Taking it All Home

 Bringing it All Together

Teaching at the Intersections by Monita K. Bell & 5 Tips for Being an Ally 

    I think both the article "Teaching at the Intersections" by Monita K. Bell and the 5 Tips for Being an Ally by Chescaleigh were a great way to tie everything we have discussed in class together. Both covered power, privilege, oppression, race, gender, and the ways to support those members of groups that are often oppressed. Bell focuses on intersectionality and the importance of using "an intersectional lens to better relate to and affirm all students - and help young people understand the relationship between power and privilege" (p. 3). This quote directly made me think about Allan Johnson's "Privilege, Power, and Difference" and Lisa Delpit's "Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom". Delpit states students "must be encouraged to understand the value of the code they already possess as well as to understand the power realities in this country" (p. 40).  Bell preached the same message, we have to get to know our students more than just the basic information to truly understand them, their behaviors, and occasionally their performance because a lot of times, like Nicole from Bell's article, get judged based on their race and performance. If her teachers had taken the time to get to know her situation outside of school and used an intersectional lens, they would have realized that she is essentially the caretaker in her house since her parents work, which impacts her achievement. Intersectionality is "the social, economic and political ways in which identity-based systems of oppression and privilege connect, overlap and influence one another" (p. 2). 

    When reading this definition it made me think of Leslie Grinner's S.C.W.A.A.M.P. because intersectionality is essentially looking at all of the things that would give you less power in relation to S.C.W.A.A.M.P. (race, gender, sex, etc.) and using that to understand a person better. This also relates to the Power Line Chart from Kim A. Case's "Deconstructing Privilege: Teaching and Learning as Allies in the Classroom". People have different experiences based on the different power they hold in relation to S.C.W.A.A.M.P.,  the Power Line Chart, and intersectionality. If we take the time to look at the overlap, look at the power, look at the privilege, then we can create an accurate and more understanding picture of the students we are working with. We need to be the role models and at times their ally. An ally is defined as “a person who wants to fight for the equality of a marginalized group they’re not a part of,” according to Chescaleigh. We need to understand our own power and privilege, listen and understand, speak up (but not over), and actually do the work to support these students and people in general. If we can start having these conversations in school and allow students to feel safe, understood, accepted, and important. We want to talk about the diversity, but we also want to celebrate their differences because that is what makes them who they are and unique. When we use an intersectional lens in and out of the classroom you are "seeing your students as more than just the think that stands out in the classroom" (Bell, p. 3).

Language and Power

 Language and Power

Virginia Collier, "Teaching Multilingual Children", Richard Rodriguez, "Aria", Teaching Bilinguals (Even if You're Not One)

    I really enjoyed reading these texts and watching the videos from Teaching Bilinguals (Even if You're Not One). As someone who is not bilingual I often feel as some of the teachers in the videos mentioned they felt when they first started working with emergent bilinguals, scared and uncomfortable. When I was student teaching, I had two students that were in the U.S. for the first time as a military family, and they only spoke Arabic. I had no idea what to do or how to interact with them since I didn't know Arabic. I found that what Elyn Ballantyne-Berry (Episode 3) said was true, when you pair the languages (whether home or second language), it helps with the comprehension of what is written for both the student and the teacher. When students are able to express themselves in their native language, or whichever language comes naturally to them, they feel more welcomed and included rather than isolated like the teachers that Richard Rodriguez talked about in "Aria." 

    "What I needed to learn in school was that I had the right - and the obligation - to speak the public language of los gringos" (Rodriguez, p. 34). He goes on to discuss how he had teachers that showed up to his house and essentially shame his Spanish speaking parents for speaking Spanish in their home because it was affecting how their children were learning English. This made me think of Lisa Delpit's "Other People's Children", "I believe strongly,..., that each cultural group should have the right to maintain its own language style" (p. 39). Emergent bilingual students are forced to learn English and be made to feel like their home language is a "private language" (Rodriguez, p. 34) and some are even shamed or punished for using the home languages. This is just so upsetting and frustrating because as educators we should already know this and treat bilingualism as a gift, as Sara Vogel says in Episode 1, not forcing them to forget their culture and transform to fit into the white, English speaking culture of American schools. It was also cool watching the episodes because the second episode takes place in Bedford Hills, NY is right near where I grew up and where some of my family lives/is from. I am very familiar with the diverse cultures since I grew up going to Bedford Hills weekly to visit family, for sports, and for church. Being able to hear how positively these teachers have impacted these emerging bilingual students is really incredible and encouraging. I loved the activity of the Language and Culture Portraits and I think it is a great getting to know you activity that not only informs the teacher about the students culture and language and how they feel their culture and language is represented, but it also gives the students the feeling of belonging and security because they are being encouraged to talk about their native culture and language rather than ignoring it. From Jennifer Conte and Elizabeth Condon-Kim, I think the biggest takeways are "acknowledging students language identities and strengths as resources in their learning",  "use literature to build empathy across difference", and "become a co-learner".

    While reading Virginia Collier's, "Teaching Multilingual Children", the same message was expressed as the other materials, students must be able to express themselves through their native languages while in school. "To allow the child to express him/herself can motivate the student, which encourages learning" (p. 230). Students should not be forced to immediately learn English and get criticized on their emergent skills when they don't have the chance to use the skills from their first language to figure out at least the bare minimum of English. Creating a classroom culture that welcomes, celebrates, and encourages diverse cultures is truly what can make or break a child's opportunity to become bilingual. "The key is the true appreciation of the different linguistic and cultural values that students bring into the classroom" (p.223). American's would hate to be stripped of "being American" so why should we take that away from non-Americans? 

Article Summaries - Students Grades 3-5

Article Summaries

“Other People’s Children” - Lisa Delpit

Lisa Delpit is an author, a researcher, and an educationalist which means she knows all about teaching ideas and ways to teach. She wrote a book called “Other People’s Children” which is about how having power makes life really easy compared to not having power. The power that Ms. Delpit talks about is related to people’s culture and how people from different cultures are not treated the same. In America white people have a lot of power, meaning it is the dominant culture, and sometimes people that are not white are not treated the same or given the same opportunities. Ms. Delpit says that people who are not American or are not white should be taught the “unwritten rules and codes” of how to fit in, but also love and continue to practice rules and codes of their own culture. This means things we may do on a daily basis may need to be taught to them so they can be successful (ex. How to order food at a restaurant). People with power need to use their power to help those with less or no power to be successful in America.

“Literacy with an Attitude” -Patrick J. Finn

 Patrick J. Finn is an author that wrote a book called “Literacy with an Attitude: Educating Working-Class Children in Their Own Self-Interest” which is about the experiences of children that come from a home with a lower amount of money than others. These kids are made to feel like they are not smart and they don’t get a chance to prove they are smart because of how they look and where they come from. Mr. Finn believes that a kid's future should not be based on how they look or where they come from. He believes that everyone should have equitable opportunities which means everyone should get equal access to different opportunities. Equity is when people get what they need to help them be successful. Equal means everyone gets the same thing without getting what they need, even if some people need supports to be successful.

Going to School - Ir a la Escuela

 Going to School - Ir a la Escuela

Three Talking Points:

1. 24:00: Diana's Mom, Soccoro is Spanish speaking and "the school would say there’s an IEP meeting or there’s a meeting, but no one ever explained what an IEP was" to her. Richard's Mom stated, "You face Isolation, discrimination, hostility…you face it because you have a child with special needs and you’re not wanted."  She was never told he could have an aide at school, so she went to school with Richard for 3 years until she learned about getting an aide.

    This is another representation of minority groups, or groups with less knowledge and power in education, being discriminated against. Parents and guardians needs to be explicitly taught what an IEP is if their child is getting one. Just because a family speaks another language, is not familiar with special education services, or just isn't aware of their rights, does not mean a school should never explain and teach what the program will look like for their child and what they need to do. Schools discriminate against families with and the children with disabilities until someone calls them out on it. They have a legal obligation to be involved in the creation of the document as well as KNOWING WHAT AN IEP IS.

2. 30:53 - Aaron’s Dad talking about bringing him to a specialist to have his eyes fixed: “Took him to a specialist and he looked at Aaron, who was all of 9 months old, and he said, “Don’t bother with the operation, this kids so damaged it wont make any difference. Even if you correct his vision, he’s got so many other problems, he’ll never make it.”

    This immediately made me think of the quote from Finn where he says, "I'd like to hope that a child's expectations are not determined on the day that she or he enters Kindergarten" (p.25). Families with children with disabilities are aware of challenges they are going to face, but it doesn't mean it isn't a reason to give them all the opportunities and accommodations, or in this case surgeries, because they will most likely be able to overcome some of those challenges. This specialist saw Aaron as a baby with a disability and nothing more, which is so disturbing, heartbreaking, and another example of a person in power ignoring how they can help someone with less power.

3. 39:02 - “They should have the same right to go and learn like the other kids do.”

    This quote kind of sums up everything we have discussed in class regarding inequality in the United States. All individuals have the right to learn, be included, and be seen as equals. In this case it was special education students that were being discriminated against, but we see this with race, gender, religion, socioeconomic status, etc. Students need to be included and provided with equitable opportunities, no matter how much they may require for accommodations, help, etc. All kids deserve to be with other students so they can learn to socialize, learn academics, and be seen as a student just like the rest of the kids without special needs. As Johnson said, "Can't we all just get along?"

Argument:

    In Richard Cohen's film "Going to School - Ir a la Escuela" multiple families experiences with special education in a public school in Los Angeles, California, most of which were very poor at the start. The argument from this movie is that inclusion, integration, and accommodation are the most important aspects in schools. Disabilities and other special needs do not define a child or what they are capable of and they should be able to have the same experiences as the regular education students as much as they can. 

Seeing Queerly

 Rhode Island Laws and Policies & Woke Read Alouds: They, She, He Easy as ABC

Three Talking Points

1. Page 1: "The need for this guidance is clear. The Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s survey including more than 10,000 youth entitled, Growing UP LGBT in America, found that 42% of gender non-conforming youth report frequently or often being called names and 40% reported being frequently or often excluded. Further, over half of gender nonconforming youth reported that they did not participate in activities offered by the school out of fear of discrimination. Additionally, the Journal of Adolescent Health (2015) reported that transgender youth were more likely to report: being diagnosed with depression compared with students who were not transgender (50.6% vs. 20.6%); suffering from anxiety (26.7% vs. 10%); attempting suicide (17.2% vs. 6.1% ); and engaging in self-harm activities with lethal intentions (16.7% vs. 4.4%)." I think this quote just speaks volumes and truly gives a clear picture of the discrimination these children face when they try to live life in the way that feels the most appropriate for themselves. Honestly, the fact that the state had to give a guidance because people in power (school admin., teachers, other students) were creating this discrimination is really unsettling. I think many people are confused by the various terms which is understandable as there are a lot, but then they should take the time to learn what they really mean, accept and understand that this is what some students experience, and then make them feel safe and included because there is just simply no reason that they should not be. 
2. On pages 4 & 5 the definitions for various terms are provided to ensure that those who read through the document have a clear understanding of what each of them mean. I think this is so important and such a great thing that is added into the beginning of the document because I think so many people either don't now what all of the terms truly mean, they have skewed definitions, or they don't care to know. This ensures that the information is there and it makes the rest of the document more comprehensible with the same definition for each person who reads it.
3. In the Woke Read Alouds: They, She, He Easy as ABC video, they state that "all these kids have different pronouns, but they all like to do cool things!" meaning that just because kids want to be called by different pronouns, they can still like and do and be cool kids! Minute 10:35 -"Kelly likes to use the words he, his, him. Now if you look at Kelly you might not think that because you might be used to hearing people call people that look like Kelly she or her or refer to them as girls....just because people dress or might look a certain way on the outside, that doesn't necessarily mean that they feel that way on the inside." I think this quote just sums it all up perfectly, it is up to us to learn what people like to be called and then use them to show respect. 

Argument

The argument of the RI Policies along with the Woke Read Aloud is that as educators it is our job to learn about our students gender identities and then have conversations with them about it and enforce the use of the pronouns of their choice to make them feel safe and respected. "All students need a safe and supportive school environment to progress academically and developmentally" (p. 1) and that is what we can do by taking the time to educate ourselves on all the important terms as well as talking with our students to hear what sounds and feels good for them. 

Teach Out Proposal

 Teach Out Proposal 

Who: My 3-5 grade students

What: Equity vs. Equality - Teaching students the difference between the two and why equity is what we want to strive for in education and in life rather.

Where: My classroom/School

When: If I’m able to do it soon then soon, or over summer/Beginning of school year

Why: I want to teach my students about equity vs. equality and how it relates to them. I want them to be aware of what it means to have equitable opportunities rather than equal ones. We see inequality and inequity everywhere today and if students are taught while they are young what it means to have equity, they will be more aware when it is not happening and will begin to not say, “That’s not fair!” if another student gets a certain accommodation that they do not. As the year goes on, I will then be able to reflect/connect back to this lesson and begin talking about other important social issues (e.g., unfairness of standardized testing, set curriculums meant to show success, Black Lives Matter, inequality among races and academic levels in schools, etc.) and we will be able to discuss how these are unequal and how they should be more equitable and why it’s important that they are.

How: 

• Bandaid Lesson (example: https://www.uucharlottesville.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Curriculum-Gr-3-5_9-Equality-Equity.pdf ) 

• Was that helpful?

• Write why or why not

• Have students write why it is important to have equity instead of equality

• “Equity is important to me because ________.”

• Use visuals and video?

• https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/TikTok-Bandaid-Lesson-Freebie-7183579?st=9dc182eabda0e6c45f32b4bd87d20444 

Articles: 

• The “Learning Loss” Trap https://rethinkingschools.org/articles/the-learning-loss-trap/ 

• “Literacy with an Attitude” - Finn https://drive.google.com/file/d/18oYkhqKhuR4kUchebkg92zQ3_MtsDbBr/view 

• Other People’s Children - Delpit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k3VtwcPSs8Mhe2NDkKWQrXh5witWF2WZ/view 

• Privilege, Power, and Difference - Johnson https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QsehF5eFDiGKNB8RA_M3oQ6DQVxhkYWC/view 

• Ignoring Diversity, Undermining Equity https://rethinkingschools.org/articles/ignoring-diversity-undermining-equity/