Reflection on FNED 546

 

    There have been many meaningful moments throughout the semester in FNED 546. Many lessons and class discussions will always stick with me, but seeing how accepting the class was as a whole really stuck with me. The space that was created was such a safe, comforting space that it was never a burden to go to class. The class was a community in which we could all bounce ideas off each other. Our group presentations and games really helped to bring everyone together.

    When it comes to the articles that we read and the lessons taught, ethnic studies, teaching students with disabilities, and racism in schools stood out to me the most. All of the movies we watched will definitely stick with me -- "Precious Knowledge," especially, which was about ethnic studies. It was such a heart wrenching movie about students fighting for their own rights to ethnic studies, and being turned down. It was inspiring to see students who want to learn and heartbreaking to watch adults in the community fight with them and win. These students weren't doing anything wrong but because they were learning about their culture, they were marked as "anti-American." Along with "Precious Knowledge", "Teach Us All" really stuck with me. This was a movie on the social injustice and the inequality of schooling in America. It highlighted how schools have become as segregated as they were before the civil rights movement. The issues in this movie really highlighted the flaws in schooling in America. "This Is Not About Me" was also a really moving film about a non-verbal autistic women who faced significant barriers within the education system. She fought for the rights to education for the neurodivergent community. Her own story was of such a success that she became a public spokesperson for others like her. The movie explored themes of communication access, neurodiversity, and educational reform. 

    All of these movies highlighted areas in which schools need change and it made me motived to make a change. A lot of what we accomplished in class was highlighting wrong-doings in schools and discussing how we can make school a better experience for everyone involved. I really enjoyed this class and hope that we can all make a difference, together! 

Transgender Equality

Reflection: 

    This week's readings and video were all about the ways in which teachers and people are supposed to be inclusive to all people. This includes transgender and non-binary students as well. The RI Guidelines depicted a world where everyone was equal and allowed to use the restroom or play on the team that coincides with their gender identity. The "Querying Our Schools" reading really emphasized the importance of teaching transgender and nonbinary equality in schools, instead of hate. The video was a great example of how teachers can introduce this topic to their classes to show them that everybody is different and to embrace these differences. 

    The article, "Querying Our Schools," really stood out to me because it showed the power of community. In this article, a child lights a girl's skirt on fire on the bus, just because she was different. The girl suffered burns and the child was tried as an adult. The community was outraged and marched in support of the girl, wearing shirts to support the cause. What really stood out to me was that the girl, Sasha, and her family, insisted on trying the child as a child instead of an adult, and instead, reforming schools so this kind of thing doesn't happen again. This made me think about how important it is to teach children about transgender and non-binary people from a young age. 

    A lot of the times, children aren't taught about the LGBTQ+ community until they hear something on the new or from their parents. This doesn't give them much opportunity to truly learn about these people and how differences should be uplifted. If they learn about the LGBTQ+ community from parents or relatives who dislike and disapprove of this community, then they will only know enough to know that they don't like these people either. 

    This is dangerous because it teaches kids how to hate each other based on differences. This paves the way for hate crimes and even irreversible deaths in some cases. Teaching students to love and uplift one another despite any and all differences should be part of the school curriculum. This article is an insightful look at why not teaching students about the LGBTQ+ community is a dangerous thing. 

    Overall, I really enjoyed these readings and this video as it opened up the discussion to transgender rights. In class, I would like to focus on what everyone else thinks about teaching transgender rights in schools. At what age would you suggest starting? How long should the curriculum be? 

On Neurodiversity

Reflection: 

    This article was very informative on the neurodiversity movement and it made me think a lot about how autism and other diagnoses classified under neurodivergence used to be viewed versus how they are viewed today. The author explains that Judy Singer launched the neurodivergent movement as a social justice movement to promote equality. 

    Children with autism used to be viewed as incapable and would be neglected or excluded from schools. Teachers didn't know or believe that there was anything they could do to help these children. As more and more research went into autism and the neurodiversity movement began, children with autism and other diagnoses were treated with care, respect, and teachers believed in their abilities to advance. This article explains how teaching students with autism has evolved in public schools. 

    Singer explained that these diagnoses that makes children different should not be viewed as deficits, but rather as normal and possibly valuable variation on the way the brain works. The neurodiversity movement changed the way society views these neurological differences. If children are having a hard time in schools, they are beginning to ask their parents to take them to see if they are neurodivergent. This is something that I found really inspiring because it shows how children are steering away from treating neurodiversity with shame and towards treating it with respect. 

    One of my cousins has autism and when we were younger, he was shy. He never wanted to talk and only wanted to play his video games. With the support of his family and the help from his teachers, he was able to learn and come out of his shell a lot. He graduated from college with an engineering degree, and even gave a speech at his older brother's wedding. He is very smart and I can't help but think what his life could have looked like if we still treated neurodiversity as a deficit instead of a difference. 

    In class, I would like to focus on how everyone found this article. I thought it was inspiring and would love to hear other thoughts!

Troublemakers pt. 2

I already began writing about this on my blog, but one of the students in the classroom that I am helping in, is what Shalaby would describe as a "troublemaker." He speaks out when he shouldn't be, he raises a hand to ask questions and then doesn't answer the question, and instead changes the topic. He is a mixed student and his parents are divorced. I've heard that his father lets him stay home from school on Fridays, as well. He is constantly distracting the class and the teacher does her best to rein him in. 

I've seen the teacher sit by him during lessons, write him encouraging notes, talk to him about what kind of day he was going to have before and after class. She supports him when he is having a good day, as well as a bad day. Although he recently got his seat moved, the teacher really tried to prevent moving him. Now that he is at the student teacher's desk, it feels like his behavior has gotten worse. He is constantly talking to the student teacher and he is never doing his assignment. In a way, his new seat position allows him to act out without distracting the students he was sitting near. 

Despite him being a "troublemaker," the teacher doesn't talk poorly of him. She always tries to work with him. He loves participating in class, such as reading out loud, and he is good at it. The teacher tries to encourage him to engage in the class by asking him to read. 

I wrote about this in my blog, as well, but I believe a lot of his troublemaking stems from his home-life situation. He is a smart kid and he is engaged in the work, but he also yells across the classroom and goofs off.