Blog Post 6

The post it note experiment made me pay more attention to the reading and think deeper about the subjects at hand.  When I read, sometimes I just go through the pages and let my mind wander to different things but the post it notes helped me to focus.  As i was reading through the pages of the book and making notes i noticed that i did not receive the "banking" form of education.  It seemed strange to me to read about how teachers do not care about their students and just throw information at them instead of taking the time to make sure their students understand what they are doing.  I wrote on several post it notes "Never happened in my schools" and "No teachers acted like this for me."  I did not know if the book would go over how a teacher would be able to include their students into the lessons and do more than teach but to make sure their students learned through examples and trial and error, but the following pages showed me the other type of education, like the one i received.  When I came across the pages about the education I had, i wrote a note saying "my teachers helped me to adapt" which i do believe is true.  Although there are some bad teachers i do believe there are just as many, if not more that are trying to do the right thing.  The "problem-posing" teaching is the way i was taught and i am very glad it was this way.  I feel like i learned a lot more with teachers who would help the students by giving us freedom instead of trying to take over and throw information at us.  Students learn more critically when the student no longer is seen as a student but a c-investigator, and i know this is the way i will work with my students.  

Blog Post 5

In the high school that I attended (a Catholic all boys high school) the matters of homophobia and heterosexism did not really matter.  Neither seemed to be a big problem in the school.  If you did not like someone for any reason at all you simply did not talk to them, no one ever spoke out against any group and there were no fights or anything of that nature.  If there was a problem then it was not even noticeable, people just went through their day and everything was normal.  It did not matter if you were gay or straight everyone just did their own thing and there were no problems from anyone.  

In class we discussed moving the age of a person becoming a legal adult to the age of 10 or 14 to give them more rights.  Although I think this would be a bad idea because a 14 year old and especially a 10 year old would not be able to make the decisions a 18 year old or older would be able to make but I do believe that children of this age should be able to begin to form their own opinions on different matters.  A child of this age can begin to decide how to act with homophobia and heterosexism and feel however they want to because even though they aren't 18 they still have a human right to think however they want to.  I hope that when I am a teacher all of my students get along and homophobia and heterosexism are no longer problems and I would work with students to make sure that it is not but if some students believe differently then that is their opinion and I have to respect that as well.

Blog Post #4

[Teachers] should recognize that the linguistic form a student brings to school is intimately connected with loved one’s community, and personal identity. To suggest that this form is “wrong” or, even worse, ignorant, is to suggest that something is wrong with the student and his or her family.

I agree with the message that Lisa Delpit is trying to get across.  Teachers should be able to recognize that their students have lives outside the classroom that could be drastically different from the ones that the teachers present in class.  Teachers should not hold the students responsible for the way they have learned to speak.  There is nothing wrong with a student who speaks in the way they were brought up to speak.  If a student has an accent there is no way to control this, and if a student is from a foreign country and English is not their first language then some things will be misspoken by them.  A teacher would be the ignorant one to suggest a student is wrong for not speaking in clear English.  There would be nothing wrong with the student and especially not the family.  Students are a product of their environment, students learn how to talk from their parents and loved ones and there is no way for them to control this.  If a teacher tells a student to "talk right" or "speak English" then they could potentially damage the student.  The student would think that everything that they learned from their parents would be wrong just because a teacher does not take the time to embrace their students cultures and try to adapt with them instead of forcing them to adapt for them.

Blog Post Numbah 3/ Field Blog Green Rd

The quote "We do no really see with our eyes or hear through our ears, but through our beliefs" has a real meaning when it is applied first hand.  On our trip to Boulevard Elementary, it was an experience I have never had before.  Upon entering one can see that all of the classrooms are actually connected only divided by shelves and lockers.  My elementary school had nothing close to this, with each room divided by walls as most schools tend to have.  I was skeptical about this at first mostly about the issue of noise from one class carrying over from "room to room" throughout the building but it did not appear to be a huge issue.  Each teacher was able to keep their students under control and quite in the space provided to them.  Even if one class was getting to loud, all of the students who were in the same room as us ignored them and focused on the task at hand without even looking to see what the commotion was.  

The first two rooms I observed were 3rd grade rooms but each had a different structure for the desks which I found odd.  One room had the desks arranged into rows and columns and one had them arranged into tables so the students could face each other.  I assume that this was because each teacher believed that this would be the most productive for their room and it appeared successful for both rooms for the time we had.  2nd grade teacher I observed showed incredible enthusiasm for all of her students and it was clear she was enjoying what she did with her students.  She read them a story and even let students read from the book and call on other students for questions.  She made sure to include all the students at all times and when one student could not see the book she stood up and showed him the page which really showed that she cares.  When I observed the 5th grade the students were playing a game that was extremely informative and appeared to be fun as well.  I believe that all the teachers in the school were trying hard to make sure that the students did not think of class as a chore or something they had to go to but they made each lesson informative and fun.  This belief was only enhanced by the fact that every wall was covered in fun looking posters for the students to look at.  Each one was not only motivational and informative but usually funny of creative as well.  I was not sure how the elementary school system worked outside of being a student who already went through it but, I was extremely impressed with what I saw and I believe that the best way for the students to learn and focus is to keep things fun as well as informative.