Reflection #4

I was absolutely shocked by what happened in “His Name was Michael.” I was in disbelief about the fact that not one person even bothered to check David’s name. My question to the school system is, where did Michael or Miguel even come from? Those names aren’t even close to David. It may have been a mix-up with siblings or middle names, but regardless, someone should have caught on. I feel like stereotypical mistakes such as this one are made frequently, and most of the time can be done without us even being aware of it. My reason behind it occurring so often is because stereotyping comes through in different ways. Students are not only stereotyped by skin color or culture, but by behavior in the classroom and by word of mouth (what other teachers say about these students). For example, if a student had a discipline problem at their previous school, teachers might be warned about them before they have even been given a chance in their new school. On that student’s first day, teachers will already have a pre-conceived idea and stereotype about how this student is going to function in their classroom, and they haven’t even had the opportunity to work with them yet.

I feel that I have done pretty well with my students this semester. The students that I have struggled with the most are the seniors. They are stereotyped as being lazy and just ready to get the rest of the year over with. It has been difficult to get them to put any effort into their work, but I refuse to give up on them. Unlike some teachers that I have noticed being more lenient with the seniors, I am still giving them assignments that are going to push them to the very end. As long as they are in class and I’m teaching, they are not going to miss an opportunity to learn. I think a lot of stereotyping comes from carelessness. Even if we don’t realize it, I think that all of us as teachers have to push past our comfort zones if we ever want to really get to know our students, and without really getting to know our students, they become subject to stereotyping. In “His Name was Michael,” no one cared to try and get to know David, or even to check to make sure that was his real name. I feel like I have been the most successful at overcoming this with one of my freshmen classes. Although it is a lower-performing class and even though there are days that they make me want to pull my hair out, I feel the most attached to this class because I want to see them succeed even though others say they can’t. I’ve heard other teachers put them down, and I can see where their reasons come from, but I feel like the situations that arise in any of their classrooms are not excuses, they are more like opportunities. If we as teachers don’t take those opportunities to try and reach those students on a different level, then they will never succeed. 

Reflection #3

I have mixed feelings about inclusion. A few semesters ago, when I first learned what it was, I was 100% for it. However, after student teaching and seeing a classroom that supports inclusion, I have come to realize that it’s much more difficult to do successfully than I thought.

I still think it is a great idea to put students with learning disabilities in a regular classroom, but if it is not done and handled effectively, then all of the students will end up suffering. In an article called “Less Afraid to Have Them in my Classroom,” Erica McCray and Patricia McHatton discuss the same issue that I have with inclusion. They point out that inclusion is effective, but only when teachers who are skilled in working in an inclusive classroom are present. They say that the argument for this method is “whether or not general education teachers have the necessary skills to scaffold support within their classrooms and whether the system supports collaboration with special educators, other service providers, and families to improve outcomes for all students,” (McCray, 2011). An inclusive classroom is complex and requires work not only from the teacher in the classroom, but from others as well. I don’t think teachers can be expected to just go into a classroom and automatically know how to handle an inclusive classroom. I will be completely honest in saying that this is something I struggle with as I’m student teaching. For example, in one of my classes, I have several students with learning disabilities whom I have to plan with in mind. I don’t want to hold the other students back by lowering the bar, but they have a very difficult time keeping up with what we are going over. It helps to have my cooperating teacher there to assist them individually when I cannot, but in my future classroom, if I don’t have a cooperating teacher (which I more than likely won’t), then I am going to have to plan ways to meet the needs of all of my students without anyone getting left behind or bored. I know I can do it, but I do not have the training to do it successfully. Secondary teachers don’t take a special education class or a class that teaches a lot about inclusion. It’s been touched on, but not skillfully taught.

For now, I’m doing the best I can with my inclusive classes, but I know there is definitely room for improvement. As far as the STAAR test goes, I agree with the Time article “How to Fix No Child Left Behind,” when it states, “a more flexible measure of student improvement know as the growth model” should be used in schools, rather than the same standardized test used for each student (Wallis, 2007). This growth model “track[s] the progress of each student year to year. Success is defined by a certain amount of growth, even if the student isn’t on grade level,” (Wallis, 2007). This approach would work so much better for students in an inclusive classroom. One student of mine in particular really struggles with writing. She has difficulty focusing and can barely finish an essay within an hour, and that is only if someone is sitting beside her helping her. It is unfair to put a time limit on a test, expecting a student like her to complete not one, but three essays. She, along with other students, are not on grade level, but they are making progress.

McCray, Erica D. & McHatton, Patricia A. (2011). Less Afraid to Have Them in My Classroom: Understanding Pre-Service General Educators’ Perceptions About Inclusion. Teacher Education Quarterly, 38(4), 135-155. Retrieved from http://www.eric.ed.gov/contentdelivery/servlet/ERICServlet?accno=EJ960622

Wallis, Claudia & Steptoe, Sonja. (2007, May 24). How to Fix No Child Left Behind. Retrieved from http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1625192,00.html