What Stood out to me This Semester

 3 THINGS THAT STOOD OUT TO ME THIS SEMESTER AS MEANINGFUL

1. The first thing that stood out to me as meaningful this semester was jeopardy. This activity was meaningful to me for a lot of reasons. First, I felt like I learned so much from it. It gave me a really good refresher of everything that we learned in the first half of the semester and really forced me to think. Second, I felt like this was the first time our class really bonded and got to know each other. Lastly, it was really fun and was a memory I will always remember!

2. The second thing that stood out to me as meaningful this semester was Alfie Kohn and his teachings. This stood out to me because I felt like I had been utilizing it in my classroom. When I entered the school I am in, one of the teachers had her desks in rows. When I entered the classroom for a few weeks, I moved the desks, and I felt like it really enhanced their learning. 

3. The third thing that stood out to me as meaningful was this quote from Troublemaker's that I wrote on one of my blog posts, "The child who deviates, who refuses to be-power like everybody else, may be telling us-loudly, visibly, and memorably-that the arrangements of our schools are harmful to human beings.". I really like this quote because it has changed the way I am as a teacher. Instead of looking at students as "behaviors", I try to see what I can change in order to help the student feel more comfortable.

Connections to Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Guidance for Rhode Island Schools on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students

Connections to the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Guidance for Rhode Island Schools on Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students

Hannah Kennedy | FNED546 | Link to Article: RIDE Guidance | Link to Video: Video/Aeticle

I am really glad we had to read this article because, as future teachers, I feel like it is important to know and understand these guidance rules to help us truly understand our students. As someone who has been working in an elementary school, I definitely made some connections while reading this. First, overall, this article taught me how to create a safe and inclusive environment for all students in the classroom. It has been evident to me in my time in an elementary school that the teachers around me have worked super hard to create this type of environment. I have also witnessed teachers discipline students for being discriminatory. For example, I heard a student call another student "gay" in a derogatory way, and the teacher used it as a class lesson on discrimination. Secondly, the article really focused on respecting students' identities. I have seen this in classrooms, especially in college, where students are asked about their pronouns to ensure people respect their identity. Third, the article explains that students should have access to facilities and activities that align with their gender identity. I have seen gender neutral bathrooms in most schools, which is a great step for those who need them. It is also important that teachers create activities that students of every gender identity can participate in. This allows for everyone to be included in school. One thing the article also mentioned was that teachers need to ensure confidentiality when it comes to a student's transgender or gender conforming status. I am so glad the article talked about this, because this is something I will need to know in the future when I am a teacher. Lastly, I really liked that this mentioned that teachers need to attend professional development and be aware of policies pertaining to transgender and gender conforming students. It is so important that teachers stay up to date in order to enhance their ability to support and understand all of their students. This article is extremely helpful to those who are studying to be teachers!

Notes on A Guide to Being an Ally to Transgender and Nonbinary Youth by The Trevor Project

I really enjoyed reading this article by The Trevor Project, and I thought it was super informative and helpful to those looking to become a teacher one day. I wanted to mention that this article talked about how teachers are in a unique position to make a positive impact on their students. This means that as a teachers, we should be creating safe spaces for our students and enforcing non-discriminatory practices in our schools. Teachers have the ability to create an equitable environment for all of their students, and need to take a proactive approach to ensure students are supported and feel seen during their journey through education. Overall, I love how this article really gave me an idea of how I can be proactive as a teacher and how I can make my students feel supported. 

Another great article for further reading:

 https://intercommunityaction.org/how-to-be-an-ally-to-transgender-and-nonbinary-youth/

Questions

1. Do you feel that AI negatively alters the way students learn?
2. Do you think AI causes delays in students’ critical thinking skills?
3. How do you feel that AI can be a valuable asset in the classroom?
4. How can teachers teach students to use AI in a positive way instead of just a tool to give them the answers?

Quotes

 Quotes in Aria by Richard Rodriguez

Hannah Kennedy | FNED546 | Link to a good Prezi on this memoir: Prezi| Link to book: Aria

• "But I couldn’t believe that the English language was mine to use. (In part, I did not want to believe it.)"

Throughout the chapter, we see Richard Rodriguez's struggle with learning English. It is evident that Rodriguez has emotional ties to his home language, Spanish. It is a part of his identity and his sense of belonging. It is obvious throughout that chapter that Rodriguez is struggling internally with learning English, not necessarily because it's hard, but because of his emotional ties to Spanish. Rodriguez is scared to lose his identity and the connection it has with him and his home. I love this quote because it highlights how Rodriguez did not want to believe that he could learn a different language, which really made me think about why he wouldn't want to learn English. It did not occur to me how much of a role language plays in people's lives, and I am glad I realize this now.

• "The moment after the visitors left, the change was observed. ‘Ahora, speak to us en inglés,’ my father and mother united to tell us."

In the book, Rodriguez's parents made the decision to have everyone in this house speak English instead of Spanish. This was to aid in their learning of English. Based on this quote, it is evident that this change hurt Rodriguez. This quote also shows us an important part of assimilation that we do not normally see, which is how it affects families. When a student is trying to assimilate into the English language and American culture, their families have to support them, which means major changes at home. This was definitely hard for Rodriguez and his family, as a big part of their identity is speaking Spanish. Rodriguez is losing a deep connection to his roots by not speaking Spanish at home to assimilate. 

• "But the special feeling of closeness at home was diminished by then. Gone was the desperate, urgent, intense feeling of being at home; rare was the experience of feeling myself individualized by family intimates."

While in the last quote, we saw Rodriguez's initial feelings of confusion and loss when his parents made him speak English at home instead of Spanish, this quote goes deeper into how Rodriguez felt. Rodriguez explains how assimilation caused him to feel differently about home. He used to love his home because of his love for his family and Spanish, but now Spanish was being taken away from him, and it did not feel the same anymore. This quote emphasizes to readers how hard assimilation is for students. Not only is it hard to learn a new language, but emotionally, it is extremely hard for kids to adjust. People who assimilate into a new culture have to sacrifice a big chunk of themselves, and we as a society expect this to be an easy transition. Along with this, Rodriguez felt like even though he was gaining confidence in society due to his assimilation progress, he felt like this cost him his intimate family life in which he felt was a big part of his identity. I like this quote because it really shows how hard assimilation is for more reasons than one. 

Quotes in Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick J. Finn

Quotes in Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick J. Finn

Hannah Kennedy | FNED546 

Link to buy the book: Literacy With an Attitude

1. “First, there is empowering education, which leads to powerful literacy, the kind of literacy that leads to positions of power and authority. Second, there is domesticating education, which leads to functional literacy, literacy that makes a person productive and dependable, but not troublesome.”
• I really like this quote because it divides the education into two types, empowering education and domestic education, empowering education and domesticating education. Empowering education is when students are given the tools to gain influence and power in the world. On the other hand, domesticating education is when students are given the tools to be obedient workers who don’t question authority. This goes hand in hand with Finn's beliefs about the education system. Finn believes that the education system creates more division between social classes, as he believes that wealthy people receive education that fosters leadership and control rather than the domesticated education that lower classes receive.
2. “We don’t worry about a literate working class because the kind of literacy they get doesn’t make them dangerous.”
• This quote emphasizes the point I made in my previous explanation, that education prioritizes the wealthy class while disadvantaging the lower classes. According the Finn, the lower class is ignored because the education system doesn’t want them to excel in the same way they want the higher classes to excel. The higher class is given more opportunities and more tools to succeed, which makes them more successful. On the other hand, the lower classes are not given those same tools, which causes this division to continue in social classes. This quote highlights the inequality in the education system and how education can be used as a system of control. This upsets me because the education system should be supporting everyone equally, and shouldn’t be viewing people by their social class. As a teacher, I want to make sure I am aware of this.
3. “Teachers who see themselves as allies of their working-class students can help their students see that literacy and school knowledge could be potent weapons in their struggle for a better deal.”
• I absolutely loved this quote because I feel like, as a future teacher, I really want to make a difference and change this cycle. This quote from Finn tells us that he believes that teachers are the ones who can change this cycle. Finn believes that if teachers challenge students with educational literacy and teach them to advocate for themselves instead of just teaching them how to read and write, we can encourage them to make a difference for themselves and those around them. I also like the school because it goes along with Finn’s idea that education should be used as a tool for change rather than just a place that perpetuates power structures. Overall, this quote makes me realize how big of a role teachers have in not only the education system, but in their students’ lives. I hope as a teacher, I can help foster a more equitable and equal educational society.

Great article for further reading on how to practice literacy attitude at home:   https://markhampubliclibrary.ca/blogs/post/loveliteracy/

Quotes in Troublemakers: Lessons in Freedom from Young Children at School by Carla Shalaby

Link to buy the book: Troublemakers | Blog Post by Hannah Kennedy | FNED546

1. "Unquestioning deference to authority is the requirement and the expectation of schoolwhere adult directives replace children's own desires."
   
• This quote highlights the idea that schools tend to prioritize obedience over children's creativity, autonomy, and curiosity. This is something we have talked about multiple times in class. This quote emphasizes the point that schools focus more on compliance within its students rather than teaching and encouraging independence, self-direction, and creativity. It is so evident that the educational system focuses on the wrong things, and it is so important that we change this. This seems to align with the main idea of the books theme, based on what I have read so far, that the educational system tends to marginalize the children that do not align with these rigid expectations. It also emphasizes the fact that children who do not follow these expectations are typically labeled as troublemakers and disobedient, which leads to more behavioral problems within the classroom.
2.  "The child who deviates, who refuses to be-power like everybody else, may be telling us-loudly, visibly, and memorably-that the arrangements of our schools are harmful to human beings."
• This quote follows up on the idea from the last quote that kids who do not follow the status quo of the educational system are typically labeled as troublemakers. This quote talks about how society should take the "troublemakers" as a sign that the current education system is harmful. Basically, when there is a "behavior student", I as an educator should look at the behavior and reflect on what deeper issues could be causing the behavior within the system. The education system is not "one size fits all", as every child is different and has different needs and aspirations. This quote is super important because it challenges the current practices within the education system, and challenges educators to think about how the system can be harmful to human beings (our students). Sometimes, children are not just disobedient, they are a sign of systemic harm.
3. "Thus, the withholding of education is a political tool used to maintain and ensure an economic and social underclass."
• This quote is super important to what we have been learning in class. This quote emphasizes the idea that schools and educational systems give disproportionate discipline to marginalized communities and students of color. This eventually leads to long-term disadvantages both economically and socially. This can be extremely harmful to the educational system and communities everywhere and it is super important that this practice is recognized and changed. Basically, this quote is saying that education purposely does this as an educational tool to ensure that economic and social underclasses continue to exist. Overall, schools play a crucial role in racial and economic oppression, and there needs to be a change. The educational system should not be used as a political tool in any way.

Good read if you want to read further: https://sur.conectas.org/en/right-education-human-rights-education/

Video Analysis

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eFwZ18Xp2m_IlStLhMr9g2h0sxZnGc3N9_rO3hjLQSk/edit