Blog 5, Prompt 7

When I think back about how my first education course has shaped my identity, I amazed with how much I have taken away. While I have learned so much and will be absolutely able to apply each to my evolving teaching “style”, I think the Lyn Mikel Brown’s In the Bad or Good of Girlhood will always resonate with me. The article discusses the research done within two different groups of white girls (one middle class, one working class) in Maine. The research was done to disprove the metonymic fallacy: the belief that the experiences of white middle class women wholly comprise women’s experience and identity. Both groups emerge as completely different in beliefs of the female ideal and definition. It is easy to see how different gender identity is within one group. However, in our society, we tend to label children with gender before they can even talk. Children get “hard-wired” about the definitions of male and females from the most mundane things, like toys.

Below is a short YouTube clip about children, toys and gender identity.



Not only do we shape our children’s ideas about gender, but we also shape their ideas about “good” and “bad”. Boys have certain standards and accepted behaviors, while girls have others. I have witnessed gender play a role within the classroom throughout my project, but one incident between two kindergarten girls is in the forefront of my memory…

At the change of classes, the kindergartners seize the opportunity to run around and cause as much anarchy as humanly possible in those two minutes. During one interlude, two girls began fighting over the teacher’s chair. One was sitting in it (one who is usually instigating fights- the “bad” girl), while the other was trying to pull her out (one who is usually the “good” girl). Our “good” student was trying to keep the “bad” student from misbehaving and kept pulling her yelling “Stop! You are NOT supposed to be sitting THERE!” The “bad” girl didn’t reply but had the largest grin on her face. Then about four boys run over and start pushing the girls into each other a few times before beginning to kick the “bad” girl. This all happened within about ten, maybe fifteen seconds.

As I am running over, there are hands and legs flying everywhere. At one point a boy pushes the “good” girl into the “bad” girl and she responds by hitting her. Then the “good” girl pinches and twists the girl’s hip, making her scream and cry. By the time I reach them, the boys have already run away and the teacher is approaching us. The girl has a large, red welt, but both girls are crying and blaming each other. The teacher sighs and says “That one is ALWAYS starting trouble.” The most unusual part about this whole episode is the fact that the boys were like ghosts. The girls kept screaming about each other and the teacher acted as if she didn’t see them fleeing from the area. While the girls were definitely at fault, the argument began as one of rules and order. It only became personal once the boys entered the mix.

I hope that I will become a teacher who will encourage students to not let gender identity inhibit their aspirations. Too many boys are hesitant to be who they are because they are led to believe that they can’t. And too many girls are led to believe that good and bad is finite and tangible. While it is important to remember that being male of female makes them who they are, it should never stop them from becoming who they want to be.

Blog 4, Prompt 6

Today, I entered my classroom with the ideas from Megan Boler’s piece All Speech is Not Free: The Ethics of “Affirmative Action Pedagogy” still swirling in my head. The words affirmative action are two hot, buzz words that can sometimes be polarizing because people are quick to misinterpret its definition and its intention. Boler states that there is an inequality of speech within the classroom and therefore, we must practice a historicized ethics: one where the unheard voices are promoted, while the dominant voices are silenced. This will help the underrepresented children develop their critical agency and resist self disclosure from the dominant voices. I arrived this morning ready to put affirmative action pedagogy into practice. Then I realized, “Wait a minute…there aren’t really any white children in this class! Any there aren’t any in either of my groups!” So this whole silencing the dominant voices thing might be a little trickier than previously thought.
I sat down with my five first graders, who all happen to be boys, but are of different ethnicities. We go around the table, with each boy taking a turn to play the game. The first week, we decided that the best way to see who goes first every time is to roll the dice and whoever gets the highest number is the first. Every time we get together, the boys ask “Who is going to go first?” I respond “How do we figure this out?” and they automatically start rolling the dice. And like clockwork, one student always claims that he should actually go first. While all of the boys are probably of either Latino or Cape Verdean descent, today was the first time I noticed that this particular boy is the “lightest” (skin, hair, etc.) of the group. Hmmm...

Throughout our session, I noticed that this student was almost exhibiting a dominance over the other boys: he would reach out and grab pencils from them, get up without asking (unlike the others), and shout out answers. I reminded him to raise his hand, and ignored his shouts and corrected him when I noticed what he was doing. I need to remember as I continue to become a teacher, I need to examine each situation and look for the dominant voices are they will change. The dynamic of the group will change as the children in it change. Developing critical agency for the unheard voices is paramount in their educational and personal development. As Boler noted, there is no one effective pedagogy so I must be flexible as the needs of my students change. Fully developing the students to their fullest potential will give them the tools they need- there will be less broken rungs on their ladders.

Blog 3, Prompt 5

I work weekly in a laundromat, which my family owns, in a prominently Latino section in Providence. Weekends at the laundromat are hysterical and slightly resemble a scene from My Big, Fat Greek Wedding. My retired father walks around and discusses politics with people, leaves for a three hour trip to “Home Depot” (aka- his bed for a siesta), and then returns to help people bring their laundry to the car. Family members breeze in and out, meeting other family members and playing catch up. But, truthfully, I love to talk with the customers the most. I see their kids grow up, they show my photos from their last trip back home, and bring me delicious baked goodies. The laundromat becomes a small community where opinions are shared and advice is given (even if you never asked for it).

A little girl, now in first grade, regularly comes with her mother on the weekends. She spends most of her time either following me or her mother around. Last time she was there, she picked up one of the picture books (printed in English) and asked me to read it to her. I asked her to read it to me because I was busy, and she responded that she could only read in Spanish- her school taught entirely in Spanish. You could hear a pin drop in there! Every single person was shocked to hear that she was being taught Spanish. But, why is she being taught Spanish? They don’t teach college in Spanish! How will she ever advance? After reading Goldenberg’s article about the research of the education of English Language Learners (ELL’s), I now realize that this is the right thing to do. The research overwhelmingly proves that children who master their first language are able to master their second language. Mastering both languages will make them not only fluently bilingual and billiterate, but will better prepare them for higher education. But, let’s be honest, I thought the same way everyone in that Laundromat did.

It’s probably a safe assumption that most monolingual English speaking Americans would think the Latinos in the laundromat would react differently, like high-fiving each other and saying “Absolutely! Teach the kids Spanish!” There seems to be a notion that Latinos want to speak only in Spanish, never learning English. Goldenberg also reports that the vast majority of ELL’s are American-born, but there is a public outcry about the education of “illegals” (read the comments sections of any online article about the subject). As a teacher, I will have to be sensitive to the fact that I will not know how a family feels about an issue (like this one) until we talk about it. They probably haven’t read any education journals (like me) so aren’t aware of any proven methodology for their children. I think the hardest part of communication will be to really listen to the parents and be able to gain their trust that everyone wants what is best for their child. Being clear is the only way that miscommunication can be prevented…no matter what language we’re speaking.

Blog #2, Prompt 4

“Yasmin*,” I asked, pointing to a lamented card of a huge printed Y, “What is the letter name of this one?” She leaned over and said “Y,” without missing a beat. “Good. And what sound does it make” I asked. “/J/!” she exclaimed “Like Jas-meeen!”

The racial identification of the students in my school is as follows: 66% Hispanic, 23% African American, 8% Asian, and 4% White, with an overwhelming 93% qualifying for reduced price lunches (source: Infoworks). This data implies that almost all of the children in my school are from working-class families with parents who most likely do not have much education themselves. I sat and thought about these numbers for a minute and applied them to my own life. How would my education be different if my parents didn’t have much education? Would things be different if my mother didn’t finish high school or just got had a GED? Would educational expectations be different for me and my siblings?

While I would classify myself as a Latina, like the majority of my students, in elementary school I never qualified for reduced lunch. My parents were married; my father worked and my mother stayed home to raise three children. When a pre-school teacher suggested that my brother be tested for “special needs” (because of his insistence on speaking Spanglish), my parents immediately sent him to speech therapy. My parents knew the rules of the culture of power and they had the means to provide us with tools to operate within that culture. While my family maintains many of the cultural traditions of our native culture, we were always expected to abide by the “rules” of American culture. Why?

I now realize the privilege I had as a child. Although I have come from a Spanish-speaking home, my family internalized the code of power at some point. Most of these children come from a similar culture as myself, but there is a good possibility that their parents don’t know what mine did. There is a good possibility that no one had explicitly told them the rules of the culture. Lisa Delpit asserts that knowing the implicit codes and expectations of the culture of power makes acquiring power easier. I’ve decided that I want to participate in a system that can empower children to have confidence that they can gain by knowing the rules.

Sitting with my students, I realized just how important phonics is to not only successfully participate in our society, but to incite real social change. The knowledge of the game will help them to be able to change it. More importantly, I realized the importance of preserving the pride they have in their language and culture. Making sure that they understand that their cultures are different but not inferior will give them the desire to participate in education, rather than reject it altogether.

“Yes. It’s /j/ in Spanish”, I confirmed. “But in English, what does it say? What’s the first sound in the word yellow?” She thought for a few seconds and then declared “/Y/!”

*Name has been changed.

Day 1, Prompt 1

Walking into my assigned elementary school for the first time, I was very excited to be able to participate in the same school system that I graduated from some time ago (don’t ask a lady her age!). After attending Providence Public schools for the majority of my elementary and secondary education, I attended a rather reputable college in Western Massachusetts. When I arrived there, I was astounded that I was just as well-read and educated in Providence as some of the other students who attended prestigious prep schools in New York or Atlanta. For years, I took my education for granted- I thought all public schools were the same- until I met people from other states who described the conditions of their schools. So to be able to see this education and this process from the other side for the first time was intriguing.

When I approached the door, I was not surprised that there was a bell to be let in, but relieved that the students and faculty were able to feel safe while they were there. The school looked pretty new- the walls were freshly painted, there was a lot of light spilling into the hallways, and the floors were definitely cleaner than the floors in my apartment. This faculty and staff clearly take a lot of pride in their building and their learning community. A group of students gathered into the school office and then we were directed upstairs to an office.

My first day was spent with the director of the literacy program and several other students as she gave us an overview of the program and what exactly we would be doing. We sat around a round table in the center of the office that housed a library of books, each neatly organized on the shelves of a sea of bookcases. The faculty was in the process of observing the students to place them into categories based on their current reading level. From these categories, groups will be formed and we will lead them in a series of “games”. The overall goal of the program will be to successfully get the children to their desired reading levels.

I was pleasantly surprised to see how much organization and thought goes into this program. This program is set up for the genuine success of the children being able to recognize letters and sounds to ensure that they are able to read to the best of their ability. These teachers seem to believe deeply in the change model of Kahne and Westheimer - engaging in proactive ways to ensure the academic success for these children. Reading is probably the single most important skill for a student to have and the program is able to guarantee that these students have a strong foundation. With a strong foundation, the students will be able to excel in any area of study they choose. I am thrilled to be a part of a system that challenges the status quo.

A Little About Me

Hi There! I'm Valerie and I am looking to become a secondary education major in Chemistry. I am coming back to college after having a career in retail/restaurant management. I love to cook (and eat!), especially Mexican since that was the type of cuisine in which I was trained. I make a mean flan! Running is my favorite release and I especially enjoy the fall when I run.