What Makes Great Teaching?

Teaching strategies that are empowering and flexible can greatly help students develop into engaged learners. Below I have listed five strategies that I encountered this semester that worked for me.

My Top 5

• Blogging with other educators 
• Selecting Golden Lines to determine the importance
• 3-2-1 Research Reports
• Self-Assessment
• Literature Reading and Discussion

Why these strategies were effective for me: 

I liked writing my blog and responding to other people’s blogs. It was a great way to think critically about the modules and to also see what other people got from them. Selecting Golden Lines was an interesting task. I had never done that before but I liked picking one line from a reading that stood out to me. I thought it was a good way to dive deeper into the meaning of the story. The 3-2-1 research report was a good way to further comprehend the information from the readings. I liked the flexibility in getting to choose which 3-2-1 we did. I liked doing the self-assessment because it pushes you to think about what you did right and what you need to fix in the future. It was a good way to look introspectively and can help produce better work in the future. I am an avid reader so I really enjoyed the literature readings. I liked the literature discussions as well because it is nice to hear other people’s perspectives of the readings.

What is worth learning?

 

For my blackout poem, I tried to choose the words that I thought captured the message of the whole passage. I think that the main point of the excerpt was to urge teachers to fight against curriculum violence. The process of doing this means being aware of the harmful actions that take place whether intentional or not and taking the steps to ensure that they stop. We as educators can work towards making educational reparations by reconstructing curricula.

It's 2022, why are schools still segregated?

Decades after Brown V. Board, segregation is still widespread in education. While state-sanctioned school segregation is illegal now there are still many factors that keep schools from being integrated. 

Nearly 75 percent of Black students attend so-called majority-minority schools, and 38 percent attend schools where 10 percent or less of the students are White. The numbers are similar for Latinx students. And both Black and Latinx students are more likely than White students to attend schools where 60 percent or more of the students are living in poverty — so you have concentrated poverty in many schools. And these schools are likely to have higher teacher turnover, less experienced teachers, and inadequate facilities and resources. Separate is still unequal. -Beverly Daniel Tatum

So why are schools still segregated?

There is a lack of education and understanding surrounding the history of segregation in America. I myself just became more aware of how many actions were put in place that led to America still being segregated today. I was unaware of the residential policies that the government enacted that segregated the country. Previous to doing further research, I was under the impression that the prevalent segregation that we still see today is De facto segregation, but that is untrue. There were many policies, such as Redlining, put in place by the government that contributed to the present segregation of the United States. Due to these policies, many minority groups were segregated into impoverished areas and are still there today. This makes it so that the schools are also highly segregated.  

Biases and racism are also contributing factors that keep schools segregated. Teacher-student engagement, graduation rates, and college participation rates are all aspects of where we still see segregation in schools today. 

What Does Money Really Have to Do With It?

In education, there is an inequity when it comes to funding. Funding is disproportionately divided among school districts and this can have detrimental effects. In the state of Texas, public school funding is based primarily on property tax. This leads schools to be awarded funds unequally and causes there to be a gap in education funding between wealthy and impoverished communities. Better-funded schools typically result in higher rates of student achievement. Schools that receive more money often have higher-quality educators, smaller class sizes, and are better maintained. Student achievement rates from lower-funded schools are highly impacted due to the lack of academic resources available. The education funds need to be more appropriately dispersed in order to ensure student equity. 

Students who are in poverty often face challenges at school due to stereotypes. These students are often seen as poorly motivated, emotionally troubled, or academically inadequate. These are myths! When teachers see students this way they sometimes lower their expectations for the students or hold disdain towards them. This can greatly impact students’ self-esteem and can actually lead students to fulfill these stereotypes. Teachers need to work hard to dismantle stereotypes about low-income students and make sure students feel secure in the classroom. 

How Does Gender Affect the Teaching Profession?

Gender greatly influences the teaching profession. To begin with, there is a major gender gap in the teaching field. Teaching is a predominantly female-based career. There are many stereotypes surrounding the teaching profession that it is a feminine job. This is a harmful stereotype and leads people to devalue teaching because it is considered work for a woman. This can be linked to unfortunate factors such as teachers being underpaid, teacher shortages, lack of funding, and more. We need to work towards dismantling the gender disparity in the education workforce to address these issues. 

Gender also plays a major role in the classroom. Students often receive different treatment in school based on their gender. Male students often receive more attention than female students. Trans and gender-nonconforming students are often impacted by discrimination and bullying. There are many practices that educators can put in place to work toward gender equity. Teachers need to affirm their student's gender and be respectful. Teachers can use inclusive terminology when addressing the whole class. For example, instead of saying “Good morning boys and girls!” they could say “Good morning everyone!” Teachers can also give all children access to toys, books, and learning materials that explore different gender roles and let them make their own judgments. Teachers should avoid making assumptions based on traditional gender roles, such as thinking girls should play with dolls and boys should play with trucks. Teachers also need to carefully observe their classrooms and shut down any bullying or discrimination. It is important that teachers create a safe and welcoming learning environment that meets the needs of all students regardless of their gender. 

Is Schooling Equitable?

The term “equity” refers to fairness and justice and is distinguished from equality: Whereas equality means providing the same to all, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must acknowledge and make adjustments to imbalances. 
-Equity Definition from the National Association of Colleges and Employers

In my opinion, schools are not equitable. There are measures in place that step towards equity but not enough. Students have different backgrounds, experiences, and strengths and schools need to make adjustments in order for all the students to be able to succeed. Students should be able to reach their educational potential regardless of their race, culture, nationality, gender, sexuality, religion, or/and disabilities.

What Can Teachers Do to Make a Difference?

Teachers can offer differentiated curricula to meet the needs of all of their students. This can include catering to the student’s different learning styles. There are four main types of learning style preferences that include visual, auditory, read/write, and kinesthetics.  All students have a preferred learning style and giving them options to complete school work in those learning styles can support equity in the classroom. Teachers can also work toward race, culture, and gender equity. This can look like offering inclusive learning materials such as books and story problems. It is important for students to see examples of people who are similar to them and that represent their unique communities. Teachers alone can not create equity in schools but they can work to create a space where students get what they require to meet their individual needs.

 

Do I Have The Full Picture?

No! 

I do not think that it is possible as a human being to have the full picture. I think that there are so many stories and different perspectives among people that it is impractical to believe that I have a complete understanding of everything. The video “I Didn’t Learn This in School” by Victoria about Ruby Bridges made me think about how much information is not taught in schools. I, similarly to Victoria, was taught only the basics about integration and did not learn about Ruby Bridges and all of the challenges that she faced. However, before learning about Ruby Bridges, if I had been asked if I knew about what school integration was like I would have said that I did. This is just one example of how we can think that we have an understanding of something but, in reality, we do not know the whole story. I believe it is important to remain open and know that there is always more information that can be added to our prior beliefs. We can always grow and expand our understanding as we learn more and hear more people’s stories.

How Does This Apply to Teaching?

As teachers, it is important to share as many stories as we can to educate our students to our fullest capability. We need to teach multiple sides of history, even the uncomfortable parts. We also need to continuously research and learn so that we can grow as educators. Teachers can also foster a safe space for their students to discuss difficult topics. This can allow students to partake in open conversations that can broaden their perspectives. 

We may never have the full picture but we can work hard to break down the barriers so that we can see more clearly.