Reflection

Reflection

Of all the issues in education we discussed this semester, the one I felt most uncomfortable discussing was during the prejudice and bias unit. One of the groups we had the option of discussing was members of the LGBTQ+. At the time, I was afraid to comment about it because I did not yet understand it. I was very close minded about the hardships they faced and the significance of the movement and thus was unwilling to talk about it. My initial views of the movement were that "they're different from me and therefore they're wrong." After learning about prejudices and biases in general, meeting and befriending more members of the community, observing my friends' first hand accounts I think I understand it a little bit better now.  I think that reading Zaretta Hammond's Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, made me realize just how wrong I was. Whether I as a person wanted to show support for the community or not is one thing. Going into the field of education, especially adolescent education is another. Middle/high school is when students really start thinking about who they are and exploring what is important to them. As their teacher, I need to step up to the plate and be the one who acknowledges their struggles and insecurities; I need to be someone who can show them that whatever they decide is right for them, they will be supported. Therefore the most crucial issue in education that I will learn to defeat is prejudice and bias in both my own heart and in my classroom. Through my studies this semester, I have learned that it is not enough to turn a blind eye to prejudice. You have to acknowledge it is there and explore why it is there. Only then can you begin to prove to yourself why you were wrong.

Source: https://www.nationalflags.shop/Rainbow-flag











Reference

Krueger, B., & Anonymous. (n.d.). Rainbow flag - LGBT pride flag. Retrieved June 30, 2020, from https://www.nationalflags.shop/Rainbow-flag

School Violence Prevention Workshop

School Violence Prevention Workshop

Overview          

  I took the School Violence Prevention Workshop online. The workshop had 47 lessons to read through that were divided into 5 sections. Each section covered the responsibilities of different parts of the community in ensuring a safe learning environment. The longest sections were the roles of Administrators/Teachers/Staff and Law Enforcement.

What I learned

            This workshop has taught me that my responsibilities as a teacher extend far beyond educating my students in my classroom. It is my job to educate myself on how to identify students that are being bullied, students who are bullying, students who are depressed, the happenings in the community and anything else that may pose a risk to the school, students, or members of the community. By being able to identify those who are being bullied, I can try to provide them help or show them where to go to get help. By identifying bullies, I can monitor them more closely to try to avoid giving them the chance to pick on others and if necessary, take disciplinary action or submit a report to the appropriate place for it. By identifying students who are depressed, I can offer to try help them with problems they are having or direct them to the proper personnel who can do so. By staying updated with happenings in the community, I can warn students of things to watch out for, places to avoid, or career/job opportunities. In any of these cases, I can also work with their parents to outline concerns so that we can prevent any further issues before they can happen.

Summary

            The big takeaway from this workshop was that violence in schools of any kind can lead to serious consequences such as school shootings, suicide, or students ruining their futures. Another of the big points of this workshop was to not just punish the bad, but to promote the good as well.  As a teacher, and more importantly a member of that community, it will be my responsibility to ensure that my students feel safe and welcome in the environment where they are learning. By creating a classroom policy that promotes good behavior and enforcing school rules, I will make sure that at the very least, my classroom is a safe place to be in. By raising a class of respectful and positive thinking students, they will take that behavior to their group of friends and spread it throughout the school. Students also must take responsibility for keeping their peers safe and I that is how I will encourage it.

Source: Graphic I made in Microsoft Paint