My Guide for How to Create and Teach in and Inclusive Environment

This guide serves to show what I learned about teaching from my Multicultural Education class. The most important thing about teaching is allowing the students to have a safe place to learn. Once the classroom is established as a safe space, then teaching can take place.

How I feel about multicultural education can be summed up in the Book of Mormon, "And now, my brethren, I have spoken unto you concerning pride; and those of you which have afflicted your neighbor, and persecuted him because  ye were proud in your hearts, of the things which God hath given you, what say ye of it? Do ye suppose that such things are abominable unto him who created all flesh? And the one being is as precious in his sight as the other. And all flesh is of the dust; and for the selfsame end hath he created them" (Jacob 2:21-21). I am privileged. But to recognize my privilege and glory in it is pride. Even though we aren't created with equal privilege, we are created for the "selfsame end" and are created by the same God. We are all "precious in his sight" and as a teacher, I must view them that way.

This class has meant so much to me, and my greatest fear is that I lose all of the things that I learned. I also learned an exponential amount in my class on teaching students with disabilities this semester. A lot of the things I learned in that class apply here as well, so they are a part of my guide as well. This is the plan I intend to implement so that I take as much with me as I can when I student teach next semester. I broke it down into five steps, and the five steps add together to be an inclusive classroom environment. Although it is imperfect and incomplete, I think it's a step in the right direction.

1. Create a safe space

Decorations in the room make a huge difference! When student can see themselves and people like them in the classroom, they feel welcome there. In my classroom I will have pictures of each of my students on the wall. I plan to have a sign that says "Coexist in Love" on my wall. The broad classroom rules will be posted including the rule that certain words aren't allowed to be used in my classroom.

Positive reinforcement in my opinion is the best way to encourage learning behavior in the classroom. I will focus largely on verbal positive reinforcement, but remember to reinforce every student's work so they can feel successful. The good feeling that follows positive reinforcement opens a student's heart, paving the way for learning.

If I want my students to promote a safe space, I must be the example! When students see that I am loving and accepting of everyone, they will know that is the expected behavior from them. When students are behaving in a way that separates one student (or group of students) off in any way, I will not tolerate it.

2. Be mindful of the words I speak

This is going to be the hardest thing for me, but I am ready to tackle it. There are so many single words that I should NOT be using because they don't promote an inclusive environment. The two most obvious words are "gay" and "retarded," but I plan to go further than that with words like "stupid" and "dumb." I don't have a complete list of words I shouldn't use right now, but I know this list will get longer as I teach.

Just saying I will get the words out is NOT going to work. Trust me, I've tried. I am going to make a list of what words I can replace them with that will make my classroom safe and positive. These words come in two lists "Better words" (the negative ones) and "Best words" (the positive ones).

Unacceptable words: Gay, Retarded, Stupid, Dumb, Idiot, Loser

Better words: Difficult, Challenging, Different, Misunderstood, Slow, Hard Work

Best words: Wonderful, Hard Worker, Champion, Awesome, Lucky, Splendid

I plan to post the list of words I will not use in a secret location, where even I wont see it (I don't want to be reminded of what they are, thus increasing my likelihood of using them). The list of acceptable words, on the other hand, I will post on the wall next to my desk where I will see them regularly. I hope that every day when I see these words I will take an inventory of the words I'm using and recognize how I'm doing integrating my new vocabulary.

The second thing I can do to watch the words I say is to SLOW DOWN. I think it's a universal problem to think before you speak. If I want to have a classroom that is a safe learning environment for everyone, I have to think before I speak. I am doing a lot better with this. I have learned recently from this class and from others that it's important not to act in the heat of the moment, and that you should take a moment to calm down before you speak or act. I will strive to do this in my classroom.

3. Learn from others

To act like I know everything would be completely wrong. I have the cultural capital for my culture, and mine alone. What I do have, however, is social capital. I have lots of friends who have cultural capital that I don't have, and it's a blessing to have social media to contact these friends and get insights and advice from them. I have already contacted my friend Chad, asking him for advice about teaching those who are LGBTQ. In future instances where I feel like I lack cultural capital, I will take advantage of my social capital so that I can act in the most appropriate manner.

I'm lucky because part of my social capital is the access to many, many teachers of different subjects who are teaching in the state and out of the state. This semester I really learned to talk to them and juice them for information. They are a gold mine.

Another resource available to a teacher is the other teachers in the school. There are more experienced teachers who have taught the same curriculum in difficult circumstances, there are teachers who have taught the same kids you are teaching, there's a special education staff, and there's administration. I hope to have the humility to ask these teachers for help. There are also times when the parents are available. These people all will know the children in my classroom and how to work with them more than I do.

The best person to learn from, however, is the student! I hope to never forget that. Teaching through inquiry allows the students to teach me, rather than me teach them. The students can use whatever resources and topics they want to accomplish the science, even when that means that I don't originally know what they're referring to. This is such an important learning opportunity for me as a teacher, and is really the only way for students to be the captains of their own education. Students who don't speak English as their first language will be permitted to use their first language for their work in my classroom because it is not my job to teach English, it's my job to teach science. With their help and the help of someone who speaks Spanish, we will translate it so that I can assess their learning.

One thing I really hope to be able to do is to be involved in and out of the school. School, athletic, club, and community involvement can teach me what the students are interested in. By trying to participate in their different fields of interest, I can understand more of where they're coming from. A relationship of trust is then formed as the students see that you are trying to understand them better. They can feel the love!

4. Stop bullying

As a teacher, we have a responsibility to stop bullying. It might be impossible, but we have to try our best. The first and foremost important thing is that we have a zero bullying policy in our classroom. I will not stand for bullying.

Saying that is great... But I really need a plan for what to do when it happens. The absolute best advice as to what to do when you encounter bullying was said by the Savior himself in Doctrine and Covenants 121:43, "Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy." This is the pattern I want to follow. I will stop the bullying quickly and immediately with zero tolerance for the behavior. But if I attack the bully, I am a bully myself. I hope to be able to put and end to it immediately, but then talk to the bully one-on-one and discuss with him/her why their behavior was inappropriate and why it's unacceptable in our classroom. If I can convey to them the feelings of love that I have for them and for the student that they were bullying, I believe they will feel some compassion. When bullying doesn't stop, I will report it. It is absolutely unacceptable because it can ruin feelings of worth for people who are attacked by it.

If I am setting an example of love, I will involve everyone and regularly acknowledge the strengths of each student. Involving everyone does not mean making every student make comments in class. What it does mean is that every student is learning. I plan to teach using universal design for instruction, and using multiple means of expression and engagement will allow for every student to learn and engage, regardless of whether or not they are answering questions out loud in class. When every student is able to succeed, and I take the time to acknowledge that, there is nothing to make fun of. I will take time out to talk about the strengths of students, especially the bullies.

5. Love people

So I guess a lot of what I have to do is love my students. Steps 1-4 become a lot easier when you just love them! So what about those students who are hard to love? I have learned from Dr. Draper what I can do to obtain the love for my students that I need.

First, pray for it. Charity is the pure love of Christ, so most certainly we should involve God if we're trying to obtain that love. Second, fake it 'till you make it. I love that we were taught that sometimes you have to fake it, because that is reality. Sometimes you do. But I know that we are rewarded for our desires, and if we desire to love our students, those desires are eventually rewarded.

I will take an interest in my students. This takes work! It's more than just teaching them science, it's asking them how they're doing, how their weekend was, why they weren't in class the day before, how their job is going, what they want to do with their lives, how their sports team is doing...the list goes on and on. Just asking them these questions though is small talk. Actually wanting to know how  they are doing so that you can help them learn...that is loving them.

Easily the most important thing I learned in this class is to love everyone. Working with Dr. Draper, I saw that this class was about trying to be more charitable and capable of seeing the children of God as that: The Children of God. I have felt the spirit guiding me and showing me how to be charitable already. Just last week as I was working in the school I'm student teaching in, I had a girl act out and say something quite inappropriate to me. I responded calmly to her and changed the subject. The student was totally shocked. She told me she was expecting for sure that a person with a BYU name tag would get mad at her and get her in trouble for what she said. I told her that's not my goal. She smiled at me the rest of the day. I know that I've learned something, because in that instance, I did it right.

Photo sources:

1. Coexist: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/altmuslim/2014/06/ramadan-2014-reclaiming-the-sacred/

2. Watch Your Mouth: http://insidetheshrink- dailygrace.blogspot.com/2013/06/watch-your-mouth.html
3. Teacher with Student: http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/809939/helping-kids-make-a-good-impression-on-teacher
4. No Bullying: http://pixabay.com/en/cyber-bullying-bully-rumor-teasing-122156/
5. Christ with Children: https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/jesus-children-37775?lang=eng&category=

Book Club: Oddly Normal

Oddly Normal, by John Schwartz, is a book about his experiences raising his son Joseph, who is gay. I read it with as open of a mind as I could, taking to heart that sexuality is not an identity, it's just a part of what makes up who you are. This book (cliche as it is) changed me.

The first disruption I had, ironically, doesn't have to do with LGBTQ people or culture. It has to do with pornography. Joe's parents didn't monitor their children's internet browsing, saying it would be "a fool's errand" to do so. This is completely bogus to me. Pornography is not a way of life. It is a poison that MUST be avoided. But it showed me that the Mormon culture regarding pornography is not the norm. Outside of this culture,  This is an implication for classrooms. The one specifically mentioned in the book is the idea of secrecy. Students' bad behavior could be because they are hiding a secret and have a feeling that someone is out to get them. This is a realm of things we haven't really talked about, but I know I need to become more educated on due to its prevalence in society before I can be an effective teacher.

Something that I was curious about, and will need to do more reading about, is the great privilege that the Schwartz family has. They had a completely unearned advantage that came from the fact that they have a lot of money, and are white English speakers. Due to this privilege, Joe had access to any and every service and support group, doctor and psychologist in the area. This has serious implications for teachers. Those who are of lower SES don't have access to all of these services. They may not have access to any support at all. As a teacher, I need to be that support. Every student is a child of God, and deserves love and support. When that support isn't a privilege, it needs to come from me. I can offer support by creating a safe space in the classroom and by reaching out with love. Like Dr. Draper's story about learning how to love people, we need to look inside ourselves. Joseph's teachers demonstrated perfectly that the way we treat people can make a huge difference. 

Another thing the book demonstrated perfectly was social and cultural capital. The cultural capital of the gay culture is very unique. When Joe wanted to dye his hair, that was a completely accepted thing within his culture, but in the locker room, the jock was bullying him. The bullying came because he didn't have the cultural capital, and so he didn't understand. Joe's parents didn't understand either, but his father John had the social capital that it took to understand. Whenever he had a question, he could go to his gay friend Brian (or any of the other gay people in his life) and ask questions. Brian served as a wonderful resource as John was raising Joseph, and there were many things (e.g. encouraging Joe to come out) that John did differently because of his friend's advice. This social capital is what John needed to acquire the cultural capital to understand his son and to communicate at the gay center in the city. As a teacher, I need to use my social capital. In fact, as I was reading this book and thinking about cultural and social capital, I actually contacted my gay friend Chad to ask what his recommendations for me as a future teacher might be. I am so glad that I have access to that social capital, because I clearly lack the cultural capital. I can learn how to understand my gay students better if I will seek out an understanding.

Something that really made me angry in the book was how bad the gender roles and expectations were hurting poor Joseph in school. The reason it bugged me so much was probably because those same gender roles and expectations have hurt my younger brothers because they were in gymnastics, theater and ballet. Just because the expectation is that boys will do sports as kids does NOT mean that those who don't play sports are gay. In the case of Joe, he was gay. But in the case of my brothers, they're not. These judgements are unacceptable. As teachers, we cannot allow these judgements. I keep thinking about the campfire example from one of the videos we watched. Not all kids know what a campfire is, and not all boys know how to play basketball. When bringing my students into class involvement, I can't expect my boys to group up and do a group project on basketball. It's important for me as a teacher to get to know my students so that I don't make any of those mistakes. Being involved in the school is more than going to the sports games, as well. There's theater, dance, choir, art shows, and more.

The last concept I will discuss is prejudice. The main prejudice that stuck out to me in the class was the preconceived notions of what a gay person will be like. This is the "fag" identity, and is a complete misconception. John's friend Brian mentions that he was concerned enough about being gay, and "thinking that gay = effeminate was another problem" (187). There isn't just one type of gay. When Joseph first goes to the gay center, John and his wife find out just how many different groups of gay people there were just at the center. John says that there were more than 300 different groups that met at the gay center...clearly not all gay people are effeminate! Some gay people even enjoy sports. Removing this prejudice and preconceived notion of what a gay person is going to be like from my classroom is going to have to start with me. The more I have read and the more gay people I have met, the more I have realized the diversity of this culture. I need to continue to do this. Then I have to translate this into my classroom. I can treat all of my students with pure love and respect, and recognize that my gay students are just the same as any other student. Again, being gay isn't an identity!

I really feel like John Schwartz was effective at communicating the struggles of being a gay child in a prejudiced world. Even though his family was very privileged, he did his research, and cited many studies and quoted many professionals saying what it might be for someone who isn't Joe. There will be LGBTQ students in my classroom, and I feel like Oddly Normal prepared me very well for how to teach these students when I am privileged to do so.

These notes are for reference and class discussion:

1. Points of disruption (uncomfortable, angry, curious):

-Pornography as an accepted part of life p.65

-What is the role of the school psychologist? The book talks about them as if they are responsible for communication regarding the kids they work with within the school. Is that their job? Is that betraying privacy? p.175

-Why aren't there enforcements of bad teachers refusing to comply with IEP regulations?

-Why is the gay-straight alliance dominated by girls? What can we do to encourage boys to join and attend? p.227

-Not all gay children are middle- upper-class, and as such don't have access to the same camps and therapists and doctors that Joe had.

-Why do I suddenly feel 100% pro gay marriage? I used to be fairly neutral on the subject, and could at least understand where the church was coming from. Now I really am having a hard time seeing it at all. 

-Middle School gay-straight alliances. The kids at this age are too young to be exposed to overtly sexual things, but isn't there some kind of GSA that could exist just to teach young children to love everyone? Diversity clubs sound like a great idea. p.178

-All children deserve a future. Minority stress 4 is that of internalized homophobia, or a fear of what homosexuality really entails because of what the media and society have instilled in them. This is such a tough one. In the church, we are going to teach that homosexuality is a sin because it is. There's nothing we can do to change that. But that doesn't mean that a gay person is less of a person. Then again, we teach that wickedness never was happiness, and then tell gay people that they can have happy lives. It's all just contradictory.

2. Book clarifies or provides examples form class:

-Cultural Capital: p.186-189

-Social Capital: All of John's gay friends that he could go to for advice. He used them for resources since he didn't have the cultural capital to understand the gay culture.

-Prejudice: preconceived notion that gay = effeminate. p.187

-Dr. Draper: "Maybe YOU are the problem." Looking at the impact that Joe's teachers made on him.

-Gender expectations: "Normal little boys like to play sports." p.30, Joe's parents putting away his Barbies because they were afraid that he would be labeled as different early on.

-Gender roles: p.30 Joe was expected to do well in gym, but he was very clumsy! 

-Privilege: the family is white and middle- to upper-class. Since language and money were not a barrier, they had access to all available services. This means that Joe had the most superior treatment that a gay teenager can have.

3. Book influences thinking as a teacher:

-Because I read this book, I have a significantly greater understanding of charity. 

-Not all gay children are going to have nice parents like Joseph did. I need to provide that love if they can't find it elsewhere.

-Working with parents is so important. Some parents are so involved with their children that they write a whole manual of how to take care of their child in class. Other parents aren't. But they've known their child for a lot longer than you have. Going to the parents to ask if behavior is abnormal or why a child is acting a certain way can be very helpful.

-A minority stress p.91 is prejudice events. These are small and almost go unnoticed. It's important to remember that sexual orientation should not affect learning. Become sensitive to these things so I can fix it.

-All children deserve to be loved. One benefit of that is so they can learn.

Minority Stress p.91

1. prejudice events

2. expectation of rejection and discrimination

3. concealment stress and hiding who you are (basically gay exclusive)

4. internalized homophobia, a fear or what their future might be

(Re)Imagined Classroom

I am teaching in an alternative high school. There are twelve students in my class, one of the bigger classes I teach, each one being different from the other. It's hard to reach everyone in such a diverse group. Some act like the world is out to get them. Some participate, and some don't. Some of them have immigrant parents, and didn't start getting a real education until it was too late to catch up to their classmates. A few are just lazy. One of the girls in my classroom just broke up with her girlfriend. Two of my students are in a relationship with each other, which is hard for the newly single girl to watch. I have a special spot in my heart for the students who made bad choices, got into drugs and crime, and now have come here just praying for a second chance. I take great comfort in knowing that I can provide that. But regardless, we are learning science together, and teaching these students is my job.

The classroom is organized with six tables; two students sitting at each. The friendships in our classroom help the students group themselves, which they do as they enter the classroom. I don't like having a seating chart unless it's necessary. But I'm not a fan of student created groups for everything. We need to learn how to work with everyone regardless of if we want to or not. So today I group them according to a survey they took, after checking to make sure the groups were adequately mixed up and are going to function properly.

I know that they all like to laugh. Sometimes (a lot of the time) that laughter comes at my expense. They know the rules though, and it only take one reminder for them to remember that respect for everyone is the most important thing in the classroom. I designed the classroom as a safe space. With the help of another teacher in the school, I have a large mural on the wall surrounding the words "Coexist in Love." On the first few days of school, I took a picture of every student, and I gathered up pictures of various faculty, which I posted up in a circle around the words. For our first classroom project, we found scientists from various cultures and put their pictures up. Then I added pictures from many different cultures including cultures that many of the students have no experience with. There's a pink triangle in the mix, so that any LGBTQ students can know they're safe in my classroom.

I'm excited to see what new technology we can get with the funding we've received for this year. I'm hoping for some circuit building boards and wires so that I can finally teach that electricity unit I've always wanted to teach, but I'm satisfied with doing it electronically on the school's iPads if I can figure out a way to monitor it. Most of my students who have phones stay off of them. Because of the unique situations the students come from, a lot of them don't have phones. I allow them to use phones to look up answers and to contribute to class discussions, but when they're caught goofing off with them, they know the phone will be mine. There's a respect for the rules, luckily. I really am grateful for the administration and the high involvement in student council that helps students feel the love.

It's hard to know what the students here like to do in their free time, and I don't want to do a research project to figure it out. That's why I encourage choice in the classroom. As a school, we do things after hours together to help us understand each other. We have school clubs and go on field trips. I'm particularly excited about the play we're going to  I take great pride in the work of my students; I display projects and pictures on the walls for students to see and take pride in their own work. It's pretty easy for most of them to do the work, since they choose the subject of nearly everything they do. We're talking about Newton's laws and the students are analyzing a situation of their choice, showing us the various applications for a situation in their lives. Presentations are at the end of the week. Today I want to show them how the laws really work, so we're dropping things and video taping them on the class iPads to see if they hit at the same time. Math is really hard for these kids, but the math teachers here are awesome. I work with them to find out where the kids are at in math, and what kind of expectations I should have for them. The grading system is based on understanding of the concept. If you can explain it with words or with drawings or through math, I'll take it.

I make sure that my students who speak other languages know they can do their homework in their native language. Due to the high hispanic population, most materials are available in Spanish. For those that aren't, I do my best, working closely with other teachers who are fluent in Spanish. When homework is turned in in Spanish, we work together to translate it so that I can grade it to their understanding. I don't require classroom participation so that my shy and foreign language students don't feel anxiety in the classroom. I try more than anything to be patient and believe in them. I know that learning will come.

I keep myself businesslike, but I want my students to know first and foremost that I am human, that I love them, and that learning is fun. I try so hard to get into their heads, and for some of them, it works. Some are so shut off that I can't reach them today, and haven't been able to all year. We can only hope that a few more laughs and a whole lot of love will break those walls down enough that I can know how to reach them. They don't know how much I love them. I wish there was a better way to tell them. When the bell rings my students hurry out like the bell was the fire alarm. That rush would scare me into believing my students don't like me, but I know better. They all have smiled genuinely and some have even thanked me. Surprisingly, that is enough. And ultimately it doesn't matter. I want to be liked; I want to be loved; so does everyone. But we're there for learning and high expectations are necessary whether the students want them or not.


Response:

I made far too many assumptions in my original response. Since I'm teaching in a unique environment, I made a lot of assumptions that students would have things in common. Sure, they might have things in common, but they are all individuals, and have different backgrounds and different abilities that have to be accounted for.

I talk like I have high expectations, but my original imagined classroom had many instances where I assumed that my students were going to misbehave or quit trying, and I was okay with that. I think I my original classroom was more for a teacher/student friend zone rather than a high expectation learning environment. I realize now that the priority has to be helping my students and reaching out to them in love so they can learn.

My original classroom allowed my students to choose groups to work in. I know now that I want my classroom to encourage understanding and love for each other, and most students wont seek that out on their own. I am now going to arrange groups semi-randomly so that students are interacting with each other and getting to know their peers that they wouldn't have gotten to know otherwise.

Originally I had a very bare classroom, where minimalism was king. While I'm still in favor of order and simplicity, I found it very important to use classroom design to encourage diversity, tolerance, and love. The safe place of a classroom doesn't have to be outwardly stated, but I want it to be obvious. It's so important for students to know that there's certain behaviors that just aren't allowed in my classroom.

At first, my lesson was an afterthought. For some reason, I took the "alternative school" idea to mean that I don't have to teach a lesson, we just have to power through stuff. That's even more bogus than anything! Everyone can learn! The lesson needs to be driven by choice so the students will want to learn, and then the teacher needs to be excited about learning. I am honestly disgusted by how little I cared about the lesson in my original classroom.

I completely neglected my foreign language speaking students, so in my reimagined classroom, I made sure that I addressed them. My classroom isn't about learning English, it's about learning physics. I incorporated a lot of the things we talked about in class and I learned in the reading so that I can facilitate learning for all.

Personal Culture

1. iPhone: this is my day to day communication

2. Education: there is an expectation of going to college

3. Religion: I go to the church building three hours every week

4. Transportation: Mazda 3, I'm always driving everywhere

5. Birthday parties: the most important celebration of the year

6. Political association: Democratic party

7. Christmas (and other holiday) traditions: example--sitting on Santa's lap

8. Photo communication: Snapchat

9. Public Education

10. Family dinners

11. Temple marriage: belief that families are forever

12. Family dynamic: Men work, women stay home while children are young

13. Hiking: nature is meant to be enjoyed

14. Gardening: emphasis on being self sufficient

15. Life Goal: have a family!

16. Believing all children, including those with disabilities can achieve (Special Education)

17. Traveling: acquaintance with other cultures is required

18. Hamburgers and Hot dogs, anything on the BBQ

19. Body language: Folded arms = closed off

20. Dress: focus on modesty

21. Straightforward communication: Clear and focused on getting things done

(I didn't know what kind a visual to include for this one and it wouldn't let me embed the youtube video I found about being straightforward in the workplace https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMfJNFDtcko)

Review of Personal Culture:

The first thing that I learned about my personal culture was how much of it is based in my religion. I remember my father once saying that religion is a part of us, not just something we do, and I now am understanding that. My life goals, standards, traditions and beliefs all came from my religion. Everything I know and do can come back to my knowledge that I am a child of God and so is everyone else around me. The LDS religion isn't the only religion that influences culture; any student in the classroom who is active in a religion may have the same experience that I have had with a religiously based culture.

I also have a cultural focus on family and education. I knew that family mattered to me, but I had never thought of it as an essential element of my culture. My family has always had a focus on education, and that is easily one of the most important elements of my culture. Coming from a line of educators, I plan to be an educator myself, and I want to work in the field of special education, showing students who struggle that everyone can learn and succeed.

My culture is generally a very positive influence in the classroom. I have a friendly demeanor, clear rules and no secrets (straightforward communication), a belief that everyone can succeed, and a strong ethic for working together. I learned that through working with a family, but I know that a classroom can become like a family, and thus work together as such. Another way that I think it helps is that although the majority of my cultural artifacts are similar, I am a democrat, and in Utah that has always set me apart and I have been the minority. Just understanding what it means to be the minority has helped me to have a more open mind.

However, my culture is pretty typical, and although I strive to travel around and get to know and understand other cultures, since I have lived in Utah, I have always had a similar culture to the majority. There will always be students in my classroom who have drastically different cultures than mine, and thus far I have only tried to understand them, not to be like them or to communicate with them. For example, family has been everything to me, and I've come from a family who valued education and supported me in everything I do. Not everyone has that blessing, and I fear I will accidentally fall into expecting that my students do have that kind of support when they don't.

Community Experience

Background (for reference):

I went to Discovery Ranch in Mapleton with Ashley Smith. We interviewed and took a guided tour with Craig Smith, the clinical director. Discovery Ranch is a boys ranch for troubled teens age 14-18. There are 54 boys living in homes on site. They go through experiential treatment, which means that treatment is hands-on rather than therapy. The treatment methods include equine therapy, raising calves, ropes courses, learning music, sand tray therapy, and serving in the community. The boys have a variety of issues, including: substance abuse, behavior and family problems, RAD, anxiety and depression, and learning disabilities. They are educated in the afternoon/evening, where they are taught and tutored in the Utah State Core.

Reflection:

NOTE: Throughout this reflection, I will refer to "boys" and use the pronouns "he" and "his." This is because I was at a ranch for boys. They have a girls campus in Cedar City for girls who are struggling with similar things. When I say the above, I mean it to refer to both genders.

The biggest connection to our class I saw was that these boys were struggling because they feel left out of the human conversation. Craig said that one of the problems they see are what they call “enabling parents,” or parents who believe that their child isn’t succeeding, so they do everything (homework, chores, work, etc.) for their children so that they can succeed. The result isn’t a good one; rather, the children feel like they can’t succeed, so they develop what is called “learned helplessness” where they stop working, or participating in the conversation, acting helpless despite their abilities and desire to be a part of the conversation.

Craig gave us suggestions on how to avoid being like an "enabling parent" as teachers. The most helpful thing we can do to help our students like these boys is focus on teaching them self-motivation and really believing that they can do it. If we give up on them, they will never progress. If we nurture them, yet have structure and high expectations, they will meet those expectations. The last thing we want to do is to leave them out of the human conversation; they want to be involved! If they have "enabling parents" we can invite the student to do his homework with us after school, during lunch or in other free time so that he can be the one doing the learning.

We must be patient. Since most of the boys on the ranch have learning disabilities, a consequence is they have a slow processing speed. Although they might not learn or respond as quickly as other students, we as teachers need to let them have time to think. For those in special education, we can work with their special education teacher; however, with the rejection of the deficit model, we learn that just because a child isn't being successful doesn't mean they have deficits. Oftentimes the boys become class clowns and misbehave in class, but that’s only because they don’t want to look dumb in front of their peers for not being able to keep up with the material. By slowing down the way we teach, the boys can keep up and learn along with everyone else. This might mean teaching smaller sections in class or doing more repetitive work, and we must do this as much as the core will allow. If necessary, we can take extra time outside of class to help them succeed.

Something I loved that he said is that “If you meet one of these boys, you’ve met one of them. They’re all different.” It reminded me of the “single story” in that we can’t understand them all just because we understand one. Similarly, we can’t come up with a band-aid solution of how to help them. Each boy needs something special and so they have to work for one-on-one time to figure out what that need is. We can’t just “know” what it is; we have to WORK to find what it is and then WORK to meet that need. There are lots of opportunities to work to find out what their needs are. During group work or free time, spend time with his group and really listen to what he says. Take him aside and ask him about things other than the class. Find out what he's involved in and have a cultural experience trying to participate in those things to better understand him. In time, hopefully, the needs will become clear.

He taught us some classroom management strategies to encourage learning in troubled teens. The first was to use groups a lot. Create these groups based on common interests, or allow the students to group themselves this way, so that they will have a way to work together. (To encourage an inclusive pedagogy, we should be careful. Using interests and NOT race or culture as a separation should be safer.) The support groups they used at the ranch were substance abuse, grief, dialectical behavior therapy, social skills, and adoption. The idea I had is that we can group our students based off of common interests by surveying them to find out what their favorites of various things are. Then when groups need to be assigned, you can group them according to their responses. Even when the common interest isn’t a part of the core or what the project is a about, the group members will be able to find common ground, which enables these troubled students to succeed. Another thing Craig said is that boys work better when they aren’t working in co-ed groups. On the ranch, they have activities that enable the boys to learn proper relationships with girls, but education isn’t one of them. They boys are easily distracted, and by having their group be a boys only group, you can be helping to eliminate distractions. (This is likely case by case.)

The last thing I will point out is the observation that nearly all of the boys I saw appeared to be FAR from troubled. They were happy, well-behaved, involved, and respectful. The things they were doing at the ranch really are working! The boys feel so comfortable there. They know that the staff cares about them, so they respect them and respond to them. I hope that when I have troubled teens like these boys I can model the things I learned at the ranch so that I can see similar responses from the boys in my classroom.

Being the Other

 (artifact 1)

 (artifact 2)

For the assignment, "Being the other," I went to GameStop at the University Mall. I had originally planned to go to Bible study at the Baptist church in Orem, but I was 30 minutes late, so I had to think of another idea. As a result, I was wearing a skirt. I figured this would be a good place for the assignment since I have never really played a video game, and my family never owned a video gaming console while I lived at home. If there's ever anything I don't understand, it's video games. 

Notes taken while hanging out at GameStop:

1. Observation: everyone who shops at GameStop is a boy, or came in with a boy. 

    Interpretation: only boys play and are good at video games.

    Feelings: I felt pretty out of place and very lonely, seeing as I was a girl and didn't have a boy with me. At one point I followed a man around semi closely, hoping that people would associate me with him.

2. Observation: nobody holds eye contact.

    Interpretation: everyone keeps to themselves, doesn't want to talk, or is up to something secret.

    Feelings: I felt so left out! I wanted to ask someone what games were good to play or if they had any recommendations for someone 

3. Observation: everyone is wearing jeans and a t-shirt.

    Interpretation: this is a pretty relaxed environment; it doesn't matter what you look like.

    Feelings: I felt pretty out of place, seeing as I had just come from the baptist church so I was in a skirt... I wanted to change my clothes pretty bad.

4. Observation: there is a ton of information packed into a small space (video games on the wall, things in their ad I picked up at the door (artifact 2), etc.)

    Interpretation: there is a LOT to know in order to be a video gamer.

    Feelings: I will never make it. I can't learn all of this information in any reasonable amount of time. This was the largest factor in me not wanting to pursue a life of video gaming.

5. Observation: loud music or TV show about video gaming playing in the background. 

    Interpretation:we aren't meant to be having conversations; the TV can provide useful information and entertainment.

    Feelings: I actually felt pretty good about this; I knew there was a place to go to learn more and I figured I could round up some conversation starters from this pool of information. Unfortunately, the words they were using were pretty much all foreign to me.

6. Observation: everyone speaks softly; answers to questions were answered short and simply, ending conversation quickly. 

    Interpretation: socializing isn't big in this culture.

    Feelings: I felt pretty awkward, because socializing is HUGE in the culture of me. I don't know how to do really anything without socializing.

 (artifact 3)

I took the picture above to demonstrate what the entire store looked like to me. It was so packed full of games that I didn't know where to start in looking at them or knowing what to do with them. I watched a lot of people as they wandered the store, and everyone one of them seemed to know what they were doing. They all came with other people: some with a friend, some with a small group of friends, and some with a spouse. When they talked, they talked quietly and directly to the people they came with. During my entire visit, including the time when I talked to a man searching through the "New Used Games," lots of people made eye contact with me, but they all quickly looked away. I have rarely felt so alone. The feeling reminded me so much of when I was a missionary; I wanted to talk to people, but there was a paralyzing fear of doing so because I didn't know what to say to relate to the people. 

I couldn't help but think that this must be so hard when you have to do it for more than 30 minutes and you can't just leave when you feel like you've collected enough data. To live with that kind of fear of rejection must be terrible. The whole time I was hoping that an employee would come up and ask me if they could help me find something, and they never did. As a teacher, I need to be that employee. I need to go up to the people who are struggling to fit in and just offer to help. Even though that wouldn't have made me fit in with the gamers all around me, at least I would've had some kind of comfort and relief from the stress and fear of rejection.

Being at GameStop was very uncomfortable for me. Really, this came from the fact that I don't know anything about the culture and couldn't relate with the people there. I know that I need to do more to understand this culture. There will no doubt be plenty of my students who will play video games regularly and I need to understand how to reach them. My husband used to play a lot of video games and can probably help me to understand the gaming world. I also could try playing video games and experience it for myself. By trying to understand the culture of those who play video games better, I might be able to integrate gaming principles into my classroom. Perhaps I could have levels or tracks or something in classroom labs that students who play video games would love.

At one point, I saw some boys playing with a Wii demo console. I noticed that on another TV nearby, there was an X-Box, so I decided to follow their example and give that a try. After handling the controller, pressing buttons, turning it upside down and shaking it a little, I realized that the console wasn't hooked up, but was actually just on display. I was so embarrassed. Here I had been trying so hard to fit in, and finally I saw a way...and it wasn't even a way! Instead it was just a good way to look silly in front of everyone. I tried to act like it never happened, but I know somebody had to have seen. I really just want to help my students know that it's okay to mess up and play the wrong console! Because after the boys were done with the Wii demo game, I decided to give it a try. After a lot of clicking around, I entered a race as Yoshi. I will now brag about my performance:

 (artifact 4)

I got third place in the race! I felt pretty good about myself. I actually did something right, and I did it well! Apparently even the least of us can be successful in an unfamiliar environment. It's pretty interesting that I could be fairly good at the very thing this group was reporting to be good at, but I still didn't fit in.

Latino Cultural Snapshot

Rudy Mancuso Vines (3)

How Latinos meet vs. How Americans think we meet:

Isaac Gets Pulled Over:

Isaac's Pool Rap:

MOVIES:

The Three Amigos

Maid in Manhattan

TELEVISION:

Gloria from Modern Family

Consuela from Family Guy

The Emmy Awards:

Newspaper:

• http://fox13now.com/2014/09/05/the-1-word-this-man-changed-on-resume-to-get-tons-of-job-offers/
• http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/17/us/latinos-move-up-from-picking-crops-to-running-the-farm.html?_r=0
• http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=29307843

BuzzFeed:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/norbertobriceno/mexican-moms-be-sayin#2r2qdko

Mariachi Barbie:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/conzpreti/mattel-launched-mariachi-barbie-and-this-is-what-she-looks-l#2r2qdko

Commercials:

The Single Story:

According to these artifacts, the associations between Latinos and Americans aren't the same as associations between Americans alone. Latinos are portrayed as those who do menial labor in service of Americans. We see this in television, as seen above in Family Guy, Rudy Mancuso Vines, and Maid in Manhattan. Together with the newspaper articles, we learn that Latinos are the ones who work in the fields and do maid service for families and the hospitality industry. 

Latino entrepreneurs are expected to open restaurants, yard service and maid service businesses. These businesses are a pretty major force in the economy, and are appreciated by those from other cultures because the work is largely work they wouldn't want to do themselves. The reason Latinos don't hold other jobs might be because according to their culture, those are the jobs that they work. They just need money, so they are willing to work the jobs that we aren't willing to work. It's always a surprise when we meet a Latino who is doing something else, but it's not totally unheard of.

Latinos like to have fun, but the way they party is different from Americans; they like to dress up traditionally and celebrate with mariachi singing and dancing. Mariachi Barbie, Rudy Mancuso and The Three Musketeers show us that when Latinos dress up, it's in their cultural dress, always with a sombrero. Their families are very close knit, but moms are very frank and honest, having a fairly authoritative relationship with their children.

The Latino Americans as shown in the commercial,"#UnBuenFit," are going to work, shopping, and going to the movies, just like any other normal person would. But they all speak perfect English with no accent. Anytime a Latino has a heavy accent, like Consuela from Family Guy, the girls in The Three Musketeers, and Isaac in the Rudy Mancuso Vines, they work menial labor, dress in traditional dress, and are illegals running from the police. Jennifer Lopez has no accent in her English, and she demonstrated in Maid in Manhattan that Latinos work menial labor, but she broke free from that and got involved with a white man. 

Other Latinos, such as Sofia Vergara, who is Gloria from Modern Family, show us that if you are beautiful and accepted by Americans, you still never really come to fully understand American culture. Latinos are always misunderstood and separated from the main group because of their accents. As seen in Modern Family, and at the Emmy's, beautiful Latinos play a great role in the lives of Americans: they are something to look at.

In a classroom, these stereotypes can be extremely limiting. Latino children, especially those with accents who have English as their second language, could easily see that their future only has two paths: menial labor or super model. The last thing I want is my students ruling out being beautiful full time, and then thinking they only have one option for their future. As a teacher, we have the ability to shape our students' view of the future. As we learned from Principal El, we can help our students see potential they never knew they had. I truly believe that Latinos, along with any other minority groups, can have the same future options as anyone else, but they need to believe that as well.

Children can be awful with emphasizing differences between themselves and others. Bullying is a real thing. We have to see to it that the traditional view of Latinos, especially the way that they dress and celebrate, isn't seen as the only way that Latinos are. That is just asking for bullying to dominate in (and out of) the classroom. If we set the example and show that Latino students are just like we were, and are just like the other students in the classroom, we can hope that our other students will see them the same way that we do.

In thinking about curriculum, I wasn't able to directly think of any Latinos in Physics subject matter. This is probably just because we don't teach about them, not because they don't exist. This could be detrimental to a Latino student who wants to be a physicist, just in that they don't believe they could ever be the first. As teachers, we have a responsibility to show our students that they wont be the first to be successful in our fields. I found this website (http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-hispanic-scientists/famous-hispanics?var=2&utm_expid=16418821-48.w4XvOttHQz-Kl88l1iLzhA.1&format=SLIDESHOW&page=7&utm_referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ranker.com%2Flist%2Ffamous-hispanic-scientists%2Ffamous-hispanics) that shows me with very little effort that there are Latino scientists. We can read about them in class along with the other famous scientists like Newton and Einstein, to show students that their potential is not limited.

We, as members of the church, know that no student is more entitled to an education than another. We are all children of God. Knowing that, it is very important that we not let the governmental policy, which has restrictions on rights for those who do not have citizenship, govern our classroom. There should be no restrictions on learning, and our students should be able to recognize that is the case. Latinos are especially targeted because of illegal immigration, but the students we work with are not the problem, and we shouldn't treat them as if they are. The classroom should be a safe haven where learning is accomplished and love can always be felt.