Simoné McGauthaTony CastroLTC: Connections Paper 116 February 2012Ever since I have switched my major form journalism to education, I have paid more attention to the school districts around the state. I have noticed that the people with lower income don’t have test scores as good as those with higher income. My observations are related to those of Education researcher, David Berliner, who says, “there is credible research making connections between poverty and school success” (Pearson 37). If this has been proven by research and many observations, what could be the solution? What can we, as future teachers, do to help this situation? I don’t think the there is an easy solution or even just one solution; but with the dedication of teachers, I think there are ways to improve our education system for the better. The most important thing I believe teachers should learn to improve on is making connections with the lessons in class with the everyday experiences the students go through, in relation to their culture. For example, in my own school experiences, I have learned that I connect more and learn better in classes where the teacher attempts to get to know and understand me better. I had a teacher in high school that taught History; she turned out to be one of favorite teachers. For one of our projects she assigned to us in the class, we had to think of a very monumental time in history and apply it to a situation we have once been through. This was extremely helpful to me because it allowed me to make history relevant to my life. Mrs. Haesemeyer, my teacher, did this a lot and it made our lessons a lot easier for me to comprehend. If every teacher thought like this, not only would it make the classroom environment more fun for the child, but also I bet that grades and test scores would improve. I am not the only one who feels this way. As stated in our book, the U.S. Department of Education stated, “…they should be able to extend the ideas in the text by making inferences, drawing conclusions and making connections to their own experiences. The connections should be clear…” (Pearson 38). Depending on what kind of school district I teach in, I might have some struggles.I believe this because not all students may learn effectively the way I stated above. Teaching in a class with a lot of students may prohibit trying to understand each and every student. It may be too hard for a teacher to try to connect with 30 students. Also, what if it is almost impossible for a teacher to understand a student’s differences. For example, as an aspiring African-American teacher who grew up in an urban area, what if I decide to teach in a suburban school district? It won’t be likely that I will be able to understand where my students come from or relate to their experiences and vice-versa. During my pre-service teaching class, I noticed that an African-Americanstudent had a hard time focusing in class. She was the only student of her race in the classand had the lowest test scores. This was an 8th grade class; filled with drama, gossip and attraction amongst the boys and girls. One day after class, I asked the little girl if she enjoyed school, and she modestly shook her head no. I then asked her why and she said because her teacher didn’t like her. Now of course I knew that wasn’t true but I understood why she would think that. Her teacher could relate to the white students in the class. She was a friend with most of the parents and it seemed like she was nicer to those students over the African-American. After speaking to the teacher about it, she confessed to me that she had a hard time making the student feel comfortable in class. She said that the student wouldn’t open up. This is an example of many possible struggles a teacher may face trying to accomplish these goals. In order to be successful with improving educational opportunities for everyone, Imust learn how to get out of my comfort zone. I will have to do my best to understand every student regardless if I can relate their experiences to my life or not. Our book statesthat understanding is, “uncovering the underlying, the foundation...” (Pearson 129). I would have to disagree with this definition because I believe that trying to “uncover” and “underlie a foundation” that has already been instilled in a student since birth will make the student feel overwhelmed and violated. “Underlying a foundation” seems as if you’re trying to change the child and as a teacher that is not your place to do so. I would define understanding as grasping the significance of something or to comprehend something. One thing I will teach to increase my familiarity with students is the multicultural curriculum. Not only will this broaden my knowledge of cultural differences, but also, thestudents will respect me for respecting their differences. This will ultimately reduce the achievement gap and make me a more successful
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