Molly’s Blog

Stephen and Nathan:

• Stephen inspires  me because I see so much hidden potential in him and I pray that his teachers will take the time not only to see the same potential, but also to help him develop his unique skills and his unique being so that he can be a productive  member of society as he enters adulthood.  Since this is what I wish for him, I need to make certain I do the same for all the beautiful children who pass through my classroom door.
• Nathan inspires me because he touched, taught, and helped so many people, both while on this earth and with his passing.  I want him to be proud of my efforts of doing the same.

Current students and parents:

• They inspire me when I see them working so hard and finally the “aha” moment comes and they have such proud looks on their little faces.  The parents are so full of appreciation for the time I spend with their children and with them addressing their concerns for both the present and the future.

Former Students and parents:

• I keep in contact with some of my former students and their parents in Colorado.  They inspire me when I get updates as to how far they have come, what they are currently doing, and how happy they are, both parents and students.

Collegues:

• The Southside Girls are great!  They are all such an inspiration to me because they are caring, creative teachers who are always able to give me new perspective, insight, and ideas.  They help keep the creative juices flowing!
• It has been a wonderful experience getting to know the other teachers in our Ed.s program.  The discussions have been so enlightening and eye opening for me.  I appreciate everyone’s honest opinions and it has renewed my faith that as a professionals we can teach to change the world.

Higher Education and Professors:

• It is so rewarding to be able to learn from such knowledgeable professors, both in my Master’s program in Colorado and in the Ed.s program at GSU.  I have a new sense of direction, purpose, and lens from which to view my profession.  Keeping on top of the current research helps me to hone my teaching skills so that I can be the best I can be!

For the past 15 years I have tried to advocate for social justice for my special education students.  I have educated parents on their rights, I have stood up to administrators, I have rallied parents on important issues that directly affected their child, I have tried to teach my children to have a voice, and I have tried to teach other children and teachers to be more empathetic to differences.  However, I realize now that what I have done is not enough.  I need to advocate for social justice for all children, not just the ones I work with daily.  I am really glad that I am in this program because I am now seeing things through a different lens.  I know it won’t be easy but as Freire states:  “Hope is what sustains the struggle for a better world…But without the struggle, hope…dissipates, loses its bearings, and turns into hopelessness” (p. 502).  I at least have some ideas on how to get started and I realize there are other people in the trenches who are willing to fight the fight!  It sounds like next year at our school we are actually going to have a committe that is in charge of professional development.  I volunteered to be on that committee and if allowed, I have high hopes of starting down the path of becoming a change agent in our school.  I am excited about the new possibilities. 

One quote that really caught my eye is “For  many, grounding merit in the concepts of intelligence and achievement — measured by scientifically developed standardized tests — was attractive because it did not upset the prevailing distribution of wealth and privilege” (p. 220).  Wow –unbelievable that people are so narrow minded and self-absorbed that they actually believe a standardized test shows true intelligience.  I thought it was interesting that Binet put out a warning that the IQ test he created was not to be used broadly in schools.  Once again, people making important decisions regarding education who really aren’t qualified to be making those decisions.  Authentic assessment allows for individual differences with learning styles and gives students a much better chance at not only connecting their learning, but truly internalizing/generalizing their learning.  I hate this time of year when I see my students getting all stressed out because of the CRCT test looming in the near future.  Behaviors go up and meaningful learning goes down the tube because all the kids hear right now is the CRCT tests are coming up.  It’s not fair to place this much stress/pressure on these poor babies who have worked really hard all year long and in some cases have increase a whole grade level, but are still not performing at their grade level.  How does that motivate these kids to want to continue to do their best in school when all people can talk about and celebrate is whether or not a child has met or exceeded the standards?  Why can’t we celebrate and appreciate the individual growth of each child?   

I have worked in schools that have had a wonderful, positive school culture and other schools where the school culture has been negative.  When I first started teaching, the school I was at had shared decision making.  The entire school staff had a voice in the decisions being made on a daily basis, everyone collaborated with each other, the atmosphere was positive and inviting, parents were involved in decision making, and we had high student achievement, even though the majority of our students were disadvantaged.  Because I was new to teaching, I thought this type of culture was the norm.  However, over the course of 15 years of teaching in many different states and school districts, I have discovered that is not the norm.  The school I am currently working in has, in my opinion, a negative school culture.  Teachers have low self-efficacy and are not involved in any real decision making.  In fact, I believe there are different standards for teachers which in my mind equates to different standards for students.  I believe the school culture does have a huge impact on student learning, “…some school cultures, even in the most disadvantaged communities, have an incredibly stron press for learning that translates into powerful actions that enable learning to occur” (p. 347).  This chapter reminded me of an article I am currently reading, “High Performance in High Poverty School: 90/90/90/ and Beyond” where the author discusses the importance of effective teaching and leadership.  Effective teaching and leadership can only be done in a school where there is a positive school culture and where everyone has ownership not only with decisions being made, but more importantly with student achievement. 

This leads me to the next chapter on community.  “Parents must be equal partners in their children’s schooling…” (p. 384).  While I believe this, how that happen in a school culture where teachers don’t even feel like equal partners?  I do agree with the “bridge-building” model…everyone needs to feel empowered!  I think we have so many resources, talents, and cultural strengths through our parents and business partners that we haven’t even begun to tap into yet, but it will take people willing to think “outside of the box” and be willing to discuss how best to utilize their strengths, which will probably mean teachers/administrators will need to change their perceptions of involvement means.  I thought it was intersting that we were taken back again to Jane Addam’s work who was a true advocate in her day.  The work she did is so timeless and is still very relevant in today’s world.

While I think Paul Gorski has some interesting thoughts and ideas based on research regarding poverty, I would have liked to have heard more about his information and less about Ruby Payne.  It seemed as though most of the evening was spent talking about Ruby Payne and when it got to the meat of his message there was not enough time left for him to present his ideas and his presentation was rushed.

I attended a workshop by Ruby Payne many years ago in Colorado.  I actually enjoyed the workshop and walked away with a wealth of information and a new-found sense of appreciation for people living in poverty.  Did I believe every word that Ruby Payne said in the workshop — no — but it did make me stop and think about things I had never considered before, so therefore, it was worthwhile learning.  This article sounds a bit prejudiced to me in that the author is making assumptions that all teachers who attend the workshop are unable to think for themselves and will take any and all information as gospel.  This certainly is an insult to my intelligience!  Haven’t we learned that there are no single truths?  I have never heard Paul Gorski speak, but when I do, will I believe every word he has to say — probably not!  That is the beauty of social-constructivism and being able to think critically about social justice — you create your own meaning based on information, dialogue, other people’s perspectives, and your own personal experiences.  Ruby Payne talks about the “hidden rules”.  From my experience with the Murphy family, there are many times they ask for my help because they just don’t know how to get something done, like when they needed to get public assistance when their power was turned off or when they needed to apply for SSI benefits for Stephen and Nathan.  There was no way they could have taken care of those things themselves…heck, I was barely able to manuever through all the red-tape.  Likewise, there was a time when they had absolutely no food in the house and the dad wasn’t going to get paid for another 2 weeks.  I gave them all the money I had (a lousy $40.00) and she went out in the streets and miraculously turned that 40 dollars into over $120.00 in food stamps so they could survive.  Could I have done that?  Probably not…I would have never thought of it.  Now, is this “the hidden rules” or is this just knowledge we have based on our personal experiences?  I don’t know…but I’m certainly not going to crucify someone over semantics…that wouldn’t be very tolerant of me, would it?Another thing Ruby Payne speaks of are the different resources families have, other than monetary.  How is looking at resources a particular family may or may not have stereotyping?  Isn’t it good for teachers to understand that there is more than just monetary resources that families rely on or need, or already have in place?   What’s wrong with having an awareness that people of all walks of life have strengths based on their personal experiences (good and bad) and have different resources to depend on?  It also sounds to me like the author is mad that Ruby Payne is making so much money.  Well…isn’t everyone trying to make a quick buck off of education these days?  I’m not saying it is right, but what I am saying is she isn’t the first person to do this.  Look at all the companies who create these useless already made curriculums that districts buy thinking it will be the “quick fix”.  Look at all the people who get paid to give boring, worthless staff deveopments year after year.  Shoot, even Paul Gorski get paid, doesn’t he? 

I really enjoyed reading the article on Culturally Responsive Teaching because it is socially relevant in today’s world.  We are becoming increasingly more diverse as a nation and we are seeing this diversity in schools. Unfortunately, many teachers/administrators believe that simply having multicultural books in the classroom and presenting activities on special occasions is enough.  At our school, we just recently had a huge celebration for Black History Month; however, this is the only time of the school year when we celebrate the diverse cultures at our school.  I view this limited teaching as only going through the motions and scratching the surface of what really needs to occur on a daily basis.  I think the starting point for teachers needs to be critical reflection on their pedagogy and their own attitudes towards diverse populations (cultures).  Only then can teachers begin to facilitate children’s internalization of an appreciation for themselves and others, and the contributions to society everyone is capable of making and are currently making.  Children need to learn how to communicate with each other, how to get along with each other, and how to learn from each other, despite the many differences (strengths and weaknesses) they may bring to the classroom.  We, as educators, need to start teaching children at a young age to not only value themselves but value each other by helping them create a deeper understanding of different perspectives and different truths.  This article serves as a great reminder of what we need to do, how to do it, and why it is so important in educating the “whole child”. 

I also liked reading the article on Evaluating Children’s Books for Bias.  It couldn’t have come at a better time.  I was just thinking that I need to beef up my personal library at school with more multicultural books.  It gives a nice summary of what to look for, which I will keep in mind, as I am shopping around! 

Classroom management is huge issue in today’s schools.  I think there is definitely a difference between “teaching” behavior and “managing” behavior.  Unfortunately, when it comes to children’s behavior at school (my school in particular) I see children making good choices so they can get that sticker or that piece of candy.  As soon as they get it and the adult is not looking they are back to making poor choices, such as running in the hallway, pushing other kids, etc.  To me, that is only managing behavior and only works when an adult is around to dole out tangibles.  In the classrooms teachers send kids to the office because they either don’t want to deal the issue or they don’t know how to deal with the issue.  Again, managing behavior (or not)!  I believe children need to be taught how to behave and as teachers we can’t just say that’s the parents job – not ours.  Children need to know right from wrong, they need to understand cause/effect, they need to be internally motivated to want to do the right thing.  We have become a nation where people want instant gratification and I do believe we are teaching children to be “emotionally dependent” on prizes and withdrawn privileges.  I use stickers and such in my classroom; however, I also try to mix in specific praise regarding their behavior, good or bad, in an attempt to help my students internalize the choices they make and how outcomes are directly tied into their choices.  I am reminded of the book, Choice Words, where the author suggests asking children if they are proud of themselves instead of always telling them that your are proud of them.  Children can learn how to make the right choices if they are allowed to make choices instead of being told what to do every minute of the day.   

I was quite surprised after reading the chapter, The Subject Matters.  I knew practices in education were political, but I didn’t realize to what extent!   When I was in school, I was taught from the traditionalist standpoint where students needed to know basic discrete skills.  This approach did not work for me.  I struggled to try to understand how things connected and even though I was able to memorize alot of the skills, I was often times unable to apply them.  I went through school feeling very confused and stupid.  It amazes me that people like Lynne Cheney think they know the best way to teach children.  What exactly are her qualifications?  Just because it worked for her and other traditionalists doesn’t mean that is works for everyone.  In the last State of the Union address, President Bush stated that the No Child Left Behind Act is working and the proof is in the statistics.  I haven’t seen any statistics that show it is working.  Quite the contrary, the statistics I have seen shows that it isn’t working for the majority of the student population, or  should I say the minority population, which is the majority.   In the book, Dumbing Us Down, by John Gatto, he comes up with an interesting analogy, “…that teaching is nothing like the art of painting, where, by the addition of material to a surface, an image is synthetically produced, but more like the art of sculpture, where, by the subtraction of material, an image already locked in the stone is enabled to emerge” (p XXXIV).   It seems to me that the traditionalist approach is only creating that painting, whereby children are told what to learn, who they are, and how they will fit into society. The progressive approach is trying to create the sculpture, where children are allowed to explore, think for themselves, and create their own unique beings (identity) who decide for themselves how they fit into society. 

In the article, Pedagogy of the Absurd, I thought how sad teachers are being forced to teach conformity.  Why does there have to be a war between whole language and phonics?  Why are teachers not allowed to use whatever approach they feel best meets the individual needs of their students?  How I teach is constantly changing, depending on the needs of the students I have each year.  I would not be a good teacher if I continuously used the same approach, the same strategies, the same activities year after year knowing it wasn’t working for all of my students.  I can not think of any other profession that is so regulated by the political arena…are we not professionals who have a sound understanding of how children develop and learn?  “Knowledge must prevail over nonsense” ( p 3). 

Freire discusses in depth the fear of not being able to comprehend books and specifically related to teaching, that children are not given the time nor the opportunity to creatively engage in the texts they are reading.  “Nothing, or almost nothing, is done toward awakening and keeping alive children’s curiosity, their consciously critical reflection, so indispensable to creative reading, reading capable of unfolding into the rewriting of the text read.” (p 57).  This reminded me of the Paley book, The Girl with the Brown Crayon.  In the book, Paley describes her experience of doing an author study with kindergarten students.  The author of study was Leo Lionni and she allowed her students to read the different books multiply times, discuss the books, retell the books, act out the books, and create projects (posters, letters, rewriting the endings).  Since the children were allowed the time to creatively engage in the books, the children began to comprehend and identify the different themes found in each book, such as race, identity, gender, and the need to belong.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we all felt we had the freedom to allow our students the opportunity to delve into books in such a way as to develope critical thinking skills, while still keeping their curiosity alive? 

This brings me to the article, “Silencing Teachers in an Era of Scripted Reading”.  How can teachers be effective if they have to worry about losing their jobs if they speak out and advocate for a reading curriculum which goes beyond learning basic skills?  Basic skills are not enough to help students think critically and apply their knowledge to other aspects of their lives.  I believe Direct Instruction has it’s place for some students some of the time, but it should not be the “reading curriculum”.  I think it is time that teachers are treated as professionals who have an intelligent voice in how children are taught.  “In a culture strongly influenced by the punitive regulations of the No Child Left Behind act — a culture of fear, threat, and retribution — administrators evidently viewed us only as troublemakers.”  (p 4).  Perhaps they should view us as part of the solution instead of as part of the problem!