Carrying our biases with us...

Talking about biases is scary, but maybe we're at a place where we can comfortably voice these biases without fear of judgement. I won't sit here and say I've never thought about my personal biases, because I have...not in great detail, of course, but I've at least come to the realization that I have them.

I believe that I have a bias of educated people being more intelligent, social, and able to succeed in life. Education is a value of mine, therefore, I sometimes view uneducated people in a different light. Of course, there are reasons why some people are undecuated such as poverty, social class, and personal values. Still, I hold this bias due to my own upbringing and social surroundings throughout my life.

I grew up in a small town where every friend of mine had parents who had either Bachelor degrees or higher. For example: my best friend's dad was a professor, a woman I worked for was a doctor, many parents were teachers with Master degrees...etc etc. My father went to an Ivy League school, as did his entire family. My Aunt is a professor and researcher at Columbia. Needless to say, I have been conditioned to believe that an education reaps many benefits. I link it to good jobs, intelligence, social skills...I can't really help that I do this. Many people don't have the means to a good education, I just happen to come from a family who does.

Working in schools exposes you to a variety of children from many settings. Many of them have young parents, parents who didn't attend college, and these children have no desire to further their education. I guess when I hear this, I am blown away and slightly saddened. Perhaps I can be someone to reinforce to these kids how important an education is, and not just because it will "land you a job." Education is much more than that.

I'm not sure that I'll ever rid myself of this bias, and that's okay. I can't change how I was raised, and people become who they are partly (mostly?) because of their life experiences. I don't doubt that I'll carry this for life, and it's just something I'll have to work with if it gets in the way.

Age-Biased Article from Psychology.com

Great Ideas

Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

 

(check out above link to another SKR talk)

 

 

The talk by Sir Ken Robinson that we saw in class on Tuesday was awesome. He has a lot of lectures on TED.com, and I have already used this website to see many other great "ideas worth spreading." He is well-spoken, humorous, and knowledgable. Of course, implementing his ideas is a whole different story. However, I say who cares? His ideas are great to listen to, and in my mind, they are right on the money.

I feel as if my education has brought me to a great place. I like who I am, what I have become, and what I have accomplished. Not only did I learn math and science, but I was exposed to art through weekly art classes, choir in middle school and then on to an internationally awarded women's chamber choir, and some drama here and there. If not for my exposure to these creative outlets, I wouldn't be who I am right now. I have the ability to think freely, come up with original ideas, and let my mind wander in a constructive way. If not for the ability to do this, how would any one decide what they truly want to do in life? In another talk by Sir Ken Robinson, he states how most adults are not doing what they really want to be doing (for work, mainly). Adults think that they have no choice in the matter, and that they are stuck doing something unfulfilling. Why is this so? It's because adults have lost the power to dig deep within themselves to find out what makes them feel comfortable, happy, and passionate. Typically, someone will flourish at a career that they feel comfortable in. Nevertheless, adults day in and day out go to their desk and sit angrily tapping at their computer and feeling out of place. The connection to children, is that children have the ability to explore with no fear of failure. Somewhere along the line, we all lose this ability because the education system shuffles us along in pre-determined ways.

Our system needs to allow children to continue to explore, create, and imagine. Designated times to do this in class will help children develop ideas, and an identity! This will help them later in life. It seems like most adults are uhappy these days, what with the economy, unknown future, and the overall fast pace of life. None of this will change, but what has to change, is our outlook on things. Perhaps going back to our childhood creativity will help us reach the happiness that we have lost.

Including Samuel proved to be emotional (for me...)

The movie on inclusion this past week struck a chord with me. I looked at it from the perspective of a parent...something I wouldn't have done even 2 years ago, seeing as my son is 15 months old. It's a whole different side of things when I think of it this way. If my child had any sort of disability I would want him to be amongst his peers in a social environment. I wouldn't want him sectioned off in a room for only children with disabilities...that's not conducive to learning social skills. It's emotional for me to think of my child, a normal human being despite an "issue" that other children may not have, would possibly be turned into an outcast. I would never want that for my child, and so this idea of full inclusion (or even partial inclusion) becomes debatable for me. I think it's a good thing, but only if teachers are educated and prepared to deal with these children. The one teacher in the movie who admitted to crying about the year she had when certain kids had been literally thrown into her classroom makes me wonder if teachers are truly prepared for these circumstances. If we are going to move on with inclusion, proper education must be provided for teachers. A classroom with children of varying abilities creates a dynamic that many teachers aren't familiar with. It's a recipe for disaster. I'm not looking to become licensed in Special Education, however, having some special ed classes under my belt couldn't hurt, it seems. It's heart wrenching for me to think that some children are viewed as scary or incapable due to their disability. Unfortunately, many of us grew up in environments where we learned to avoid these kids...I know that I did. Our lack of knowledge was the only reason for disliking such children...so maybe if we all took the time to educate ourselves we would be more accepting and able to deal with these kids in a classroom. On a personal scale, I would like to learn much more about children with special needs :-)

White privilege - here to stay?

(this post was supposed to post on October 21, Thursday... but it never went through. So here it is now...)


White privilige is something that I never thought about in great detail. The Peggy McIntish article states a lot of things that I take for granted, and probably don't want to give up! She says that whites are taught not to recognize white privilege. I guess that makes sense. I grew up in a predominantly white town, attended a mostly white school, and hung out with white friends. I never actually had to face the race issue until later in life. This isn't to say that I wasn't taught about it, however, I wasn't exposed to it in a physical sense. I've always been in classrooms comprised of white students...so how will I teach to those with different backgrounds than myself? Coming from a middle/upper class family, the values that I have and those that my students have will probably be different. Teaching here in NM is hugely different than my roots, and it will take a lot of thought, patience, emapthy, and overall understanding. A class I was in this past week had not one white child, which is completely different than any school I ever attended. These children come from families that aren't always two-parent families, they have learning problems, and don't receive a lot of help outside of the classroom. I want to help these children as best I can, but...what if their main goal in life is to quit school early to have a family or go to work? Their family values are likely much different than mine, so having cultural awareness is a necessity when teaching these children.

I'm not sure if white privilege will ever disappear. Racism/classism (or any "ism", I guess) has been around since humans came to live on this earth. It's practically a staple of our society, sadly. People define themselves as "white" or "black" or what have you. Yeah, lots of people want every one to be looked at as just HUMAN, but when and how will this change occur? It will take some sort of revolution to truly see change, and in my mind, there are too many selfish people in this world for that to happen.

Classrooms as battle grounds

How do we teach while kids are throwing paper airplanes and fighting and swearing at each other? It's easy to formulate a philosophy that claims one will strive to reach all children and work individually with students in need. It's easy to say things, but not so easy to act on them, especially in the classroom environment that is ever-changing.

How do we come to a personal philosophy and also know how to apply it in a classroom setting? How much of our philosophy actually focuses on the daily tasks of teaching that become daunting? I think that when we think so deeply about teaching that we forget that teaching is so much more than these "great ideas." Our ideologies may sound wonderful, but we need to apply them to the real world. Dealing with paperwork, tesing, conferences, administration, parents, colleagues...these are the things that teachers face every day that they don't prepare for in a teacher prep program. As we sit around creating these big ideas, lets not forget that the more tedious parts of teaching are yet more obstacles to overcome. The uncooperative students, the messy classrooms, the lesson plans that just don't pan out...these are things that we have to think about. I think some teachers get scared away by these aspects because they are unable to practice their beliefs.

If we approach all of this with the knowledge that teaching is tough, in so many ways, we will be okay. It's not necessarily a dream job for every one, and by no means easy. Teachers don't sit at their desks while students silently do seat work all day. Teaching encompasses jumping all the seeminly small hurdles (that are really big), and still getting some child to learn something on any given day. Staying late to help one student, or staying late to clean up your classroom...small things are sometimes better than the big things. Teaching becomes miraculous if you help just one child gain confidence, achieve a better grade, or be happy to come to school. I think it's all a process, and you can't expect an entire classroom of kids to move along at the same pace and achieve pre-set goals made by you, the teacher.

So what if I work at Burger King?

My philosophy paper is coming along. I am finding that I start out with a great and solid idea, but get off track the more I write. I think it has more to do with new ideas popping into my head than anything else. By the end of this semester I want to have a good idea of what I want in my classroom, how I want to teach, and possibly, where I want to teach. The latter won't be as easy because I will probably take a job that isn't necessarily where I want to be. In due time, however, maybe I will end up in a desirable place. Or, maybe the place I end up in will become my desirable place.

I'm looking to help all children, and the issue of low and high achievers comes up in my paper. I was asked the question, "What's wrong with being a low achiever?" I guess all I read about is people feeling like there are students being left behind, forgotten, and forced to work at Burger King. But...what IS wrong with working at Burger King? I want to work with kids and help them succeed to an extent, but, it is ultimately their decision where they go in life. I don't think that we can guide all children in the places that WE want them to go. I think that there are places like Burger King and coffee shops and retail shops where we need certain people to work at for low pay. These places have historically paid less than other industries...and we need people to continue working at them. Not every one wants to be a lawyer or a doctor, right? But, does this mean I have no compassion for some students...? I don't believe so, I think I just have different goals for certain students. The world has a wide array of jobs that require different levels of skills and capabilities...we should teach kids that it's OKAY to want to end up in any one of these jobs.

Of course, there is more to "it" than just the above. I can tackle that another day...

National Teacher of the Year

Lisbet Loiselle, from Rio Rancho, NM,  has been awarded the title of "National Teacher of the Year." Her work in Mountain Prep Charter School in Albuquerque helped her get to where she is, and the following is a brief excerpt of the interview I had with her, while at her home in Rio Ranch, NM.

Reporter - So, this is a pretty big award, and thus undertaking for you, isn't it? How excited are you, and what are you going to do next?

LL - Yes, I'm super excited, and actually shocked that I received this honor after only 5 years of teaching. Apparently people and students like what I'm doing. I'm off to speak across the country for the next year.

Reporter - Yes, your Principal, colleagues, and students are extremely enamored of you. What do you think helped you attain this award?

LL - Well, you are chosen from the pot of State Teachers of the Year, so I was already NM State Teacher of the Year. I sometimes feel like they pull us out of a hat to become National Teacher of the Year, but of course this is not so. I guess my strengths and creativity stood out. I tend to be very hands on, and I take my kids outside of the classroom a lot.

Reporter - So you don't like having them sit still all day. I heard that you hold a lot of outdoor class time...let them get fresh air. Why do you do this?

LL - Our society has become so enclosed...in our houses, in our offices, in malls...I am trying to spark creativity within our children. I don't want to say I helped breed a video game generation.

Reporter - Children these days do seem to spend more time indoors. Do you think it is inhibiting their learning?

LL - Well, I think that life is a lot different than it was years ago. When I grew up, I learned about science and then was able to take it outside and do actual experiments in the woods. Many teachers keep their kids away from hands-on experiences now. I bring my children out to the ponds nearby, the river, the fields, the mountains...anything that can help with the learning process.

Reporter - I'm sure this helps you become one of their favorite teachers. To skip to another aspect of your work, your school Principal says you hold before and after school tutoring sessions for kids who need more help. How do you find the time for this?

LL - I just make it happen. A lot of these kids don't get the help they need at home, and I don't want them to lag behind purely based on home-life circumstances. These children are bright, but bring in unfinished homework. I want to help them stay up to speed with other classmates.

Reporter - You're a go-getter. What keeps you going every day?

LL - Well. Not every day is perfect, as in any job! But, the kids keep me going; I like seeing their faces in the morning and the fact that they are happy to see me! Most of the time they love being in class, and they do a good job of lightening my mood if I am having a bad day. It's tiring work at times, but the rewards keep you going on a daily basis.


The interview above is only a part of the story. I spoke with many parents and students, as well as the Principal and colleagues. As one parent said, "My son, Caleb, has really made strides since entering Mrs. L's 5th grad class. He struggled in reading for years, and once he entered the 5th grade, he blossomed. I think the extra time that Mrs. L puts in makes a difference."

"Lisbet shows that she really has a heart for these children. She feels for them, gets to know them and their families, and shows overall compassion. You don't get that much these days," claimed the Principal of Mountain Prep Charter.

"She's there (at school) before other teachers many days, and almost always is the last to leave. She does a lot of creative work during those times. She takes a lot of time out of her own family life," pointed out a fellow 5th grade teacher at the school.

"Mrs. L was just great. She was kind of like our friend. I loved going to her class, and wish I could have her be our 6th grade teacher, too!" said Jenny Johnston, a cheery 5th grade alumni of Mrs. L's 5th grade class.

It looks like a busy year for Lisbet Loiselle as she embarks on her new journey. She will be flying to various states, as well as doing international speeches. She hopes to inspire new interest in the current state of America's educational system, and to let parents know how to better help their children. "These early years, the elementary school years, are vital to a child's future. The happier and more successful they are now, the better off they will be in years to come. These years help solidify a desire for continual learning," says Lisbet.