My initial feelings as I entered Ms. Smile’s* first grade class were those of fear, discomfort, and doubt. I gazed upon the children with whom I would have the opportunity to work for the next few months, and realized that for the first time in my life, I was in the minority. There were no Caucasian, Asian, or African American children in the class; every child was Hispanic, and I was suddenly terrified. I knew that this was a possibility, being that 88% of Lincoln Elementary is Hispanic, but it did not sink in until I saw the children myself. The first-graders stared at me as if I was a predator entering their territory. Their faces ranged from expressions of fear to those of confusion and dismay. I thought to myself, “Now I know how each of these students feels on a daily basis.” Once I started working with the students, however, I began to feel more comfortable in my new and uneasy setting. The false initial assumptions were a result of my own insecurity. Because I was in the minority, I felt out of place in the classroom, much like these students may feel in the world. Before my experience at Lincoln Elementary, I did not fully understand the numerous struggles of students who are constantly in the minority, but working with these dissimilar children allowed me to take a visit into their turbulent lives and into the demanding lives of teachers who work with them.
Once I became acquainted with my mentor teacher, Ms. Smile, she put me straight to work. I began by taking each child aside and testing their individual math and grammar skills. As Ms. Smile was giving me instructions and showing me the class list, she crossed off a few of the names on the roll, instructing me not to call these students up to test because they did not know how to speak English. There were four or five students who fell into this category. Thankfully, Ms. Smile spoke Spanish, so during recess the children who did not know English stayed inside and took the test. My heart ached for these students because they had to sacrifice a time where they could forget about the hardships they endured in the classroom to take a test. These non-English speaking children were not only minorities in society, but were the minorities in their English-only classroom.
One English Language Learner (ELL) that I worked with had copious difficulties in the classroom, and was extremely confused. This student, Susan*, not only spoke little English, but also had a speech impediment. During one of my earlier service learning outings at Lincoln, I prepared a farm unit for Ms. Smile’s first grade class and was able to see my hard work in action as I assisted Susan in a private tutoring session for this particular project. The children’s task was to construct a paper farm of their own, and then make a map of their three dimensional creation. As I began to help Susan, I was surprised to see that she had already completed the task; after taking a closer look, however, I began to realize that her map was amiss, and together we started the project from the very beginning. The most frustrating part of this situation was that Susan was totally oblivious to what I was saying. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she was puzzled. I was able to see the ramifications for students with language barriers when tossed into regular English speaking classrooms. Susan was far behind her peers, and trying to catch up exhausted her. This was a major problem, not only for Susan, but also for Ms. Smile. Had I not been there to help Susan she would currently be even more disoriented and confused. Through this experience, I saw how stressful having children who do not speak English in an English-only classroom is for teachers, especially because students in this situation are often far behind academically. Teachers neither have the time nor the resources to repeat and review as needed. As a result, student test scores are low, and teacher responsibility, frustration, and stress increases.
Graphic: http://www.thinkquest.org/library/websitena.html?J001156
Having one-on-one time with the English-speaking students was a gratifying opportunity as well. I was surprised at how intelligent these students were in grammar skills, because almost every child with whom I worked with knew the answer to all the questions asked. Their math proficiency was equally as impressive. After analyzing both the students that I previously assisted at Johnson Elementary and the students at Lincoln, I realized that many of the students at Lincoln are hardly behind or even slightly ahead of the students at Johnson. In both schools I worked with excellent teachers, and I credit the students’ success to teacher influence. Ms. Smile taught me that no matter the race or socioeconomic background of children, they can succeed because of the faith of a teacher. She expected the very best from her students, and as a result, her students performed their best. Regardless of a student’s background, high expectations need to be set in order to attain success.
Graphic: http://www.aoc.nrao.edu/~hdinwidd/School%20Girls.JPG
There were some classroom procedures and requirements that differed between Lincoln and Johnson, however, because of the No Child Left Behind Act’s goal to close the achievement gap among America’s middle and upper class youth and its struggling minorities. At Johnson, there was hardly any testing because the school was performing at grade level. Sadly, Lincoln was very different because they are not performing at the government desired level. The principle at Lincoln Elementary requires each teacher to administer at least five tests to the students in every area of the report card each quarter. Consequently, the children take sixty or more tests each quarter. I assisted in Ms. Smile’s class on some Fridays, or test days, where the children took five or six tests in one day. On the contrary, other classrooms that I have visited for my service learning have had no more than one or two tests a week. Lincoln’s test-filled school day allowed me to really understand the negative effects of the No Child Left Behind Act. Ms. Smile’s class had to concentrate on academics so intensely that they did not have time to relax or take pleasure in what they were learning.
As a result of the vast number of tests, there was an unending stack of papers for teacher grading. I was able to grade every one of the tests that the children took each day I was at Lincoln, requiring the majority of my time in the classroom. If I had not been in Ms. Smile’s class, she would have had to either take the test home with her, or stay late after school to grade them. I realized how time consuming grading is, and how many extra hours teachers have to sacrifice to their job in doing so, especially when in a low-socioeconomic school.
Graphic: http://www.theteachersguide.com/edgraphicsbw.html
Despite the rigorous testing in Ms. Smiles class, her students adored her. After spending many hours in this first grade classroom, it was obvious to me that the children in Ms. Smile’s class thought she was the best teacher that ever existed. The examples of teachers Jamie Escalante in the film “Stand and Deliver” and Ms. Smile of using humor in the classroom allowed me to see mastery in making learning enjoyable. After viewing the effectiveness of this technique, I believe that humor can be a huge contributor to academic success. Ms. Smile was constantly making her students laugh while they were learning, connecting what subjects to life in a unique way. She told them stories about her own life when appropriate, so her students were able to see that she was an ordinary person with ordinary experiences. Even though Ms. Smile was of a different race and background than her students, she found ways to relate to the children. She respected and celebrated their differences by celebrating different native holidays, talking with their parents, and using classroom examples that related to their home life. Because of her knowledge of their culture and use of humor, they held her at highest regard. I may be different than the students in my future classroom, but I will do my part to welcome, acknowledge, and rejoice in diversity like Ms. Smile and her students.
Graphic: http://es.houstonisd.org/DurkeeES/Images/School/teacher.jpg
Taking a visit into the lives of a teacher and her students who suffer from the hardships of being a minority has been a humbling learning event. Through my experience at Lincoln Elementary, I discovered the adversity that is connected to being a minority. This first grade class was very different from what I first expected because they accepted me regardless of our differences. Prior to this point I had had my mind set on teaching kindergarten, but decided to try another grade. I am thrilled that I stretched past my kindergarten desires, and am now eager to discover if I will enjoy second, third, or even sixth grade. The alterations in my views as a teacher that matter most, however, do not involve grade level, but regard the minorities in our school system. Not only did I appreciate working in the first grade, but also I saw the benefits gained through teaching at a culturally diverse school. I can appreciate teachers who work in lower socioeconomic areas even more because of this experience, and have greatly considered teaching in one myself. For a short time I became a minority in this first grade classroom, receiving a glimpse of what these children face daily. Unlike the children at Lincoln, however, these feelings of despair and misplacement are not my permanent home. Therefore, next time I feel uncomfortable and as if I am in the minority, I will think of my experiences at Lincoln Elementary and simply say, ”At least you are only a visitor.”
Graphic: http://www.sacramentoriverguides.org/images/techtv_badge.gif
Please wait...
