“Preparing
students to be productive workers is only one important goal of schools in
democratic pluralistic societies. Schools should also prepare students to become
effective citizens. Effective citizens in democratic multicultural societies
have the knowledge and skills needed to live in a complex and diverse world, to
participate in deliberation with other groups, and to take action to create a
more just and caring world (pg 11).”
This
quote stuck out to me because as teachers it is essential to not only educate
our students academically, however it is also our duty to educate them on being
functional people in society. Not only teach them to become effective citizens
in society but also teach them to be open minded to other multicultural
societies like the quote mentions. The reason I believe I am pretty well
rounded and open minded today is because I was raised in a community of predominantly
multicultural ethnicities. However, there are students that do not have the
opportunity to be raised in such areas. These students only get to see one
perspective and view of life and us as teachers should be able to demonstrate
different perspectives in our classrooms. Some teachers are afraid of teaching
touchy subjects or controversial subjects because the “other perspective” is
being revealed and advocated for. I believe that teachers should not be afraid
and that they should stand up for the voices that are not heard. The reading
discusses how there are many students that are unsuccessful in school due to
social contexts that effect them such as social economic status and racial
discrimination or stereotypes. These students already are exposed to diverse
cultures and language. We need to give them the same opportunities and
resources for success just like everyone else.
“Nevertheless,
teachers who have been given little instruction on the ways that language
varies often have little understanding of the relationship between power and
language. This lack of understanding, in turn, leads to restrictions being
placed on students’ language use. Students maybe forbidden to speak their primary
language in the classroom or be corrected whenever they use nonmainstream
grammar or pronunciation (22).”
The
reading discusses that our students learn a significant amount outside of
school. I believe this is very important for teachers to understand. I chose
this quote because language is a important for communication. Our schools are
filled with English learners and I am certain that they are being taught at
home that learning English is very important. At home they are being taught
that English is the power language and the only way they will be successful in
this country. Teachers need to help these students by providing the resources
for them to be successful in learning English. It is not like they do not want
to learn English it is the fact that they are not given the opportunity to
learn it in comfortable environments. I strongly believe that schools should
educate their staff on how to instruct English learners. This way tests results
will be higher and everyone will end up happy in the end. If we disregard
English learners by neglecting them we are not going to get far because a high
percentage of them exist in our classrooms. We are here to help them not hold
them and the rest of the school down. Viewing speaking other languages in a
negative way is not providing a positive environment for English learners.
I agree giving students enough exposure to multiple perspectives is key because sometimes at home and especially within the materials at schools often gives students only one perspective. I think by only teaching the safe subjects to the students it doesn't prepare students for the real world and to be able to talk about difficult subjects that affect all of their lives. Students need to help students talk about these difficult subjects and understand the multiple perspectives involved.
ReplyDeleteI love the second quote you chose because it brings a powerful message. So many of our students are treated differently because of their dialect, accent, or lack of English. I remember learning about African American children who speak African American Vernacular English (AAVE)and how their teachers sometimes would berate them for speaking or talking in AAVE in the classroom. I think that teachers have to understand that when we bar our students from using the language of their parents, grandparents, and even great grandparents they are showing these students that where they come from does not matter! But it does...it is the stepping stone to where they want to be in the future. I have quite a few students in my classroom who speak Hmong. However, they are afraid...AFRAID to speak it in the classroom or in earshot of a teacher. However, recently I have gotten two new students who are new to this country from Mexico. They have no English, so I have been speaking to the in Spanish. I think my use of another language and consistently telling them how amazing it is that they know another language have my Hmong students began to speak a little bit of Hmong in the classroom. I think as teachers we need to celebrate our knowledge, share it, build it, and embrace it in order for our students to grow up to be effective citizens.
ReplyDeleteI really like both of the quotes you picked! I liked the second quote especially because often in schools I see the students afraid to speak their home language ( and sometimes the teachers are the ones who are scared to hear a language other than English! But we really have to think about how when we make a student's home language unimportant, we are also telling them their "home culture"s are unimportant. I agree that we should celebrate our diverse backgrounds and I really like Mrs. Plog Duarte's suggestions of speaking the native languages in the classroom to make it less "taboo".
ReplyDeleteYour first quote really reminded me of what we were talking about in social studies. I really agree with what you have to say. I was also raised in a multicultural communities but the students in my class do not have same opportunity as we did. It was funny because during the first week of school, one of my student asked me if I was Hmong. First, I did not know what Hmong is and I found it funny that just because I look Asian I was considered a Hmong.
ReplyDelete