Teaching Hope: Dillusionment

I found this chapter very relatable and insightful. An entry that really touched me was 81, which talks about a dyslexic student who has ADHD as well. She expresses that she has a difficult time in class, and how she feels as though she is not valued. The teacher who wrote this speaks on the fact that there are no expectations on Ema to graduate high school. Contributing to this is also the caseload that Ema’s teacher has, which is also being on twenty-seven other cases as well as teaching six classes.

At the beginning of the entry, Ema asks “Why aren’t teachers required to learn about dyslexia before there are allowed to become a teacher?” (183) This question stood out to me. I completely agree Ema? Why as general educators, do we not spend as much time discussing special education that will most likely impact and interact with our teaching career as some point? It had me reflecting on my own education. I recently took a minor in special education because I felt like it would be apart of my everyday life as an educator, and I didn’t really know that much about it. General education focuses on the content, whereas special education focuses on learning environments and learning strategies, making all students successful whatever learning obstacles might be in their way. It made me appreciate that I will have the knowledge of knowing how to help students in other ways. It also made me realize how vast of a knowledge special education is in general, so I am glad that I do have a bit of it to engage in meaningful collaboration with my colleges.

Teaching Hope: Engagement Reflection

Tne entry I wanted to discuss was 71, which tells the story of a group of kids that could not stop laughing and get settled at the beginning of class. The teacher has a wonderful color-coded explanation of how to write a paragraph essay, however unknown to the teacher, the group of students was tripping off acid. This entry raised a series of questions for me about what I would do if I were in that position.  The teacher did not understand what was happening at the moment, and resorted to having the class talk about colors in their lives and colors that surround them to get the student to calm down. This was just a matter of knowing your audience. I’m glad the teacher engaged them in a discussion instead of sending them out of the room. I think that is a helpful strategy for getting kids right into the lesson, without depriving them (sending them out) of the classroom and that day’s lesson.

Another question the entry brought up was how as a teacher, (besides the school policy, which obviously I would follow) am I doing to deal with drugs and alcohol in my classroom? Is it something that is even worth discussing in class with student? How would I talk to students about giving school your very best effort to not come to class under the influence and the correct protocol for when they do come to class under the influence. It got me thinking that if a student was did take drugs or alcohol before coming to my class, but were completely undisruptive, how would I go about ultimately responding and intervening.

Teaching Hope: Challenges Reflection

The challenges section of teaching hope focuses on a lot of tough situations teachers may find themselves in throughout their interactions with students. Some of the topics discussed in the chapter were teenage pregnancy, domestic abuse, and depression and suicide. I thought this chapter was useful because it tells stories about teachers in tough positions and how they have handled it, giving insight on how I might respond one day as a teacher.

One of the passages that really impacted me was section 22 which told the story of a girl named Sierra. Sierra was prone to emotional outbursts in class, and confided in her teacher that she had been feeling angry and depressed. The teacher did not know what do so she tells Sierra that she is going to report her, causing Sierra to run out of the classroom in fear. Months later, after receiving the help that she needed, Sierra returns to the teacher and thanks her by letter the teacher read her journal. Her journal reveals that Sierra was facing issues at home, a troubling relationship with her mother.

This passage impacted me for a number of reasons, the first being that you never really know what a student is going through unless you present yourself as an ally to them. Students like Sierra may be under the impression that no one is in her corner, but when she had the persistence of a caring teacher, who also introduced her to resources for her depression, Sierra confided again in her teacher. I hope to be a resource to my students, and help them in anything they are experiencing in their lives that may be troublesome to them.

Generations

In Greg Hammill’s article “Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees” the importance of being aware of generational differences becomes evident through the many examples explained. The four generations that we are encountering in the workplace are Veterans, Baby Boomers, Gen Y, and Gen X. Hammill expresses the importance of having this knowledge, to improve workplace relationships, but the information was also applicable to everyday life relationships. While I think this is definitely significant for young people to keep in mind, I found that this article kind of simplified characteristics of the generation, and did not offer much explanation to his reasoning. I also felt like there was a bias towards Gen Y, but maybe because it was published over ten years ago attributes to this author’s mindset.

Nonetheless, successful workplace relationships are crucial for a teacher’s success. When collaborating with other teachers, administration, parents, or anyone regarding school that comes from a different generation, one should keep an open mind and communicate openly about expectations and norms. I don’t think anyone should walk up to someone from a veteran generation and say “well you only do this because you are from that generation” because I don’t think anyone’s personality or beliefs should be simplified to that extent. Generational differences are a good piece of information to keep in mind in a workplace environment. However, I think that when working with four different generations, the best thing one can do is being open minded and accommodating to others, and always ask before you assume!

http://www.fdu.edu/newspubs/magazine/05ws/generations.htm