So
far, my favorite day at CFH was yesterday. I enjoyed observing a math classroom
where every student was paying attention. Not only were they paying attention,
many of them were also participating. I enjoyed seeing the teacher giving explanations
in Spanish right after giving them in English. Her Spanish was not perfect, but
knowing that she tries is great. It is awesome to know that a math teacher is
putting in extra work to reach her students. It shows that she values the
students’ primary language. I was glad to be in that classroom.
The
parent panel was the highlight of the day for me. I was happy to interpret the
questions asked and the parents’ answers. What I got from it is that as a
future teacher I need to have a good relationship with my students as well as
their parents. I have to inform the parents about the students’ progress. This
way, we fill in the gap that the parents don’t see while the students are at
school.
One thing that I really liked was
the man’s advice: be yourself, don’t be a robot. I’ve comes across many teachers
that don’t connect with their students and those are the classrooms that I
wished I could’ve ran out of when I was in high school. Where I come from we say the person is “seco”
or “seca”, which translates to something being dry. Some teachers are dry human
beings. I don’t know if that is the word that can be used in English but it
sounds perfect in Spanish. The man reminded me that my personal traits need to
come with me to the classroom. I’m a really caring person and I plan on bringing
that trait with me.
The advice "be yourself, don't be a robot" also stayed with me after the panel. I struggle with traditional ideas about 'professionalism' because I think it encourages someone to be 'seco' or 'seca' (thanks for the word!). It was surprising and refreshing to hear that parents want teachers to bring their whole selves into the classroom. Frank mentioned that students learn more from teachers with personality. That sounds about right to me, how could you be truly engaging if you are cold and robotic? I hear Dr. Gallow's advice to always be appropriate in our interactions and relationships with students. I know that too much personality can distract from learning. But being reminded to be myself lets me imagine relationships with students and parents that are more honest and collaborative. Actively keeping up too many barriers, leaving too much of myself out of an interaction, is what I do when I don't trust someone, or when I am trying To Be The Boss. I DO NOT want to be a teacher who doesn't trust parents. I DO NOT want to be a teacher who is constantly asserting my role as The Boss.
ReplyDeleteAdrian, I think it's really reassuring that you mentioned that you appreciated that even though the math teacher's Spanish wasn't perfect she was still trying to communicate to her students in the way most familiar to them. Not just because she valued that they could learn math this way but because she valued the language itself. I was surprised listened to the parent panel how much Spanish I could understand (though I couldn't have managed without your kind and excellent interpretation!) but I found myself, like I often do, wanting to improve so that I'd feel comfortable actually speaking Spanish. At my summer job, lots of our patrons primarily speak Spanish. Usually I listen to what they say in Spanish and respond in English because I'm afraid they'll laugh at me or otherwise be insulted. I never considered it to be a devaluation of their language, but I can really see now how it can be. I don't want to do that to my future students and I really hope I can improve between now and then. And even when I know I'm not doing that great, I hope I'll be brave enough to try anyways, like the teacher you mentioned.
ReplyDeleteI also enjoyed observing the ESL math class. It doesn't seem to be too much more effort for the teacher to repeat things in Spanish. She mainly translated key topics and phrases to make sure that each student understood what was important. I definitely liked how she involved the students in the lesson, too. That one student that we both chose to observed really surprised us. He started class doing nothing, not paying attention, and then next thing you know, he's asking the teacher to check his work and he is helping to solve a problem on the board. I always loved being asked to write things on the board. It made me feel special, important, and smart. I also liked how she did a recap of the problem once they were finished, asking why they were able to say certain things to prove that two triangles were congruent. I liked the strategies I saw at work in her classroom.
ReplyDeleteAdrian,
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad that you were there to interpret between us and the parents during the panel. I felt like it was far more welcoming to have someone on "our side" of the room doing the interpreting, rather than a teacher from the school or another parent. I'm also glad that you appreciated the Math teacher's attempts to communicate in Spanish. The more time we spend at CF, the more I really want to start learning Spanish. It just seems like it would be respectful to the parents and students, but also enriching and helpful for me as a teacher as well.
Adrian,
ReplyDeleteThank you for interpreting for us. I got many of the same feelings as you from the parent panel. We are all humans, teachers and parents included. We need to remember that when we make our endeavors to talk to our students parents. One additional idea i got out of the panel was that it think it would be in my best interest to learn Spanish. I do not want to have that language barrier that stunts communication with parents, even though I know there are resources available. I feel like it would make parents feel more comfortable and secure that their children are good hands with a teacher who made a conscious effort to learn their native language.