happy to put an end to.  I think that high functioning groups are definitely more difficult to leave than ones where there is turmoil and conflict. 

This past school year I was part of an excellent team comprised of three Kindergarten teachers (one from each Elementary school in the district) and one building principal.  The goal of this group was to change the way that our schools place children into Kindergarten.  When teachers place children in all other grades a lot of thought is put into the decision.  In Kindergarten, however, we were just getting the luck of the draw.  One class may be riddled with behavior problems while another had extremely high achievers.  We set out to balance classes through a screening day, but our mission was to make it as welcoming and inviting as possible.  We did not want parents to see it as a test or something their child would pass or fail.  Instead, we wanted to welcome families in, spend time with children, and thoughtfully place them into classrooms based on their disposition, skills, needs, and previous schooling.

One thing that I loved about working on this group was their passion for the work we were doing.  Each member was strongly committed to doing what was best for children and families.  I also loved that our group was comprised of only 4 members as it was easier to make group decisions with a smaller number of participants.  When we got ready to leave the group I was quite sad to see that our time had come to an end.  I was proud of the work we had accomplished, though.  To end our sessions together we kicked off the screening that we had designed.  It was impactful to see all of our hard work in action!  We also decided to meet a few times each school year to tweak the program we created as well as to add components to make it even better.

In other groups the adjourning phase ended with a celebration of sorts.  Usually this was dinner out or a get together with the other group members.  During these events, group members always shared stories about our group work and looked back at where we started.  This was always powerful because sometimes in the midst of the work you lose track of just how much you did or changed.

When I think of adjourning from the group of colleagues I’ve worked with during my Master’s program it does sadden me a bit.  While I will be thrilled to no longer think of due dates for discussions, blog posts, and applications, I will miss the fellowship.  There have been many instances where I have heard a new idea from an assignment and directly applied it to an activity in my classroom.  Other times I have been challenged in my thinking by the assignments and the comments from classmates.


Adjourning is important because it allows the group to find some closure.  You get to look back at where you started and re-live the journey.  It allows the group a chance to celebrate successes and thank the other members for the parts they have played.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

6165 Week 5 Blog

On my Kindergarten team there are two other teachers that I collaborate with on a daily basis.  I have found that I have trouble expressing my opposition to a new idea or plan they suggest.  My tendency is to come off as rude or defensive when my goal is actually just to share my opinion.  One thing that I plan to try is looking for a broader range of solutions.  Instead of just saying I do not like an idea or plan they come up with, I should be ready to suggest alternatives.  This might make turning their idea down go better as I will have provided alternate solutions.  The other tactic I will try is suggesting a compromise.  Perhaps we can try things the way they suggest for a specific period of time.  After that time we can get together and talk about what worked and what didn't work.


Has anyone else had trouble expressing their opinions in a group?  I find that there are things I am passionate about and when I share my views on them I sometimes come across too strong.  Is there a happy medium between sharing my views and keeping the peace with others?