Chapter VII: Insights

Whew. I just survived the first week of school. One week down, eight more to go. Here's an idea of what classes I'm taking in the evenings: Mondays/Essentials of Teaching II, Wednesdays/Basic Instructional Technology Skills (aka beginning technology), and Thursdays/Teacher and the Social Order. Every Tuesday is when I do my practicum, but my host teacher said I can come in anytime. She's flexible. :) This quarter I go in in the morning; next quarter, late morning-afternoon practicum.

So far, I enjoy all of my classes. It seems that my instructors are getting down to the nitty-gritty of things. My dream of becoming a teacher is getting close. Although the extent of my experience is with preschoolers, the reality of an elementary teacher is something that I've yet to explore, and I just started. My instructors are preparing us for that reality. By adding practicum studies this quarter is very helpful. Very hands on. It seems to me that everything I'm learning in class coincides with what I've seen inside a classroom.

Essential of Teaching II (EOT II) is advance knowledge of the technicalities of teaching (last quarter, it was obviously the "basics", EOT I). The class talks about classroom management, the legits of Washington state schools, lesson planning, etc. In essence, EVERYTHING we must know ABOUT Washington State public schools. Basic Instructional Technology Skills is just that -- basic knowledge of technology. Teacher and the Social Order is a very interesting class. This is the class in which we were required to purchase Gregory Michie's book, "Holler, If You Hear Me..." If you haven't read my blog, "Chapter III: Holler", now is a good time to do it. It is a spoiler, so be wary if you want to read the book.

Last night, my instructor for Teacher and the Social Order (TSO), Mr. "Edwin", showed the class a video of inner city children in their schools and their teachers. It was very touching. I'm thinking that next time we watch a video, I'm bringing in a box of tissue for the class. The (real life) video closely resembles to what Dr. Michie experienced as a teacher. As one of my classmates puts it, these teachers were "...filled with uncertainties..." for the children when they "graduate" to the next level of their grade. It seems to be the common theme with these teachers that I've read or watched about. Another commonality is the influence that the teachers have made upon each child in their class. It's amazing that when a teacher does ONE thing to encourage children to make a change in their lives, it changes their entire lives.

For example, a male counselor/teacher heard from another child that his best friend's fingers were slammed by a door by his mother. I'm not sure which state this was filmed in, but it seems like he's a "mandated reporter", like in the State of Washington. In our state, by law, educators are mandated reporters for child abuse. This also means that if we as so much see a mother slapping her kid at a public parking lot for "disciplining" him, we are required, by law to report her. The counselor did just that -- reported child abuse to some sort of social agency (like Child Protected Services). What was disheartening was the close up of the counselor's reaction as he was filling up the report. You can tell that he was close to tears. By reporting this type of abuse, he risk the child being taken away from his parents. And get this....within minutes, after turning in that report, child protective services whisked the child away. The counselor had no idea what happened to him. That was the last he was seen. Almost broke my heart.

So far you have read a lot of negatives in the real life world of a teacher, but there was another part in the film where it was encouraging. An ESL (English as a Second Language) high school teacher had quite an influence on her class. The school was feeling the pinch of budget cuts, so the school board decided to merge -- or mainstream -- certain classes. The ESL class was one of them. Know what that means to children and teachers? Low teacher:student ratio. Crowded classroom. Discipline/control problems. But what it really meant to these children in ESL was feeling like they don't belong. These are children who immigrated from different parts of the world: Mexico, Puerto Rico, China, Vietnam, etc. They were much more concerned about how their lack in speaking the English language might hinder them academically. They felt that they won't be able to catch up with their (English-speaking) peers if they were combined in the same classroom.

It was as if a lightbulb went off in the teacher's head (and it was caught on film!). She decided, right then and there, that the children attend the public school board meeting and bring up their concerns. Sure enough, the children did. The board heard every one of the ESL children's voices. It was touching to see that a couple of the board members seem to sympathize with them. At the end, the children received their wish: the board did not merge/mainstream the ESL class.

The film I watched last night w/ my classmates was very heart-felt. It was to the point that sometimes I wonder what is really going on inside my own children's classrooms. With overcrowded classroom and budget cuts, it almost seems like the children's futures are bleak. As adults and/or teachers, it's up to us to turn that around. And I'm trying. Thanks to the inspirational film, I walked into my children's school office and signed up as a parent volunteer this morning.

Hopefully, my volunteer work and practicum studies at both these schools will enhance my career as an elementary school teacher. Only time will tell...