Diversity in the Classroom

Hurricane Katrina and Education

Hurricane Katrina did not directly impact my education as a child nor has it influenced my teaching. I was beginning undergraduate school and a server at Ruby Tuesday in Mississippi when the tragedy struck. I remember meeting many people from South Louisiana and Mississippi in the restaurant. Once, in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, I answered the phone expecting an ordinary togo order. The man on the phone said he was a Katrina survivor. He said that he was hungry and had no money or food for his family. I told the store manager and she gave the family a free meal. I couldn’t imagine how humbling it must have been for the man. A man that, only days before, had been a hard-working, successful husband and father of three children. When life-changing events happened, America came together to support the unlucky people in the hurricane’s path. It seems only logical that the ordinary, accepted policies (regarding money) in education should be blurred by such a natural disaster.

Teacher’s Cost of Living

I graduated with a teaching degree in May. The entire summer I searched for a job. I applied to many local school districts. When I did not get a call, I slowly expanded to larger and larger metropolitan areas. I applied at Nashville Metro, Memphis City, Shelby County, and even New York City Schools. I was drawn to NYC Schools because of the pay. The pay was over $55,000 per year! I was blown away at such a high salary. Then I looked for an apartment in NYC. The rent was triple what it is in West Tennessee. I did the math and I would have needed to make over 90,000 in NYC to live as comfortably there as I do in West Tennessee. I was so thrilled when I was offered a position with a local school system.

Green Schools

I student taught in a “paperless” classroom. Each student had a computer. All of the assignments were submitted electronically. The classroom had a real “cool-factor” - was even in the local newspaper. However, I think that the classroom was just that - publicity. I have recently been considering that going green is the politically correct thing to do.

Child Poverty

The students in my classroom are diverse in so many ways. Recently, one of the students in my class has been sealing things from other students. The items he stole seemed so trivial to me. It was a few mechanical pencils and a hall pass in the shape of a sports car. After being caught red-handed three times, he found himself in the principal’s office. He was given in-school suspension for three days - one day for each offense. After the meeting with the student, the principal asked to speak privately with all of his teachers. We sat in her office as she told us about his living situation. It was heartbreaking. His “house” has big holes in the walls, and he lives there with three other children and his guardians. The principal brought it to our attention that he might not have ever been given a mechanical pencil by his parents because it was a luxury. It made me think - an item that is approximately $1.00 is a luxury item to some? After that meeting, I wondered how many students were like him in my classes. That very day, I bought 100 mechanical pencils. I gave them out as positive reinforcement for performing well on a test. Each student received a mechanical pencil. The next day, that same student walked up to me with his hand clenched around something. He said, “Here, Mr. Hooper, this is for the Halloween donations.” I held out my hand and he put four pennies in my hand. It was his best contribution to the Halloween fundraiser. I believe that some students only need a chance.

Social Control

The definition of “social control,” as defined by Wikipedia (2009), is “Social control includes social mechanisms that regulate individual and group behavior, leading to conformity and compliances to the rules of a given society or social group.” I see two different types of social control in the schools – social control during the school hours and social control after school hours.

During School Hours

Teachers call it “classroom management;” however, the fact is that it is social control. The classroom is a minisociety. The classroom has social norms. These norms might not be the same as the cultural norms for adults, but the norms are there. We control our students and create a classroom environment that is “acceptable.” We uphold the norms of the classroom environment in the following ways:

• Lines: We ask our students to walk in single-file lines. We ask them to travel in that style so that we can keep the students from forming an out-of-control mob in the hallway.
• Speaking: Teachers use different methods to control student communication in the classroom. Some teachers ask students to raise their hands and ask for permission before speaking. Other teachers teach their students a hand signal. The common characteristic is that the teachers are controlling the students’ ability to communicate.
• Knowledge: Without thinking about it, teachers withhold certain information from students. This is a form of social control. When students enter my classroom, I do not say, “Hey boys and girls! We will read 50 pages in the textbook today!” I would say something like, “Good afternoon! I hope you are all ready to read an awesome story!” Do you see the difference? It has a name – social control.

After School Hours

Donald Clark (2009) describes Bloom's three domains of learning as the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor. When we teach values, attitudes and beliefs, we are involved in both instruction in the affective domain AND social control. Let’s think about a scenario that plays out in 5th grade classrooms everywhere.

In the Classroom
• Sue – “Mr. Hooper, Johnny called me ugly!”
• Mr. Hooper – “Johnny, did you call Sue ugly?”
• Johnny – “Yes, Mr. Hooper.”
• Mr. Hooper – “Step outside with me, Johnny.”
• Johnny – “Yes sir.”
In the Hall - Outside the Classroom
• Mr. Hooper – “Johnny, is it appropriate classroom behavior to call people mean names?”
• Johnny – “I don’t know”
• Mr. Hooper – “It is not appropriate at all? How does it make others feel when you call them names?”
• Johnny – “It makes people feel bad when you call them names.”
• Mr. Hooper – “Yes Johnny, it does. What should your next step be?”
• Johnny – “Apologize to Sue.”
• Mr. Hooper – “Exactly.”

The dialogue above describes a teacher instructing a student in the affective domain. The student is changing the moral beliefs of the student. By changing the students’ moral values, we are changing their social behavior as adults. Without instruction in the affective domain, Johnny may exhibit inappropriate adult behavior .

References

Clark, D. (2009) Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains. Retrieved from: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/bloom.html

Wikipedia. (2009). Social Control. Retrieved from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_control

What is Right and Wrong with Multiculturalism?

After reviewing the readings, I see two sides of the multiculturalism coin. Opposing sides battle their views on why multiculturalism is wrong and right. I do not see multiculturalism as something that can be wrong. However, I do see things that are wrong with multiculturalism. This blog examines my opinions of the two views of multiculturalism both the positive and the negative.

What is right with multiculturalism today?

My view of multiculturalism is a means to introduce new ways of thinking to a mainstream culture. Culture is something with which we are born. Think about slavery in the South. Is it legitimate to believe that every single person that participated in slavery viewed African people as less-than-human? The introduction of a new social view changed American history forever.
Samuel Taylor stated, “It may be the first time that a nation has abandoned the single identity of its origins and set out deliberately to adopt multiple national identities.” The idea of a single identity of national origin is a conundrum. Most of the nations in the world today come from many different origins. Thinking of America as possibly having a single identity of origin is a futile debate. America was formed from settlers from many different origins – even native origins.

Humans (of any culture) are free-thinkers, but to make choices, we must be given options. Multiculturalism creates options to social norms. In his writing, PJ Tobia (2009) described how the two opposing views of multiculturalism theoretically advance their agendas. He asked, “But what does the other side do to advance its agenda? Watch Ghandi? Memorize King’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail?” When I read that, I realized that I had studied King’s letter, but I have never read it. I took the time to read it. I want to share a line of this letter with you. Martin Luther King Jr. (1963) said, “We should never forget that everything Adolf Hitler did in Germany was ‘legal’ and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was ‘illegal.’ It was ‘illegal’ to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler's Germany. Even so, I am sure that, had I lived in Germany at the time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers.” That being said, we must have options to the culture in which we are born or else we are doomed to suffer the same afflictions of our ancestors.

What is wrong with multiculturalism today?

Aspiring to create a multicultural society is something that I cannot view as a wrong idealization. Cultures should not be compartmentalized and guarded. Instead, they should be shared. However, some multicultural ideas are unfair. PJ Tobia (2009) described a world in the view of the white supremacist’s eyes. He said, “In this world, affirmative action has run totally amok, with every position of power or authority occupied by an unqualified, low I.Q. minority, homosexual or lesbian.” Without a doubt, I think that minority groups should be represented in positions of power. I think that affirmative action should be a tool that protects races from discrimination. However, do not confuse protection with promotion. It seems that affirmative action is sometimes used to promote minority groups.

Being that this is an education blog, let’s consider affirmative action in the classroom. When we arrange students into different classrooms, we sometimes group the students by ability – based on TCAP scores and teacher recommendations. However, one other thing that is considered is race. The struggle is to create classrooms that are racially balanced. Why? Why do we find the need to further arrange students by race when the main criterion is ability?

Let’s consider a hypothetical situation.

• There are 25 available seats in an honor English class.
• Students are placed in the class on the basis of above-average English skills.
• The majority of the students in the class are Caucasian; minorities are underrepresented in the class.
• Administration is forced (by parental pressure) to place a minority student in the class.
• One of the qualified Caucasian students is bumped from the class to make room to represent the minority group.

Is that fair? I do not think that it is fair. It is unfair to both students involved. It is unfair in the following ways:

• Caucasian Student – It is unfair to the Caucasian student because he/she belongs in that group academically. The student will be in a class where he/she will not be challenged to the same degree. The TCAP "value added” to the above-average student will be less if taught in the average classroom.
• Minority Student – This student is not prepared academically for the honor English class. He/she will not get the prerequisite skills that are covered in the average-ability classroom. This student will struggle. The results of the struggles could cause low grades, depression, feelings of inadequacy. Additionally, students that feel unsuccessful in school are the very students that drop out of high school.

If the criterion is ability, then ability should precede any other racial factor. I feel that affirmative action is a wonderful thing. Minority groups should be protected from discrimination. However, I do not think that it should be used to promote any race.

Thinking of multiculturalism as right or wrong is not the appropriate view. Multiculturalism is a wonderful tool - with some application problems that can be resolved. If we all come together as accepting people, we can form a multicultural, global community.

References

King Jr., M. L. (1963). Letter from a Birmingham Jail. Retrieved from http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

Taylor, S. The Challenge of Multiculturalism in How Americans View the Past and the Future. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=1154729&tId=11707336

Tobia, P. (2009). Pithissippi Burning: Race, White Nationalism and American Culture. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=1154729&tId=11707337

How I Teach Grammar

After reading the information presented, I have the following opinions. I want to prelude your reading with the following statement: The below piece of writing is based on my humble opinion. Opinions are transformed through our daily experiences. Please broaden my understanding with your own personal experiences. I am open to both criticism and praise. Feel free to comment on anything in the below blog.

Standard English

I feel that all languages evolve. Languages are molded by speakers. However, I do not agree with Richard Nordquist. Nordquist (2009) has created a host of things that Standard English is not. He goes so far to say that Standard English is not “...a form of English, devised by reference to standards of moral value, or literary merit, or supposed linguistic purity, or any other metaphysical yardstick…” I feel that Standard English is based on standards. The standards might not be based on moral value; however, the standards of English are based on academic purity.

My opinion is based on the grounds that without standards, there is chaos. The standards of Standard English dictate what is acceptable in written and spoken communication. The question is – acceptable by whom? I feel that there must be a standard version of English. There are standards in mathematics. One apple plus one apple equals two apples. That simple mathematics problem should not be manipulated by media and users of mathematics standards. With that example in mind, why do we allow media and users to manipulate our acceptance of a standard version of English?

Descriptive and Prescriptive Grammar

Descriptive and prescriptive grammar is important in the holistic view of a language experience. However, something that really stood out in the reading was an explanation by Nordquist (2009). He said, “The intent of descriptive grammar is to posit explanations for the facts of language use, and there is no assumption of correctness or appropriateness. Prescriptive grammars, on the other hand, are the stuff of high school English teachers. They 'prescribe,' like medicine for what ails you, how you 'ought' to speak.” I like the observation of prescriptive grammar being the “stuff of high school English teachers.” I feel that Nordquist made this statement in a contemptuous way. However, I feel that (in a classroom) it is not a bad thing to prescribe the students variations to the inappropriate grammar examples that they hear every day on television or in social circles.

How I Teach Grammar

The description of inductive and deductive teaching methods by Kenneth Beare was very interesting. I feel that I teach grammar in a deductive – “top down approach.” I teach that way because it is how I like to learn. I like to know the big picture before analyzing the small parts. After I know how everything works together, I can more easily understand the small situations. However, it is because I have that way of thinking that causes me to become frustrated when dealing with a person that prefers to educate with an inductive approach. I am cognitive about these learning preferences when I teach students.

It is my first year teaching, and I have a perfect, personal situation that is exemplary of why showing the big picture is not always appropriate. Earlier this year, I started a unit on parts of speech. I decided it would be appropriate to teach an overview of all eight parts of speech before exploring each part of speech with intensity. I got through nouns, verbs, adverbs, and adjectives when I noticed all of the blank stares in the classroom. I had lost the students completely. I stopped the lesson and assigned free-reading for the remainder of the period. I told my mentoring teacher about the lesson at lunch. She could not stop laughing. Now, when I interject my opinion into a conversation, she jovially says, “This is coming from a new teacher that tried to teach the eight parts of speech one morning after breakfast.”

I try various methods to teach grammar. One method is my use of wordwalls as much more than the average sight-word list. My wordwalls serve as examples to grammar and reading concepts. For instance, I currently have a wordwall that has examples of writing prompts and thesis statements. It shows the students how to change a writing prompt into a thesis statement.
Another method I use to teach grammar is repetitious intentional exposure to a grammar concept. Students are repeatedly exposed to grammar concepts daily. I use these unique teaching moments to reinforce previous knowledge. For example, if I use a semicolon in a sentence during a literature-focused lesson, I will ask the students why I used a semicolon in that context. I am bringing the students’ attentions to something that may be overlooked. By doing that, I am showing the students that grammar is something that is used – not something found only in grammar class.

References

Beare, K. (2009). Teaching Grammar in an ESL/EFL Setting. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=1154729&tId=11711430

Nordquist, R. (2009). What is Grammar?. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=1154729&tId=11707334

Nordquist, R. (2009). What is Standard English?. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=1154729&tId=11707333

Additional & Possibly Helpful Information

Because this is a place to share information, I wanted to share a website in which I was recently introduced. The topic of this blog is how to teach grammar. I found a website this week that seems to be an EXCELLENT resource for how to teach grammar (and much more). It even has a subgroup focused on ESL instruction. The website is BrainPop. This website offers videos as a supplement to direct instruction. I want to warn you; this website is not free. I have not paid for it, but one of the members of my team uses it. I am considering purchasing it for my classroom.

My Definition of Multicultural Education

Education is priceless to any person – regardless of culture. Throughout history, when a culture wants to oppress another, the first thing that is taken away from the oppressed is education. Literacy, the ability to communicate effectively through print, is especially targeted. With that in mind, the best way to strip a group of people of their freedom is to withhold education. That being my view, I equate knowledge with freedom. When I stand before 30 students, armed with only chalk and a smile, I would hope that I am offering them far more than the knowledge that it takes to pass TCAP next spring. I strive to arm my students with the skills to communicate effectively using Standard English. For example, I do not want my students to memorize vocabulary words. I want my students to take ownership of a word. By taking ownership of knowledge, students are ready to make informed decisions (using prior knowledge) as adults.

My definition of multicultural education is one that embraces individuals. The students involved with multicultural education are much more than percentages and test scores. These students have a wealth of experiences that are very different. Their perception of the human condition, felt through personal events and experiences, mold and shape their personalities and visions of reality. These students could offer so much to other students. The perception of reality to a child that has grown up in a high-rise in Chicago is much different than the perception of reality of a child that has grown up in Chile. These two very different individuals can offer each other various viewpoints.

My official definition of multicultural education is the following:

Multicultural Education – a process of education in which various cultures are embraced and students from various religions, values, and languages are taught through active, individualized learning experiences.

The challenges involved with targeting a specific definition of multicultural education are rooted in the prefix “multi-.” Webster’s Online Dictionary (2009) describes the word “multi-“ as “Latin, from multus much, many.” There are many variables involved with multicultural education. For example, multicultural education does not merely describe the transition of Spanish-speaking students into English-speaking students. Multicultural education describes all languages – many languages. Additionally, the same teaching strategies cannot be used for multicultural education as are used for the regular classroom teacher. The multicultural teacher must use different strategies – many different strategies.

The largest struggle facing multicultural education in the regular education classroom can be described with two words: standardized tests. The classroom teacher is faced with the challenge of teaching all of the material that will be presented on the annual standardized test. The test does not assess regular education students on the ideas involved with multicultural education. Because of that, multicultural education is not a focus in the regular education classroom. Teachers must modify instruction to make accommodations for students that struggle with English, while not holding back the English-speaking students (again, armed with chalk and a smile).

I found the following phrase, by Paul C. Gorski (2008), a refreshing view. “Schools must be active participants in ending oppression of all types, first by ending oppression within their own walls, then by producing socially and critically active and aware students.” Schools should focus on expanding student knowledge of diversity. In time, the students would become adults that are aware of diversity. These adults would embrace differences – not be scared of differences.

References

Gorski, P. (2008). Working Definition of Multicultural Education. Retrieved from

https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?

multi. (2009). Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/multi

One Word Introduction - "Superman"

I think that “superman” is an effective word to describe how I currently feel. I say that because I have a self-diagnosed superman complex. I have a habit of tackling far more than I probably should. For example, I am involved in the following things:

· My first year of teaching; I am a 5th grade teacher.
· I am tutoring in an afterschool program.
· I have been selected to help start a literacy council at the school.
· I am taking 6 hours at MTSU.

Whoa! I know the above list probably seems like child’s play for veteran teachers; however, it is demanding for a new teacher! I wouldn’t change a thing – I feel that being driven is a wonderful trait. I cannot wait to learn a lot with you wonderfully interesting people.