Class Reflection for 2-1-09

Class today got me really excited to be teaching in the cities. Although I am from just outside the cities, I have never taught a class with such a vast spread of cultures. It also got me really nervous but that will come and go.

I really enjoyed the video today. I think Gloria had some really important points that I forget. Positive encouragement just might be what keeps one of my students in class. It is crazy how much a little smile or hello can do to a child who is struggling. Even just to let them know that they can do it and that you believe in them! I think that just bringing a smile to these kids is something our whole block can do, whether we know their language or not.

Like we discussed in class it can be really hard to understand how to integrate standard english into a childs vocabulary. Especially when you don't speak the language they speak. We need to learn their language and help them learn ours and leave biases out of the picture. Although there are preconcieved stereotypes about how children look, dress and act, we can't reduce them because of this.