Discussion 4

When I hear the word community I’m reminded of Christmas
time.  Everything is good for me on
Christmas: the scent of pine, the aroma of tamales coming from the kitchen, the
cumbias in the background, kids unwrapping gifts and laughing, smiles, hugs and
kisses from the family, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, dad and mom, wife and
my kids.  Love is the central theme. And
a shared belief that we are all one and that each one of us is the whole is the
glue that binds.  The emptiness of a
missing relative is immeasurable.  That’s
because each member of the family, of the community, is an essential and
integral part of the whole.  Each person
brings a unique quality to the warmth of the group.  There is strength and safety in our numbers,
which is only equated by the love that we share.  The question asks me to build at school the
theme of my family.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

How do I recreate the essence Christmas in my school?  It involves promoting a shared vision.  The shared vision is the idea that all
children are an integral part of the school and the classroom.  Community is built by promoting a sense of
belonging for the students within the classroom which is accomplished by
getting to know each student on a personal level.  That feeling of being welcome and belonging
to the classroom does wonders.  I talk to
my students during lunch and nutrition about non-science topics that they choose,
usually sports, but other things such as music, hobbies, and afterschool
activities as well.  I try to share
equally (within legal parameters) my views and beliefs.  The feeling of being welcome comes from the
openness to the students, but also translating that into the lesson.  Adding a mix of science to the students’
realm of reality goes a long way.  It
also involves putting yourself in the lesson.

 In our readings this week
in Beyond Heroes, I read about John
Brown and slavery.  Although I am aware of the overt racism that is
still present in our society, I haven’t infused my opinions and beliefs into
the lesson. Perhaps because I grew up in an era of the L.A. Riots and Rage
Against the Machine that I put social
justice in the backburner with the assumption that it is an ever-present
living concern as it was for me in my youth. 
My political and social beliefs are not my students’ beliefs.  Their information comes from mass media (the
television), not from NPR.  Accepting all
my students no matter their human condition is necessary to build a community
and a safe environment.

I can’t wait for Christmas.

I think building community and creating safe environments are interrelated. I have recently thought about how much school spirits can affect various facets of school life including school cleanliness so it’s important to address it.
I think we can build community through the homeroom periods. At Wilson it is called FAS and although it is intended to create stronger bonds between students and teachers, I don't see it working that way. I think this can be an effective strategy if executed correctly. When I visited Global Studies, Mike mentioned that for his mentor's homeroom class is so sacred, he is even asked to step out of the classroom so that students and his mentor can speak confidentially. This is the kind of bond I think all homeroom or FAS teachers should strive for - a place where students can unload their mental and psychological baggage. A lot of students in urban communities are going through a lot and I see very little places where they can process any negative experiences. This closeness between a teacher and a group of students I think is one step closer to having a school wide community and a safer environment.
I think finding new, innovative and FUN ways to create school spirit can also go a long way in fostering community and a safer environment. As teachers we have great influence over our students’ attitude, so one of the first strategies to building community is to get teacher buy in. Teachers can work on demonstrating their school spirit by decorating their classroom and infusing the school’s history into lessons.  

This week we read Ch. 6 in the Grant and Sleeter book which focuses on a multicultural and social justice approach to education. It seems that this would be a good place to start if we want to build community and create safe environments for our students. Much of the prejudice and strain between races and groups that I see at my school and really, the world in general, stems from fear and frustration. People fear what is unfamiliar or different and that can lead to racism and hatred between different kinds of people. Also, when there are limited resources available in a community it is easy to lash out at the people that are competing for those same resources. A multicultural education can help build community by increasing awareness and knowledge between different types of people. As a culture or race becomes more familiar what stands out is not the differences but the similarities to one's own culture. The social justice facet of this sort of education can also help build community and increase the safety of our students because it looks beyond simple circumstances ("There are only a few jobs available in this community and all the Mexicans/Blacks/Immigrants/Asians are taking them all!") to more systemic inequalities and how they can be remedied ("Why is the job market in this community so bad? Why don't we have more opportunities available here? Who is responsible and how can we create change?").
Also, when teachers and schools in general embrace a multicultural and social justice oriented curriculum and philosophy they make schools a safe, welcoming place for all students. I have been in classes where I knew the teacher didn't like Mexicans or female students. It is a stressful situation. My stomach would hurt before class everyday because I knew that I might have to deal with the teacher's bad attitude. I knew that I wouldn't be able to ask any questions because the teacher would be angry or might make fun of me. It is impossible to learn in such a climate. If a student knows that when they go to school they will be surrounded by teachers and admin that value them it can make an incredible difference. I have seen the change that caring can make, both in my own classroom experience as a student and a teacher but also through the book that my book group is reading.

Reflection 4- How do we work to build community
and create safe environments for our students?
There needs to be a system in place that does
not tolerate putting students down. We need to make sure that we establish a
classroom culture and environment that embraces diversity, comfortable, and
welcoming.  As a teacher, I want to make
sure that I am sensitive to the my students needs. For example, be considerate
of students emotional, persona, academic, and developmental needs. I need to
make sure that my students feel safe in my classroom and that they can freely
express their opinions and aren't afraid to get bullied and laughed at.
Students need to feel that connection to the classroom and that they are in
fact an important part of the classroom/community. The first day of school is very crucial because students
will be able to read the teacher. Students will quickly realize if this is
actually a classroom to learn or a place to waste time.  

Reflection
4- How do we work to build community and create safe environments for our
students?  

When reflecting on this prompt, the below two quotes rang loudly with me.  First, according to Grant Sleeter (p. 17), "[f]or many students, a caring relationship with the teacher is a prerequisite to learning.  If the teacher does not seem to like the student personally, some students will not try in school." And, second, according to Beyond Heroes "Pocahontas" (p. 133), "[f]or the Europeans, profits took precedence over racial harmony.  They had the power to enforce their will; and they told the stories from which we and our children derive our cultural myths."  
 
I chose the first quote because I feel that in order to build community and create safe environments for our students, we need them to be motivated to try in school.  To do this, we, the educators, need to motivate them.  One way we can do this is by showing our students that we care about them.  I have personally seen this work in the classroom.  My mentor and I teach an Algebra for repeaters class where the students had previously failed the CAHSEE more than two times.  Some of the students were seniors who had given up on mathematics because they just felt that they "were no good at it."  My mentor and I established a safe environment where we did not look at the past.  We only looked forward.  We told the students they could do it.  We honestly believed in them.  They felt our energy.  I saw them turn around.  I saw 20 out of 22 of them pass the most recent CAHSEE.  One student came in and wanted a picture with my mentor and me.  It was amazing what we can do as educators.  Now these students can graduate and get their diplomas which will open doors for them.  Many of our students choose to either pay attention and participate in the learning environment or act out and create classroom management issues based on whether or not they feel we care about them.  In order to build a safe environment for our students, we have to show them that we care about them. If we do not care about them, then it will not be a safe environment: classroom management issues will rise and learning will decrease. 
 
I chose the second quote because it is important to understand the dominant discourse when creating a safe environment.  We do not want to alienate our students.  We must not teach cultural myths.  Instead, we should cherish, respect and learn from the rich cultural diversity in our classrooms.  In making a safe environment, we need to do our best to remove cultural bias from the classroom.  By doing this, we will make a safer environment for our students.  Propagating myths about cultures does not create a safe environment for students. If anything, it does the opposite.  
 

I emphasize the importance of teacher-student rapport, but
this cannot happen without building community and creating a safe environment
for my students.
I learned this summer the affects greeting your students at
the door had on creating the culture of your classroom. It has been eight
months and I still greet my students as they enter the classroom. This allows
me to have a quick chat with my students that are not related to math. It is also
an opportunity to check in with students that may be presenting a different
kind of behavior from their norm.
Having classroom rules, procedures, expectations, and
routines are important in building a productive environment. These aspects
should be available through a syllabus and visible in the classroom for the
teacher and students to refer back on. It is also necessary for the teacher to
go over these expectations not only in the beginning of the school year, but
throughout. It is important for the teacher and the students to remind
themselves and each other their role and responsibility in the classroom.
When students walk into their classroom, it should feel like
theirs. The classroom should be decorated with student work and updated
regularly. The walls should also include inspiring quotes, posters, and/or
resources to encourage students in this space. In our classroom now, we have
all that is mentioned above, but my mentor and I also include pieces of art
that represents us. This gives our students a piece of our personality.
And now I am back to teacher-student rapport. Having a
trusting relationship with my students is important. The relationship a teacher
has with their student is a key in creating a safe learning environment because
it builds reliance. Students should be able to come to class and know their
teacher believes in them and presumes positive intention. 

One community-building method my mentor and I facilitate in
our classrooms is a community circle.  In
a community circle, all students stand in a circle.  The norms of the circle are that of respect;
actively listen while someone speaks, and that every one will have a chance and
must speak.  My mentor and I will choose
topics that allow students to share something about themselves with the
class.  Usually the community circles
only take about ten minutes and are a good way to end a class session.  The circles allow students to learn about
their peers and to provide them with a safe space to express themselves.  This is one method we use to create community
in the classroom.  I could answer the
question posed by Grant & Sleeter-- “What knowledge, viewpoints, and
interests do students bring?” by incorporating social justice topics within
these circles.  When initiating
conversations about sensitive issues such as these, it will be important for
the teacher to hold the students accountable to the norms of the circle.  <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

I create safe environments for my students by emphasizing
respect and the social contract that students created for themselves, which is
posted on the wall.  I try to allow
students to express their perspectives as they investigate and develop their
own rules/definitions for mathematical patterns they observe.  Throughout this process I show students that
everyone has a different perspective but that there’s truth in everyone’s definition/rule.  Once my students feel safe in the classroom
and respected by their peers, I can truly engage them in social issues.  Then, “Social issues become more real and
meaningful to students when they are encouraged to examine them from a personal
viewpoint…”  I will provide my students
different outlets to express themselves, such as the community circle, through
daily quick-writes, peer dialogues, etc. 

“’Pocahontas’ preserves our self-image as a country that
never engaged in empire-building and the ravaging of other cultures…This
perspective keeps us in denial about the plight of Native Americans today and
serves the interests of those who want to maintain current economic and
political arrangements, keeping the world safe for profit-making by American
business.” “Bias in Children’s Movies: Pocahontas” by Tom Roderick
 
“Individuals often feel powerless to effect significant
social changes, believing that their only source of major government and social
participation is through voting, and even then they wonder whether their single
votes will make a difference.” Turning on
Learning by Carl Grant and Christine Sleeter
 
I see the themes between the readings this week, but I don’t
see how they connect to the given prompt. I don’t know how to build approaches
that respect the different needs of boys and girls, because I’m not sure what
boys and girls’ different needs are. As for student grouping, I’d have to think
about what type of stereotypes I rely on when deciding how to place students.
The last time I grouped students I tried to evenly distribute the talkative
students. I placed the less active students in the front. I tried to balance
their working styles. I tried to create groups that would work well together.
They were primarily based on personality and work product. This was the first
time I was given control of these decisions. My mentor groups students based on
their grades in the class. I do not agree with that method.
 
As for my quotes, I enjoyed Tom Roderick’s thoughts on
Disney’s “Pocahontas”. Growing up in Oregon we spent a lot of time learning
about the Native American tribes that once roamed the Willamette Valley. We
never actually discussed what happened to them. I interned for a United States
Senator in high school. I remember attending some hearings about legislation
that would affect Native Americans. I found the arguments of the tribal
leaders very compelling. It really wasn’t until I heard one of them arguing
before the United States government that I realized just how wrong we were and
continue to be in our treatment of native peoples.
 
My second quote states something I feel very strongly about.
I don’t think people feel empowered to make the changes in government we need to
be a stable country going forward. I rewatched “Grapes of Wrath” last night. It
was a reminder that things can get terribly out of hand if the wrong people
have too much say over the lives of others. It’s worrisome because many
Americans are facing the same issues of the Dust Bowl all over again.

I love the idea of year-long service and content projects. Students will take pride if you enable them to see why they should.

 
 
“The multicultural social justice approach holds that the
school should consciously and actively teach and model participatory democratic
living and that the entire school experience should be reoriented to address
difference and justice based on race, social class, language, disability,
sexual orientation, religion, and gender, both locally and globally.” (Sleeter,
pg. 260)
Addressing the greater issue of multicultural social justice
in our society is a huge feat, and often met with roadblocks setup by groups
that do not understand the greater issue at hand.  In order to begin tackling this issue, the
participants of society need to be educated and informed of the different
multicultural structures and how they contribute to the function of our society.  As educators, we can start with our
classrooms and building those multicultural social justice structural supports
through the use of curriculum and discourse. 
By modeling a micro-community and safe space inside of the classroom,
students will gain exposure and experience with diversity.  Although it may be cliché, people are afraid
of what they do not understand. 
Misunderstandings of social and cultural customs continue to feed the
cycle and prevalence of ignorance about multicultural social justice and what
it means.  By allowing our students the
knowledge of societal conflicts and providing them the means to discuss
controversial topics and avenues of conflict resolution, we are building the
foundation to the community inside our classroom.  If the implementation is impactful, our
students will carry these abilities through their life and into their
community.  Some examples of implementing
this approach in the classroom can be found in the lessons provided by Sleeter
in chapter 6.  It is important for
students to discover and acknowledge the relevance of community issues to
content matter.  In my classroom, I
create a safe environment by getting to know my students as individuals.  This past school year I learned all of my
students names in the first week of school. 
In the upcoming school year, I plan to have my students do a science
educational autobiography to allow me to get to know them better.  Part of building the safe space is making
students feel comfortable in the classroom. 
Respect and sharing ideas and perspectives are supported.  Student’s insecurities are nurtured not
disgraced.  By building a safe space,
students will be more willing to participate in controversial discussions
without the fear of feeling attacked or humiliated for sharing their
point-of-view.
“In schools with minority populations, teachers should make
an effort to abandon political biases and build on students’ personal histories
and existing knowledge bases” (Lee et al., pg. 142)

Leo, I appreciate your
reflection on building a safe environment for students.  You list a large number of key points that
have an overall effect on the classroom structure and function.  It is important to me that my students feel
comfortable in my classroom in the sense that they feel encouraged and
supported to contribute their thoughts to the learning environment.  I enjoy the quote “you love what you take
care of.”  It is essential to nourish
growth in the classroom by showing the students that you care through the
structure of the classroom and how the expectations are communicated.  Building a community within the classroom
enables a cooperative environment where students can help each other grow and
develop.

A community creates a common culture.
 
A common culture creates a community.
 
Via the two-way street of language.
 
To cultivate a community of respect, one must cultivate a language of respect.
 
This begins with the cultivation of respect for language itself.
 
For its power.
 
For its beauty.
 
For its ability to negotiate peace.
 
And its ability to spark war.
 
On each side of the street are two more lanes.
 
One lane is verbal.
 
But the carpool lane is nonverbal. 
 
For nonverbal communication often carries more words.
 
It is easy to spot the occupants within our spoken tongues.
 
But the tint of our nonverbal actions distorts those inside.
 
Not to mention the speed of the vehicles.
 
When they collide, bones break.
 
Despite the maxims of old.
 
We must learn to confine our actions within the confines of the laws.
 
The seatbelt laws.
 
For that is always safer.
 
For when the carpool cars collide, the damage is so much more.
 
With respect to the occupancy.
 
The language we choose to use has a rich history.
 
Where did all these words come from?
 
Who was bashed over the head, for a lack of better words?
 
Whose words are they?
 
Are they your creation?
 
Or did the Creator force them on you?
 
Is sir or ma’am an adequate substitute for the person you truly are?
 
Are you a student?
 
Or a scholar?
 
Are you a teacher?
 
Or a professor?
 
Are you a revolutionary?
 
Or a rebel?
 
Are you poor?
 
Or just broke?
 
All these words have different meanings.
 
And the ones we choose to use define our perspective.
 
And define the limits of our admiration, prejudice, and respect.
 
If we think in words, then the words we have limit the thoughts we can think.
 
They define what is possible.
 
Who qualifies as a scientist?
 
Semantics.
 
Is it a marriage?
 
Or a civil union?
 
Abba, Allah, Yahweh, God.
 
Tell me now that words don’t break your bones.
 
Do you like him?
 
Or do you love him?
 
Tell me now that words don’t break your heart.
 
Are you drunk?
 
Or just buzzed?
 
Keys.
 
Search, strive, do not rest until you find, the language that does no harm.
 
Then you will have a culture of peace.
 
And a community of respect.
 
With no fender benders.
 
And no burning wrecks.

Building a safe environment and community can help student comprehension. When teaching in the classroom it is always helpful to have everyone engaged and participating in the lesson. If students don't participate it takes away from the skills and content they need to know. It is important to facilitate instruction to make sure that no student is left out and that everyone has access to the lessons. Recently the school took a field trip to watch the movie bully. They were able to learn hwo other students have been bullied and the effects of those incidents. It is helpful to see the impact bullies have on other students and hopefully the students were able to make some reflections and make sure that never occurs in their schools and classrooms. If someone is bullied in school their education is at stake and they might lose out on it because they are worried about someone taking their lunch money or threatening to fight them. So it is important that bullying is eliminated from the schools so students could feel safe in the class and can focus on their studies. In order to have a safe environment and a good culture it is important that all students respect each other and collaborate to complete their work and learn effectively. School culture also has a lot to do with having a good environment in the school and in each classroom.

Reflection
4-How do we build in an approach that respects the different needs of boys and
girls? How do we break down stereotypes in our own ways of grouping students?
We can build in an approch that respects the different needs of boys and girls by first keeping in mind not to alienate either gender and population needs.  It is appropriate to break social and gender biases like scientists being mainly males and the amount of males to females ratio in STEM fields are filled mainly by males.  I do this by grouping students in well-mixed groups.  I noticed that cliques in my classrooms are the males usually hang out with males and the females with females (whom they are comfortable with).  I make a strategic approach to try to equalize the playing field and having groups of four (two females and two males each). I do this to the best of my abilities also I group them according to strengths/weaknesses and how they can help each other academically and socially.  I need to be strategic as the teacher when i shoot down stereotypes and debunk myths like "females are bad at science or math" or "urban kids cannot do math and reading".  I need to help build confidence and edify methods are important to show students their capabilities and help them reach the Zone of Proximal Development.  Maybe I should bring in people in Science fields of both genders to talk about their experiences like "Engineers for women" or something like that.
We break down stereotypes in our own ways of grouping students by making sure we group students who are diverse and generally don't usually work together.  Different perspectives and cultures and backgrounds in groups adds to the diversity and the wish is that kids will learn from each other and learn to put differences aside to work together.  There has to be a common goal everyone is going to reach, and only being able to reach them together only.  It's like a body where if one or two parts don't function it affects the whole body.  I can have students in the groups look at different cultural topics relevant to Biology and put them in situations where they have to think of how it feels to to be in someone else's shoes.  
 

As I read
through some of the blogs for this reflection I was reminded of our Advisory at
LASGS.  LASGS takes pride in their
advisories; they go through tremendous efforts in trying to maintain the true
essence of what an advisory period should be. In our advisory the students look
to my mentor as advocate for them. They trust him and feel they can come to him
for help should they ever need it. Our students not only have a tight bond with
my mentor, but with each other, they think of their advisory as a family.
Although some logistics are handled during the advisories their primary
emphasis is to ensure the students know they there is at least one adult that’s
on their side, and  to prevent kids from
falling through the cracks.
Yet this bond
doesn’t just happen, my mentor works hard in establishing a “safe” environment
for kids where judgment and disrespect are not tolerated. Whenever one of our
athletes has a game he makes sure he’s there, if our students are participating
in any outside events he’s there, he volunteers for Saturday school so that the
kids see he’s involved, and plans filed trips with the advisory students to
help establish stronger bond (the $ for the filed trips come out of his own
pocket). It’s easy to see his genuine care for the students and at first I
thought his papa bear personality made the kids take advantage of him. On one
of my observations by Dr. Ivey, he mentioned the importance of a teacher like
my mentor at a school, he said it provided and escape for student, and could
often be the reason why some still put some kind of effort in finishing out.
After spending an entire school year with him, I can now say I understand what
Dr.Ivey meant. 

For me it is evident that a safe enviroment is necessary for students to enter into the learning zone.  From Maslow's hierarchy of needs, one can see that the self-actualization process (which is what we ultimately want our students to engage in) has many fundamental prerequisites, one of which is "safety." We can be rest assured that a student won't be pontificating about the binomial theorem when his classmates are threatening to beat him up.  Thus as teachers we must do everything in our power to create a respectful and peaceful atmostphere in our classrooms.  
The concept of teachers building a community in the classroom, however, is a bit more elusive.  This is partly because it is almost non-existent in college classrooms.  In college, students are just expected to build their own communities: they're expected to form their own study groups, to make the appropriate professional connections, and to volunteer in their intended occupational fields.  The teacher has very little to no responsibility is facillitating these vital connections.  
In a sense, when high school teachers (especially those teaching 11th and 12th graders) place such a big emphasis on group work they are disservicing their students, precisely because the are training their students to be dependent on a structure that will be nonexistent once they graduate.  For urban students to transition from 12 years of student-centered K-12 classrooms to cut-throat teacher-centered college classrooms, I could only imagine it'd feel like diving into a ice cold lake after relaxing for a year in a jacuzzi.  
I think there needs to be some transitory state in the later years of high school, where students are trained to be adept at dealing with teacher-centered instruction: to be able to foster their own learning groups, to impact their communities by volunteering, and build themselves via the self-learning process.  How we can implement such a curriculum I am not completely sure, but perhaps the awareness of its need is a more pressing concern at this point.  For the futurity of our students is, by and large, less dependent on a community-centered atmostphere than it is on a college-centered one.  

For me to be able to discuss community,
I first have to try and find what it is I mean when I use the word.
For me a true community is one that operates like a family that is
not related through blood, but shows a caring that is comparable to
members of a family. There will always be the ups and downs within
relationships with people, but it is important to remember that for
the most part, they are well intentioned individuals. How to try and
build these types of relationships between everybody within a school
is a struggle that everybody faces. The things I see myself doing in
order to try and contribute to creating a real community by
encouraging expression. I have seen that people express themselves
through different mediums. Some students prefer to draw or dance or
play sports. I believe that once people begin to express who they
are, others will respect their choices and their personal passions.
Though it will be a struggle, especially with those who may be close
minded. It is important to remember that everybody should be free to
believe in what they want to believe in, even if it is contrary to
what you hold true.