Our discussion in class on whether or not schools should teach what homosexuality is and to be accepting of it really made me think about how far I am willing to fight for something as a teacher.  I think that students should be taught to be accepting of all types of people, whether that is accepting someone because they are a different race, gender, or sexuality.  I would like to teach these beliefs to my students, and I think the idea of having a book in the classroom about a child with two dads or moms would be a good way to bring it to the level of my elementary school students. 

I could not help but think of the parents that would be in opposition to this, though, and it made me think aboout how far I am willing to go to stand up for something I believe it, but run the risk of being fired because of what I am trying to get accross to my students.  It seems that if a change is going to occur in society, it is going to start with children having a new outlook on the world, and with that said, I think it would be really hard for me to not at least teach children and everyone is equal.

I thought that our discussion today about Ebonics being a language or a dialect of English was very interesting.  I have to admit that in the past I did view it as being “slang,” and I had no idea how many linguistic rules go into the way Ebonics is spoken.  I think that if more people knew the detailed rules behind Ebonics there would not be as many negative stereotypes and opinions about it.  I think that society’s knowledge is very limited and that a lot of people look at it as being an “uneducated” way of talking.

In our classrooms, I think it is very important to stress the translating issue between how children talk at home and how they speak at school.  Part of why I like the translation idea is that it does not make the students feel bad about how their family and friends speak, but it also lets them realize the importance of learning standard English.  Does anyone have additional suggestions about things they have heard or expereinces they have had to help students go back and forth between their home language (whatever it is) and their school language?

One of the exhibits that I liked the most at the King Center was the letters from the elementary schools students to Martin Luther King Jr.  The letters were sometimes funny and very touching and proved how even little kids care about major causes and making the world a better place.  Part of what I really liked about the letters was that all of the students wrote that they thought of MLK Jr. as a hero, and how they were so happy that he accomplished what he did.  After reading the letters, I began to wonder at what point do some children stray from this idea and start believing that people are not all created equal.  I am sure it has to do with the people that have the greatest influence on them (i.e. parents, friends, educators) and it made me realize that as educators, we will have a huge responsibility to maintain this viewpoint that all people are created equal. 

I began thinking of ways to do this, and I really do like the letter exercise that the classes I had mentioned used.  I also think that there is a way to tie the ideas and actions of Martin Luther King Jr. to the Blue Eyed exercise that we discussed in class.  I think that by connecting the two the students will be able to see the effects first hand of discrimination.  I also think that those of us who end up teaching in an Atlanta Public School will have a great opportunity to visit the King Center to show our students what Martin Luther King Jr. was about.  Do any of you have additional ideas or suggetions?

Today, after our discussion on stereotypes of the poor, I reflected on the list of all of the words that we created that either we associate with poor people, or society associates with them, and the one word that did not make the list was invisible.  It seems like the poor walk among us and very rarely do we pay much attention to them. 

I didn’t really understand this concept of the poor being invisible until I started volunteering and working closely with the working poor of Atlanta.  It seemed like this group especially seemed to go unnoticed.  I think part of the problem is that since the people belonging to the working poor class have a job, people often don’t think of the financial struggles that they are going through.   Also, it seems easier to disregard the people who have it so hard so we don’t feel guilty about what we have or our lack of community involvement. 

I think that one of the most important things we can do as teachers is make sure that we maintain good relationships with our students so that the poor children in our classrooms don’t go unnoticed or feel like they are invisible.

There was a statement made in the Blue Eyed documentary that stuck with me far after the movie was over.  The comment was that Blacks in the U.S. are treated similarily to Jews in Nazi Germany.  During the retreat at Serenbe, I couldn’t help but think the same thing while we were watching the Eyes on the Prize footage of the Civil Rights Movement.   Blacks were beaten, degraded, and abused just like the Jews were, but the only difference seems to be that Blacks were not sent to concentration camps and eventually killed.

I think this is something that we as a country need to realize, take accountability for, and change.  America is known as a safe haven and a place for freedom, and it needs to begin to live up to those ideals.

During the retreat at Serenbe, I had an “aha” moment that made me not very proud of the person I am.  When Michael and Jessy asked us to talk about a time when we stood up for ourselves or someone else, I really could not think of anything.  Sure there have been times in my life when I have taken a small stance on something, but nothing that I thought was important enough or big enough to share with the class. 

When we watched the “Eyes on the Prize” clip and heard Olga’s stories about her involvement with the Civil Rights Movement, it brought home even more my desire to have something to stand up for and believe in.  I really enjoyed hearing what Michael and Jessy had to say about QECR.  I was shocked that the federal government does not fund public education, and even more surprised that earning an education is not a constitutional right.   Even more alarming though was that public schools are being shut down, and children across the nation are losing the ability to attend school.  It made me realize that QECR is something that I really would like to, at the very least, learn more about and get involved in.   And then hopefully by doing so, I will finally be able to stand up for something I really believe in.

Today I had the opportunity to talk to two teachers from Mexico about the similarities and differences between elementary schools in the United States and Mexico.  There were a lot of similarities and differences between the schools.  Similarites included public education being free to all residents, teachers requiring a four-year degree and teachers not being paid as well as other professionals.  Some differences included the ages that children entered elementary and middle school, public college being free for students, and the largest difference, the lack of behavioral issues in the schools.  When asked why this was so, the teachers said that they make an effort to make sure their students felt loved by hugging them, putting an arm around them, etc.  They said that when they did this the students seemed to feel like the teachers really cared about them.  

 After the teachers made this comment, everyone that was sitting with me at the lunch table said how in the U.S., touching students like that does not seem to be tolerated in the schools.  It made me think back to what we talked about earlier in class about how everyone has the potential to be good or evil, and the power that teachers have to help a child make a positive turn in their lives.  I was thinking that if we as a society accepted a hug to be positive reinforcement in the classroom, maybe some of the kids who have behavioral issues would feel more loved and less inclined to act out in class.   And furthermore, maybe by showing a child love, we would ultimately be affecting the direction that that child will take in life.

In today’s class we discussed Mr. Chew, a Seattle teacher who refused to administer the Washington Assessment of Student Learnng (WASL) to his sixth grade class.  Mr. Chew stated that he believed the WASL was bad for kids and wrote a three page letter that was posted online explaining his reasoning.  As a result, he was suspended from teaching for two weeks with no pay.  Although I admire Mr. Chew’s passion and his taking a stand for something he believes in, I couldn’t help but wonder if he went too far, and even more than that, how far is too far for a teacher to go in standing up for something he/she believes in?

Part of the arguement against Mr. Chew’s actions is that he abandoned his class during a time that they needed him.  When I heard this, I remembered an event that took place a few years ago in a small town in Pennsylvania.  Teachers went on strike for about a month because their union could not reach an agreement with the school district over issues that were looking out for the teachers’ welfare, not the students’. Since all of the teachers were on strike, students were unable to attend school and ended up having to go to school well into the summer to make up for the time they missed during the academic year.  Although the teachers’ motives were selfish and were not in the best interest of the students, I can’t help but wonder if a case like Mr. Chew’s could escalate into a similar situation.  It is possible that teachers accross the country would unite to change the way students are tested by refusing to administer standardized tests.  Although this would get the issue out there, would these teachers really be looking out for the best interest of the students? 

Teaching is a difficult profession to take a radical stance against something one is passionate about because at the end of the day, what matters most is the students, and if a teacher is out of the classroom and not educating students, the battle being fought for another cause seems to be useless.  I think the better solution is to partner up with other teachers  and to create an alternative way to raise awareness in the community without removing oneself from the classroom.  Although lobbying a politician may be a lengthy process, it could prove beneficial.  Also, contacting local media about a controversial issue might be a successful option.  The important thing to remember is not to stray from what is most important, and that is providing students with the best education possible.

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