Foundation of Education and Social Justice

 Reading: Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education  Video: Woke Read Alouds  Quote:  "RIGL 16-2-17 Right to a safe school asserts that each students, staff member, teacher and administrator has a right to attend/and or work at a school which is safe and secure, and which is conductive to learning, and which is free from the threat, actual or implied, of physical harm by a disruptive student"  Explanation: I feel this right is extremely important for everyone safety. I just saw a video of a teacher expressing that one of her students was googling on a school issued Chromebook "how do I kill my teacher" and that student had a talking to and returned back to class. The teacher resigned and continued her teaching at another school due to not feeling safe. Every person should be held to a high standard for any threat, real or not, due to the world we live in now. It is so unfortunate that teacher had to leave the school she was teaching at for 15...

 Reading: Eliminating Ableism in Education Author: Thomas Hehir Argument:  In the reading "Eliminating Ableism in Education" Thomas argues that educational systems have been shaped by ableist beliefs. Assumptions that students with disabilities are less capable than their non-disabled peers. Hehir contends that these biases are embedded in both polices and practices, leading to segregation, lowered expectation, and limited access for students with disabilities. He emphasizes that ableism, rather than disability itself, is a major barrier to educational equity. He advocates for inclusive educational practices that presume competence, prioritize individuals strengths, and ensure that students with disabilities are held to high standards within general education settings. He ultimately calls for a systemic shift that dismantles ableist norms and promotes equity for all learners.  Reflection:  Hehir's emphasis on presuming competence was particularly powerful. It made me...

 Reading- Aria by Rodriguez  Observation from Clinical  Reflection on the reading:  Rodriguez reflection on bilingual education provides a deeply personal account of the challenges and transformations he experienced in learning English and adapting to public life. His challenges the advocacy for bilingual education by illustrating how language is not just a means of communication but also a maker of personal and public identity. He acknowledges the comfort he would have felt if his teachers had spoken to him in Spanish, yet he argues that this would have delayed his learning of English and his adaption to the public world. His journey emphasizes the tension between private and public identity. His experience illustrates the complexity of assimilation. He gained confidence and a sense of belonging in public society, he lost a degree of familial closeness. Rodriguez's critique of bilingual education highlights a fundamental question: does maintaining one's native langu...

 Reading- Literacy with an Attitude Author: Patrick Finn Argument:  Finn argues that the American education system perpetuates social inequality by providing different kinds of literacy to different social classes. He explains that the elite receive empowering education suggested them with powerful literacy. This gives them the ability to think critically, engage in intellectual discourse and attain position of power. On the other hand, working class students receive domesticating education, which only grants functional literacy preparing them for roles in the workforce rather than leadership in society. Finn highlights mechanisms that reinforce this cycle such as oppositional identity where working class students reject school values because they see them as an extension of an oppressive system. Additionally, he describes the pretend school model where both students and teachers engage in minimal effort maintaining the illusion of education without real growth. Therefore, Fin...

  Reading: What to Look for in a Classroom Video: Introduction to Culturally Relevant Pedagogy  Video: Classroom Tour  Reflection:  After watching the Classroom Tour video and reading What to Look for in a Classroom I have learned the appropriate way to decorate my classroom. In the reading there is a chart that highlights good signs and possible reasons to worry. This chart is a way to help educators line up their classroom in a way that will effectively enhance their students both emotionally and academically. It's important for students in a classroom to stay engaged but also feel as their work is being valued and they're not doing this for nothing. I want to highlight a certain part in this chart, what you observe on the wall. It's so important to have kids projects and assignments up on the wall to show off their good work and for the students to feel proud of themselves for the hard work they did. I also think another big thing to have on the wall is ...

 I have been placed in Dr. Martin Luther King Elementary School specifically in the Pre-K classroom with the special education students. I have only been to two sessions so far and have learned quite a bit about the students I work with. On the first day I arrived, the teacher had a wall of her students up and had different symbols labeled on them. She went through and explained what the star meant (non verbal), what the exclamation mark meant (behind in the class) etc. This one student, I will call him Justin, had a symbol on his picture that no other student had. When I realized this, I asked the teacher what the square meant on his picture. She explained to me that Justin usually doesn't listen well in class, it takes several different times to ask him before he listens if he does at all. She continues to tell me he likes to make fun of his peers, usually doesn't have a safe body in the classroom, but overall a smart student.  I had been observing the classroom in the back ...