Semester Reflection

     During this semester, we have been introduced to important information, readings, and materials we can take from this class and use in our future classrooms. The three pieces that have stuck with me the most continue to linger in the back of my head while in school or reflecting on my semester in 246. I enjoyed this class tremendously, and I cannot say enough good things about the class as a whole. It has been very eye-opening, and using different lenses to look through is so important for future educators. I want to talk about the card game Lisa Delpit, Aria by Richard Rodriguez, and Troublemakers by Carla Shalaby. 

    The card game we played in class was tremendously frustrating and resulted in many of us getting mad and giving up. None of us knew that each table was playing in different directions and had different ideologies on how to play cards. Ultimately, it resulted in people conforming to other people's words. It was such a powerful piece of information that brings up important thoughts about issues of power in schools that affect lower-income students. The whole idea comes from the unbalanced power distribution in society, especially in the education system. The misinterpretation of direction due to cultural differences brings attention to the importance of getting to know and understand your students and their different backgrounds because you never know what happens at someone else's breakfast table. The card game was a parallel to show that not everyone is brought up equally or given the same opportunities or rules in society. It proves how unfair it is when you cannot speak up for yourself and advocate for people around you. We need to know our students, not just teach them. We have to listen and build a community to understand their learning needs, and with this approach, we can avoid the culture of power in the classroom and society. 

    Aria by Richard Rodriguez is a very deep excerpt that discusses the many different intersections of family life, personal identity, and language and education. His identity struggles and trying to balance the many complexities of private and public language resonated with me, people. I never thought of this experience like this. I honestly think about the ESL students in my classroom at Alfred Lima. They are the ones I imagine having these thoughts while speaking fluent Spanish and then having to get a piece of themselves to learn an entirely new life. I emphasize with the students because there are so many complexities that come along with sacrificing your old life for your new one, and change is so scary sometimes, even if this is a massive difference in someone's life. I know they will never forget where they come from, but it makes me emotional when they begin learning English and how to spell their names. I am so proud of them for how far they have come from my first volunteering week. I think that they are going to go on and do amazing things in life, and I am so glad to be such a small part of their journey. 

    Troublemakers by Carla Shalaby changed my perception about how you think of the bad kid or the "troublemaker" in the classroom. My mom always told me and my sister not to judge anyone because they must not get enough or close to any attention at home, or something else is the deeper issue. I liked that Shalaby stated that she cares about the lives of the children at school not only because she is an educator but also because she cares about the students because she is a human being. I relate to this because frequently, in a classroom, the teacher can become robotic, or I have had experiences where a teacher has little to no feelings, and you can tell they do not want to be there. I enjoyed this perspective because I tend to over-emphasize situations and different students, but I cannot help myself. I always just want to help everyone when I can. Creating meaningful relationships with your students makes it easy to educate your classroom effectively. If you fail to do so, students you fail to connect with will continue to fall through the cracks and become a statistic. Having to shift all of your attention to one student who continuously is disruptive and noncompliant with any rules or authority is mentally and physically draining to the teacher and the students in the room. 

    This semester has truly been an eye-opening one. It almost gave me a sense of belonging after I changed my major about three times and finally pursued the teaching career I've wanted since I was in the second grade. I have shaped so many different perspectives on the education world and how vital the role of a teacher is in the classroom. All of the different information I have learned this semester will be applied to my future educator career. I am so excited to stay committed to teaching the youth and carrying my experiences with me to create an environment where all my students feel safe, heard, seen, and valued in our classroom community.