Prompt #6 Kliewer

6) The culturally competent teacher communicates in ways that demonstrate sensitivity to sociocultural and linguistic differences, using a variety of verbal and non-verbal communication techniques that encourage positive social interaction and support learning in their classroom.

How have you (or the classroom teacher) communicated in ways that demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to sociocultural and linguistic differences?

If anyone asked me who my favorite teachers were that I had, I would list all of the teachers who went above and beyond what was originally written in their job description when they applied for that position. Think about it. I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all had great teachers who truly impacted our lives because of the way they made us feel. When we wanted to give up, they pushed us to keep trying because they knew we could get it. They encouraged us each and every day to try our hardest and wouldn’t settle for anything less. They demonstrated sensitivity to areas of our lives that called for that action, whether verbal or nonverbal. They created a safe environment, a second home if you want to call it that, in the classroom for us where we learned and grew throughout the year. They went above and beyond their call of duty to instill a love for learning and teaching in us and if it wasn’t for them, then I bet we wouldn’t be enrolled in this class right now.

The teacher of the classroom I volunteer in has been teaching in the city of Providence for 28 years now and has seen many students pass through her doors. She has probably seen a wide range of students with different backgrounds, but this year her class seems to be pretty consistent when it comes to their personal history. If I had to guess, I would say everyone in the class speaks English as their first language and if they don’t, then they fooled me. I truly haven’t seen much of her teaching because I sit in the hallway every week, but she does talk about it a little with me and the other RIC VIPS student I tutor with. She explains about her methods and the reasons why she does certain things, like who can sit with whom in groups, etc. This teacher comes across as a little rough around the edges, but once you get to know her, she’s really caring and understanding and extremely appreciative, but to a point. She knows that even though her class is filled with eight and nine year olds, they would take advantage to any leeway given to them, so she’s very careful when it comes to that.

I always try and be as sensitive as I can be to the students I work with. I can’t fully relate to whatever it is they are going through, but I can give them something to look forward to on Fridays, even if it’s as simple as a game of Candyland. Both of the students I work with issues when it comes to understanding what they read, but the other RIC VIPS tutor there works with a boy who has a mild case of Autism. I don’t get to work one on one with him, but once every 2 weeks, we combine our groups in order to play Candyland, so I get to see his progression through those instances. And it really has been interesting to see him progress! Not only are his language skills improving, but so is his openness towards group situations. In the beginning, he was always closed off and looked tense. Now, he gets excited for Candyland and can never wait for his turn because he loves coming up with sentences with the words from the cards in them. It truly has been great seeing this little boy grow in more ways than one just from February!

This little boy and his progress reminded me specifically of what Kliewer wrote about. By treating him like we would any other student, but just giving him little pushes and words of encouragement here and there, he grew into the student he is now. The teacher says he’s doing better on all of his work, it’s still not excellent, but it’s definitely improving. The other RIC VIPS tutor showed him that we really did care what he had to say and we were truly interested to hear it, just like we were with the other students. So, by showing him that he did play a role in our little Friday morning Reading buddies group, he was able to see that his contribution did matter and his fellow students accepted him for it. From here, he transferred what he learned with us into a bigger group setting, his classroom. Kliewer specifically wrote about children with Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21), but it’s his idea of “establishing a representation of citizenship for all” that holds true for any group of children. By following the Deweyan idea of Human Reciprocity, the people become the society, one where everyone is valued and no one is seen as a burden. You could even say that Carlson told us to rupture the essentialistic worldview borders and by doing that, seeing and accepting the person for everything that they are, not just one aspect of them.

I can’t believe that this week is my last time going in to volunteer with my reading buddies. I am going to miss them and their bright smiles and bubbly personalities. They made getting up at 6:45a every Friday morning worth it! =O)

I want to end this blog by giving a “shout-out” to all of the great teachers we’ve ever had the pleasure of having. They do so much for us and are rarely thanked the way they should be. And here’s to us for taking our first of many steps towards becoming one of these teachers! Congrats and good luck on your journey!! I’m sure you all will make incredible teachers and it’s really been a delight sharing FNED 364-08 with each and every one of you.

This is Good Golly Miss Molly saying until next time, thanks for reading and take care!! =]

Prompt #5 Delpit

5) The culturally competent teacher involves and works with families and community resources, understanding the differences in families, the important influence of family participation in students’ learning, and the benefit of collaborating with the wider school community. Imagine that you are the teacher of this classroom. What challenges might you encounter in collaborating with the parents of your students? How might you address these challenges? How might you demonstrate respect for the concerns or contributions of parents?

Getting parents involved in their child’s education could be a job within itself. Not every parent is as willing to participate in classroom activities as teachers would like, but this is their choice and we have to respect that. Many parents feel that the job of educating their child lies solely in the hands of the teachers and it is not part of our job to tell them differently.

If I were the teacher of this classroom, one of the big issues I would face is that only 5 parents out of 24 students show concern for their child’s education. That’s a whopping 19 that don’t have the time to sit down and take a look through their child’s take home folder and or assignment planner. That’s 19 students who can’t turn to their parents for help on a homework problem or for assistance on a project. As a result, these students are learning life lessons on independence at the early age of 8.

One other thing that could pose as another challenge for me would be the language barrier between me and parents. I feel that my six years of French would not come to any use in this type of setting and my Spanish vocabulary is lacking, to say the least. Addressing the parents and saying hello and then counting to five can only get you so far in a conversation before making you seem “loco.”

But these difficulties are not something that should get in the way of getting parents involved in their child’s education. We should look at them as speed bumps along the already bumpy course that teaching will lead us. We would just have to know to slow down and approach these bumps cautiously in order to cross over them smoothly and successfully.

This prompt made me think of Lisa Delpit and the culture of power. In our classrooms, we are all dealing with students who are more than likely coming from families that do not hold “cultural capital,” meaning that these students and their parents are members of a society where they do not hold the power, and they are more likely to acknowledge it than the people who hold the power. Before these students even step foot into a classroom, they learn how to function and survive in their social setting. So a child who grows up in an urban setting will have a different idea of what is acceptable in a society compared to the child that grows up in the suburbs. As Delpit says, parents “transmit another culture that children must learn at home in order to survive in their communities.” The codes of survival are usually not the same ones as the codes of power, making it harder for the disadvantaged student of a working class family to function to the same standards of the students are lucky enough to have the codes of survival and power almost interchangeable.

One other thing Lisa Delpit mentioned towards the end of her article is that for the “appropriate education for poor children and children of color can only be devised in consultation with adults who share their culture.” As Caucasian/White/European American (or however you want to call/describe us) teachers, we must be open to other outside voices, voices similar to our student’s, when it comes to the discussion of what kind of instruction is in these student’s best interest. That’s why parent involvement is so important. We need their input on how their children respond to certain instruction methods and how we as their children’s teachers can help their children succeed in a society that is against them.

I would value all and any input from my student’s parents. Parents need to see that they should be involved in their child(ren)’s education if they want them to get the most out of it. I would try to get the parents to see that through creating a classroom website. This way it would also be easier for them to contact me. By having a class website, parents and students could sign on to see what’s going on in the class and send me a quick email if they need to talk to me and don’t have the time to call. I check my email daily as it is now and I have a feeling that won’t change seeing that technology is just becoming more and more of a part of people’s daily lives.

As teachers, we not only have to have open eyes and ears, but open hearts and minds as well. Everyone is going through something, and we can’t pass judgment on them, but just be accepting of what they have to offer. Nobody knows more about our students then their parents, so it’s in ours and our student’s best interest to get their parents involved.