The Most Important Lesson

This book has definitely been an eye opener. It was a very interesting look into the mind of an award winning teacher, who teaches in an area that we in little North Carolina aren't familiar with.

I think, to me, the one thing that was confirmed for me was that there are in fact awesome teachers out there who will go above and beyond the call of duty to help their kids. Our conversations in class have been mainly about the legislation regarding teaching, the overwhelming assessments required in elementary school, and the lack of high morale makes it hard for one to even want to be a teacher. Rafe Esquith's book makes me believe that good teachers are still out there and that it is possible to be a great one. I may not agree with everything in this book, but I think it is a good tool for parents and teachers to help support the growth of little ones, no matter the grade level.

There were a lot of great examples of teaching methods in Rafe's book. I think the three that I will hope to use in my upcoming career are:

• The "How to Solve a Problem Sheet" (pg. 147)--I think this is a great tool for students. It is taped to their desks and can be used in any situation, both academically and socially. Problem-solving is often hard for many students to grasp but this sheet being made handy and memorized (in the case of Rafe's class) is a great idea. 
• Explaining the wrong answers vs. the right answer--this is a useful tool because, as mentioned in our class, today's assessments are not very well made. A bright student can easily narrow down the list based on what makes sense, but what about those questions where two answers seem right? Or, as the example is given in the book, if you subtract instead of add or forget to carry the one but your answer is included in the choices? Talking through the answers and knowing specifically why each answer is wrong or right is a good way to develop on those test-taking skills and takes a lot of the worry away from students while they are being assessed. 
• Using novels that are relevant to students' lives to create long time readers--On page 43 and 44, Rafe gives the example of his student named Luis. Luis is reading A Raisin in the Sun (which I didn't read until I was in the ELEVENTH GRADE) and is crying to himself because he recognizes his own family within the story. This is what makes books enjoyable; if you pick a book that is about children for a classroom of teenagers, it just doesn't stick. But if you pick To Kill a Mockingbird for a bunch of ten year olds raised in the South, or just ten year olds in general, it works! They see themselves in the lives and situations of Scout and Jem,Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, or even Katniss and Peeta (there was quite a scandal a few months back when a Charlotte teacher let his fifth grade class read The Hunger Games. People complained it was too violent and dealt with concepts they wouldn't understand.). It leads to a love of reading when they can make those connections and apply the strength of these characters to their own lives.

It is important for all of us, as education students, to be open minded and less focused on what the world wants us to do. Granted there will always be standards and assessments, but it is our job to make learning less of a chore and more fun. Whether we teach in the upper class schools or the high-risk ones, we need to treat every child as a blank slate, something that is just waiting to have an impression made on them. 

Break from the Book

I wanted to take this opportunity to write about our classroom visits on Wednesday. First of all, I LOVED College Park. I know that I have said this about both College Park and Forest Hills but it is going to be hard to pick one I love the most. I'm sure that next week, I will be saying the same thing about Eaton Elementary!

I liked that the teacher I was assigned to, Mrs. Messer, was ridiculously helpful. She let myself and Brittany work with the students and even let us take charge of an art project! I played sight word and addition Bingo with the students on the floor, I got to help one little boy with his subtraction and his word forming, and we got to sit with them at lunch. She was a very good teacher and, as Dr. Buchanan said, set a good example for awesome classroom management! Her class was organized in a way that was efficient and centered around the students. Artwork hung all over the room and there were books in every corner! You could tell that the students respected her and wanted her there with them.

It was also great getting to see what it is like to have one or two students who are behind the others in the class. It was a challenge to teach these two little ones how to do certain tasks, but all their classmates were willing to help and support the students in their efforts.

The day seemed to go by so quickly! I can easily see how time management is important for a teacher, since you have so many subjects to go over and so little time. I hope my experience at Eaton Elementary is just as fun and informative!

Questions for Rafe

In regards to his teaching philosophy, my opinions on it have not changed. I think he still supports a very idealistic view of the classroom and is very open to exploring creativity and going the extra mile. I believe in these same concepts, but after our class room visits I would love to see some of the other aspects of Rafe's teaching. I have so many questions that I couldn't possibly begin to sum them up, but I will try!

• In instances when you have a student who doesn't want to participate in the activities you present, such as the Shakespeare plays or the math card games, what do you do? Do you let the student do his own thing or do you try and steer him in that direction?
• How do you support the class trips to other states and multiple events? 
• What advice would you give to someone who wants to mold their teaching philosophy around your writings and ideas? 
• Finally, how does your family react to your teaching methods? Do they come with you on trips? Do your children (while they might not be children anymore) give you ideas on activities and lessons?

I think the four most important opportunities in this classroom are a chance to express yourself, the chance to experience new things, an opportunity to escape from maybe a rough home life or internal struggles, and the chance to have someone you can depend on.  Rafe's kids seem to think the world of him and from the reading and the clips of his class that we have seen it is very clear that they support and will try anything he wants to do within the classroom. There is a great willingness to learn there that a lot of classrooms in today's world are missing.

Bridges Between Families and the Classroom

When I was in elementary school, parents were either really involved or not at all. It was a pretty rural community; no one had a lot of money to provide to the school. It was a big ordeal just for parents to get what was on the recommended supplies list. My parents always did the best they could when it came to that, but they worked all the time. There wasn't much time for PTA meetings or volunteering for field day. I find the situation similar to the situations given in the book however. The parents at my elementary school, including my own parents, did whatever they could to help our educations, but that was the extent of it. Like the parents donating the money for the science kits: it wasn't forced but everything helped.

I would like to think that as a teacher I will be fortunate to have a class of kids whose parents want to be involved and help with projects and field trips, but I know this isn't always the case. The children in Rafe's class have often parents who do not speak English or come from different family situations than we are used to, but they want what is best for their children which I think is the most important.

Chapters 4-5: Rafe's Classroom

In Rafe Esquith's classroom, the students are from the lower end of the educational totem pole. They come from lower income families, mainly the children of immigrants. Many of them do not have a great grasp of the English language and cannot read very well. However, once they leave his classroom, they not only have more knowledge of the English language and culture, but they know more about themselves as individuals.

Knowing the background of his students really helps him understand what to look for in the classrooms, in terms of what support they need and how they can improve. This is something that all teachers should do, not to the point of being intrusive or over-bearing, but knowing enough about your students to understand them and help them. It also helps understand how these students will react to other students in the classroom. It may not be an issue in Rafe's classrooms, but I know a lot of students in the L.A. area have issues with things such as race and gender, on top of their social station.

Hopefully, as teachers, we can eliminate these worries and create accepting students, such as Rafe seems to have done.

Teach Like Your Hair's On Fire: Chapters 1-3

Good evening everyone!

So far, I really like this book. I was so concerned because I have not had good experiences with assigned readings but this one has been a pleasant surprise (and no, this isn't sucking up. I really mean it!). It's hard to find something that really teaches how to be not just a good teacher but a good person. I find some of the experiences and opinions that he expresses to be a little more optimistic than can be believed. However, who am I to know what it's like to teach in a classroom like his?

His philosophy paper would most likely highlight three topics: independence, confidence, and optimism. I see Rafe Esquith as being a very optimistic and progressive teacher. He definitely sees the best in all his students, which is something I think more teachers need to discover in their own classrooms. One instance in the book that really stood out to me was Chapter 3, where he writes about establishing and unleashing a love of reading in his students. On page 41 he writes about making the book, even if it is assigned, relevant to the students' lives and who they are as people. He has his students study Henry IV and the class is able to relate to the struggles between a father and his son and the world around them. This is just one example out of many of how open-minded Rafe is as a teacher.

His philosophy, as I mentioned before, very free thinking. He as a teacher looks to let children express themselves and explore the world around them while keeping an eye on their progress and questions. His example of letting the kids listen to an audio book, such as the autobiography of Malcolm X, while stopping to ask them questions about the material (p. 35). Rafe has the confidence in his students that a lot of teachers do not have: the confidence that they can take control of their own education. I personally think I would have greatly benefited from this when I was in school.

 I also want to say that I focused mainly on Chapter 3 because I am a major bibliophile and as a teacher plan on using books a great deal in my classroom. It was very refreshing to read the writings of someone who feels the same as I do! I am interested to see what else Mr. Esquith has to offer.

--KL