Blog # 15

“Is Children School Books Really Racism and Sexism?”

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While reading “10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism” by The Council On Interracial Books For Children. It made me think who is authorized to pick children’s school books. When I look back at my early childhood school years, I remember lots of books that could be misinterpret with racism and sexism, that’s now when I look back. But as a child back then, I looked at those books as funny and touching stories that made me laugh, smile, and sometimes feel sad. I don’t remember feeling racism or sexism. In fact, I’m pretty sure I didn’t even know the meaning of those words “racism” or “sexism.” But, that was my generation, the children now is much smarter and much more curious then in my days! So I understand why we as teachers and parents need to analyze children school and home books.

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After reading this I’m glad that there are guidelines to follow. This will help teachers like me to look for racism and sexism in children books. Also this will help my students to detect racism and sexism in the books they are reading.

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As a teacher we had to create a mini lesson plan for “A Read Aloud Event” to my Kindergarteners while enrolled in a student service learning mentor program for UHWO back in fall of 2007. Here’s an example of my mini lesson plan for my students:

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A Read Aloud Event - Mini-Lesson Plan

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TITLE: “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” A 28-page book By Eric Carle

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GRADE LEVEL: My audience will be twenty-two Kindergarteners.

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TIME FRAME & SETTING:
My read-aloud lesson will be held at a public Elementary School on the 21^{st of} November, 2007. My lesson will require 30 minutes of class time.

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CONCEPTUAL/PROCEDURAL KNOWLEDGE:

Within this lesson plan, my students will learn about the concepts of life cycle and changes. They will also learn to identify different colors and types of fruits, and practice participating in a group setting. They will learn to count from 1 to 7 using numeral/set correspondence.

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STANDARDS:

My lesson plans will incorporate standards from the Hawaii State Department of Education, which can be found at http://standardstoolkit.k12.hi.us.

Standard 2: Asking the students to comment on the story and illustration of the book.

Standard 4: To see the students’ level of comprehension.

Standard 9: Having an open group conversation to discuss about the book.

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OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

A) State the life cycle of a caterpillar.

B) Identify the different types of fruits in the story

C) Identify the different colors in the story.

D) Count from 1 to 7. (a numeral/set correspondence).

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MATERIALS:
1) The book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” by Eric Carle

2) The storytelling apron

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TECHNOLOGY:

There will be no technology used in my read-aloud lesson.

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PROCEDURES:

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Engage and Motivate:

I will engage with the students by using the story-telling apron to calculate the numbers of fruits that are in the story and the different types of fruits. I’m going to motivate the students by encouraging their participation by putting the different types of fruits on the story-telling apron. I’m going to ask questions likes:

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What types of fruit do you like to eat?

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What do you like to eat when you are hungry?

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Explore and Explain:

I plan to let the students learn about the life cycle of a caterpillar. I’m also going to let the students learn about the different types of fruits that will appear in the book. During the story telling there will be language development, sequencing, comparing, and numeral/set correspondence. By helping the students count the different types of fruits.

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Accommodate and Modify:

I plan to read slowly, and to stop and answer any questions that the students might have. I will make it fun by disguising my voice while reading the book. If there are students who do not understand, I will stop and ask questions until they understand.

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Evaluate:

I will ask questions of the students to see how many of them will answer the questions correctly. I will ask the students to draw a picture of a caterpillar life-cycle. This will help me evaluate their knowledge.

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Elaborate & Extend:

I will give my students a homework assignment for the whole week. This homework assignment will ask them to keep track on what types for fruits did they eat during the week and turn it in by the following week.

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So as you can see, there’s a lot of Standards that we as teachers need to follow and with the “10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Racism and Sexism” by The Council On Interracial Books For Children. This will help teachers like me to check these 10 quick ways and to share more time with my students.

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Here’s my question: “Who is authorized to pick children’s school books for the State of Hawaii?”

Blog # 14

“Why Should We Care?”

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While reading “Who Cares for Our Children?” by Valerie Polakow. It made me think about my personal life. My Sister and I was raised by a single parent (my mother). I realized how hard my mother worked in keeping our family together. She had a full-time job working for the government. But, still found the time to teach us the basic A-B-C’s and the 1-2-3. My sister and I didn’t have the opportunity to attend pre-school due to financial problems. So, this statement by Valerie Polakow really hit home:

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“Lack of child care is frequently the tipping point that catapults a low-income family into poverty, destitution, and homelessness. For single mother families in particular, child care is an urgent and vital need.”

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We came close to losing our home, there were times when our electricity was shut-off because we didn’t pay the bill. But we made it through with the belief of God (Our Heavenly Father), the help of family members and close family friends.

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When caring for our children, is it fair to ask for private or public assistant? My answer is “YES!” the way the economy is now we need to help low-income family especially, single parent mothers from New York to Hawaii. It is our responsibility to make sure that every child in this country has the opportunity for a free education with a safe, affordable, quality childcare.

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When there's a budget crisis going on in the United States of America, the first thing they would cut is education. So, here’s my question: “WHY!?”

Blog # 13

“Mommy Got Married To Mommy.”

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In 2004, same sex marriage became legal in Goodridge vs. Mass. Department of Public Health, it was a landmark lawsuit in the state of Massachusetts. While reading “Heather’s Moms Got Married?” by Mary Cowhey. There’s a different between I have two mothers. Which is my real mother and my step mother (my father’s wife) to my mother and her lifelong partner (another female) who got married to each other. Now, will children really know the different? If so, is it fair to let them know, at such a young age, about this issue “Same Sex Marriage?”

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When one of the parents in this story was wearing a T-shirt saying: “We’re here. We’re gay. And We’re on the PTA.” How does that help me? As a Christian teacher there will be a lot of challenges ahead of me. “Don’t get me wrong,” I will not teach my personal belief onto my students. So how can a parent who is gay expect a teacher like me to teach other students their belief? I have an uncle who became an auntie and a cousin who is a lesbian, both of them have such a big heart and so much love for their family and friends. So it’s hard for me to pick sides. Until “Same Sex Marriage” becomes a curriculum in the educational system, I will not teach this subject.

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I have three questions: 1) How can we incorporate gay and lesbian themes and subject matters into our school curriculum? 2) How do we teach it? 3) How can we teach our students same sex marriage when they are just learning their ABC’s and 1-2-3?

Blog # 12

“Is White Better Than Black?”

While reading “What Color Is Beautiful?” by Alejandro Segura-Mora, it breaks my heart to hear a student telling another student that he doesn’t want to be black (dark skin) and his mother is giving him a pill to make him white. “WOW!” Why is this student thinking this way? Who do we blame? Do we blame the parents? Do we blame the media companies? We need to remember at a certain age, a child that hears a negative comments of themselves or of their ethnicity can have a BIG impact to that child and change the way he or she think about themselves.

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As teachers, we need to challenge our students to think differently from what the media shows are telling them. American culture needs to change its ways of thinking, were white is better than black.

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Also, in “Raising Issues of Race with young Children” by Rita Tenorio. It talks about Racism issues, is it possible for children in kindergarten and 1^st grade to understand Racism issues? Rita Tenorio said: “Centuries-old legacies of bias and racism in our country have made an impact on our lives.” It is sad to say that it still has an impact in our lives today. Even living in Hawaii there’s an issue of racism, but it’s the other way around, were dark is good and white is bad!

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Here’s my question: “How can we teach our students, that it doesn’t matter what color you are outside, it’s the inner beauty that really count?” and “ How can we as teacher’s change this way of thinking, when media corporation says it’s the other way around?”

Blog # 11

“Scripted Prescription or A Personal Touch?”

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The Scripted Prescription - (A Cure for Childhood by Peter Campbell)

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While reading this article one of the parents said: “Traditionally, or so I’ve been told, the first meeting has been a time for the new student and the teacher to get to know each other. But there was no conversation about what Vivian liked to read, what she liked to do, or anything else that might have given the teacher some insight into Vivian. Her teacher appeared to believe all that she needed to know about Vivian could be discovered from this test. It saddened me to think that my daughter’s first impression of school is based on taking a test and failing it.” I can see both sides of the arguments. As a teacher the school system teaching us in order to save time to get to know a student level of academic, testing is best path to take. But as a parent a child needs to learn the basic lesson first before taking a test, like asking a child if he or she likes to read or what he or she liked to do. So, a little conversation with a child and their teacher would be the best path to take. As a parent this could be the best way to get to know their child.

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Confession – (My Students Play in the Classroom-and It’s Good for Them by Seth Shteir)

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I like how Seth took a field trip experience to a butterfly garden and made it to a lesson plan. He said: “Block building, with proper guidance, has a great deal of educational value. It can help children acquire literacy, develop social skills, gain experience problem-solving, and enhance spatial sense.” But it’s sad when regimentation of school agenda makes it harder for teacher like Seth to have that kind of support to different ways of teaching and learning.

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What About Play? by Sharna Oleman

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Today children consume 40 hours of media each week. “Wow!” Sharna Oleman said: “Economic and cultural constraints force parents to work longer days and weeks, and increasingly, parents rely on “electronic babysitters” to keep kids inside, or alternatively in structured afterschool programs.” This could be good if a child is watching educational programs like: Sesame Street, Barney & Friends, Curious George, The Electric Company, and Sid the Science Kid. As a teacher I let my nephew watch these programs when his at home, don’t get me wrong, every chance I have to take him outside to play any kinds of sports we are out there playing it ;-D!

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Now, if the parents are force to work longer hours and days, here’s my question: “How can they take their children out to play outdoors sport?”

Blog # 10

“Rethinking Old Favorite Children’s Tales”

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Rethinking Three Little Pigs - (Rethinking Early Childhood Education)

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In the beginning while reading this, I asked myself why are we looking for the hidden messages in the three little Pigs story? Just enjoy the story for what it is. When Ellen Wolpert said: “The fundamental messages of the three little pigs, is that it belittles straw homes and the lazy types who build them. On the other hand, the story extols the virtues of brick homes, suggesting that they are build serious, hardworking people and are strong enough to withstand adversity and that bricks homes tend to be built by people in western countries and often by people with more money.” Are you kidding me? I looked at this story as the big bad wolf trying to take advantage of the pigs so he can gobble them up for lunch. But in the end the pigs came together to fend off the big bad wolf.

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But after reading this, I realized that, this generation of children (students) are more curious and wiser. When Ellen Wolpert said: “Let’s not to put down such beloved tales and refuse to read them, but to use them to pose questions for children. Like in many tropical areas straws homes are build to take best advantage of cooling breezes. In some areas, straw homes are on stilts as protection from insects and animals or to withstand flooding. “I love her outlook!” This is an opportunity to educate our students in different ways by using old favorite children tales.

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Why We Banned Legos (Exploring Power, Ownership, and Equity in the Classroom)

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This reading was very interesting to me. This group of teachers decided to ban Legotown:

“After nearly two months of observing the children’s Legotown construction, we decided to ban the Legos. A group of about eight children conceived and launched Legotown. Other children were eager to join the project, but as the city grew – and space and raw material became more precious – the builders began to excluding other children. Which Legotown was seen as the turf of particular kids.” Out with the Lego – “Issues of power and inequity that had shaped Legotown would hold conflict and discomfort for us all.”

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This observation talk about what does power look like, exploring power, rules and ownership, and a new ethics for Legotown. It’s amazing how these toys (legos) can really help educate our students and our teachers (including myself). Just last night, I went to Ala Moana Shopping Center and to my surprise there’s a Lego store! I didn’t have the time to go in, but next time I will ;-D!

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Now here’s my question: “Can something like old children tales and toys like Legos bring new light to this generation of children (who is living in the technology age)?”

Blog # 9

“What kinds of benefits do our students get when playing different Gender role?”

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Playing with Gender (Rethinking Early Childhood Education)

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This story “Playing with Gender” from Ann Palo, it kind of bothered me a little, especially this part, When three 4-year old boys was playing a role: “Nicholas declared, it’s time to have our babies! One by one, each boys pulled their babies from their shirts and cradled them tenderly for a moment before they leaped into action, cutting the babies’ umbilical cords, wrapping them snugly in small cotton blankets, and holding their babies to their chest to nurse.”

Don’t get me wrong, I respect all females who went through and will go through giving birth to a baby. As a man there is no way I can imagine going through this kind of pain. So, my hat goes off to all you mothers and soon to be mothers ;-D! Now, back to this story, it still bothers me “Big Time!” call me old fashion, but as a teacher, I can’t teach this lesson to my students who are boys. Help me understand what kind of benefit would the boys gain by playing this role?

Through-out the reading, they talked about unexpected challenges, claiming our cultural perspectives, and our journey continues. It’s great if I had the time to do these kinds of children’s play, but I don’t.

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Miles of Aisles of Sexism (Helping Students Investigate Toy Stores)

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It’s interesting how toy stores are persistently opposed to change in sex-role stereotypes in toys. Big corporations like Toys ‘R’ Us is not in it for only providing products that brings smiles to children face, they are in it for the “MONEY” too. Our culture believes in this: “boys are into blasting, crushing, striking, and pulverizing and girls are into cleaning, diapering, and primping through theirs during playtime.”

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Now, if research shows that children playing these gender roles helps with their identity, then here’s my question: “How can we implement these kind of children play into our lesson plan with the limited time we have?”

Blog # 8

“What inspirer teachers to be the best that they can be?”

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In Their Own Words - (Chapter 6 – New Possibilities for Early Childhood Education)

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The stories in chapter 6 was moving to me and very beneficial too. It made me think about my past, when things didn’t go my way at a job that I was working at, I would start looking through the “Wanted Ads” for a new job. I realized, while looking through the wanted ads this will determine my future career “Wow!” that wasn’t a good feeling at all. So I starting to think to myself, what do I want to do with my life? In my own words, I want to work with children. So, I decided to return to school and get my bachelor’s degree in elementary education and become an awesome teacher. My experience going back to school is priceless!

One of the stories that impress me the most from Cristina:

“It was very difficult to learn so much new information and English at the same time.” Then she added, “It was especially hard because I have six children and can only study late at night when everyone is asleep. But now I feel better ‘cause I know I am strong. I even can help my children with their homework.”

This is one of the reasons why I want to become a teacher. It has nothing to do with money, but everything to do with opening doors to student’s future. Stories and comments like this, can also be a reason of growth for teachers like me.

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A Pedagogy for Ecology (Rethinking Early Childhood Education)

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When I was a child I remember my elementary school (Pacific Palisades Elementary) that I attended. The environment and surrounding was amazing, I felt surrounded by nature. My elementary school has hills and mountains on one side and on the other side, it has a tremendous view of Pearl Harbor. I enjoyed going to this school for two reason, one because of the environment and two because of the teachers. I like the comment that Ann Pelo said:

“As a teacher, I want to foster in children an ecological identity, one that shapes them as surely as their cultural and social identities. I believe that his ecological identity, born in a particular place, opens children to a broader connection with the earth; love for a specific place makes possible love for other places. An ecological identity allows us to experience the earth as our home ground, and leaves us determined to live in honorable relationship with our planet.”

As a teacher we need to realize that it’s not only about the teaching lesson but the environment surrounding the classroom and the school.

Now here’s my question: “What can we bring natural balance to the classroom and to the school we are teaching at?

Blog # 7

“Death is part of life.” How do we as teachers teach this to our students?

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Staying Past Wednesday (Helping Kids Deal with Death and Loss)

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When I was growing up, death was ever on my mind. When my grandfather past away, I never felt as sad as my mother and father did. As I became a teenager death still wasn’t a big deal to me, I felt that only old people would die. But, my friend “Joe” who was only 1 year older than I suddenly pass away. “Wow” that’s when I realized death can happen to anyone, young and old.

While reading Staying Past Wednesday, this statement: “Death – like sex, AIDS, genocide, racism, and poverty – is silenced in the elementary school. That silence sends a strong message to children: This may be your reality but it is not the truth that we honor in this institution.”

Made me realized it’s true! The school that I work at don’t have any teaching lesson on death. I think we should have some lesson on this matter. When an opportunity comes up we as teachers should talk about it with our students.

As a teacher, Kate Lyman talked about death: “She have often included a unit of several weeks on death and loss in her curriculum. Some years, especially when she taught kindergarten, the unit was precipitated by the death of a classroom guinea pig or by a robin found dead on the play ground.” These are the opportunity we should look for to talk to our students about death.

So, here’s my question: “How do we as teachers teach our students about death?”

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Unwrapping the Holidays – (Reflections on a Difficult First Year)

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While reading this story, I had to think about how my first year might be, once I become a teacher. It’s such a sad experience that Dale Weiss had to go through.

“A teacher piped up that she had taught for 20 years – in comparison to my two-and-a- months-and she felt no need at all to have to explain her curriculum to me. She ended by reminding me to check things out before jumping to conclusions about the way things are done at our school.

Misunderstandings – Prior to the faculty committee meeting, I had not realized the extent of misunderstanding and anger that existed. I felt scared and continued to search my mind for who might have put the ANONYMOUS letter in my mailbox. Up until the prior week I had looked forward to each day of teaching with great eagerness and pleasure. I now dreaded coming to school.”

I hope there’s a support group for teachers who is just starting in this field. I remember my first day, working at an elementary school as a Para-Professional Tutor and how nervous I was. I did experience some teachers who just wasn’t nice to anyone including me. I would smile and say good morning and there were no responds. “Wow?!” I told myself “why are they in this field?” If they don’t like their job, quit and get out!

Here’s my question: “How do we work with teachers like that?”

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Be Sad and Succeed - (ExchangeEveryDay / February 25, 2010)

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Here’s what this topic was talking about: “"Each study found that people in a bad mood performed tasks better than those in a good mood. Grumpy people paid closer attention to details, showed less gullibility, were less prone to errors of judgment and formed higher-quality persuasive arguments than their happy counterparts. One study even supports the notion that those who show signs of either fear, anger, disgust or sadness -- the four basic negative emotions -- achieve stronger eyewitness recall while virtually eliminating the effects of misinformation."

“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!” I don’t believe this at all. The people I met who is in a bad mood doesn’t perform good work ethics. So how can this be? Please someone tell me something different.

Blog # 6

What advantage do we gain if we integrate classroom?

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Holding Nyla – (Lessons from an Inclusion Classroom)

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In my elementary school years I attended school in Hawaii, where I was in a majority student in my school. But, when I was 7^th grade, my father being in the Military (Army) got station in Fort Hood, Texas. So, I attended Smith Junior Middle High School there in Texas, where I became a minority student in my school. This experience helped me understand what it is like being in both majority and a minority group. With this knowledge I became more receptive to students from the mainland. When I attended my junior year at Pearl City High School, I made sure that students from the mainland (especially military students) didn’t feel like an outcast. I would back them up if they were being gang up by local students. Good thing, I had cousins and friends at my school to back me up. The bottom line, we need to mix different groups to make them understand one another.

While reading “Holding Nyla” it was amazing how they took special need students and combined that group to the low-income student group. They made special education teachers and early childhood teacher’s work as a team, to make a lesson plan to meet the needs of all students and made this program a model to follow. This is an awesome program!

Now, back to my question: “What advantage do we gain if we integrate classroom?” The teachers and students would gain a lot “especially the students!” The low-income students would understand the special needs students and the special need students would interact with the low-income students, this would help them with their social skills and coping skills. I guess you can say that when you join together different types of groups, it can only benefit everyone those groups!

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Talking the Talk (Integrating Indigenous Languages into a Head Start Classroom)

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In 2005, I worked at a school as a Para-Professional Tutor (PPT) and in this school, they incorporated the Hawaiian language and the Hawaiian culture into the school system. While working in this school, it was amazing every morning, these students would sing a song in Hawaiian. I told myself this felt really good starting the school like this every morning. Also, this program helped the parents work together with their children teachers in these Hawaiians courses.

Here’s my question: “What types of challenges do we face as teachers when we open up to more programs like this?”

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A New World Is Born - (Chapter 4 - New Possibilities for Early Childhood Education)

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“Wow!” This chapter open up lots of challenging experiences that I went through, which is my reasons why I went back to school. I call it “A Moment of Awakening!” I was tired of being taken advantage of, from my co-workers, supervisors and managers. I felt that just because I don’t have a college degree, it was okay for them to treat me that way.

According to Lifton (1993) - “A prototype for our future – As society faces unpredictable social, economic, and political changes, we need new types of strength and insights that are often lacking in standard models of education.”

When I read this, I realize that I’m a teacher with lots of empathy due to my past experience. It’s hard in the beginning to start, but if you look at the bigger picture, you can see hope! Every day I thank God that I went back to school. I have no regrets! All in all, going back to school can only improve your life and career.

Blog # 5

What should we do when school scripted programs needs to be improved?

(I Just Want to Read Frog and Toad)

When I attended elementary school, my parents believed in the school system. They didn’t believe that the school programs could be harmful. When I had a question regarding my homework my mother and father didn’t have the time to find the answer. They told me that I need to pay more attention during my class time and if I had any questions regarding my homework, ask my teacher.

I’m a third generation of American-Filipino here in Hawaii, my Mother graduated from Saint Francis High School. But the problem with me while attending public elementary school, I felt that my teachers didn’t have the time to explain to me (one on one) and I don’t blame them. I just wish that my parents that the time to help me out on my education development.

Eamonn had a mother who was a teacher and had the time to teach him. When his mother had the time to dispute about scripted reading programs to his site council, his teacher, and his school principal. They took the time to hear her out, but when fall came around it didn’t happen. Did his mother given up? “No!” By the time he attended 2^nd grade his request from his mother was heard. From his mother: “When Eamonn started 2^nd grade, his teacher granted my request the he be allowed to read actual books during reading time, not photocopied nonsense. He has become an avid reader and falls asleep every night with a book in his hand. He prefers reading real books with real stories – the kind you find in the public libraries and bookstores but, increasingly, not in our nation’s elementary classrooms.”

Here’s my question: “What can we do as teachers to help our parents that don’t have the time or just don’t understand school scripted programs?”

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(Strawberry Fields Forever?)

I totally understand were Cirila Ramirez is coming from. This is one of the reasons why I wanted to become a teacher. When your past experience can help you become a better teacher and have lots of empathy towards your students.

When Cirila parents main priorities were keeping a roof over their heads and food on the table for their children, her mother would say: “The rest will take care of itself and the present is what is important, not what will happen tomorrow or a week from now.” I like how Cirila wanted her students to be proud of where they came from and wanted to help them develop literacy in their own speaking language before they attended kindergarten.

Here’s my question: “How can we as teachers help students from different cultures understand the basic learning concept in their own culture language before attending elementary school?”

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The Junior Meritocracy (Should a child’s fate be sealed by an exam he takes at the age of 4? Why kindergarten-admission tests are worthless, at best.)

I like reading this article by Jennifer Senior. It’s amazing how our children now, in this present time is being pressure to take these kinds of testing. Are we wrong? As parent to put pressure on our children in such an early age just to attend a private school?

Here’s my question: “Who determine what question will be ask when a child like Skylar is being tested to enroll in this private school?”

Blog # 4

Should we start teaching computer skills to Preschool Children?

While reading Cybertots (Technology and the Preschool Child) from Rethinking Early Childhood Education (pg. 75-83). I think about how technology has such a big part of our lives. I realize that from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed, technology is with us at all times, “think about it.” Almost everything we use has a little technology in them. Even the cars now run with computer chips in them, and our military forces now, have planes with non-man pilot flying them for patrolling in dangers areas. That’s how technology plays a big part in our lives. For example: The first thing I do in the morning is check on any messages on my Blackberry phone and the last thing I do before I go to bed, I would login into my computer is check if I have any messages. “Wow!” I need to change.

Now, here’s a question I ask myself after reading “Cybertots” should we as teachers start teaching computer skills to our preschool children? Before reading this chapter, my answer was “Yes!” but after reading it “No!” If we start our pre-school children on technology at that age, it’s going to do more harm than good. From Rethinking Early Childhood Education - Cybertots (Technology and the Preschool Child) says: “Children has different stages of brain development have different needs, the immature human brain neither needs nor profits from attempts to jump start it, the brain tends to seek what it needs at each age of development, and it doesn’t need the blandishments of software programmers to distract it, and children under age 5 have a tendency to confuse appearance with reality.” If this is true, we as teachers should not teach our preschool students computer skills.

David Elkind suggested that preschool children don’t need technological expertise. They should be able to learn how to: “Express themselves, listen, and follow directions, start a task and bring it to completion themselves before jumping off to another project, and cooperate with other children.”

The Cultural Divide

Chapter 2 / New Possibilities for Early Childhood Education

This chapter had some good stories that can help us as teachers to have empathy on our students. Sometimes we need to put ourselves in their shoe, to see where they’re coming from and what makes they do the things they do. Here’s one story: “When Bertha talked about her stories it made me realize as a teacher we need to show lots of empathy towards students from a different countries who are here to make a brand new living. Memorials from another world were presented: a family picture taken before boarding a boat leaving Vietnam; a small, handmade dress worn as a child in Mexico; an old, yellowing storybook carefully wrapped. Each woman described her precious item and its hidden story.”

How can we as teachers show empathy toward our students?

Blog # 3

Testing Lang, Think Less Benchmarks, and From Critique to Possibility:

Rethinking Early Childhood Education (pg. 113-120)

While reading Testing Lang, Think Less benchmarks, From Critique to Possibility, and Learning Stories from Rethinking Early Childhood Education (pages 113-120). I realize that each stories had a different effects on me, some good and some bad.

As I think back about my school years, one thing came to my mind, I always had problems in taking any kind of exams, and even still today I have this problem. It could be easy ones to hard ones, but the outcome comes out the same, average to below average. I would know the subject either by studying hard or by heart (loving the subject), but once the exam starts “I freak out!” The problem with me while taking any type of exams is, I second guess myself, and I guess you can say I don’t have the confident with me answer. So I totally know what “Testing Lang” is going through. How can I work out this problem?

Is it true that “Think Less Benchmarks” is a test that does more harm than good? In my personal feeling, I feel it’s true. I like what this writer said: “ThinkLink tests are designed to mirror the format of our state assessment. These high-stakes tests are aligned with our state’s arbitrary set of standards for each grade level, standards that tend to be incredibly unrealistic and developmentally inappropriate and it was completely disconnected from the curriculum I was teaching.” As a student it’s good to have teachers like him.

“From Critique to Possibility” (New Zealand’s Radical Approach to Assessment) this reading was very interesting, how educators and government officials in New Zealand can strengthen our hard work to reform our country assessments. I’m really going to research more on this. If this is possible “Why not?”

And last, “Learning Stories” I like this concept: Belonging / Mana Whenua – Expressed in children’s lives as taking an interest. Well Being / Mana Atua – Expressed in children’s lives as being involved. Exploration / Mana Aoturoa – Expressed in children’s lives as persisting with difficulty. Communication / Manu Reo – Expressed in children’s lives as expressing an idea or a feeling. Contribution / Mana Tangata – Expressed in children’s lives as taking responsibility. I feel that this could work, with our children, who are having a difficult time learning our ways of teaching.

Our Journey Begins

Chapter 1 / New Possibilities for Early Childhood Education

I feel that every new day is a new journey for me when I’m working with students. I like what this writer said: “Our journeys would come together in powerful ways, catapulting us into surprising connections and changing our lives forever.” He was talking about himself and his students. Is this what I would feel once I become a full time teacher? “I hope so!”

Last thing on my mind, I was very confuse when the writer said: “ I did not realize I was beginning a path that would lead me further and further away from standard teaching practices and into serious questioning of our teacher preparation program.” What I’m learning now in school (UHWO) am I going to use it?