Readings for April 25

Both Scott readings for this week I have already read however the article “Effective Literacy Instruction for Urban Children” is still extremely relevant to me. The ideas in this article are evident in my placement classroom and the needs of children in the urban learning environment discussed continue to interest me. These needs include emotional support, exposure, and changes in attitude toward education. For the past few weeks I have been sitting at the lunch table in the cafeteria with my students just to hang out with them, get to know them even more, and spend as much possible time with them before the year comes to an end. This article says that certain students in these settings often “enter school with a defeated spirit” and that these students need “support by being compassionate enough to look at each child individually and realistically, to communicate genuine care and concern for the student, and to help the students move past emotional issues being dealt with at home”. I have seen this to be true even by the conversations at the lunch table. I have tried very hard to be someone the students can come to if they have a problem and to show them I care about them. This is so important. You cannot hope to get content through to students if they do not think you care about them whatsoever. Some of these kids are dealing with things at home that make content learning seem unimportant. The article discussed how it is easy to assume these students are lazy and do not want to do their work, when in reality there could be so much more behind their behavior in school and things going on in their home life you do not know about. It is so important to remember this and to actually listen to your students. I cannot begin to tell you how much I have learned this semester from my placement. It was such an eye opening experience and I am so grateful for this experience, even though it was very tough at times.