As a teacher we need to be aware that we are about to step into a diverse environment. Being new at all of this we have to keep an open mind and look at the many different things that our students can bring to the table and can help us teach them. I am Hispanic and English is my second language. Even though I am Hispanic, like our many students, we still have different beliefs and different cultures. Personally I don’t believe that my personal history or sociocultural background will intersect with those of my students.
I have experienced many of the similar things that our students have to deal with in public schools since I was in them my whole life. Being a teacher I have the advantage to know how the students feel. I will have the advantage to be able to communicate with my non-English speaking students. I believe that being bilingual is going to help me a lot in the future, when it comes to helping my students that are struggling with their learning because they are non-English speakers. I am also going to be able to communicate with their parents perfectly fine if they speak English or Spanish. This can also be a disadvantage because my students can get a little bit too comfortable because I speak Spanish, so I will have to limit myself to the amount of Spanish I speak in the class.
During one of my tutoring sessions I was working with my usual students, who are Jasmine, Melissa and Nelson, I was shocked to hear a comment. When doing phonics, which they have to show me they know how to sound out words, it was Jasmines turn and she was taking a while because it seemed like she was trying to sound out the word in her head before saying it. But she never got the chance to finish because Melissa, who is Asian, said “she doesn’t know she’s Spanish that’s why she is not going to pass to second grade.” It hit me hard that I didn’t even know what to say, all I said at the moment was that it wasn’t her turn and that she needed to respect her classmate. The only thing that Jasmine did was rolled her eyes. Even though all the students are minorities they still have some type of racism going on even if they do not notice it. This relates to Allan Johnson who wrote “Our House is On Fire”. In his article he talks a lot about racism and privileges still occurring in our community and we are too blind to see it. This is true, in my FNED 346 class we took the IAT (Implicit Associated Test) which showed us that our surroundings influence the way we think about another person being from a different race, but doesn’t mean we are racist. Even though many of us did not like our results this test has been proven to have accurate results.
Hi Rosenda,
ReplyDeleteI total agree that as future teachers we need to be away of our surroundings and the different cultures that are going to be in our classroom. I also agree that just because you are Spanish doesn’t mean you have the same history or sociocultural background. Everyone is their own person therefore they have their own history. I absolute think you have a huge advantage of knowing how to speak Spanish fluently. You can relate to how the students feel and you will be able to communicate not only with the students who are ELL but also their parents. It is also an advantage when you do go to look for a job because must jobs look for people who are bilingual. I also understand why you would feel that students may become too comfortable with you because you do speak Spanish.
I have also experienced students bringing other students down based on their race. Like you I was shocked to hear racist remarks coming for such young children. As future teachers we need to talk to our students about racism. Your experiences totally agree with Allan Johnson. Racism still exists in all school and many people are so use to it that they do not teach their children about racism, leading to comments students say to other students not realizing the extent of their comments. It is time for a change.
It was a pleasure getting to know you. Good luck with the baby and Congrats!
Kayla