life's real: what you won't learn sitting in a teacher education class

8/13/2019 Life's Real: What You Won't Learn Sitting in a Teacher Education Class

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Lifes Real: What You Wont Learn Sitting

In A Teacher Education Class

Andrea SpennyMultigenre Paper

EDT 427

Dr. Romano12-3-2013

[All names and places are pseudonyms in order to maintain confidentiality]


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S E X U A L T E N S I O N

Monday:R is sitting across the room from me,staring at me,licking a red lollipop,

making sure his tonguestays in motion,

winking at me.He walks over to me,Wanna lick?No, R. I do not want a lick.

Tuesday:L tries to lay his head on my shoulder

while we are watching Macbeth.He claims he is scared from the movieand needs my comfort.I apologize, L, I cannot allow comfortto be given in this situation.Do I need to remind you of how tougha football player you are?

Wednesday:B asks me if I am single yet.No, B, I am not.Im not quite sure he understand the

meaning of the ring on myleft hand.

Thursday:T tells me how all the ladies love him,how they love playing with his dreads,how I can get in lineto play if Id like.No, T, I would not like to play.

Friday:D describes my face as swoon today.I wanna lick it, he says.I give the look.Nahhh man, I didnt mean lick you.Of course you didnt.

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A glimpse of what happens when you ask students to write aboast about themselves...

Student 1: I want a big family w/ a beautiful wife, A woman I love andtrust that I can be w/ the rest of my life.Student 2: My life, I just gotta to live it right, Taking changes, theybe costing one day Im here to pay the price. Coming in late nights onlyeating beans and rice. Laying in my bed sweat bullets giving out pipe.Getting up early morning wake and baking cooking ice.Student 3: Cause the money keeps controlling me hopefully Ill findanother hobby I might hit a dealership and make another order B----.Student 4: Im so good when I come in a room females get soaking wet. Imso good Barack Obama himself writes advisory letters to me. Im so damngood Jesus Christ himself said if he could He would praise me.Student 5: My name is Elijah I grew up with nothing, I am from a family

whos hood is our home, football was the only thing I no, couple role models telling me where to go, but loosing my...

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A glimpse of what happens when you ask students to revise theirboasts...

Student 1: I am Jordan I am smart, athletic fun and entergetic. They call me Jay bands, I dont spend money I just make it stand. I play football

and Im the greatest. I just want it all. All me came up. Made it thoughstruggles. Im just destiny to be The Greatest at what I can do I just

want to be inspiring to you I want a big family with a beautiful wife A woman I love and trust that I can be with the rest of my life. In the game

I play best. Let me be clear I will not be stop. Call me superior.Student 2: [Currently incarcerated.]Student 3: Refused to revise.Student 4: Claimed it was too good and didnt need revision.Student 5: My name is Elijah Wilson Starboy i grew up with nothing innahood cuffing, little league football kept me of the street, watched my dadbeat my mom like a dream, seen fights det led to death, people seen mytalents, told me ill be in Nfl one day, Now im a leader and senior atHilltop High School, injury to the knee Really hurt me in recruting, butcollege is my only option to get there it takes dedication & hard work Igot college letters as a freshman Like I was number 1 draft pick. Imahorse ona feild like like ima running back I lead ona such as Obama

leading the world, i have power to efect some body, as Getting arrested imam Elijah Wilson a student at Hilltop High School and i came a long wayalot of respect around here more most.

It (expressive writing) resem bles speech (or more accurately, ta lk) in its exible movement fromtopic to topic, and like talk it presumed an audience th at was sympathetic and nonjudgmen tal. - Thomas Newkirk


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Examples of how lively students can be when theyare reading books they claim they hate:

***Note: Make the most of these situations.

Teacher: So what is Beowulf talking about in thissection?Student: Some bullshit.[Everyone laughs.]

In regards to Of Mice and Men :Student: Did he say crazy son-of-a-bitch?Teacher: He did.Student: Awwwwhhhh, he did say crazy son-of-a-bitch.

Student: That nigga wanna play with dead animals?Teacher: Haha, he is white.Student: Ohhhhh, hes white?!

Bandz =

Loud = 7


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Swagger into school:Black Ralph Lauren Tee ! Gray Ralph Lauren Sweatpants ! Basketball shorts underneath sweatpants ! Nike Slides ! Snapback !

Swagger into uniform: White Ralph Lauren Polo ! Black Dickie Pants !

Gold Watch ! Rosary ! Jordans or Timberlands ! Versace Glasses ! Black belt !

Are ya tired today? Ya look like it.

Nah, this motherfucka. My back. Shit.

What happened?

Man I just woke up in the middle of the night like shit. Screaming. Itfelt like God just stabbed me in my spine.

Did you take any medicine?

Yeah, these fuckers better kick in.

Language, Sean. Language.

Man if you meet my granddaddy youd see why I talk like this.

But you look so silly when you curse so much.

My granddaddy cusses so much he makes up cuss words. I been cussed out my whole life for some crazy shit. Things you didnt even think you

could get cussed out for. I just get weak now when he tries to do it.I tell him to stop or ima die from laughter.

Haha. Some people are just like that. I know crazy people like that in my life.

Sean drives himself to school. Hes either always a half hourearly or late. When he arrives early, him and I usually have aconversation while he goes through the process of getting intodress-code eatin breakfast and teachin me about life.


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My last day of field part one:I extremely appreciate student feedback. I want to know how I appearto my students. I may have an idea of how I believe I am coming off tothem but I wont actually know until I ask. I asked all of my studentsto write down any feedback on my interactions with them, any advicefor teaching, or for them to describe their ideal teacher. They didnot have to put their names on it.

Overall, this feedback helped me a lot. Most students took it seriously and

others made silly comments but that was fine with me. Out of four classes, this was the majority of the feedback:

1. Try to interact more. 2. Bring snacks. 3. Make sure I dont sound like Imtalking down to the students. 4. Be more strict when it comes to respect/dontlet students walk all over me. 5. Get madder at the students when they are notlistening. 6. Control the classroom better. 7. Be hard on the students but nottoo hard so they can still do well.*The students didnt understand that I didnt have the authority to actuallydiscipline in a sense calling home, office referrals, etc. but their feedback onthis was helpful because I knew I could use it in part two of field. I would beable to tell them they told me to make them do their work, to make them respect

me, to not let them walk all over me, etc. It worked perfectly.


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pieces of that beautifully harsh reality

9-20I went to their football game. It was the best time I have had in a longtime. Seeing so many of my students in the marching band, on the field,and cheerleading makes me so excited to have my own classroom one day.

9-21Nine students are already recommended for expulsion.This school has gone through seven principals in seventeen years. Thatdoesnt count assistant principals. My supervising teacher said she losttrack of how many assistants they have gone through.

My students are not allowed to take books home because we only haveenough copies for one class.9-25My supervising teacher read text aloud all period long to all threeclasses of seniors.

Some students tried teaching me different handshakes. They try to twist my fingers the correct way. I am awkward and I am okay with that. We

laugh.

11-4Today was a rough day.

Two of my students got into a fight at the beginning of the day. They aresuspended for nine days. They may be up for expulsion.

One of my students is a runaway.

One of my students brother is out of the hospital due to three gunshot wounds and is now incarcerated. He didnt shoot anybody but he pulled his

gun first so he is now facing an assault charge. He is 18 so he will betried as an adult.

A student who got caught with a gun a couple weeks ago is now out of thejustice center and is back in school. So thankful for this.

11-7I found out the only white guy in the room (I never knew what to think ofhim because his mood was always different every day) has an arsenal ofguns and automatic weapons and that he doesnt like black people much.

Two of my students got arrested for criminal trespassing and possessionover the weekend.

11-8I found out today that one young man has a three year old son. He had him

when he was fifteen.

One of my students works 40 to 45 hours a week.


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End Notes:

Overall, many of my students are familiar with having expectationslowered for them, familiar with being pushed along in the system,familiar with being given the answer. This disgusts me. Much of myinteractions and expectations of my students are in line with what

Alfred Tatum describes in Teaching Reading to Black Adolescent Males. He says, They (teachers) did not lower expectations for me because mylunch applications told them I lived below the poverty line. I triedto help establish a classroom environment that was hard on thestudents but also a comfortable environment where they felt free toexpress themselves.

Title Page: The handwritten portion is one of my students work. Wedid a quick-write regarding whether we listen to our conscious or not.

At first, this student couldnt understand that I wasnt grading thisassignment and that he could write whatever hed like as long as it

was honest. I told him I didnt mind what language they used or whatstyle they chose to write it in. This gave everyone, and especiallyhim, room to think and write freely. It turned out beautifully.

Boast: I firmly believe in expressive writing. Newkirk describes it asthe informal language of exploration. He goes on to say, Itresembles speech (or more accurately, talk) in its flexible movementfrom topic to topic, and like talk it presumed an audience that wassympathetic and nonjudgmental. Newkirk also notes that this type offluency is not confined to certain social classes as long as theaudience is accepting of dialect that is diverse. I believe we are

hindering a students learning if we do not give them a chance to write expressively every so often.

References:

Jago, Carol. With Rigor for All: Meeting Common Core Standards forReading Literature . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2011. Print.

Newkirk, Thomas. Holding on to Good Ideas in a Time of Bad Ones:Six Literacy Principles worth Fighting for . Portsmouth, NH:

Heinemann, 2009. Print.

Tatum, Alfred W. Teaching Reading to Black Adolescent Males:Closing the Achievement Gap . Portland, Me.: Stenhouse, 2005.

Print. Wong, Harry K. The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective

Teacher . Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong, 2009. Print.

life's real: what you won't learn sitting in a teacher education class

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