My Three Big Ideas:
- The vast majority of education, curriculum, and resources used within the classroom are of white possession. For proper learning and understanding to be reached within the classroom new resources, ways of knowing, and different cultures must be introduced otherwise students are not reaching their highest potential of world knowledge and understanding.
- Whether or not the classroom is ‘owned’ by the Teacher OR a place that can foster knowledge and create relationships is one hundred percent decided by the educator themselves. The teacher’s main focus is to be within the classroom to teach, but the next level of a relationship with students is to be open and honest so that you and your classroom can be a safe place for students.
- Our most commonly visited places, alongside the places we spend the most time in, aid in the creation of our identity. If students are spending six hours a day, five days a week within your classroom the educator along with the classroom space that has been created will become a large, and vital part of a students’ identity. It is up to the teacher to provide proper resources and allow for students to make this a positive part of their daily life and not negative as many students have experienced at some point.
My Two Personal Connections:
- When the article explains class relationships I began to think about my own teacher-student relationships. I grew up in a small town that had one kindergarten to grade 12 school, and our classes were always two different grade levels combined since my grade usually had between five to eight students within it. This allowed for teachers to know everything about us, while we got to also learn about them. Then, when I came to University it was the exact opposite. Classrooms were now packed, students did not know each other, and the Professors (usually) do not even learn your name let alone your life story and how you are processing information.
- Boundaries have always been given to me whether at school or on the acreage. Either you weren’t allowed on the train tracks because they were out of school limits (and also dangerous to play on) or you were not allowed to be up past 8:30pm on a school night. Wherever you go there are always boundaries, however, these vary from place to place. You may go to a friend’s house where all the doors are open and you are free to roam, or you could visit your grandparents where the doors would all be shut and you could only be in the kitchen or living room. It is very personal to think about the boundaries that you not only set for yourself but the boundaries that have been set for you as you have grown up.
My One Question Based on the Reading:
- If reading allows for one to “read the world” then how can we as future educators implement proper resources that not only ensure that all cultures and beliefs are covered but to help students understand that being different is powerful and welcome within the classroom?
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