My Time in FNED 246

 During my time in FNED 246 this semester, there are a few things I certainly will not forget about. The three things that stuck out the most to me were Troublemakers by Shalaby, Kohn’s “What to Look for In a Classroom” , and finally the open discussion. 

First, I wanted to talk about Troublemakers by Shalaby. This writing talks about how the students who are painted as a “Troublemaker” could be the students that teach us the most. Over time I have labeled some students as troublemakers myself. After reading this story I now know to avoid my bias and understand students all have different backgrounds and things going on in their lives behind the scenes, and sometimes their feelings are unnoticed solely because we think of them as just being disruptive students. I want to be the teacher that inspires my students, and looking beyond their label of being a troublemaker is really important to me to continue to encourage them to do their best. Overall they’re not really troublemakers, just misunderstood. 

The chart “What to Look for in a Classroom” by Alfie Kohn was something that also stuck out to me. Myself as well as all of my peers have been in many classrooms in our lifetimes. I think this chart was very eye opening to noticing good signs as well as possible signs to worry in a classroom. When I was a student going through normal schooling from K-12, I never once took into consideration the set up of desks, the positive affirmations on the walls, or even the reaction to a visitor in the classroom by other students. This was eye opening because when I look past on the teachers that I have had, I would consider some disheartening compared to other teachers who coincidentally displayed good classroom ideals. I specifically had a wonderful fifth grade teacher who was a very positive person, who I keep in touch with to this day. Her classroom was set up with completed school work done in partnership which shows good collaboration that happens in her classroom, and “Get to Know Me” projects on the walls. This teacher showed many good attributes that should always be in a classroom, and I found myself analyzing this chart multiple times. 

Last, I wanted to talk about the open class discussion that we had when Joyce set a timer for I believe 10-15 minutes to allow us to talk. I watched as a lot of my classmates openly talked about Delpit’s reading “The Four I’s of Oppression” and I think the discussion needed to be had. At one point in the semester we also talked about silence being racist and I believe if we ignored the four I’s of Oppression it’s not a good thing, especially if we understand the topic and avoid it. Having open discussion is very important to me and it’s another way I learn best in a classroom. There are multiple different teaching styles and I don’t learn best from direct instruction, I very much so enjoyed this exercise.

How has FNED 246 set me up for success? FNED 246 was a wonderful course to be taking, with such a well- rounded group of people. I enjoy having open discussions so I can understand the different view points of my peers, and this class allowed a lot of freedom to speak our minds on issues with society that we all know and see today. I do believe I’m ready to move on to the next academic year and FNED 246 was a very big part into helping me better my understanding of real world issues we face against social justice. 

Intro to Sexual Orientation TedTalk Thoughts

 Today in my class we watched the TedTalk video, “How A Sanctuary for Self-Expression Can Change Lives”, and it was a 15 minute talk from the perspective of a mother who has a gay son, and a transgender woman who is a counselor at Camp I Am. Camp I am’s mission is to be all inclusive and open to all children who are identifying through any gender or a range of disabilities. This TedTalk was very powerful and insightful. 

Blog #10 Sex and Gender

 Good Morning and welcome back to my blog! This week I will be discussing the “Woke Read Alouds: They, She, He Easy as ABC” .

When I watched this video I recognized each pronoun used in this video including she, he, they, she, and even the pronoun , “tree”. Although I don’t understand some of the new pronouns I know as a future educator I will respect every student that enters my classroom. Giving respect to one another is crucial and that’s one thing I surely will be in the future: someone who shows respect to all. The teacher showed a good point when they talked about the letter K. Kelly likes to use the pronouns he, him, and his. Kelly might look or dress a certain way and the author raised the point that if someone is presenting one way, it doesn’t identify what they are feeing on the inside. 

As for kindergarten aged students, I do not believe this video will leave them 100% sure about the point of the book. Ki does a wonderful job describing each page of the book, but I’m not sure this topic would help the students understand the other pronouns out in the world other than the standard pronouns she, he, and they. 

Blog #9 Eliminating ableism in Education by Thomas Hehir

Hi welcome back to my blog! This week I will be discussing “Eliminating Ableism in Education” by Thomas Hehir

 Hehir defines ableism as “the devaluation of disability” that leads to societal attitudes favoring certain abilities over others. For instance, there is often an uncritical assertion that it is better for a child to walk than roll, speak than sign, read print than read Braille, or spell independently than use a spell-check. Such perspectives not only marginalize students with disabilities but also contribute to lower educational attainment and employment opportunities for these individuals. ​

When I read this article it opened my eyes to how people with disabilities are treated differently whether it be from using derogatory words or less access and mobility in any room or facility, we as a society need to destroy ableism.

In Hehir’s writing he discusses 7 proposals to eliminate ableism , one being to foster collaborative decision making. This proposal ultimately means you involve the student with a disability and their family to make decisions together regarding their education. 

Another thing I wanted to add was using person-first language. I learned about person-first language in my educational psychology class and I think it is really important to remember to use that then speaking about a person with a disability because when not using person-first language a person might feel discouraged or “less than” is described as “a disabled person”, rather than, “a person with a disability”. 

Blog #8 Aria

 This week in FNED 246, we read “Aria” by Richard Rodriguez. Aria focused on Richard Rodriguez’s experiences with his native language , Spanish, and the language people from the Church urged him to learn and speak in his own home, English. 

    This article shed light on “public language” and “private language”. In this case, Richard’s “private” language was Spanish and when he was in the church , he was told to practice his public language, english. Spanish was a way of speaking with emotion to his family and when he tried translating words of affection and meaning to his family in English he couldn’t find the words which felt like a barrier between himself and his family. Rodriguez faced this conflict, "I lost my private individuality with the adopting of English, but there is more: the larger public individuality."(Rodriguez).

    Rodriguez argues that learning English was essential for his success, but he does not romanticize the process. Instead, he portrays it as a painful but necessary sacrifice. He acknowledges the benefits of mastering the public language—greater opportunities, confidence in school, and integration into American society. However, he also highlights the emotional and cultural loss that came with abandoning Spanish as his primary language.

    To conclude, this ready was very eye opening and I hav empathy for Richard Rodriguez as well as any other family that faced this struggle in society whether it is working towards their success in the classroom, or for their own benefit.