What makes great teaching? - The Series Finale

 

   

What makes great teaching? Throughout this whole course we have learned many different strategies that as future educators will help us teach our students and provide them the skills that they will need to be successful. We have learned how to create a welcoming environment for all students by becoming more self-aware of the changes that our society is going through and learning how to handle them and keeping an open mind. We have learned about different topics including segregation schools, the LGBTQ community within our schools and the different cultural backgrounds that we see in our districts. We have also learned about the different budgets within our school districts and how to help advocate for our students to get more resources. 

The biggest thing that makes great teaching are passionate and kind educators like us. By gaining the knowledge we have been given throughout this course we have allowed ourselves to be more open-minded when it comes to our students. We now know that not all our students will come from the same place or will have the same background. The important thing is to welcome them with open arms and allowed them to view our classroom as a second home for them. Another thing that makes great teaching is listening, we have to make sure our students feel heard and that they know we are here to not only teach them subjects like math, reading, science or social studies but that we are here to teach them life skills. I want to end by saying Thank you to all fellow readers for this journey and I know we will make awesome teachers. Here’s to Us future teachers! 

What is worth learning?

 

What is worth learning? Learning is about gaining skills, independence and knowledge. We as educators have a job and that is to prepare our students for the future. Being able to learn something that will make a deep connection and will be beneficial is more important than learning something that may create tension or that maybe unnecessary. I choose the quote “begin the process of reparations” because I feel that our education systems need revamping in terms of our curriculums. We need to better prepare our teachers to reclaim our schools as a place of learning and help students feel more safe. 

The biggest thing that is worth learning is how to listen to our students and address any issues they may have, and we must also learn how to accept the values and beliefs of others and learn how to teach them without making anyone uncomfortable. A quote I choose for my poem was “school based racial trauma- every level of education has been affected”. I connected with this quote because one of the things I consider important to learn before we can teach is how to show respect and kindness towards one another and create a curriculum in which no one will be negatively impacted. In fact I think the best way as educators to teach our students is to keep an open mind and learn from and about them and to do this we must create a open space for them to share and express themselves. The key here is to not make anyone uncomfortable, on the contrary we want to make sure we educate our students, provide them the skills that will help them and create a curriculum that is worth learning.  

It's 2022, why are schools still segregated?

 

                                                        

     It's 2022, why are schools still segregated? A very compelling question given that segregation was supposed to come to an end with the creation of laws against it put in place almost 70 years ago. Many cities and communities still suffer the effects of segregation, especially when trying to purchase a home. You can have a good credit and still get a higher interest rate simply because of your race. This has not only impacted our neighborhoods but also the way our school system works. Many schools are still segregated to this day, you have schools that are composed mostly of white children and are very privileged when it comes to resources and funding, and these are mostly seen within gated communities in which the white population rules, and then you have schools that are very diverse in race and culture, and are located within neighborhoods that consist of races such as Latinos, African Americans, Asians etc. They however are not as privileged and lack a lot of resources and funding, but why?

    Simple, even though laws against segregation were created the standard had already been set during the time that segregation was enforced. Laws that prohibited races other than the white to purchase a home had huge effect on them even after segregation had ended, they still lacked the funds to purchase a home and even had a difficult time purchasing one because of the rules and interest rates that were set for them, this caused them to remain in the same areas in which they are today, which caused schools to become segregated even without the laws today in 2022. I do have hope that in the future segregation becomes a thing of the past and that our schools become more inclusive in terms of race and I know that we can do it step by step.  

What does money really have to do with it?

 

    What does money really have to do with it? Money has always been an important part of our lives, we have to work for it and we use for almost everything we need. In our school systems money plays a huge role in how students learn. In this profession teachers don’t really get paid much which makes it hard for them to make a living and at the same time provide supplies and resources to their students. Many schools have had the same textbooks and materials because of the lack of money and that makes It hard for the new generation to learn. Money is what builds our schools and provides a safe and clean environment for students. Many schools still lack updating and students are forced to learn in classrooms with hazardous conditions and with supplies that are no longer functional. The lack of funding and resources definitely has an effect on the performance of students within our schools. 

        
        Money has a lot to do with our student’s education, without the funding we wouldn’t have the tools to teach our children. I think the government should provide more funding to our schools especially the low income districts because that is where resources are lacking the most. We tend to forget that education is the fundamental part of our future and disregard it when it comes to budgeting. I as a future educator am making it point to fight for more funding if that does not improve by the time I begin my career as a teacher.  

What lengths am I willing to go to in order to do right by every child?

    What Lengths am I willing to go to in order to do right by every child? Fair question, teachers tend to stick to doing the bare minimum when teaching a classroom. They stick to the curriculum that they created and expect students to follow and learn from that. Many teachers lack empathy and understanding for their students, especially those that struggle academically. They blame the student for not capturing their lectures and performing well on their quizzes or exams. They also don’t try to connect with their students and lack communication, they don’t make the effort to talk to them to understand what exactly they struggle with. Students often feel unmotivated, and this leads to poor performance and in most cases and increase in the dropout rate especially within the races other than the white population. 

    I as a future educator, am willing to go to extreme lengths to do right by my students. I want to connect with my students and make them feel like they are understood, I want to create an engaging environment for them by adopting different strategies that will help them learn and improve, I want to make it clear to them that although I am their educator, I am also someone they can confide in if there is something going that might be interfering with their learning. I want to be able to care for my students but also push them to do their best and celebrate their accomplishments every time they do. I will advocate for my students and will acknowledge each and every one of them. My classroom will be opened to ideas and will be adaptable, we will gamify or storify our lectures to ensure everyone captures the content overall, my classroom will be welcoming to all student. As future educators we must be opened to nurture our students and help them become successful in any way regardless of where they come from. 

 

How Does Gender Affect the Teaching Profession?

 

How Does Gender Affect the Teaching Profession? Gender affects the teaching profession in more ways now a days because we are seeing more children and teens come out as transgender, gay or lesbian and teachers are often faced with the difficult task of not knowing how to handle the situation. Teachers are used to the regular norms of boys go to the boy’s bathroom and girls go to the girl’s bathroom or if there as an activity such as a play then boys play the male part and girls play the female play. However now that there have been more children that identify as transgender, some teachers that are more connected with their beliefs find it hard to open themselves to these changes and allowing students to express themselves and refer to them as the gender that they identify with. Although there may be teachers that still believe in the old norms there are teachers that are open to these changes and embrace their students no matter how they identify.

There are some states in which teachers are being forced to out their students if they admit to being transgender or even part of the LGBTQ community and even go as far as expelling them. I myself identify as a gay male and while in school it was hard for me to express myself with my teachers because most of them were still accustomed to the old norms and I was afraid of how I would be treated. As a future educator and gay male, I can definitely say that my classroom will be a safe and open environment for all my students who identify as trans or part of the LGBTQ community, we as teachers must ensure that we create a good environment for all students no matter the gender. 

Is Schooling Equitable?

 

I don’t think that school is equitable, and here is why; I grew up on the west side of San Antonio, which is composed of mostly Latinos and African Americans. The elementary school I attended lacked a lot of resources and it had the image of a prison. Windows had bars and the lights were dimmed and almost yellow, you can easily tell the school needed reshaping. However, it took a while for funding to be received so the school could be rebuilt. Middle school wasn’t any different, no windows at all, classes lacked material, most of the books and computers were old which made it hard to handle them and learn. The second I stepped in an all-white school while taking a trip to visit a family friend, I noticed that the school was bright with open windows and it smelt fresh, you can actually tell it was a school, many students carried textbooks that looked brand new. This was the first time I became fully aware about white privilege.

 Another issue I noticed is that expectations on academic performance are lower for other races and higher for the white race. I think that for a school to be equitable there needs to be more funding given to school districts that are racially diverse and create a better curriculum and have an equal set of set of expectations for everyone. I think that there should be more diversity within our education system in terms of teachers and classes that teach about other cultures. As a future educator I look forward to the day when all schools we equal for everyone.   

Do I have the full picture?

 

Do any of us have the full picture? I think that is the bigger question here? The answer? No, we don’t, in school we have been taught about segregation in schools and were told the story of the Little Rock Nine, we were painted a small picture of what the African American race had to endure while in the pursuit of a better education. I had never heard the story of Ruby Bridges and everything she went through while going to an all-white school. It saddens me that this story was never mentioned in any of my classes, especially because she went through so much being alone in a class for a full year and being taunted by grown white women. It makes me wonder what other races and ethnicities have stories untold? I realize now that just as we did not have the bigger picture when it came to segregation, we also don’t have the bigger picture when it comes to each other. 

I will admit, I don’t have the full picture, I don’t know the stories that my peers carry with them and what brought them to this point in their careers. We each have unique stories of hard work, struggle, and determination which many may not know of. We each come from families of different cultures that share unique traditions but also challenges. As future educators we must be opened to learn more about our students and build a better and bigger picture in which every culture and race can share their uniqueness and help each other. 

Stories: Whose are told and whose remain in the margins?

                                      

  Growing up in school I was exposed to various aspects of history surrounding one specific race, I was taught about white culture and was shared the stories of every single white figure that helped build what we know today as the U.S. Other races were marginalized through many of these lectures and only had a few stories that were shared. The only time that history on other cultures such African American, Hispanics, Asians, Europeans and Middle Eastern were touched was during my world history class. There wasn’t a lot that was taught from them regardless; the focus was always the same, what did they contribute to our country? Being a Mexican American my biggest hope was to learn about my culture and the historic figures that made a difference in this country and that had a big impact on my own. This was never the case, only a few figures were mentioned such as Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King amongst others. 

    To answer the question, while white history and their stories have been told and shared repeatedly, Other diverse cultures remain as margins with only a fraction of their history being taught and their stories being shared. I think that as educators we must be able to change our strategy within our classes when teaching history and sharing stories and eradicate marginalizing. As a future educator I want to be able to teach my students about every single historic figure regardless of their ethnic background or race. I want to see every single aspect of history to be taught with fairness and with equality. 

How do we talk about issues that matter?

    Having a discussion about topics that matter can be very compelling and a bit overwhelming at times, especially if they are sensitive topics. We normally see these come up during family gatherings as well as with friends but most importantly we see them in debates and in the classroom. Some discussions can become very heated to the point where people start using foul language which can result in arguments, being kicked out of a friendship group, giving family the silent treatment or if you are a student can get you in trouble. Being a college student, I have been exposed to many discussions were things get to the point where classmates begin talking over one another and disagreeing and taking things personal. I myself try to observe and as I do I begin to wonder why is it that when topics that matter get brought up it creates chaos, and I always come back to same reason. Two words: Open Mind. 

   As a future educator the one thing that I have learned is that if we want to talk about issues that matter, it is important to keep an open mind about other people’s opinions and never take things personal. We have to be able to understand everyone’s point of view by listening to them and their reasons and be respectful of one another. Only then will we be able to come together and find a solution that will help everyone be more connected with each other, that is where the change will begin.

Introduction

    

    Hi Everyone, my name is Alexis Marquez Bernal and I am a Junior at Texas State University. I recently became a Education major primarily focusing on elementary 3rd or 4th grade bilingual teaching. I chose this career path because I love working with children, I originally was majoring in social work to be able to work with kids but after careful consideration and a lot of reflecting i decided that teaching was more of my calling and that i could also make a difference in children’s lives by helping them work towards being successful. I was also motivated by one of my teachers back in 4th grade, even though it has been a long time I still remember who she was and the way she used to run our class and I hope to one day be like her with my own students. 

    My overall goal is to one day become a school counselor and move up to middle school and for that I want to first learn and practice how to be an educator. I want to teach 4th or 3rd grade in a elementary setting filled with diversity. I come from a family of latinos so growing up I struggled a lot in school due to lack of resources and support. I want to be able to be that support that students have whenever they are struggling ins school with core subjects or even personal situations such as bullying which is something that is well know in schools and I would know since I myself went through that. I also want to be able to provide resources to my students that might not have sufficient funds to help with their education. I am excited to teach every subject to my students but my favorite subject is reading. I have a library of books that i hope to one day share with my students filled with fantasy fiction to sci-fi. I am excited to meet everyone and share on here my experiences and future goals. My favorite tiktoker is @honestteachervibes i love the energy she gives out in all her videos and the laughs, you can easily tell she is such an amazing educator