Reading Reflection

I would not call myself an avid reader.  When I was younger I enjoyed reading and my parents would definitely encourage me to read outside of things I had to read for school.  As I got older and went through high school, there were definitely books that I enjoyed reading, but did not read on a regular basis unless it was for my classes.  I think I was discouraged by the notion that I was forced to read things picked by my teachers and that I had no say in this decision (even though they are now some of my favorite classic books).  I then went on to college and graduated with my B.A. in English Literature.  I definitely surprised myself with how interested I became in my classes and how well I did with the heavy load of reading especially in my last few semesters of college.  I have been reading now more than ever before and have recently been reading some classics that I either don't remember well or haven't actually gotten the chance to read.  There are definitely many different categories of text that interest me.  I enjoy mystery and suspense novels and thinking back on college, my favorite classes were British Women's Literature and I also enjoyed Latin/Latino Literature.  I also enjoy the guilty pleasure of reading pointless fiction for example, The Devil Wears Prada, etc.  

I definitely remember my mother and father reading to me a lot as a child.  They are both big readers.  I have a large collection of books that are probably from early childhood ranging to about young adult categories.  As for school, I don't have any vivid memories about working with certain books but I am sure we did.  Apparently nothing was significant enough for me to remember... I do enjoy and appreciate reading now more than when I was younger and in school.

Question for Nov. 2

We can create a community in out classrooms by allowing students to feel comfortable with each other and their teachers.  This starts from day one each year and the feelings that the students get from walking into their new room with new faces and especially a new teacher.  Good impressions and rules need to be in place from day one so that the students know where they stand and what their responsibilities are.  As teachers, we need to be consistent and organized so that our students are consistent and organized.  The sense of responsibility and independence they get will allow them to grow in and out of the classroom.  A sense of community will come from them feeling comfortable ad being able to express themselves without feeling criticized or silenced.  Open communication within the classroom will lend to the classroom becoming a community.  From Walking Trees, i have learned that if children feel that they cannot freely express themselves (appropriately), in the classroom, it will turn into a hostile and unfriendly environment.  Fletcher encourages the children in these types of environments to share their ideas with him on paper and they look forward to writing because of him.  This creates in some of the rooms a classroom that feels like a community.  

Lessons Learned from Children

I believe that children can definitely teach us just as much and a lot of times more than we can ever teach them.  There is a wide range of things that we can learn and take away from interacting with children.  As Pauch discusses in the book, we have to have an open mind to learning and taking in feelings, emotions, and views from children if we intend to teach them.  Their opinions and beliefs should be heard an appreciated.  A lot of the scenes described from the book in which Pauch tells about his writing conferences with the children are perfect examples of how we can learn from children.  Even though their writings are not "perfected" by English standards, Pauch appreciates them for what they are and shows the teachers how the writings do not have to be perfect.  Some people forget that we were all children once and don't appreciate their mindsets.  The simplicity and calmness that children use to describe things  that a lot of adults stress out about is something that I love about children.  Just watching them interact with each other and listening to the things they say can take your mind of anything.  I really enjoy that about being around children.  I remember going into school one day and I was having a rough morning.  As soon as I walked into the building, a first grader came up to me and tugged on my jacket.  She softly asked if I could help her tie her shoe and assured me that she knew how to do it but she forgot for the moment.  For that moment, my mind was cleared and she put a smile on my face.  I think that is one of the most important lessons children can teach us in their own little way, and that is not to take everything so seriously.  

Expand Knowledge of other cultures/ethnicities

As teachers, I think that it is very important to be able to expand our knowledge base about other racial and ethnic groups as we grow as teachers and professionals.  In order to properly teach students, we need to be able to relate to them and understand the ways in which we can engage them in learning.  With more experience as we mature most will naturally meet different people and be able to learn something from them along the way about their ethnicity.  For teachers who come into a situation where they are unfamiliar with a child's ethnicity, there are many ways to expand knowledge.  For one, the computer is a great asset to be able to research different things and get a broad idea of a culture.  Probably the most profitable resource is the child themselves and maybe even more importantly, the child's parents and family.  In this way the teacher is learning and also opening up communication with the parents, maybe making them feel more comfortable and encouraging better communication throughout the year.  

An experience that I can relate to this idea for me happened about five years ago when my mother took a job as a Paraprofessional in Bridgeport, CT after working for ten years in the Catholic, K-8 school I attended during my childhood years.  I was nervous because Bridgeport is for the most part an inner-city area and I didn't know how the children would take to my mom.  Now, five years later, my mom is still working at the same school and loves her job.  Of course she has had to deal with some interesting children and parents but will tell you that she has a very rewarding job and enjoys going to work everyday.  I have gone into my mom's classes many times and see why she feels so good about her job.  Kids are kids no matter where they live or where they might come from and we have to be open to learn as much from them as they will hopefully learn from us.