Collaboration and consistency make for a safe learning environment

I think it is almost more difficult for us who are currently learning how to be teachers to think of how to create a safe learning environment because there are many more factors to consider now than there were in the past. We will be teaching students who may have to face issues which would have been considered irrelevant or insignificant in the past generations. There are also a larger variety of topics being focused on now, such as an emphasis on multicultural awareness, or teaching about homosexuality. Also, with the increasing use of the internet and mass media, children are exposed to a larger array of information outside of school. There may  be some children who ask questions the teacher may not be prepared for, or there is the risk of children finding unreliable sources/information.

I think in order to create a safe learning environment, one has to be conscious and aware of what classroom management methods they plan on using, and it is important that they enforce these ideas from the very beginning. I believe a teacher is able to have better control over their class if they have established rules and remain consistent with them. I think it is important for the students to assist or participate in creating these classroom rules because then they can actively agree to follow them rather than feeling as if they are being forced upon them. For example, I believe that 'respecting each other and each others' ideas" would be an important class rule to ensure a comfortable environment, but I feel this rule would be most effective if it came from a student's suggestion and a class discussion rather than a teacher simply writing it on a poster and hanging it in the front of the class. Through an activity like this, where the students and teacher are able to come to a mutual agreement, the students are actively participating while learning important skills such as how to present arguments in an academic manner while having open discussions. If the activity is carried out correctly/successfully, then they will also be learning how to listen to each others' ideas and respond in a respectful manner.

Consistency is important so that the rules agreed upon at the beginning of the class will continue to be relevant and respected. It is also important for the teacher to remain consistent in that they follow the rules they established for the class. Take for example Francois in 'The Class' during the scene where Khoumba refuses to read. When Khoumba says she doesn't want to read, and Francois responds by saying "I don't care", he is creating a roadblock between himself and his students by establishing himself as the authoratarian, whereas his students are simply there to listen to him and do as he says. This interaction created a 'cold' environment, as there seemed to not be much respect being felt by either side.

This situation teaches me that I need to be willing to listen to students and their thoughts/feelings if I expect them to listen to and trust me. I also believe that as a teacher, I need to provide structure and boundaries, but it is important that I allow students to give their input regarding appropriate limits so that they can feel as if their classroom is a safe place where their thoughts will be respected by their teacher and peers.

Forming an opinion requires perspective and awareness

It is important to consider both sides of the issue because one needs to be capable of considering both perspective, and understanding that one’s way of thinking isn’t the only way of thinking.

Being able to see both sides is the only way someone can formulate a strong and supported opinion about any given issue. No matter how inclined towards one side of an issue a person may be, it is important that they are at least aware of counterarguments. This awareness allows one to have a more educated opinion because if they agree with some of the counter’s support, it is a possibility to reform or even improve one’s stance; if they disagree with the arguments, they can use their reasoning to attempt to discredit the counter and with it build stronger support for their side of the issue.

Due to the array of opinions and ways of thinking a teacher is exposed to, and considering the influence a teacher may have on a student, it is especially important for teachers to remember that many students, parents, administrators, or fellow teachers may have opinions and ideas much different than their own. People in general, and especially us future teachers, have to be prepared to consider and respect these different viewpoints. Teachers also need to recognize that their students may be coming from a diverse variety of cultural and linguistic backgrounds. The teacher needs to be understanding of these differences so that he/she can be flexible and make certain accommodations in their teaching style or subject matter.

For example, take the issue of bilingual education and the class’s seating arrangement in Toohey’s article. It seemed that the teacher believed the best way for the students in her class to learn English was to separate them from the other children whom they could speak their L1 with and to only encourage their interactions with her. We also learned though, that she chose this particular seating arrangement with behavioral tendencies in mind. The researcher noted that some of the ESL children seemed more introverted compared to the year before, and these regulations on interactions may have contributed to marginalizing the children further because they were unable to construct and develop appropriate social behaviors and language. As readers, we were presented with both sides of this situation, and therefore can make an informed decision regarding whether Ms. Jones’ seating arrangement was effective, or whether we would arrange the students in a different manner.

The Class

I believe that there was some learning going on in the class, but much of it was being interrupted or disturbed because of the methods being used and the relationship between the students and/or the teacher. I feel the variety of cultures and the cultural clashes that occurred within the class were some major reasons the learning was constrained. The teacher, Francois, came from a different cultural background than many of his students, and the students came from a variety of backgrounds themselves.

One of the first times I noticed this conflict was when Francois wrote a sentence using the name ‘Bill’, and Khoumba and Esmeralda asked why the teacher always chose ‘honky’ names. I believe that even though the girls used a somewhat disrespectful tone towards the teacher, it was good for them to point out that they did not feel represented in any of the examples he offered the class. I believe this situation ended up constraining the learning process when Francois said something like  ‘the process would be never-ending if we had to consider names from everyone’s culture’. While Francois thought he was acting neutrally by using names he felt were common, he was actually exhibiting ethnocentric tendencies by using names which are primarily Anglo. His response showed the class that he was unable to see from their point of view or understand the significance of their cultures.

I also saw the significance of culture in Wei’s story. In one scene, Wei discussed how young people don’t have any shame anymore. The way he spoke and thought about shame reminded me of many of my friends who come from Chinese or other Asian backgrounds, except that many of my friends don’t necessarily agree with their parent’s perspectives. Many Asian cultures emphasize characteristics such as humility much more then Western cultures do. The other students’ responses within this scene seemed to show how Wei’s cultural beliefs might be a reason for him to be made an outcast or be made fun of by the other students.

Wei’s cultural differences were also made apparent when he read a portion of his self-portrait. He said that he did not have strong French skills, which made it difficult for him to communicate with others; because he could not communicate with his peers, he spent much of his time alone, playing video games. Language is such a significant part of a culture, that because Wei did not feel he could use the French language proficiently, he seemed to feel ostracized from the culture as well.

I feel that Wei’s learning experience was constrained because he was put into an environment where his culture wasn’t respected which made it difficult to respect or be interested in the cultures of others. While Wei was always described as and intelligent and strong academic student, learning was made more difficult for him because of the cultural differences he had to face.
I believe that this disrespect for culture interrupting the learning process can be said for many (if not all) the students in the class.  Consider the boy who wrote his self-portrait on being 'goth' and the constant jeering and taunting he had to face, or the moment when one of the boys referred to Carl as a "Caribbean fag", or the heated debate regarding the Moroccan and Mali soccer teams. Students were being labeled by their cultural differences in all of these instances, and these labels often lead to conflicts and/or segregation. Due to this constant fear of being berated, students were unable to feel comfortable in their learning environment, and thus the learning process was constrained.

Country of the Blind in relation to the classroom

Both Nunez and the blind villagers are unable to see from the other’s perspective because they relied completely on their own beliefs. While Nunez values his sight, and believes the old proverb that "In the Country of the Blind the One-eyed Man is King", the natives value the traditions they have created for themselves. The people have lived their whole lives without sight and have thus evolved and adapted to live a certain way.

It is important that we recognize how the issues that arose between Nunez and the blind community could occur in a classroom just as easily considering the multitude of perspectives and backgrounds one will be exposed to. While a teacher may have come from an upper-middle class, suburban community in California, they are more than likely to teach children who come from different neighborhoods, states, or countries, throughout their career. Each child comes into the classroom having lived through different life experiences, and therefore each one will have different tendencies when it comes to learning and/or different ideas regarding how they should behave.  A teacher needs to be able to recognize that although the child’s thought process may seem unconventional to them, it still needs to be acknowledged and respected in its’ own right. For example, if two children interpret the same problem differently, it should not be seen as one being right while the other is wrong, but rather both methods should be explored so that both children feels that their efforts were acknowledged.

It is also important to recognize the ways in which foreign cultures can be shared and learned from. If Nunez had made more positive attempts at assimilation, he could have possibly learned to strengthen his other senses and not rely so fixedly on his sight. Similarly, the blind men could have tried to learn from Nunez and what he had to say about the world around them. School throws people from all different backgrounds into a common area. This is therefore a great space to learn about cultures and beliefs they may not have been exposed to otherwise. Nunez had to leave the village at the end of the story because they were unable to accept each other’s differences and therefore could not live together; it is an educator’s duty to ensure that the students in a class respect each other’s differences so that they are able to ‘live’ and progress together in the classroom.

Where I'm from

I am from the hills and the valleys resting by the Pacific Ocean,
A calming, twenty minute drive away from the Golden Gate Bridge.

I am from an athletic father who loves me,
A relentless mother who supports me,
A younger sister who keeps me driven,
And an entire family whom I celebrate with.

I am from a place where friends stand by each other,
And laugh and play from sunset to sunrise,
remembering stories from two, five, even fourteen years ago.

I am from the forgotten and downtrodden softball field,
The sweaty and unforgiving basketball court,
The mountains and valleys open for exploration,
And the chlorinated swimming pools and fresh ocean waters of summer.

I'm from two beautiful counties where sometimes it may be hard to make rent,
But the small boutiques, personable restaurants, socially-oriented people, and the love of nature,
All make it worthwhile.

I am from a place of perseverance,
The place of "I'll never get through this,"
Leads to the space of "Look at everything we've already done".

I am from a place of uncertainty,
But it is only facing the unknown which allows us to see what can be done,
Because of where we are from.