Diversity Conference

Before this conference I was actually already thinking about becoming an ELL teacher. For me, this conference only made me want to do it more. I really enjoyed how the panel answered questions, and how they would bounce ideas and answers off of one another. However, I wish we had gotten to ask our own questions instead of them answering questions that were already prepared. Nonetheless, I did learn a lot from this conference that will be useful even in a general education classroom.

For the most part a lot of what they had to say seemed the common sense. For example, they said you should understand where your kids came from, you should use a lot of visuals, they’re going to meet standards in different ways, etc. What I really found interesting was when they mentioned that if those students don’t know how to act socially they’re probably not going to thrive academically. If you think about this it makes complete sense because if they’re cut off socially they’re going to have a hard time even asking the teacher a question in class. A couple of things that I enjoyed most about the conversation was when they talked about parent meetings and resources for the classroom. The conversation about parents was interesting because, even more so than other students, you need to have good communication with ELL students’ parents. It was great to hear about how some of those parent meeting go, and it was really interesting to even hear the administration side of things. Lastly, I enjoyed hearing about the different resources for the classroom because they can be used in both an ELL classroom and a general education classroom. I made sure to make note of all of them because I’m always looking for new ideas now.

Fires Chapter 10

Chapter 10 talks about bringing your curriculum outside of the classroom. I liked two things in particular about this chapter, and the first was Vance’s quote on page 179 about how his internship gave him a better toward school and homework. The second was the section about teachers needing to recognize students own learning. In this section, on page 180, Alexis expresses her love for reading, knowing interesting facts, and learning sign language.

I like these two sections because they show great examples of using outside interests to establish interest in school. I think it was important that Vance finally saw the connection, that in order to succeed and get a job in the future he had to apply the skills he learned at his internship to school. Also, if a teacher were to know the skills and interests of students like Vance and Alexis they could easily apply it to their classroom to make it more interesting for them.

Fires Chapter 9

Chapter 9 discussed what goes wrong in schools in general, and what teachers can do to help. In schools, not only can the students get discouraged, but so can the teachers. In one quote, from page 168, Mika stated that “teachers need to get a harder shell. After that, students won’t see that you’re scared.” Building upon that, on the same page Vance said, “We’re like dogs, we can sense fear and sniff it out.” One last quote that I feel sums up this chapter came from Montoya on page 171, where she says, “Think about the kids: We need you, we want to get out of school and become someone.”

The first two quotes I mentioned from 168 made me think of my dad because I feel as though that is what he lives by. My dad is an Ed. Tech and I constantly hear stories about kids that swear at him and call him names, and he just lets it roll of his back. You have to because most of the time they don’t really mean it, you just can’t take it to heart. The second quote kind of made me laugh, but at the same time I knew it was true. Kids know whether or not you’re going to stick to your word, and if you don’t they’re going to take advantage of you. The last quote just sums up the chapter as a whole, as well as teaching in general. Teaching is all about the kids you want them to be successful, and deep down they want to be too.

Fires Chapter 8

Chapter 8 was all about teaching English Language Learners. On page 149, I liked the idea that Elaine had of having buddies for English Language Learners. However, I also appreciated the several quotes from students on page 150, who had teachers that underestimated the abilities they already had. Lastly, I shocked by the quote from Murilo on page 155, where he described how he got a suspension because of several he did not attend because he didn’t understand what they were.

I liked the idea of having buddies for English Language Learners because they need to interact with students other than fellow English Language Learners. If you allow them to separate themselves they will miss out on important skills and experiences. I was a little disappointed in hearing about how teachers were treating English Language Learners in their classroom. From the sounds of it they are clearly making assumptions about their abilities, which can not only damage their learning process, but also their self confidence. I was also completely horrified by Murilo’s story on page 155, and to say I was horrified is a little bit of an understatement. I think that it was terrible that nobody explain these punishments to him in the first place, but then to suspend him just crosses a line for me. They most definitely should have made sure that he understood his punishments before they moved on to more severe ones.

Fires Chapter 7

Chapter 7 was about how teachers should and shouldn’t go about teaching difficult material. I thought that some of the students had some great ideas for activities. For example, one of the students, on page 140, suggested that when dealing with a difficult book that the teacher have them give an assignment to change the book. She suggested that they be asked to create a spin off, or create a new ending to the book. Most of these students also have a great understanding of learning styles. For example, on page 129, Mahogany talked about how every student is a different learner, and she likes activities because they help all students understand.

Throughout this book and this chapter in particular I have really enjoyed the students’ ideas. It is very interesting to see how they so clearly understand how they learn, and exactly what they want from a teacher. Seeing the quote from page 129 was a little surprising to me because this student had such a great understand of how activities can help all kinds of students. It was just amazing to me that she had that awareness as a student herself. Looking back to my time in high school I feel as though I was not particularly concerned about any other learner other than myself.

Fires Chapter 6

Chapter 6 focuses on what happens when your kids are unmotivated to learn and bored with the subject. One quote that I found that I feel sums what it feels like for kids who are unmotivated and bored with what their learning was on page 100. Hilary said, “I felt like school was keeping me from learning.” On the other hand, some student don’t necessarily need to be motivated to know school is important, one student said “If you want to stay in your realm, you can’t blame the man if you don’t get ahead. The opportunities are there (101).” A lot of kids also make assumptions about what the goal of school is. On page 103, in their opinion of why they have to attend school a student said, “So what they tell you will become part of what you’re thinking.”

I found all of these quotes pretty surprising, but interesting at the same time. The first quote from page 100 just makes me feel a bit disappointed because as teachers we are suppose to be teaching kids, and teaching them stuff that they’re interested in. If they’re not interested in it, it’s your job to make it interesting for them. The quote on 101 is kind of on the other side of the spectrum from the first, but equally interesting. I feel that I have always been the kind of student that didn’t necessarily need motivation to know that school was important, so I can relate to that. However, I think it is still important to make sure that you're making the content interesting for those students as well. The last quote, on page 103, really shocked me. To an extent I believe we want to influence how students think about learning and possibly life, but this student almost makes it sound like school is trying to brainwash students.

Fires Chapter 5

Chapter 5 is about how teachers should help students in group situations. There were a few things in this chapter that I really liked, and some things that I really did not. To start off with, I really did not like the quotes from Vance and Lauraliz on page 88, where they described experiences where teachers did not take their work or questions seriously. What I did like was the quote from Montoya on page 89, where she suggests that if a teacher sees that a person, who is usually quiet in class, raise their hand they should make a point to call on them. The other two things I like were also quotes from students from page 97. One student said, “One job of a teacher is to be fair to all,” and the other said, “You need to know, not to lower your expectations but to be realistic.”

I didn’t like the first two quotes from page 88 because they actually really upset me. If a student has mustered up the confidence to ask you a questions, or worked extraordinarily hard on a project that interests them disregarding them is completely unacceptable. I liked the last three quotes because I felt that they are all important things for teachers to be aware of. Call on that student if he has his hand up, especially if he is not one to raise his hand often. Also, your job as a teacher is to be fair to all, but at the same time not lower your expectations. All students should be held to the same expectations, but if they need modifications that is okay.

Fires Chapter 4

Chapter 4 was about how you can help your students succeed in your classroom. A major part of that is just believing in your students in the first place. If you don’t, like Porsche says on page 63, you send the message that you don’t really care if they come to school or not. To succeed students also need to participate in class, and sometimes that can be a nerve racking thing for many students. As Mika says on page 71, before his teacher taught him the skills he needed to participate in class he struggled with participation. Grades are also a tricky thing when it comes to student success. For example, on page 78, Porsche talks about what it feels like to get a bad grade, she says, “You feel like you’re doing all that hard work for nothing.”

All of these things stood out to me in this chapter because I have had experience with them myself, and can clearly see how it could have an affect on a student’s success. I can understand if a student doesn’t have a teacher that they know believes in them that they may not see the point in coming to school in the first place, let alone attempt the work. I also know what it’s like to be too afraid or unprepared to share my thoughts in class. It is stressful. Not only do you not want to be made fun of, but you don’t want to let down your teacher. I also know what it’s like to feel like I've worked my fingers to the bone for a particular class, and still come up a little short. It’s incredibly frustrating, but I have to say that I always knew that at least I put all that I could into it, and that made me feel better.

Fires Chapter 3

I took two major lessons from this chapter, and one came from a quote from a student named Maribel. At the very beginning of the chapter, on page 36, Maribel expressed how uncomfortable it makes her to be in a classroom where students are misbehaving, and where it seems that the teacher has lost all control. The other lesson was toward the middle of the chapter, on page 44, when the author suggests that we should look at students as partners in the learning process.

I felt that these two things were important because the first I have experienced myself in schools, and the second I wish I had seen more of. I was always that student that tried to make sure that everybody was doing what they should be doing. It is extremely uncomfortable because you feel bad for the teacher, and when the teacher gets upset with the whole class for their behavior you feel responsible for it somehow. The important lesson that you should take away from this is that you need to create a comfortable and controlled environment for everyone, so you’re not leaving it to your students to feel responsible for other people’s behavior. I felt the second was important because if you have a student who has behavior problems it doesn’t necessarily mean its all their fault. That's where the teamwork comes in, to figure out what is going on and work together to create a plan.