Freire Letter 2…

Two things came to my mind while reading this letter.  The two things that seem most difficult in my life right now is my EdS program and one of my students in my classroom.  The “difficulties” I see with my EdS program are not negative just various.  For example there are readings I struggle with and find difficult, balancing school, work, and my family, and the confidence to write like an EdS student.  The other “difficulty” I struggle with is one of my students in my class that I am finding very difficult to connect with.  I am losing my patience with him and having a hard time to find strength to keep going and I feel like I am trying EVERYTHING to support him.   I know I need to keep persevering and I am trying but his behaviors are overwhelming me and at times making me question what I am doing everyday and if this is where I need to be.  Can one child do this?   

My favorite quote from the chapter that seems relevant to both my difficulties is, “When faced with fear of any kind, one must first objectively ascertain whether there are real reasons for that fear.  Second, if those reasons do exist, one must match them against the available possibilities for overcoming them successfully.  Third, if an obstacle cannot be overcome right away, one must determine what steps to take toward becoming better capable of overcoming it tomorrow.”  This brings to me a question of how am I responding to these difficulties and to keep persevering and not give up.  Things are not getting worse so I must be attempting to find steps to overcome my fears in some manner.  To know there is always tomorrow…

Finally, I do need to agree with Freire about group reading and the results of comprehending can be far more positive.  We have read so many things together and I have learned many things from all of my EdS friends and that is one thing that is really supporting me through this program.  I enjoy are book clubs and book groups as well as reading the same articles and discussing all of our ideas and thoughts.  We are becoming critical readers, an author’s dream come true.

Silencing Teachers…

I am still trying to figure out why someone would be asked to leave for trying to build an academic community and helping our students learn.  The quote “I had been forced out of the school where I had worked enthusiastically for more than five years because I had challenged required instructional practices that I believe interfered with teaching and learning” makes me feel a little lack of respect for a teacher as a professional.  What is it going to hurt to let a teacher use the knowledge that they know to branch out a little for what actually seemed like the better.  Because now what is the new buzz word? “Differentiated Instruction”   She is probably thinking, “I told you so!”  If they respected Jaeger as a professional they would have let her explore these areas of literacy and trusted her teaching and I will say professional instead of teacher because that is what we are.  We are professionals in the area of teaching!     

This article also makes me think of our conversation about philosophies and finding schools that match our philosophy of thought for our students and profession.  I know this has nothing to do with literacy and may not seem important but to me it is part of my belief system as a teacher.  On Friday we received a Friday take home letter from our principal.  On the letter she mentioned how there will be no Valentine’s Day party and please do not send in treats.   As a Kindergarten teacher and a parent I was saddened by this thought.  It is not like we party all day for Valentine’s.  We take about 30-45 minutes at the end of the day to pass out valentines and have a cupcake.  If the administration would trust that we are having quality academic time then I do not think these 30-45 minutes should make a difference.  These are the little things that may help keep our kids going.  What else are we going to take away?  Maybe it is my play class coming out .  Some of my own personal memories of elementary school include Valentine festivities and making my Valentine bag, etc…  I also want my own children to experience these small rituals.  I know Valentine’s Day is not the most important celebration in any-one’s life including my own but it is the point that my philosophies are starting to change against hers with various topics(including her ideas of what a literacy coach should be doing) and I have been asking myself do I stay in the school because it is easy, do I stay and try to speak out and fight, or do I find somewhere else to go?  Like we discussed with Michelle’s quote, it is scary to me and how do you find the right school? Is the grass going to be greener? Risky to me!  I am so proud of Jaeger and am thankful we have professionals like her that are not afraid to speak their mind whatever the consequence.  She believed in it and she was going to fight for it!  We need to continue to be advocates for our students and for our profession.

Question for all:  Would/Do charter schools make a difference with flexibility?

Thank you Teresa for your background info on Jaeger!