CF- Students

Students

The classroom that I will be teaching is a 7^th grade Science class at Claggett Creek Middle School. In the classroom that I will be teaching, there are 31 students total; 15 boys and 16 girls. Out of those 31 students, I have 5 ESL and one of those ESL students is also on an IEP. There are 5 TAG students and 6 students that are on an IEP (does not include the ESL student). 2 of my ESL students are with ELPA level 4. 1 ESL student is with ELPA level 2. With my TAG students, 4 of them are TAG for general content and 1 of my students is TAG for Math and Reading. Just under half of my students are of another ethnic background other than Caucasian. By knowing that I have over half of my students may either need more help or more work from helps me plan my lessons and assignments for my students. By knowing their ethnicity, I know that they may not relate to some things that I have presented to them or may not understand a word or phrase that I am covering in class.

This class has gone through a few changes since the beginning of the school year. The above stats are reflective of the current population in the classroom. At the beginning of the year they had 1 more girl that was considered TAG. They also had 1 more boy that as of recently has been transferred out of the class. I do not have the details on this particular boy. He was on a travel card for behavioral problems. He did have behavioral problems in the classroom, which included distracting others and having an attitude that was not conducive of learning. Since this boy is no longer in the class, the other students seem to be more focused. Students leaving the classroom are not the only changes that the students have had. In the beginning of the school year the tables were in rows. Then they changed into groups, were students sat 4-6 per table group and now they are back to rows again. The students did fairly well in the beginning of the year with the tables in rows. When the tables were moved, students were more disruptive and they did not want to work with each other when it was time to work with table groups. When the students were moved back into rows, their behaviors have mellowed and they are back to working with each other again.

            A few of my students that need extra help leave my classroom with an aide for part of the period every day. The aide works with them on being organized, note taking, and helping some of them pass the tests by reviewing their notes.  I will have to review with them what they have missed. If the student is pulled out during group work, I can have another student help by teaching their peer what they missed. This will reinforce the material and catch the student up. I will also have to work with the aide that takes my students out of my class, so she knows when my tests are. This way the students will not miss a test and have ample time to complete the test.

 In this class, Jake (name change) loves to talk to everyone, but he ends up annoying most of his peers around him. George (name change) is unable to work with anyone right now. He has family issues and has shut down. He doesn’t want to do any work and no one wants to work with him. My cooperating teacher has had me pare up with him for group work and he asks to do the work by himself. I do know 1 student has glasses and doesn’t wear them. This student I am going to have to keep him close to the front of the class so he is able to read the board. I also have a student that has a hard time hearing. This student I will also have to keep him close to the front of the classroom. There a couple of girls that loves to talk to each other.

Since I have very diverse group of students, I am going to need a large arsenal of strategies to help my students. Within this arsenal will include a differentiated curriculum. Preparing some of my students before class, may help them learn the material and become confident in speaking in class. A back up plan is going to be needed for those internally motivated students that finish early. I could have them help other students, have practice sheets ready, or just have them read quietly until everyone is done. For the unmotivated students, I may have to talk to them and find a way to motivate them. This will not be an easy thing to do, especially with George (name change).

CF- classroom

Classroom

The 7^th grade Science classroom is a small room that has every table filled when all students are present. There is a storage room off to the back corner of the classroom. The storage room contains supplies for varies Science experiments. It also has a sink, microwave, refrigerator, ad a table. It has countertop space on 2 ½ sides of the room. It has cupboards and or drawers above and below the countertops. There are several sinks in the classroom. There are several things for the students to look at. There is a cupboard that has skulls, one that has formaldehyde animals in jars, and one that has sells and rocks. In several of the cupboards there are text books. One the countertops have a microscope that is set up for the students to look through. My cooperating teacher has set up a piece of bark for a couple of weeks and then changed it to a dead dragon fly. Most of the countertops are filled with other things that students can use or look at. My cooperating teacher has a section of countertop space set up with scrap paper student can use. On another section of counter space is return baskets. These baskets, students can find their work that is getting returned to them. One the walls there are posters and leaves. At the front of the room is a large island that has a sink. The teacher’s desk is right next to the island. This island will make it easier to model experiments show examples, but it also limits my movement in the classroom. The only computer and document camera is located on the teacher’s desk. This limits me to teaching from the front of the classroom if I have slides for the class or if I have to model note taking. This also doesn’t allow me to walk around the class while I teach to keep students on task.

For this class, classroom set up makes a difference. When I first started working with these students, the tables were in rows. Each table has a box of art supplies. Each box contains highlights, colored pencils, scissors, erasers, and ruler. It was hard to move around the room with the tables set up this way. Their behavior was normal for 7^th graders. They pretty much stayed on task and there were a few disruptions. When my cooperating teacher moved the tables into groups of 4-6 it was easier to move around the room but, there was an increase in behavioral issues. Students have been complaining about each other. Instead of working in groups, I have had more students ask to work individually. The desks are going back into rows next week. Hopefully this will solve some of the discipline issues in the class. By seeing the change in attitude, I now know that the desks are going to have to remain in rows while I teach this class to cut back on how much discipline I will have to do in the class. I prefer having the tables in groups versus rows normally; it makes it easier for group work.

 In the classroom I have access to a smart board, document camera, and clickers. The clickers will make it easy to give quick quizzes to find out where the students are at in their learning. These quizzes could be pre-tests or formative tests. The smart boards could allow me to make learning interactive with the students. The document camera will allow me to model note taking to the students.

For classroom discipline most of the time my cooperating teacher verbally tells the class to be quiet or holds up 2 fingers. The class usually responds to the fingers being held up. Once in a while a couple of students may not respond and she asks those students by name if we can continue. When those students are quiet, she continues teaching. My cooperating teacher has a rewards system in place. The class starts out with 3 points. Depending on how they behave they can earn more points of points get taken away. At the end of the class period she looks to see how many points the students have earned. She then randomly draws students’ names and if the students’ names were called and they can answer the question pertaining to the topic they are covering in class, then they earn a prize.

The class has participated in group work and class discussions. This class is also use to a variety of tests. When the students are part of a discussion they are required to stand up when they talk. Any time a student has a question they must raise their hand. When they are called on to ask their question they must stand up to ask the question. For all of their tests that they take, they may use their notebooks. 

I may have several challenges with this classroom set up. The first challenge is going to be having 32 students in my class. With such a large class, it increases the possibility for higher discipline issues. With the art boxes on the table during the whole period, students have the opportunity to draw instead of taking notes. I have witnessed on girl use the scissors to cut all of the loose strings on her sweatshirt. Other art supplies can also be used as a distraction. With such a small classroom, it will be hard to move around. This will make it difficult to get to every student and keep them on task. As a mentioned earlier, the set up in the front of the room limits were I can stand and move while teaching. Another challenge that I will have is making room for stations when it is time for students to do group work.

On the positive side, I have a storage room. I have a place to organize my materials before I put them out. Every student has a seat. I don’t have to worry about having students sit at the counter. I have technology to use. Using the technology that I have can make my life easier. For example, the clicker quizzes grade themselves. I do like the stand up to talk policy that the teacher has set in place. It makes the students speak up and hopefully I will be able to hear them better. They are not able to hide behind a book or their hands when they talk.

CF School

Claggett Creek Middle School has 914 students enrolled. They are considered a Title 1 school that has a met state standards and has a satisfactory report card. There are 52% of students that receive free lunches and 10% receive reduced lunches. They have a diverse students population, which includes 2% American Indian, 4% Asian/ Pacific Islander, 34% Hispanic, 1% Black, 47% White, and 12% unknown. There is a small population of 4% that is considered migrant. 14.3% of the student population is a part of the ELL program. Claggett Creek did have to expel 3 students in 2008-2009 school year due to weapons. Claggett Creek offer extra curricular activities that include football, cross country, volleyball, wrestling, and track and field. They also have activities that students can participate in. They have support groups, for example, if student is grieving over death of parent. These activities include band/orchestra, choir, Drama, B.A.S.E, and AVID. B.A.S.E. is a before school and after school enrichment program. Many students that are ELL, IEP, 504, and TAG are mixed into the main stream classes. Claggett Creek does have ELL classes and other classes for students that need the assistance. By knowing these number it allows me to prepare for having a diverse classroom. I will have to have many ways to teach my topics, since not every student learns the same way. With the different groups and supports that are put into place it shows me that this is a caring school.

Inside the school, most of the signs are in English and Spanish. There are 3 levels to the school. They have an elevator to move equipment and students are able to use it if they have a key (ex. students with handicap). In case of a fire, there are rooms that are labeled,Area of Rescue Assistance, which are located in some of the team rooms for students to go if they are unable to use the stairs. These students go into the team rooms and push a button and these rooms are searched first. The school has many cases that have different things in each case. For a couple of weeks one case had a Science display. This display had different models that included cells, molecules, airplanes, and cities. Each model had a book next to it that showed a picture of the model and a paper that had the similarities and differences of models to full scale. Another case had awards. The staff members are friendly and easy to talk to. On Fridays, many of the teachers will dress down on this day. They will wear jeans and Claggett Creek  t-shirts or polo shirts. When you have questions, all you need to do is ask a staff member. It doesn’t matter if the question is about a policy, student, or about how to better your curriculum the staff is their to help. The Vice Principal is really nice and approachable. In the offices the names are posted of the staff in the offices. Many of the staff eat lunch together in the staff room. There are many staff rooms throughout the school. They talk about the school, students and their own personal lives. Many of the students in the school are polite. I have noticed very few students have bad attitudes about school, class, or peers while in class. During passing time the halls are really busy. It is difficult to more around, especially if you are going against traffic. During passing time, the teachers stand in front of their doors watching the halls and greeting their students. Security is also in the halls making sure that students are on their way to class and not causing trouble. In some of the halls there are students work posted and posters for different events. Students create video announcements that the teachers may or may not turn on during scheduled part of a  class period. The school is really clean.

In the mornings, the school offices do not open until 7:30 am. Teacher contract hours are from 7:30-3:30. Many teachers show up before their contract begins and leaves after their contract ends. Some of the teachers are also coaches and others participate in before and after school activities. I know of at least 1 counselor that also participates in the B.A.S.E. program. This shows me that many teaches and staff are dedicated to their students. School starts at 7:55am and ends at 2:40pm. Students are not allowed in the main part of the building before 7:30, they have to remain in the commons area or outside. The commons area is also the only spot that students are suppose to eat lunch. The students and teaching staff either have first lunch or second lunch. The school is also broken down into 70 minute block periods. A days are periods 1-5 and B days are periods 6-10. Students are not allowed to have backpacks in the classrooms. They must keep all backpacks and jackets in lockers. Over all the school has a nice feel to it. It may be hard for 6th graders to get use to lockers and leaving most of their stuff in it. There are about 41 8th grade students that help with 6th graders. These 8th graders are in leadership roles. that they have to meet the basic standards to before being selected and they have to receive training. They spend 3 days with a student making sure they get to and from their classes, have someone to eat lunch with, and help with lockers.

CF community part 2

Claggett Creek Middle School is located in Keizer, Oregon. Keizer, Oregon is in Marion County and has a population of 36,220. The school is across the street from Weddle Elementary School. Keizer has 7 elementary, 2 middle, and 1 high school that is a part of Salem-Keizer School District. It has a wide range of ethnic groups, but is dominated by a high white population 85.5%. As of the 2000 census, Keizer also has .75% Black, 1.38% American Indian, .2% Pacific Islander, 1.49% Asian, 12.7% Hispanic and 7.22% other. The average age of a person living in Keizer is 34. 80.4% of the people have received their High School diploma and 24.4% have received a bachelor’s degree. Out  of the 36,220 people, 9.3% are below the poverty line. Over half of the population live in houses. The average price for a home in Keizer is $165, 028. Keizer has some anuual events within the community. Every year they have an annual tree lighting right after Thanksgiving. At Keizer Station, which is a shopping center, they hold the Iris festival. Keizer also participates in National Neighborhood Night Out, which is held on the second Tuesday in August every year. Keizer is the home of the Volcanoes baseball team. They also have a Heritage museum inside the Keizer Community Center. The building was an old school house that was built in 1916.

In the neighborhoods surrounding the school, most of the houses look like older homes. Most of them look like they are kept up. There are few that need a coat of paint and maybe a few boards need to be replaced. There is also a mixture of newer and older cars in the neighborhoods. I did see a few motor homes/trailers. One a the neighborhood that was visited had a row of newer homes. These homes were large, at least one of them had a 3 car garage. In this neighborhood, there was a couple of little boys playing on scooters on the sidewalk. Close to the school there are apartment complexes and town homes. Many of the neighborhoods had no sidewalks. Some of the houses had Halloween decorations up. There were a couple of small parks in the neighborhood and there were no kids at the park at about 10 am on a Friday. In less than a mile away from the school, there are cows in a field. About 1 mile away from the school are many fast food chains including Sonic, Burger King, and Muchas Gracias. The Kroc center is also close to the school. The Kroc center is a community center that was open after 2004, when Joan Kroc left money to the Salvation Army. That money was split up between 20 centers across the country. Local funding for the rest of the money needed to build the center made the center possible.

Claggett Creek Middle School is a part of the Salem-Keizer School District. The school district has 40,481 students that were enrolled in the 2009-2010 school year. There are 67 schools in the district, which include 45 elementary, 10 middle, 8 high, and 4 charter. More than half of the student population is considered to be living in poverty. The school district contains a diverse population of students which include, 1% African American, 1% American Indian, 2% Asian/Pacific Islander, 36% Hispanic, 4% multi-Ethnic, and 54% White. Salem-Keizer School District has programs for students with special needs. They have a TAG program, which includes 9% of the student population. 14% of students are a part of the Special Education program. There is also an ELL program, which has 18% of the student population. The top 3 languages other than English that are spoken in the schools are Spanish, Russian, and Marshallese. Salem-Keizer has 28 schools that are receiving title 1 funding.

By basing what I have seen and have looked up from other sources, the students that attend Claggett Creek Middle School come from all walks of life. I am going to have to adjust my teaching style accordingly. By looking through the neighborhoods, most of the families may middle class or lower economically. By reading about the Kroc center, this lead me to believe that many people in this area have a since of community and pride. This is something else that I have to look at when I start teaching. By looking at the percentages of different  cultures, I need to remember that not every student has experienced the same thing. This statement holds true to the students that come from different economic and social backgrounds as well. While teaching, I will need to remember that some things I will have to explain a bit more than others ( ex. not every student has experienced the ocean). It will also be important to have students share their experiences with everyone, this way we can all learn.

CF Equity

Claggett Creek Middle School is located in Keizer, Oregon. Keizer, Oregon is in Marion County and has a population of 36,220. Keizer has 7 elementary, 2 middle, and 1 high school that is a part of Salem-Keizer School District. It has a wide range of ethnic groups, but is dominated by a high white population 85.5%. As of the 2000 census, Keizer also has .75% Black, 1.38% American Indian, .2% Pacific Islander, 1.49% Asian, 12.7% Hispanic and 7.22% other. The average age of a person living in Keizer is 34. 80.4% of the people have received their High School diploma and 24.4% have received a bachelor’s degree. Out  of the 36,220 people, 9.3% are below the poverty line. Over half of the population live in houses. The average price for a home in Keizer is $165, 028. Keizer has some anuual events within the community. Every year they have an annual tree lighting right after Thanksgiving. At Keizer Station, which is a shopping center, they hold the Iris festival. Keizer also participates in National Neighborhood Night Out, which is held on the second Tuesday in August every year. Keizer is the home of the Volcanoes baseball team. They also have a Heritage museum inside the Keizer Community Center. The building was an old school house that was built in 1916.

Claggett Creek Middle School is a part of the Salem-Keizer School District. The school district has 40,481 students that were enrolled in the 2009-2010 school year. There are 67 schools in the district, which include 45 elementary, 10 middle, 8 high, and 4 charter. More than half of the student population is considered to be living in poverty. The school district contains a diverse population of students which include, 1% African American, 1% American Indian, 2% Asian/Pacific Islander, 36% Hispanic, 4% multi-Ethnic, and 54% White. Salem-Keizer School District has programs for students with special needs. They have a TAG program, which includes 9% of the student population. 14% of students are a part of the Special Education program. There is also an ELL program, which has 18% of the student population. The top 3 languages that are spoken in the schools are Spanish, Russian, and Marshallese. Salem-Keizer has 28 schools that are receiving title 1 funding.

Reflection 4.1

Reactions to different kinds of kids

Kids you find it easy to like:
Most of the time the kids that it is easy for me to like are ones that I can talk to easily (don't want to constantly want to fight). They are easy to teach. They have great personalities and they have a good heart.


Kids you find it hard to like:
It is hard to like kids that threaten you. Kids that have major behavioral issues that don't want  help. These kids make it hard because I want to guide them toward a better path. This could cause frustration all around. I have yet to find a kid that I just don't like yet. I have had kids that drive me crazy, but I still like them.

Kids you feel sorry for:
If I am feeling sorry for a kid, I want to help them. I want to get them out of the situation that could be causing them pain. For example, these would be kids that have been abused.

Kids you feel threatened by:
I have yet to feel threatened by a kid. I am assuming it would feel the same as feeling threatened by a young adult . I would have a hard time teaching in that type of an environment and the students around me would have a hard time learning in that type environment. I would be afraid and on edge. I would be more assertive in the classroom. 

Kids you identify with:
I would feel understanding. I would most likely get along with that student most of the time. It would make it easier to teach a student that I could identify with, because I know the reasons for their logic.

Kids you gravitate toward:
I try not to gravitate toward one particular kid. I feel that I need to be myself and kids gravitate toward me. I give them honesty, respect and space. The kids that gravitate toward me are ones that need someone to talk to. I also get kids that have good hearts and that are easy for people to get along with. I don't get the kids that  just want to be mean, bullying, or just hard to get along with.

Kids you feel inadequate around:
I haven't found kids that I feel inadequate around yet.

Kids you probably don't even notice:
I don't know if I have ever not noticed a kid. If I have I would feel really bad.


It would be hard to teach in an environment that was threatening and full of students that were hard to like. It would be hard for students to learn in an environment like this. Even though I will not be able to identify with all of my students, I do have many experiences that will help me understand some of them. It is easy to teach the kids that gravitate toward you. How do you teach the kids that avoid you?

Equity 3.2 reflection/Interview

I interviewed a retired teacher (Jane Eddings) about the changes in education because of the Civil Rights movement. She told me that most of the legal aspects were already enforced and supported when she started teaching. More changes came later during her teaching with gender and disability equity. I asked her if she witnessed any of the changes. She told me that teachers and administrators went through lots of training to recognize discrimination. There was enforcement that came later. She also told me that students that had disabilities were segregated from the rest of the school. There were very few female teachers and administrators and none that she could remember that had disabilities.

Jane worked at Sprague High School for her career. She was there shortly after the school opened in the 70s.

It must have been difficult to be 1 of the few female teachers in the school and to go through major training on discrimination. Especially, when there is a possibility that you may have been discriminated against yourself. She never told me if she was ever discriminated against as being a female teacher. The training had to have opened the eyes of everyone that took the training.  

3 dimensions of achievement as a teacher

Achievements can be unique and personal. It depends how the person views achievement. For me, achievement is my ability to obtain my own goals and the goals that others have set for me. I try to set goals that are within my own reach. I try not to set goals that are too easy, because I want to be challenged. One of my achievements was graduating from college. It took me 8-9 years to obtain my bachelors degree in Biology, but I feel proud that I have earned that degree. The reason it took me so long was because I had to work while going to school. Another achievement that I have kept so far is living in the same house for more than 4 years. In the last 35 years I have lived in at least 17 different houses/apartments. So far I have been in the same house for 8 years and I hope to live in this house for many more years to come. A goal that I have for myself is being a teacher. It has and will continue to be hard work to obtain this goal. Once I am a teacher I know I will continue to set goals for myself so that I can continue to grow and help my students. Another goal that I have is to travel. Traveling will take time and as I am able to save the money I will do it. I want to travel to the states that I have not been to and I want to show my boys different parts of the US. This country has some real beauty and history to it. There are several countries that I want to see (Ireland, Bulgaria, Greece, etc.). I was lucky that I had internal motivation. It made it easier for me to set goals and strive to be better.  

As a teacher, I will set goals for my students to strive to achieve and I will encourage my students to set their own goals. Their goals could be as simple as matching the goals that I set for them or they can go beyond my expectations. They may have a goal to be on time to my class or to beat their last test score.

One of the goals that I will have for my students is to complete all of the assignments that I have assigned. Another goal that I will have for my students is to pass the tests. The goal that I will have for myself is to hand back all work back within a 1 week period. Every student should be able to set their own goals. I am hoping they all will be willing to try to meet the goals that I set for them. If they are unable to meet the goals that I set for them, I hope they feel comfortable to come to me to talk about why and try to figure out a way for them to meet my goals or their goals. 

I do realize that not every student is going to meet the goals that I have set in my classroom. All of my students are not going to be internally motivated. It is my job to help them set goals and find out what is going to make them motivated to learn. By keeping an open line of communication, having a positive attitude, and being honest with my students, hopefully this will be enough to have most of my students feel comfortable to talk to me. By the time they leave my class most of  my students will have achieved something. 

Equity- Autobiography part 2

      Looking back in my childhood, the hardest part about moving was leaving the people I met behind. I was almost always upset to leave, but I was happy when I made friends.The downfall of moving so much was I never had the long-term childhood friends that many kids my age had. I only told certain friends certain personal information, because I didn't know how long we would be friends. Keeping in touch after a move usually did not happen. In the back of my mind, I never knew how long I was going to stay at my home/school. All of the knowledge that I have acquired through every move will help me be more empathetic toward the students that are frequent movers. I have the understanding of what they could be going through. I know that what they are going through is probably different and their feeling maybe different, but I can let them know that I am there if they need help catching up on a topic, because the school they came from is in a different place than were I am at in my lesson.
        Moving  a lot means you live in a variety of neighborhoods and homes. In my life time so far I have lived in what I would consider low income to middle class homes/apartments. The most cramped in a home has been when my family lived with my grandparents in a 2 bedroom 1 bath trailer. My brother and I slept in the dining area. This was not a fun experience. The nicest place that I have lived is now. I am a proud home owner making mortgage payments in a nice neighborhood. I have lived in areas where there has been gang activity,drug activity, and severe crime area. In living in a variety of areas, I learned how to communicate with a variety of people. I am hoping that I will be able to use some of the knowledge that I have gained from this neighborhoods to apply it to my teachings, especially if I talk about communities. 
       Alcoholism was mainly in my extended family. I didn't have it in my home, but I experienced it none the less. I understand what it is like to witness child abuse. My uncle would come home drunk, yell and hit his kids with the belt. He never curved his language at all when I was around. My family stressed me out when they drank. I never new if they were going to be violent or over loving (ranting on how much they love you). I do have one thing to thank my family for. I knew I didn't want to be like them and I am not.What I have learned as a child was how to be better than some of the role models before me.  If a student felt comfortable to talk to me about their family; I would listen to what they have to say. I may share some stories with them, if they want to hear them. I hope that I am able to guide and help students to be better people. Good role models are sometimes hard to find, especially when you are a place where you want to hide.
       From moving, family, and being picked on at school and home I have developed a tough side to me. I have been in a few fights, but I usually don't try to be in them. The first one was to protect my brother from a kid that was being a bully. To me protecting family is the right thing to do. I love my family and I am very attached to them. The second one the kid just wouldn't back off and it just happened. I person can only take so much before they blow. As a teacher, I hope that I can be the mediator before a student blows and two students decide to take it to the next level. I have found that sometimes fights break out over misunderstandings. Most of the fights that I have seen ( that I have not been apart of) have been the same gender. I believe that girls can hold their own in a fight just as well as boys. Girls are a little more brutal. They pull hair, use nails, and rip out earrings.
        As gender as a whole the experiences that I have had have been people telling me that I can't do something because I am a girl. That statement always has made me angry. If you want something bad enough, you have to try for it. If it doesn't work, it is not because of your gender. It is because you were not able to do it. I want all of my students to try in my class. It doesn't matter of their gender, race, religion, sexual orientation. They all will have a fair chance in my class to succeed.
         I am very blessed to have a good family structure. Both of my parents loved me and showed me that they loved me. They were very supportive in everything that I did. As I have grown my idea of family has changed to include my friends into my family. Family to me is a group of people that may or may not be related to you that care about and/or love you. Hopefully most of my students will have at least 1 person in their life that care about them. If not, I can tell them that I care what happens and that they have options in their life.

        Since I have seen so much in the last 35 years, my perspective of the world is not very rosie. Students are different and come from different backgrounds. They may have home issues, school issues, learning disabilities that have been overlooked, english as a second language, and many more. It is my job to guide them and teach them. My job may include talking to them about personal issues or class work. I may have to be a mediator of a fight or help students solve a problem with another student. To one or more students I may be a role model. I want to work as many problems out in my classroom before calling the parents into play. Since I don't know what kind of home life my student has, I don't want to make it worse at home unless I have to.
    

      

equity- Autobiography

Autobiography


        Almost 36 years ago on December 1, 1974, I was born. My birth took place at San Jose Community Hospital. Before I was 2 my parents moved to Southern California. That was where my brother was born. He began to irritate me from day one. Shortly after he was born we moved to Milpitas, California. I was lucky enough to stay there through the first time I took third grade. Then the Ford plant closed where my dad was working (he lost his job) and our house got burglarized. My parents said enough and we moved to Wisconsin to live with my grandparents.

        The trip to Wisconsin was a very long 4 day trip in a Pinto. My grandparents lived in a small 2 bedroom, 1 bath trailer on property. There is nothing like sleeping in the dining area with your brother in the bed next to you. One of the morning chores is to put the hid a bed away. We had to catch the bus before the sun came up and take over an hour bus ride to school. My grandparents also smoked heavily in the house. Luckily we only had to live there for about 9 months. I spent most of my second year of third grade there (I was held back because of reading comprehension problems).

         My dad found a job in a foundry in Iron Mountain, Mi and a house in Niagara, Wisconsin. I then started the Niagara, Wisconsin public school system to finish up the second part of my third grade year. I had a lot of fun in Niagara. We had the cold, snowy winters which was great for snow ball fights, ice skating outside, and making snow forts. In the summer we had playing in the forest and the creeks. I brought home lots of frogs and toads. My fifth grade year I was able to learn how to play the trumpet. I was terrible. I parents made me practice in the basement with 2 doors closed. I stuck with it and made all the neighbor kids listen to me play. I was able to stay in Niagara through my fifth grade year. Then we found out my grandma Evanoff was really sick. We moved back to California. Nothing like having your mom tell you what ever you can fit in a moving box can go.

        Sixth-eighth grade we moved every year within nearby cities. We either shared a dwelling with family or lived in a 2 bedroom apartment during this time period. In sixth grade I was able to participate in a group called Young Astronauts. It was a great opportunity for me and since my aunt started the program in that area I was allowed to participate a year early. I was able to see the Hubble Space Telescope before it went in space. I was able to go to the state capital and launch model rockets. Sixth grade was also the first time that I got into a fight and it was with a boy that was picking on my brother. I told him to leave my brother alone or I would rearrange his face and he told me to try it so I did. I tried to punch him in the face and he blocked it, but I punched him so hard that he hit himself in the face. He left my brother alone and stayed away from me. This happened in the apartment complex that I lived in.

        In my eighth grade year was the second time that I fought with another kid other than my brother. A boy was teasing me and wouldn’t back off and eventually we got into a fight in the street. One of my friends broke it off.

         I found relief in sports and band in high school. In my ninth grade year I learned how to play field hockey. I loved it. It became a stress reliever for me. I volunteered to be goalie. I ended up being goalie for all 4 years. I played softball for 2 years. I used to have a great arm in softball. I could throw the ball from right field to home plate. I did a pretty good job of catching the ball, but my batting needed a lot of work. I became involved with Science Club. Science club gave me great opportunities to escape life and enjoy life for a bit. Through Science club I went on several trips including week long trips to Death Valley. We camped in the desert for a week with no electricity, running water, or toilets. I found out by high school my trumpet playing became a lot better. When you are the only trumpet player or one of two you have a tendency to work a little bit harder. Every piece you play is a solo. I had to deal with the death of my grandmother in my freshman year. It was hard because I was very close to her. I also had to deal with the ’89 earthquake that shook the bay area. There is nothing like having reality swing a hammer at your head. The earthquake was so strong that it knocked my bookshelf onto my water bed. I barely had enough room to get into my room. The reality part was if that quake would have happened in the middle of the night instead of the day, I would not be typing this blog right now. In my sophomore year I found out that my school was getting closed along with some others due to budget cuts. I had a little adjusting to do going into my new school my junior year. My junior year was a mix of the social and ethnic classes. If you didn’t go to the right middle school you were not easily accepted. There were a lot of fights on and off campus. No, none of the fights involved me. Being at this new school gave me 2 opportunities in band to travel to Disneyland to play. My senior year my grandpa remarried. I was very angry about his choice. I was very vocal about it. At the end of my senior year I moved to my aunt’s house. My parents moved back to Niagara shortly after graduated (1993). I was promoted at my job to assistant manager. My grandpa Baker was not doing well health wise and my brother was in a lot of trouble and going down the wrong path. They left without me this time.

           College came before I knew it. I decided to work full time and go to school part time at a junior college. Within a year of going to school, I new California was not the place for me. I moved to Oregon and lived with my cousins in Aumsville. My job allowed me to transfer. I worked for a year and then went back to school at Chemeketa and continued to work full time. During this time period my parents got divorced and my grandpa passed away (1995). I transferred from Chemeketa to Portland State. I quit my job and moved in with my boyfriend while I was attending PSU. That only lasted a year. When e broke up with me I found a job and a place to live within 2 weeks. I was out the door and on my own again. I have a wonderful aunt that paid for my housing while I was at PSU. I was taking 16-18 credits and working 20 hours per week. After the break up I reconnected with some old friends in Salem. That is how I met my current husband. After graduating from PSU (2002) I moved in with my fiancé. About eight months later I was married.

          I am still married and I have 2 wonderful boys. Sean is 6 and Jordan is 3 1/2. I have wanted to teach for a while. I was talking to my mom about it. I was going to wait until Jordan was in school and she told me to do it now. I talked to my husband and took her advice. I relearned everything that I forgot from high school and college in 5 week chunks to try and pass the exams needed to be a teacher. I volunteered in high school classrooms last year. For the last 2 years I have been a math tutor for middle school and high school students. I have tutored students in science over the last year. I have been a preschool teacher to Jordan and my friend’s daughter. I have also been supplementing school work for Sean to make him learn more and reinforce what he knows.
         I will have a lot to offer the students that I teach. I have gone through a lot in my life both positive and negative. With all of the moving that I have done has taught me how to make friends and the importance of good friends. I have also learned the importance of family and I understand that people have different home lives. I have experienced a loving family, but have seen my cousins being hit and yelled at by their father. I have seen what alcoholism can do to a family dinamic.I have experienced being poor and I  have experienced being middle class. I have lived in communities that have ranged in diversity. I believe that every student needs to find an outlet for life.This outlet can be sports, music, reading, etc.
        This is just a brief door that I have opened for you. I have believe that I am a stronger person for all that I have seen, dealt with, and enjoyed in my life so far. I believe that I will be able to relate to many students and I will have many stories to share with them.

equity ch 1

ch. (1.1-4,1.11-13)

1.1

I have a vision of myself as a fantastic teacher. I want to teach students not only the content material that they need to know but also how to use the resources available to them. I want my students to develop and fine tune critical thinking skills. I want to capture my students’ attention by having a variety of learning materials, so they don’t have to learn everything from lectures and textbooks. I want to have my students learn how to work in groups as well as by themselves. I want my students to learn to respect each other and follow the rules that are set for them. I will be honest with my students and let them know that I am there if they need help or need to talk.

1.2

Love(ing) children means being there for them when they need someone. Loving children means caring. Loving children means having boundaries and structure.

Want(ing) to help students means learning. Both students and teachers need to learn (knowledge, self, and about each other). Wanting to help students means opening their eyes to possibilities. There is more to life than what is in front of you.

Another reason I want to teach includes enjoying the material that I teach. I want to pass on my knowledge and share my passion of science.

1.3

Loving children will sustain me if I am strong and don’t let the system wear me down and I keep my boundaries and structure.

Wanting to help students will sustain me if I continue to learn with the students & realize that I can’t help every student.

Another reason I want to teach includes will sustain me if I incorporate a variety of techniques in my curriculum and make it interesting for my students.

1.4

The similarities between Darling Hammond & 1.2 are that I want them to learn and acknowledge that there is diversity out there and we can learn from it. The differences are that I didn’t mention as being a teacher to be prepared for diversity. I talked about having boundaries or rules. I didn’t state anything about using students’ backgrounds for teaching strategies. I talked about caring for my students and letting them know I am there.

1.11

Dale Spender’s new interpretations

I believe that Dale Spender’s interpretation is that we couldn’t rely on men to talk or put together women studies. In “men’s” eyes it was perceived as no problem. This could have been the norm at the time. Many studies are of white males. Since no studies were available women had to get it going.

1.12

The main purpose of schools is to have a place where students can gather to learn about book knowledge, to socialize with a variety of people, and learn to work together.

This purpose relates to or serves a diverse society because students are able to work with a diverse group of people. While spending time in a diverse group the students will learn patience and learn knowledge that will hopefully carry them through life.

This purpose relates to or serves a socially stratified society because people come from all walks of life and when in a social community it allows people to learn from each other. Students will choose to which direction they want to go but hopefully they will take the knowledge that they have learned with them. It can help bridge gaps in society and lessen any fear that people may have or preconceptions.

The implications of what I wrote above for the work of a teacher will be to have students work in groups. Teachers need to help students work through problems that they may have and to learn tolerance, patience, and respect. Teachers need to integrate multicultural material into the curriculum so students can experience different cultures and to relate to the material that is given.

1.13

As a teacher I envision myself teaching students to work together in learning knowledge, having tolerance and respect for each other. I also want a variety of material to keep my students interested and I expect my students to work. I will be honest with my students and expect them to follow the rules that I have set and the school has set.

The one thing that added from 1.1 was tolerance.