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.