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Semester Reflection

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  Overall, I’ve enjoyed my time in this course, and I’ve learned a lot about different concepts that affect education. The reading that taught me the most was “Aria” by Richard Rodriguez. English is my first language, so I’ve never experienced what MLL students go through. I understood that there were challenges that came with having to learn a new language while also completing work in that language; however, I didn’t realize there were other struggles outside of adapting to school. In Rodriguez, he speaks about how he had to give up Spanish in order to learn English, and I never realized that was a trade MLL students needed to make. After my experience at Asa Messer, I was encouraged to see that not all schools required this of their students. At Asa Messer, both the teacher and students I worked with communicated using English and Spanish. This experience and “Aria” have shown me the importance of linguistic inclusivity and encouraged me to try to learn Spanish. Another source...
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Guidance for Rhode Island Schools on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students

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  The text provides guidance for teachers and staff in relation to transgender and gender-nonconforming students. This document begins by providing definitions for teachers and staff to refer to, as well as a list of federal and Rhode Island laws and policies regarding this topic. This document then explains information on topics ranging from pronouns to bathroom allocation. Regarding topics such as bathrooms and sports participation, schools are to allow students to choose based on the gender they identify with. The same applies to the dress code. It also provides information for teachers about how to handle a situation where a student is undergoing gender transformation. For elementary school students, it suggests working with parents and the school to support the student. For secondary students, it says contacting the parent is not always the best call due to possibly endangering the student. In terms of revealing information about a student's gender identity, teachers and ...
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Hehir Quotes

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  “Include Ableism as part of schools’ overall diversity efforts” I noticed that when we talk about inclusivity, disabilities are either not included or at the back end of the conversation. I remember one of our classmates (I believe it was Tessa) said that for students who had larger disabilities they had support, but for students who could be in regular classes, they slipped through the cracks. I think schools don’t put enough resources into helping those students, and they don’t seem to be a priority regarding inclusivity efforts. I know some schools have training on race and social justice, and I think if they included disability training, it would give teachers the tools to support students with disabilities in their classrooms.  “However, the lens of ableism should lead to the recognition that for some students, certain disability-related skills might need attention outside the regular classroom. Learning Braille or ASL or how to use a communication device are typically ...
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Rodriguez Reflection

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     This story broke my heart. I do agree that it is essential that students are taught to speak English fluently in school. The role of educators is to provide students with the tools they need to succeed in the world, and being fluent in English is one of them. I agree that students should be pushed to speak English in school and pushed to be confident in their speaking. One thing that stood out to me regarding this was when he wrote that he didn't feel like English was his language to speak. Teachers should teach MLL students that English is as much their language as their native language. However, the problem, as shown in the story, is when the push for proficiency in English leaves the classroom.   His teachers encouraged his parents to speak English at home, but it had more drawbacks than advantages. In terms of advantages, not only did his English improve, but his family's improved as well. This allowed his dad to no longer be as distrustful of Americans an...
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Reflection on Literacy with Attitude

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            This book talks about many things, but for me, this book made me think about how we don't give students enough credit. In the book, he explains how different schools, depending on the economic class of their students, have different dominant themes. For the working-class school, the dominant theme was resistance; for the middle-class school, it was a possibility; for the affluent, it was individualism and humanity; and for the elite, it was excellence. What I noticed is that each theme reflected how students were viewed. The students in the working class were taught to obey. The content they learn is reduced in order for it to be easier for them. One teacher even calls them lazy. The message these students are receiving is that they are wild, that they need to be managed rather than taught, and that they are not capable of learning due to this.        The middle class is taught that if they follow the status quo, th...
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Kohn Reflection

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       I think Kohn isn’t wrong, but my main issue with this piece is that it presents as a “one size fits all.” For example, under the section titled “Around the School” and under “Possible Reasons to Worry,” it states that the display of trophies and awards is a concern. The reasoning behind this is that displaying these things promotes triumph over community, but in reality, I believe it strengthens community. In high school, I was a part of both the soccer team and the basketball team and have won trophies for both. My teammates and I worked incredibly hard to win those championships, and those trophies represent our hard work. In addition, the fantastic thing about sports is that when your team wins, you, as a fan, also win. When we brought home the championship, it wasn’t just our win. We represented our school, thus celebrating a win for our community. By having our trophies displayed, it was a way to invoke school pride and bring the school together. The same...
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Troublemakers Reflection

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        When we are younger, all we want is for adults to take us seriously, yet when we become adults, we don’t take kids seriously. We discipline them and eventually label them as ”problem kids.” What I found interesting in the text was the fact that 2-year-olds are getting expelled from preschool.  Most 2-year-olds have never been in a school environment before, so it is an adjustment for them. Additionally, there are behaviors students will exhibit simply because of their age. 2-5-year-olds can’t be expected to sit still all day, so if the lessons aren’t engaging, they will “act out.” We can’t punish students for acting their age and by expelling them, teachers are putting them further behind. In terms of older students, I think there needs to be a better way to discipline them. Instead of immediately punishing students, teachers should take an opportunity to have a discussion with the students about what they did as well as next steps. Students are hum...
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