"Such debate also would challenge the extent to which youth have been blamed for social ills instead of addressing broader structural inequalities. This would also ideally mean that adults take responsibility for social problems, and identify sources of problems in social structures rather than projecting them onto the youth...And debating what adolescence means grows out of the recognition that social, political, and economic conditions made adolescence what is has become today."(Saltman 20)
I have been in my student placement for the last two days and I can already see what the author is talking about here through the teachers/ administrators conversations about the students. I mean some comments just show that they blame the child for all their issues and that they have just completely given up on them all together. I am actually in shock by how jaded most of these teachers are towards the children that they are supposedly teacher. For instance my co-op has two classes that I have sat in on. The first class of the day has most of her ED students and the second class has a large group of students that she had taught the previous year in 6th grade. The behavior of the two classes is somewhat comparable, chatty, random outbursts, talking back, not always doing what they are told, but the way she behaves towards them is completely night and day. With her first class she stays on top of them for a couple of minutes and then really just doesn't seem to care anymore but with the second class she is always involved and on top pf their behavior. I just cant believe that by the third week of school she has already in her mind labeled her first group of students as unmanageable and has basically gave up on them.
I feel that going into MPS you must look at the things that are going on outside of school in these children's lives and realize that they are not going to be little angels right off the bat. However, I think that society as a whole does put a lot of stresses onto its youth and them blames them when they act out for it. As a teacher, and especially in MPS, you should be more compassionate towards what these children are dealing with before you decide that they are just trouble makers and worthies cases that you cant wait to get rid of at the end of the year.
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5 comments:
I'm really glad you brought up this issue (how students in MPS act out in regards to what is going on in their personal lives, and how teachers respond to that behavior.) I've been in my placement for a full week now, and I have to say I was lucky to be stuck with a very amazing, talented, and caring co-op. She keeps telling me that the most important things is to gain your students' respect, and that is exactly what she's teaching me to do. Just yesterday, a student told me her dad was shot and killed when she was 3 years old, and how hard that's been for her over the years. She told me this out in the hall, after she started crying in class because boys were making comments about her being fat, and on her period. She kept telling me that it's none of their business and she doesn't know why boys are so concerned about the stuff going on with her body.
Similarily, a boy that has some serious attitude issues, (doesn't want to do the work and will let everyone know this) comes from a family where his mother is deaf. My co-op said she's pretty sure that's where his issues are coming from. Hearing this information, made me think about what some of these students have to deal with on a daily basis, on top of growing up and experiencing puberty. I think we do need to remember this as teachers, and try to help our students adapt at best as possible.
I know that I said I'd resist...but I just want to say that your dialogue here is so important and I'm glad that you are able to not only connect this class to your actual experience in the classroom, but that you are able to recognize students' need for support, compassion, and guidance. It seems simple, right? But I think, especially in MPS and in the face of racism, classism, and sexism, we often forget that we are dealing with children who are complex human beings with basic human needs.
I'm glad that you included the excerpt from the book regarding children being blamed for social ills. I did not include it in my post, but that was one of the points that really jumped out at me.
In my post, I touched on parent's unwillingness to talk to children about the changes that occur during pubery, advocating for the schools to handle this issue.
With what you've stated in your post, about how the teacher has seemingly already "written off" many of her students, it seems that today's adolescents are not getting support ANYWHERE.
It is no wonder that students within this age group are acting out. They are going through a tough time, due to lack of knowledge and understanding of what is happening to them, and essentially no adult guidance.
To make matters worse, the SAME adults who are ignoring these youth are probably the most vocal in blaming this agegroup for societal ills. I also think it is very unprofessional and not responsible of the teacher to be acting this way.
We, as student teachers bring a whole new perspective and energy to teaching. I would assume your co-op has been in this career for a long time and probably has a certain degree of burn out, this is what concerns me as a future teacher. I think we are all a bit naive about what we are about to do, I don't believe this to be a bad quality but I do feel that we can not come to judgments about long time teachers because we have not been down that road yet. I think it is amazing that you notice this issues with your co-op but impossible to understand why she behaves in this manner. Only experience will shied light on that .
i liked your point of view in this articel. there are so many variables that go into creating a healthy environmnet for students to learn. a lot of which are out of the teachers control yet they are the ones that have to foster the student teh most. if a student come from a home that has problems how can that student be expected to fully be able and ready to learn if he is constantly having problems at home.
so the teacher plays a big role for these students. they have to be more than etachers. they ahve to be role models and try to help them not just with helping the student learn in the classroom but help the student learn about life utside teh classroom... good luck teachers...
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