Education Week Article Reaction

       I read Anita Snow's article "Handful of schools offer refugee kids a safe place to learn", where she details her visit to Valencia Newcomer School.  What makes the Pheonix, Arizona school so unique is the international student body comprised mainly of refugees.  With zero refugees settled in the United States last month (the most surprising fact from the article in my opinion) Valencia Newcomer School is an anomaly in our current political climate.  Students from Myanmar, Eritrea, Indonesia, Afghanistan, and Cuba all learning together in their '"safe place"' Principal Lynette Faulkner's nickname for Valencia Newcomer.  Both Faulkner and Snow portray an idyllic school, one of the few in our divided, turbulent society.

What also shocked me was that Valencia Newcomer and other similar schools are not "in cities with more refugees, but where local education officials took the initiative to create them".  This fact surprised me because of recently acquired knowledge about immigration to Germany.  My brother who moved to Germany about 9 months ago and recently received his work visa, is currently enrolled in federally run German classes to help aid his assimilation into German life.  As the U.S. is considered a thriving first-world country, shouldn't we also assist refugees and immigrants by offering similar services?

A hallway at Valencia Newcomer School Phoenix, Arizona.

Poverty/homelessness and parent-teacher relations were the two units most relevant as a future Elementary School teacher.  Because Elementary age students are still developing their communication skills and emotional awareness parent-teacher relations are even more important than for high school age students.  Having strong parent-teacher relationships can make resolving classroom issues easier and increase attendance and homework completion.  Similarly for students experiencing poverty and/or homelessness parent-teacher and parent-school relations can directly impact students' academic achievement and overall wellbeing.

References:

Snow, A. (2019, December 2). Handful of schools offer refugee kids a safe place to learn. Retrieved December 2, 2019, from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/11/28/handful-of-schools-offer-refugee-kids_ap.html.

DASA Workshop Experience

       On November 11th, 2019, I attended the state-mandated DASA workshop on Molloy's campus.  I had selected this particular workshop because Rev. Dr. Marjorie Schiering was running it.  True to form, Rev. Schiering made the workshop engaging and dynamic, allowing the 7 hours to fly by.  The picture above is of a poster I made during the workshop, reflecting on the experience.  I chose to focus on one of the ending statements Rev. Schiering provided "Life is not about what you get, but what you give", a fitting quote for the teaching profession.

       Something Rev. Schiering emphasized during the DASA workshop was how The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) only protects students, NOT school employees.  Therefore, as a future teacher, I am not protected by the Dignity Act.
       Another surprising fact I learned was the lack of awareness about DASA among parents, students, and school employees.  Honestly, I was also uninformed about what DASA entailed and how it benefitted students.  However, after attending the DASA workshop, I feel more knowledgeable and prepared for if/when I might encounter situations involving DASA as an education professional.

       One of my favorite parts of the workshop was reading the article "How to Accept an Apology".  It sparked a conversation on when it is appropriate to accept an apology, and how we often readily accept insincere apologies we probably should not.

       As teachers, no matter what subject we specialize in, we all teach character in our classrooms.  How to apologize, when to accept an apology, and how we treat each other is learned in the classroom.  Similarly, whether or not we uphold DASA expresses to our students our character, to provide all students an environment free from harassment, bullying, and discrimination.

Blog Post # 3

School Violence

----- The following BBC video, similar to many other news outlets this past September, discusses a recent public service announcement created by Sandy Hook Promise.  As the name suggests, Sandy Hook Promise is a non-profit organization run by the parents and family members of the victims of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting.  The PSA is quite jarring and difficult to watch at times.  However, given the emotionally charged format, the video forces people to rethink the way we have normalized school violence, particularly gun violence.

---- Sandy Hook is particularly painful to think about as a future Elementary school teacher.  With all of the issues that students and teachers face, gun violence should not be one of them.  On their website Dignity in Schools, an organization working to "dismantle the school to prison pipeline" is a statement written by youth of color in response to school safety and gun violence.  The young authors note how "attempts to build public safety with security systems, armed police and prisons have failed", though these failing policies continue to be our only institutional solutions.

---- Students of color experience harsher and more frequent school punishments compared to their white counterparts.   Therefore increasing the number of guns in schools, like giving guns to teachers and administrators to combat school violence or potential school shootings, will likely increase the use of guns against students of color.  What furthers this issue is the majority white teacher and school leader population with a lack of training in race development, and hidden bias attempting to serve a multicultural student body.

                  

---- I agree with the young authors of color, that we should instead implement Positive Behavioral Interventions (PBIS) and Support as well as Restorative/Transformative Justice (RJ/TJ) in schools.  Programs such as PBIS and RJ/TJ use verbal conflict resolution and teach communication skills that can be used in and outside school.  Focusing on personal growth and improvement rather than punishment will help eliminate the school-to-prison pipeline.

Statement by Youth of Color on School Safety and Gun Violence

References

McMillan, J., Anderson, M., & Associated Press. (2019, September 20). Graphic Depictions of          Violence Bring Attention to School Shootings. Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2019/09/20/shootings-and-shock-value-hoodies-psa_ap.html.

Sandy Hook shooting parents release haunting anti-violence ad - Bbc News. (2019). Retrieved fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pungMxzA6U

Statement by Youth of Color on School Safety and Gun Violence. (2017). Retrieved October 13, 2019, from https://dignityinschools.org/resources/statement-by-youth-of-color-on-school-safety-and-gun-violence/.

Portrayal of LGBTQIA People in Media

            In 2018 Netflix debuted "Queer Eye", a rebirth of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" one of the only shows in the early 2000s featuring openly gay men, and positively at that.  Although comparatively, the 2004 "Queer Eye" was selling American audiences caricatures of gay men, forcing them into a narrow box, whereas 2018s "Queer Eye" is groundbreaking in its representation of queer people.
           The 2018 cast of "Queer Eye" is noticeably more diverse than the original, which featured all-white men with the exception of Jai Rodriguez.  The current cast includes Karamo Brown, an African American, Tan France, who is Pakistani, and Jonathan Van Ness who recently came out as non-binary.  In our heteronormative society "Queer Eye"'s diverse cast is anathema to the stereotypical gay man we were used to seeing in media; cowardly, effeminate, and usually the butt of the joke.
           Popular media holds a substantial amount of power over cultural perception, and we often believe what we see and read in media, whether it is substantiated or not.  Unfortunately, this means a lack of representation in popular media, specifically for LGBTQ people, signifies a lack of acceptance.  "Queer Eye" has created a space for queer people to be seen and heard, as individuals.
           Consequently, most intolerance, such as homophobia, stems from fear due to ignorance.  Accurate portrayals of LGBTQ people, like "Queer Eye", provide a face to what was once an unknown entity or an unbelievable character.  On the same note, "The Laramie Project" shows the horror of what can come from homophobia likely fueled by false media depictions of queer people.  Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson used homophobic stereotypes to defend their assault of Mathew Shepard, claiming that Matthew has come onto them.  Perhaps if McKinney and Henderson had been exposed to accurate representations of LGBTQ people they would have seen Matthew as a person and not an other.
            In addition to media changes, McCabe , Dragowski & Rubinson study "What Is Homophobic Bias Anyway? Defining and Recognizing Microaggressions and Harassment of LGBTQ Youth" uncovers the importance of monitoring school language for microaggressions.  The impact of homophobic language in schools is two-fold, affecting the aggressors' target, and negatively impacting the mental health of those who hear.  Unfortunately, McCabe, et al. argue that school climate is directly related to the wider community, where heteronormativity "allows for stigmatization and marginalization of those who are perceived as deviating from the norm of heterosexuality". 

2nd Blog Post

         I chose to read Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum's "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race" for the Book Review.  Tatum's years of experience jump off the page, and her relatable examples of racially charged situations are explained with such ease and simplicity.  In response to those who deny its existence, Tatum asserts that "if you are paying attention, the legacy of racism is not hard to see" and adding that "we are all affected by it".  Racism is often seen as a problem for people of color, but Tatum details how we have all been negatively impacted by the effects of systemic racism.
One of the reasons racism is so pervasive in American culture is the silencing stigma, which prevents dialogue and harbors ignorance.  As Tatum shows much of the ignorance and confusion surrounding race relations can be eliminated with cross-racial conversations.  Unfortunately, the fear of using incorrect verbiage and being perceived as racist stunts most racial dialogue, especially among white people.
         I am interested in focusing on her approach to teaching children about racial issues.  As a future elementary school educator, the idea of teaching young kids about slavery is daunting.  However, after reading Tatum's explanation to her young son I feel at ease.  She focused on being truthful, yet also emphasized hope, strength, and the power of choice in a painful, despondent history.  Highlighting the strength of the enslaved Africans, the resistance they put up against becoming slaves, the freedom they fought for and won, and the white allies that helped them achieve it; Tatum's retelling is a far cry from the white-washed history often told in American schools.

1st Blog Post

Teacher Burnout: What to do?

Many people become teachers because of emotional ties to the profession.  Having had "wonderfully heroic and charismatic teachers" as children, they now desire to give back and benefit a new generation.   Unfortunately, wanting to be a good educator is not the same as actually being one.  In fact, some of the same characteristics that make teachers great can also lead to teacher burnout, such as being emotionally invested in one's students.  While caring for and believing in one's students is part of their success, teachers who take student failure personally often suffer from emotional burnout.  Lindsay Chinn from "TEACH" admitted that she takes each student failure to heart, which forces her to work harder for her students, but at what cost?  Many teachers like Chinn suffer from emotional exhaustion, which is a leading cause of burnout according to a study conducted by Herman, Hickmon-Rosa, and Reinke.
When asked "how do you know when you're a great teacher?" Chinn emphatically replied, "I don't know!  I don't know if I'll ever know."  Another cause of emotional burnout is a lack of educational pedagogy and low self-efficacy levels.  While Ms. Chinn is shown to be an excellent teacher throughout the documentary, the stress of teaching can cause even the best of educators to become cynical and emotionally spent.
Another large cause of teacher burnout is a lack of support from administrative staff and fellow teachers.  "TEACH" did a wonderful job of showing teacher-principal collaboration and the benefits of having supportive staff.  Both Matt Johnson and Lindsay Chinn were able to seek advice from their principals and implement new ideas in their classrooms, Mr. Johnson finding exciting reading material for his students, and Ms. Chinn implementing 360-degree math.  In both cases, the additional support of the administrative staff aided both the teachers and students.
Because "teaching is a stressful profession" as confirmed by Kieth Herman, it is necessary to actively combat burnout before it is too late.  Practices such as "proactive screenings", which can catch burn out sooner, and providing support services to reduce stress and promote a healthy lifestyle can go a long way in reducing teacher burnout.  Additionally, building a school climate where all staff feels valued and respected will reduce teacher stress and therefore lessen burnout.
           Based off of Herman et al.'s research, coping skills seem to be a determining factor for how severely teachers and their respective classes are affected by stress.  Teachers with moderate to high coping skills were less likely to suffer from burnout and negatively affect students.  By implementing programs that help teachers improve upon their coping skills and reduce daily stress, teachers and students alike should be positively impacted.