Chapters 10-14

The next few chapters in Teach with Your Heart begin with Erin’s first official year as a teacher at Wilson High. She pleaded with the head of the English department to carry on with the juniors she had, but she was told that first year teachers could never teach senior English. So she was placed with freshmen English classes with all of the “bad” students. She once again had to find a way to connect with all of these students and luckily Manny and Sharaud would check in on her class occasionally and help her connect with the students. Her first accomplishment was finding a connection between Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and her class of diverse students. After reaching out to the students, Erin had her students play the Line Game.

I can’t believe that Erin was treated so poorly from the head of the English department after all the work she did with her first class. I thought it was unfortunate that Manny’s mother was so mad that Erin helped many with his college essay, but she should have gone about it in another way. Once Manny got his acceptance letter, his mother and Erin were proud despite the whole essay thing. I remember when they played the Line Game in the Freedom Writers Diary movie. It was a very moving scene.

Episode 3: 1950-1980

Abstract

This episode reviewed the history of school between the years of 1950-1980. There were many inequalities between race and ethnicity, gender, and students with special needs. Segregation was legal in the 50’s because people believed that as long as facilities were equal that it didn’t matter, but the facilities between black and white schools were anything but equal. After Brown vs. Board of Education was passed, schools began to integrate students in classes, but sports teams, proms, and student governments in the school remained segregated by color. Lyndon Johnson used to be a school teacher and he believed that an equal chance of education is equal chance of life. During his presidency he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which meant that schools may loose federal funding if they refused to integrate schools. After eight years of its implementation, 91% of black students attended integrated schools. The amount of disabled students not enrolled in school totaled 72%. The average amount of years Mexican-Americans spent in school before they dropped out was about 5 years. Students were not aloud to speak Spanish in school, and their culture was misrepresented in many textbooks. Once Mexican-American culture was accepted in schools, 68 million dollars was given to schools who taught bilingual learners. In the early 1950’s only one percent of medical and law degrees were awarded to women. There were many limits put on women in school including sports and scholarships. In 1972, Title 9 addressed discrimination on gender. Once this was enforced, courses and sports became co-ed and 42% of high school athletes were female.

Reflection

This was a really interesting time period in the history of school because so many changes occurred in the span of 30 years. I sometimes feel like this happened such a long time ago, but it really hasn’t been that long. All of my grandparents and parents have lived through the inequality and segregation. I am interested in interviewing my grandmother on this issue because she grew up in Mississippi and must have some stories about what it was like to grow up in the south. It was a time for reaching equality between race, gender, and special needs. I couldn’t imagine going to school in this time period when all of these issues going on. I am very thankful that women now have equal rights and I have just as many opportunities as men.

Synthesis: Generations Article

Abstract

The article “Talking About Their Generations” by William Strauss addresses the generations of the 20^th century including: the G.I. Generation born from 1901-1924; the Silent Generation born between 1925-1942; the Boom Generation born 1943-1960; Generation X born 1961-1981; and the Millennial Generation born since 1982. There are several differences between the generations, such as the ways they were raised, what values were important, and the emphasis put on education. The Silent and Boom generations grew up during the Depression and WWII, attending school during a time of strong community and civic confidence. The Boomers tend to be fonder of their experience as a student and believe they received a proper education. Another characteristic of this generation is that they believed in a "parent centered" child rearing. The Gen-X children were raised in a time where the needs of children were put last, and therefore, parents were not very protective of their children. Those in the Millennial generation are parented by either Boomers, who trust the educational system, or Gen-Xers, who expect direct access to the system to provide the best education possible for their children. The Millennial generation is interested in use of technology and various modes of teaching and learning. They are trend setters, and have changed the face of pop culture and the world of education as we know it. Currently the Boom Generation and Generation X run our schools as teachers and administrators, and the Millennials have just begun their work in the field of teaching recently. The article stated that most of the Xers agreed with No Child Left Behind (NCLB), which is most likely going to be a conflict with our generation of teachers coming into the picture. The second article, “Harnessing the Power of Millennials” by Neil Howe, focuses on the Millennial generation. There are many misconceptions of the Millennial generation, showing that they are more confident and successful then they are given credit for. Millennials have a need to achieve and enjoy proving what they know through standardized tests. Howe describes this generation as “special, sheltered, confident, team-playing, conventional, pressured and achieving” individuals. The author then talks about the traits of the Millennial Generation, from their beginnings as “trophy kids” to their role as a sort of "public property". Overall this article serves as an overview of the current generation for teachers and encourages them to look beyond the stereotypes.

Reflection

The majority of the class thought the first article was interesting, and something we have never known or thought of before. Some others thought it did not present any techniques on how to deal with each generation, it merely presented the information. The article really stressed the idea that specific generations were brought up under certain circumstances that molded who they are and their beliefs. It is important to take a look at various generations in order to understand the values and beliefs of the educational system during each time period. Many of us agreed that we will have to deal with all of the generations as teachers from other faculty, administration, parents, and students. Generation X parents are definitely going to be a challenge, but it is important that you get their support. The article discussed a recent MetLife poll which indicates that parents have become the number one professional headache for K-12 teachers. As aspiring teachers, we need to be fully aware of the values and morals that teachers and parents may hold. The second article seemed to get more mixed reviews from the class. Some people thought it was irritating at how many generalizations were made about the Millennial generation. Some felt embarrassed to be part of a generation of wimps, which is what seemed to be outlined in the article. Many of the perspectives of the Millennial generation are significant for us because we are not only part of this generation, but we will be teaching them as well.

Episode 2: 1900-1950

Abstract
Schools responded to immigrants by “Americanizing” them, where almost all classes were taught in English. Only Christian holidays were celebrated even though most students in NYC were Jewish. In the beginning of the 1900’s, eighty percent of children would rather have worked in a factory than go to school because at this time schools were considered dirty and full of disease. Schools soon became more student-centered when John Dewey tried to focus on the health of the students. Educators exposed students to work places and nature and there was a focus on physical activity and keeping students moving between classes. Schools even built swimming pools to give some students a chance to bathe. Children enjoyed going to schools like this because they focused on work, study, and play. In 1920, the percentage of 17 year olds graduating was 17%, which then reached 45% in 1945. Also around in this time period, the IQ test was created and soon began to rise in popularity. A pilot test was used on American soldier and they calculated the average age for American adults to be 13 years old. Around one million students were tested each year from their home economics skills to citizenship.

Reflection
I thought this documentary was really informative and it helped me understand why the school system is the way it is today. As a health major, I really enjoyed learning about John Dewey and the focus on health in schools. It was surprising how quickly immigrants had to adjust to the American lifestyle, even in cities where immigrants were the majority. Another part of this time period was the beginning of the IQ and standardized tests. I found it interesting that even after estimating the average adult age at a low 13 in the pilot test, it did not stop schools from issuing the test to students. There is obviously still a controversy over standardized tests today, and I don’t think the problem will be addressed and solved for a long time.

Article 2: Talking About Their Generations

Abstract
This article explains the history and role of each generation in the school system. The generations of the past century include the G.I. Generation who were born from 1901-1924, Silent Generation born from 1925-1942, Boom Generation who were born from 1943-1960, Generation X born from 1961-1981, and the Millennial Generation born since 1982. The Silent Generation includes the wealthiest Americans and they are important as taxpayers, voters, and are the most critical of today’s teachers. The Boomer Generation comprises the majority of teachers, superintendents, the U.S. Congress and the White House. A university study asked teachers to compare the students between the boomer and X generations in 43 measures of aptitude and achievement. The teachers rated the boomers higher in fundamental skills, academic inclination, task orientation, morals and ethics, communication skills, and willingness to work hard for the purpose of learning. However, the Gen Xers outscored the boomers in some important categories. In a few more years America’s schools will be fully a Gen-X and Millennial teaching environment, and will once again change the approach to teaching and learning.

Reflection
I thought the article describing each generation was interesting and informative. I never thought of comparing each generation’s affect on the school system. I can compare the differences in my own family because my mother was a “baby boomer”, my father was born in Generation X, and my grandparents are part of the Silent Generation. You can see how the different school experience each one of them has had, has shaped their views on the educational system today. In the second article, I found it interesting that parents have become the number one professional headache for K-12 teachers, according to a recent MetLife poll. These parents would most likely be Boomers and Generation Xers.

Chapters 6-10

The second semester of Erin Gruwell’s teaching career was extremely busy. She started off by taking her students to a showing of Schindler’s List at a theater in Newport Beach, which is a far cry from the neighborhoods where her students live. Erin planned the whole field trip by getting her family and friends to drive the students to the theater, and she even paid for the movie tickets. People in Newport Beach were looking the students up and down, worried that they had a gun in their pockets or something. The stares and assumptions became so obvious that all of the students felt uncomfortable. After the trip, a newspaper article was written about how poorly the class was treated in Newport Beach. Erin even received threatening phone class from people in her neighborhood because of it. Later in the semester the class was able to attend a symposium presentation by the author of Schindler’s List, Thomas Keneally, and after the meeting, Keneally suggested that Erin present the story of her class to Stephen Spielberg. With much deliberation Erin finally sent a letter describing her class as “a colorful box of Crayola crayons” (p. 57). Spielberg loved the class’s story so much he provided buses, tickets to Universal Studios, and a private meeting with him for all of Erin’s students.

Erin has accomplished so much with her class already and the first year isn’t even over yet. I think the students must be so excited to finally have a teacher who cares about them. I can’t believe the community in Newport Beach treated the students as horribly as they did, but I think the newspaper article was an important addition to the story of Erin’s class. I am surprised that The Freedom Writer’s Diary did not cover the part about Keneally or Spielberg. These are some important people that Erin has been able to meet early in her career.

Chapters 1-5

The first five chapters of Erin Gruwell’s Teach With Your Heart describe her experience as a student teacher in one of the most culturally diverse high schools in the country. On her first day of school, she finds herself having to teach every class because her supervising teacher has basically “checked out” for an early retirement. Erin’s first attempt at reading the syllabus and “Guidelines for Student Behavior” did not go as planned because they were far from what these apathetic students wanted to hear. After the first day, she found herself too young, too dressed up, and too white. Erin was determined to find a way to reach her students, and her first attempt was to reach the toughest students first in hopes the rest would follow their footsteps. Her first teachable moment came when a caricature in the form of a note was passed around the room, and reminded her of those from the Holocaust. When asked if anyone had ever heard about the Holocaust, Erin was surprised at what she heard. Most of the students in her class were in the middle of a war in their own backyards, which soon became evident by automatic seating arrangement and the markings on desks.

After reading the first few chapters, Erin Gruwell is already an inspirational teacher. She wasn’t the perfect teacher on the first day, but she never gave up on her students. It seems as though she had so much on her plate with working two jobs and getting married at the same time as taking classes. Woodrow Wilson High School sounds like one of the hardest places to teach in, especially if you are placed with “lower level” students like Erin was. I like how this book builds off of The Freedom Writer’s Diary, and now we get to hear more of Erin’s story.

Article 1: The Culture/Learning Style Connection: Educating for Diversity

Abstract

In this article, the author presents the theory that culture may influence a student’s learning style. There has been a lot of controversy over this issue because it involves a generalization about a specific group of people, when it is apparent that not everyone in that group is going to learn the same way. Some authors believe that describing cultures has resulted in more stereotyping and can lead to a differentiated and segregated approach to the curriculum. However, there is a definite relationship between the culture in which children live and their ideal ways of learning. Research has found that Mexican Americans regard family and personal relationships as important. This explains why “Mexican-American students often seek a personal relationship with a teacher and are more comfortable with broad concepts” (p.448). African-American students are said to value oral experiences, physical activity, and loyalty in interpersonal relationships. These characteristics “call for classroom activities that include approaches like discussion, active projects, and collaborative work”. Also, it is found that Native-American people usually value and develop acute visual discrimination and skills in the use of imagery, perceive globally, and have reflective thinking patterns. To meet their learning styles, a school should “establish a context for new information, provide quiet times for thinking, and emphasize visual stimuli”. Whether the culture and learning style connection theory is accepted or not, teachers from all backgrounds and cultures will have to work consistently to provide opportunities for all learners.

Reflection

I think the culture and learning style connection is a theory that requires more research because there are so many other things that could determine a student’s learning style. The article should be updated because a lot of the information is from the 1980’s, so I would like to hear what the new research has to say on the connection between culture and learning styles. I also wonder if they have included Asian-Americans, or any other cultures, as well. One statement in the article that I support is: “Using information about culture and learning styles in sensitive and positive ways will help educators value and promote diversity in all aspects of the school” (p.452). Teachers who can understand that students learn in many different ways for different reasons, including our culture, can lead students to academic success.