RAFT: In Retrospect

While reflecting on the RAFT activity in class, the reality of the decisions that I will be faced with really hit me. I had thought about some of the situations described in class, but I definitely overlooked some of the most obvious situations that could arise.

Scenario 3 was pretty shocking for me. I forgot that there were people who still might hold strong to the belief that a woman's place is at home, and that furthering a girl's education would be a waste of time and effort. I was at first discouraged by the fact that I might have to deal with this kind of situation, but realized after talking in class, that we as teachers do have some power over the education of our students. A teacher, if using the right avenues (speaking with the other teacher, and parents), can influence the future learning of her/his students.

Some situations were very new and challenging for me, such as the one about the gay male student who goes by the name Cynthia. Before this activity, I thought I knew how to deal with "gray area" decisions. This one definitely caught me off guard, and left me wondering what the best choice would be. While I thought our discussion was helpful, this situation left me thinking that I won't always have the answers to every situation. While looking back at this realization, it seems as though my assumption was self-centered. This really gave me a new perspective into my own assumptions about how well I understood the teaching profession. I realized that there is so much that a teacher must improvise in reaction to. I feel like this was a valuable insight into my personality that will be good to be aware of in the future.      

Seeing Both Sides of the Coin

Being a well-informed teacher is necessary in order to be adaptable in your interactions with faculty, parents, and even students. As we discussed in class, there are some very emotionally charged issues pertaining to the topic of education. While we may initially have strong opinions about these issues, our full understanding of them is imperative as teachers of students, ambassadors for schools, and citizens. If we turn a blind eye to one side or the other, we automatically reject the ideas of a group of people who most likely care just as much about the same education system that we do. Just because their opinions are different also does not mean that they are wrong.

The great cultural diversity of students in a classroom should be evidence enough that the needs of those students are just as diverse. This translates to the broader context of school in general. Different types of people want different things out of their education system. In order to understand the desires of these groups, we as teachers need to understand why these people might want these things. This can be the hardest thing for people to grapple with, because the only way to truly understand where a person is coming from is to be them. The only advice I can think to give is to use the classic idiom “Put yourself in someone else’s shoes.”

It was such a valuable experience to debate some of these issues in class on Thursday, because many of us were forced to take on opinions that we might not normally agree with. After doing this, though, I realized that there were some very valid concerns on both sides of every issue. This realization helped me come to the conclusion that we as teachers should have this attitude when looking at any issue that we are faced with. This attitude will help us in encouraging dialogue with fellow teachers, parents, faculty, and community members who might have some very important and valid concerns that should be taken into account before any conclusions can be made. 

Learning in "The Class"

          François Bégaudeau’s classroom in the film seems to reveal a very inconsistent learning environment that provides a test tube for conflict. François’ loose and flexible style of teaching is combined with a poorly executed management of classroom behavior, and creates an environment where students are virtually in complete control of their learning experiences.
          Each student seems to have the desire to learn, but that desire is squelched in various ways throughout the film. While François does not always directly hinder the learning of his students, his response to the students’ questions, challenges, etc. many times limits, or even halts, the potential and active learning that takes place. An example of this is when the students are working on projects in the computer lab. When Esmeralda asks François how to spell Lafayette, he asks her how she’s able to go there since it is relatively far away from the neighborhood. Rather than tell her how to spell the word, he somewhat suspiciously asks her a personal question that places her in an uncomfortable and defensive position. It also shows his disconnection and misperception of young urban life in Paris. This question further alienates him from his students. In the classroom, François opts to have open discussions about the French language instead of following a rigid structure. The result is his being led by the questions that the students have. While many of these questions are legitimate and valid, his answers often times only either confuse them more, or inspires questions that end up leading him off topic.
          The positive learning that did take place seemed to also have some negative aspects as well. For example, the Anne Frank discussion turned out to be an outlet for students to share some personal things about their own lives, which potentially helped foster some sense of understanding and appreciation for others. While this was surely a positive exercise, the way it was initiated seemed to be a bit intrusive and insensitive. When a student in the back told François that he did not want to share things that were too personal. Instead of respecting how the student felt and moving on, François prods him and doesn’t stop until the student shares an example of what he meant by personal.
          Culture and language had a major influence on the students' learning in the film. One example that I remember was when François struggled to communicate in a meeting with Souleymane’s mother and brother. It was clear that the mother had much more to say than the brother was translating, but since she could not speak French, she was powerless to effectively communicate when her son was controlling what was said. Since François was unable to tell Souleymane's mother about the extent of his behavior issues, Souleymane will never be held accountable outside of school for what happens in school. As mentioned earlier, François’ interaction with Esmeralda in the computer lab was also evidence of poor cultural understanding on the part of François. Cultural language was a constant issue between François and the class throughout the entire film. In multiple cases, he explains an answer to a question using vocabulary that is foreign to the students. An example of this was when he uses the phrase “the penny dropped.” This cultural difference only alienated François even more from the students he was teaching.

The Country of the Blind

H.G. Wells’ The Country of the Blind gives intriguing insight into some very important topics faced in the public school system. How to handle cultural diversity in a learning environment is one of the most controversial issues facing public education. Differences in dress, habits, language, and social behavior are all aspects of cultural diversity, and students are encountering these differences much more frequently in schools. Cultural differences often times changes how a teacher interacts with his/her students, as well as how students interact with each other. I remember when a Russian student came to my junior high school when I was in 6^th grade. He spoke English, but he spoke with a very thick Russian accent. He also said some very strange things from time to time as slang. Much of our class saw him as entertainment, rather than someone that we could learn from. We saw him as having a strange accent, and saying strange things; he even looked strange to us. We did not see his cultural identity as being better, let alone, equal to ours. We saw it as funny, something to laugh about.

Nunez in The Country of the Blind shows a similar attitude. He sees the people’s blindness as some thing that they lacked, even though they saw it as perfectly normal. The perceptions of this by both parties dictated how they treated each other. Rather than appreciate the characteristics that the other had, each saw the other as threatening. This is so often the case in early to late adolescents in school. Identity is being found and re-found, and those who do not share in a particular identity can sometimes be seen as threatening – not to a person physically or emotionally most of the time, but threatening to their social comfort level. In the classroom, this might be seen when a teacher, who always has the class do assignments in groups and has created a classroom culture around tight-knit community, creates a poor learning environment for a student who works better individually. Another example, this time socially, is when a person who is very outgoing and “touchy-feely” might be seen as smothering to someone who is much more quiet and reserved.

             These differences in culture and language, for many people, are very difficult to adapt to. Like in The Country of the Blind, two individuals or groups may refuse to accept the other’s differences. In a learning environment, this can be incredibly detrimental to the potential learning that could happen. Cultural acceptance and a desire for understanding is crucial to the fostering of quality learning. I say a desire because I believe that it is utterly impossible, apart from being the person, to fully understand the culture and language of that individual. Willingness is key, and if people willingly strive to understand people’s differences, then the cracked door of learning will be gradually opened wider for future generations. A large part of this willingness should begin in the hearts and minds of the teachers in our schools, who are then able to create a culture based on this philosophy within their own classrooms.  

Welcome to my Blog!!

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy reading what I have to say on here. Here's my "Where I'm From" poem for you all to read:

"Where I'm From"

I'm from a needle in space
One too many rainy days
From plum tree perches
And community churches

I'm from blessing upon blessing
From love and from sacrifice

I'm from dirt clods and sticks
Wars with three Bakers
From ants on an oak tree
From poppies and sage

I'm from Goleta the Goodland
Its history too
A sister from Korea
With a cool tattoo

I'm from struggles in school
Too many distractions
From saving grace
And a humble reaction

I'm from One who loves me deeply
Even when I fail
I'm from things undiscovered
A never ending trail