Skip to main content

Herbert and TAL~ reflection

I am constantly hearing talk of improving the segregation among races in schools, yet I never see any improvements.  As a college student majoring in education, these topics take up most of my days.  Why does society convince themselves that racism does not exist?  It very much does, especially for young students.  Doing field placements, it has become even more obvious to me how greatly lacking these poverty-stricken schools are.  In my first grade classroom of 25 kids, there are just about 10 students who fall significantly below the standards.  Guess which race they are... black and hispanic.  This should go to show that the environment they are surrounded by makes an impact.  Nikole Jones hits the nail on the head.  How will these kids progress and learn more when they remain in poverty conditions with a classroom full of students in the same boat?  Jones gave the solution in a way that almost anyone can understand.  Integration.  This idea, "gets black kids in the same facilities as white kids, and therefore it gets them access to the same things that those kids get-- quality teachers and quality instruction" (Jones).  This concept creates a flourishing environment for all involved.  The underprivileged kids get more access to supplies, better teachers, better interactions, more school involvement opportunities and much more.  Just as Hebert said, "it is not the race of the students that is significant, but rather the improved all-around environment of schools with better teachers, fewer classroom disruptions, pupils who are more engaged academically, parents who are more involved, and so on".  An improved environment for the underprivileged children will improve test scores as well which Jones noticed.  It is no wonder why.  So what is stopping us?  Integration can even help the white privileged kids.  This exposes children to many races and living conditions among their peers which can help open their eyes and become more accepting.  In general, integration in schools will help lead society in the right direction of eventually dropping racism entirely.  









Comments

  1. I love the quote you mentioned about underprivileged children having the same access to facilities and teachers as middle and upper class children. That quote really struck me when I heard it too because it's unfair that these two sets of social classes get different qualities of education.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really liked how much you talked about integrating different types of children into schools because it is really important in order for equal treatment of all children.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I hope integration helps society and focuses more on educating every child as well :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Pecha Kucha

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/e/2PACX-1vQmHytMTJ1y2Ds77Buv3lVSKi3OLrUgIUmySJLrCQbIuujClmAgXYZDx100Q-6u8vAt8e2oOom3lHjg/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=20000

Kliewer and Shor~ hyperlinks

Reading these articles, especially Kliewer's on disability, my mind started evaluating my own experiences with disabilities in my field placement.  Disabilities are far more than downs syndrome or any physical limitations.  For example, ADHD, ADD, dyslexia, and much more.  I have witnessed this first hand and these disabilities certainly have an effect on learning.  Rather than brushing off these "minor" drawbacks, they should be tended to in the best way to encourage that student to excel in school.  Below I attached some articles that relate to this topic and I found very interesting.   What ADHD can look like in a classroom.   What to look for and how to help.   The troubling cases of anxiety found in classrooms.  This link is very educational on the many forms of anxiety and how they are brought into the school and the best ways to deal with it.  This disability can lead to absences, inattention, disruptiveness and m...

Map the Authors

Map the Authors A value I see to be prominent in my field study is kindness.  The school awards students for acts of kindness on a weekly basis and acknowledges them by posting pictures in the hall and giving out coupons to the school store.  This encourages the students to help a friend or a teacher through actions or words whenever they get the chance.  They also do donations to local and global organizations often.  Whenever I walk into the school I always see flyers and buckets for donations.  These have included money, clothes, food and more.  I can connect these acts of kindness and giving to Kahne and Westheimer.  Those authors emphasize how small actions can make big differences and also that it is never too early to enforce this in our youth.  By doing this kids develop an appreciation for helping the less fortunate and even people who just need a lending hand.