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5. I believe all my future students are...

My initial response to this statement was that all of my future students are going to be much smarter than I had been when I was their age, because of the increasing demand that standards give to each grade level, as well as the resources which can be used for education. Although this statement will probably still hold true, I instantly connected this week's reading of For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood ch. 4, 5, and 6. The beginning of our assigned reading brings attention to a small group of students who the teacher describes as very different individuals. From the way these students acted towards their peers to how they learned from their teacher were all of a large variety. The teacher was surprised to see them bonding and spending time together later on because of these differences. This small pat of the reading made me once again think about not just how important it is to change your teaching for each student's needs, but also do our best to have a safe and welcoming environment within the classroom. These students bonded over somethings outside of the classroom and because of this the teacher went on and tried to learn more about the activity so that it could be used as a learning tool for other students in the classroom. Another way to make the classroom environment welcoming to all students is for us to invite students to share at certain times instead of forcing. There are many ways to assess a student, but that doesn't
always have to mean sharing in front of the entire classroom. We are taught that assessments should
be done a certain way and if you do anything other than what is known you are not teaching right. However, from what I have learned in this class, it is obvious that the way teachers have been teaching needs to change. "The key to becoming an effective educator is acknowledging the differences between students and teacher and adjusting one's teaching accordingly, which often requires non traditional approaches to teaching and learning."

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9. I believe collaboration is...

My first response to this statement was that collaboration is important when dealing with education. Students should be able to not only work well with one another but their teacher as well. Same goes for the teacher. It is important to work well with your colleagues and have other ideas to build off of... I still agree with this thought. After reading the intro, as well as chapters 1, 2, and 3 of For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood, my mind took this differently. My original reaction had me focussing more on the students being able to collaborate within the school system. After numerous readings this semester as well as our discussions, I know that the responsibility shouldn't solely rely on the student themselves. We hope all of our students are good listeners and eager to learn within the classroom and work with whoever necessary. As the teacher it will be my job to be sure the student is in that mind set. I can't expect every student to come into the classroom with these intentions after growing up in very different environments from one another. I also see it more as the teacher's job to collaborate with other teachers not just to have a good work environment and
have ideas to jump off of, but to also better be able to protect and help your students be successful. Right at the beginning of Chapter 1 in our reading on page 19, there is an altercation between a student and their teacher. Another teacher tries to be understanding and looks further into the problem to see the different views on the issue. Although the teacher who put the punishment in place has control of their classroom, who is to say that said teacher isn't being too harsh or misunderstanding their students. To me their seemed to be a lack of communication and the teacher wasn't willing to listen. The extra teacher, who was looking further into the problem, was able to see a different side to the student's thoughts. They weren't trying to be a "problem child" and they had done nothing wrong in their mind in any way. I'm still not sure how to properly address certain situations between students and another teacher. It isn't always okay to speak your mind when it isn't your classroom. However, there are some issues that you shouldn't let slide, when you know the teacher was the problem and not the student. I believe having a good relationship with the teachers in your building and
being able to collaborate with them in many instances such as this, are extremely important to feel comfortable and safe in your work environment, as well as be able to truly help your students succeed and look at education with a positive attitude.

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1. I believe my responsibilities as a teacher are...to do my best in connecting with my students so that I know who they are as an individual and can properly teach them the skills and knowledge that they need to be successful in life. ---Done

2. I believe that learning...is an everyday thing.  Learning is not something based only on school, but the ability someone has to learn from every situation presented to them. ---Done

3. I believe that teaching...is one of the most rewarding jobs there is. As a teacher, you are singly responsible to help your students succeed in learning certain standards. Without a set of standards, students
are less likely to move forward with their education.  Skipping steps in a process is always dangerous. ---Done

4. I believe the purpose of schooling is...for students to not only further their education, but to also learn the social aspects of life by being able to communicate and socialize with their peers. ---Done

5. I believe all my future students are...going to be much smarter than I was at their current grade level. Standards are constantly
changing as well as resources which students can use.

6. I believe students learn best when they...are able to take control and have a say in what and how they learn. ---Done

7. I believe my students will learn best when I... allow them to be creative with their work and don't constrict them to doing the same assignment as their peers beside them. ---Done

8. I believe community/family is...very important to a student's education although very different.  The ideal family is supportive of your growth and there for you in times of need, providing love and care.  I see a community as an environment of resources, which could still help support your growth, but not in the same loving way as a family.

9.I believe collaboration is...important when dealing with education. Students should be able to not only work well with one another but their teacher as well. Same goes for the teacher. It is important to work well with your colleges and have other ideas to build off of.

10. I believe being a teacher-activist is...figuring out what should be done within the classroom and doing your best to present this to your students.

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6. I believe students learn best when  they...

My original response to this statement was that students learn best when they area able to occasionally take control and have a say in what and how they learn. I still stand behind this statement completely. Students love feeling as though they get a say in what they learn. This helps them stay engaged and enjoying their school work. At the same time this weeks reading brought up the importance of culturally responsive classroom management. We all want to have a positive environment in our classroom where we can have effective teaching as well as learning. I believe this ties in perfectly with my previous response. Having a knowledge of ones cultural background completely impacts your classroom. Having students feel comfortable in the classroom and being able to consider what you do "effective teaching" has multiple factors that go into it. As a teacher it is important to not only get to know your students but be able to properly include your findings within your lessons. Students do notice when you try to include what they like or where they are from. Having engaged students simply means having an engaged teacher.

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7. I believe my students will learn best when I...

My previous response to this was that I should allow my student to be creative with all of their work and be sure not to constrict them and force them to do the same assignment as their peers, since every child learns differently.  I have not changed my mind on this statement. However, one of this weeks readings that stood out to me the most was over the "weight of whiteness". I had many flustered and confused feelings about parts of this article. What I was able to take from this article the most was how easy it is for myself, being white, to unknowlingy offend any person of color. Reading this article made me think that I don't always know best. As much as some of the parts in this article bothered me, it was said for a reason. Even if this wasn't a large opinion, its still an opinion I need to take into consideration, no matter if I agree or disagree. I know I will upset some of my student's parents at one point or another over something. However, its important as an educator that I not let that be because of mall mindedness on my part when it comes to hearing new information. My students will learn best from myself as a teacher taking the time to get to know them, but also to know more about the world around me as others view it. What I see as right and wrong isn't always the popular opinion. As a future teacher I want to better myself in order to help my students better themselves. Even if that means practicing things that I may not ever fully understand because of my white privilege. My students will learn best when I am fully aware of the world I live in and every view that comes along in it. I must be open to new ideas and think through every piece of material I present to my students, old or new.

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4. I believe the purpose of schooling is...

My initial response to this was that the purpose of school was to further every student's education, but to also help each child learn the social aspects of life by being in an environment which promotes communication and healthy socialization with their peers. Although I still agree with my previous response 100%, this weeks readings made me realize how big of an impact school can have on students.  In today's world, children are having children, children are participating in many illegal things, killing themselves and others, etc. Many, as well as myself wonder how people can go from an innocent child to someone who would not be favored at the dinner table. So what has happened for children to go down this path? What is the problem? According to the Pipeline article we read "adults are what's wrong with our children." Children do what they see, no matter the age. You can't simply tell someone the proper way to act, you must also represent those good behaviors as your own. Many parents in today's world aren't so cautious with what their children learn at home in their care or what their children may run into while out in the community around them. I'm not sure there is one solution to fixing this problem and having people choose better decisions and a better life for themselves. However, I think that a large purpose of school is to show students an alternate route to the bad things they may be use to seeing. Some kids believe that what they see being done is always okay and that it is okay to follow example. As teachers within a school, I believe we have the power to help guide each generation to be something better. Not only should children better themselves in math or history, but they should be able to have responsible and positive teachers as role models, someone to show them that life is not all bad and they get to make a choice between doing right and wrong. Yes, I believe that adults are the main problem with why children grow up the way they do. However, at school we should do our best to guide our students down a successful path, no matter if they were "derailed from the right track" or not.

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1. I believe my responsibilities as a teacher are...

My initial response was that my responsabilites as a teacher were to do my best connecting with my students in order to better know them as individuals and be able to properly teach them what they need to be successful in life. Although I still think this is completely true and very important for every teacher to have in their mind, I want to add more to this from our weekly reading. On page 201 of chapter 7 in American Education, the reading presents the importance of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Here at IUPUI we have the chance to be educated around an urban style of learning, although I believe it is a teacher's job to be educated in this area, especially dealing with bilingual students, no matter what area they plan to teach in. "It is part of the effort to protect language and cultural rights." I believe that no matter the area someone is teaching in, their students look to them in order to protect them and their lifestyle within the classroom in many ways. Because of this it is extremely important that teachers take a responsibility to be educated in both urban/rural education types for their students benefit. I believe it should be mandatory for all future teachers to be educate through an urban education system.

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3.  I believe that teaching...

My initial response was that teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs there is. A teacher is responsible for helping their students grow and succeed over many standards. However reading Chapter 2 and 3 of American Education made me think about just how many topics I may have to teach or teach around that aren't technically standards by any means. Page 41 in chapter 2 brings up Moral Values and Sex Education. Right away the book talks about presenting sex education to kindergarteners which terrifies me. This "sec education" wouldn't exactly bring up sex in any way, rather teach some of the basics about the body. This explanation made me more calm to the idea, but with my experience there are ages that children are not ready to hear this information and I still believe that this is too soon. Page 47 in the same chapter goes on to talk about controversy over the LGBTQ community. Although this wasn't seen as something that needed to be taught to kindergarteners, I still found myself wondering. For someone who wants to be a kindergartener teacher, I have had a lot of experience with around the age group. One thing always leads to another and as a teacher I need to know the appropriate response for my students. Some parents don't want their children learning anything but the basics at school, while others will even ask the teacher to go over harder topics such as LGBTQ community and sex education with their students at an early age. All of these thoughts and reading left me thinking, as a teacher of very young students, who don't always like to let subjects go until they get an answer, what am I to do when a topic like such is brought about in front of the whole class and the child will not take the answer I give them or repeatedly brings it up?

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Week 2                                                    2.  I believe learning... is something everyone should strive for, student or not.  Learning is not just meant for inside school walls.  Inside or outside, no matter where you are and no matter what age, there are constantly new experiences and adventures to learn from all around you.  Learning does not just require reading material and understanding what it means, but being able to decide what the meaning means to you personally.  For larger topics, such as ones we discuss in class, it is important to know where you stand.  From our reading of White Fragility, pg. 55 bring up how some people "insulate themselves" and believe they don't further education on some topics.  Saying "I've already had a class on this" or "already know this" now seems like such an ignorant thing to say, proving that there is much for the one who says such things to learn.  I believe learning never stops. 

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Week 2                                                    2.  I believe learning... is something everyone should strive for, student or not.  Learning is not just meant for inside school walls.  Inside or outside, no matter where you are and no matter what age, there are constantly new experiences and adventures to learn from all around you.  Learning does not just require reading material and understanding what it means, but being able to decide what the meaning means to you personally.  For larger topics, such as ones we discuss in class, it is important to know where you stand.  From our reading of White Fragility, pg. 55 bring up how some people "insulate themselves" and believe they don't further education on some topics.  Saying "I've already had a class on this" or "already know this" now seems like such an ignorant thing to say, proving that there is much for the one who says such things to learn.  I believe learning never stops. 