Another awesome quote from the essay

"Expectations affect students in many ways, not just
academically, but in the form of mental and social deprivation which
causes a lack of self-esteem. When educators receive information
about students, mostly even before the student walks into their
classroom, from past test scores, IEP’s, and past teachers, it tends
to alter the way we look at the students potential for growth. This
foundation of expectation is then transformed on to our method of
instruction.
One basic fallout from these expectations is the amount of
time educators spend in communicating with students. We tend to speak
more directly to students who excel, talking in more matures tone of
voice, treating them more like a grown-up than we do to the students
who are already labeled underachievers. This can give the student an
added incentive to either progress or regress due to the amount of
stimulation that they receive.
As educators we tend to take the exceptional students "under
our wing". We tend to offer knowledge in situations to help push the
good students, in comparison to moving on to the next task for the
others. We also tend to critique the work of our god students more
positively than the others, offering challenges to the answers they
have given.
The most obvious characteristic that educators present to the
students is in the area of body language and facial expression. We
tend to present ourselves in a more professional manner to our good
students, speaking more clearly and with a stronger tone of voice. We
tend to stand more upright, in a more powerful stance, than to the
slouching effect we give to the underachievers. The head shakes,
glancing with our eyes, hand gestures, and posture all contribute to
the way we look at certain students based on our first impressions
which came before we even knew the student."
Taken from http://www.cyberessays.com/Politics/31.htm

It's crazy to me how even the most subtle body language can send a message to students showing favoritism. Teaching is one of the most difficult forms of communication, in my humble opinion.

School is a microcosm of Society

"Schools are often blamed for the ills of society, yet society
has a major impact on our education system. The problems that schools
are facing today are certainly connected to the problems that are
society faces, including drugs, violence, and the changing of our
family structure. There are many methods that schools have begun to
use in order to deal with the problems they are faced with and still
offer the best possible education to our youth."
Taken from an essay on http://www.cyberessays.com/Politics/31.htm

This quote in interesting to me because it has some very powerful implications for our education system. It is important that teachers recognise that schools are a microcosm of society, meaning that all the problems that exist in the grown up world exist in schools. I think that sometimes as teachers we don't always want to believe that students have problems coming into the classroom. We expect students to leave their problems at the door and come to class every day with a positive attitude, ready to be as excited about my subject as I am. While these are positive expectations, and should be expected of students, I believe that there needs to be understanding when a student comes to class with their problems weighing them down. I believe that it is the teachers responsibility to challenge students to learn how to excel despite the external circumstances and the only way this can happen is by having a caring and compassionate attitude towards these students. How can I expect a students to leave their problems at the door when my bad attitude towards them, when they are having a bad day, only adds another problem to their shoulders. Growing up I noticed these teachers and their bad attitudes were often directed to my friends. Typically the result was my friends shutting down and checking out. Of course I realize that with the sheer number of students I will be in contact with during my career, and the sheer number of bad days I will have as a teacher, this seems very idealistic. Fortunately I believe in a God who I can depend on in the hard times of my career.

A heart for teaching

In my 450 class today we talked about what it takes to teach in a more ethnically diverse school. My initial reaction was overwhelmingly "yes"!!! I could teach outside of "vanilla valley" as one of my classmates put it. It really got me thinking about how this is an issue that still exists today in education. As much as I don't understand it, since I grew up in Colorado Springs where there is not much diversity, I have to be prepared to work with colleagues who may struggle with treating minority students differently. Even with this in mind, I still have no idea what kind of school I want to teach in for my first year. I am worried that if I go into a inner city school, that I will get burnt out within the first two years.

| View | Upload your own