Paulo Freire: Chapter 1 of Pedagogy of the Oppressed

The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, chapter one, explains how to become human beings. We live in a society that that has a distorted view of what it means to be human. There are two types of people in the world, the oppressor and the oppressed. 

            The oppressor, in the act of trying to be “human, “ dehumanizes the oppressed. The oppressors believe they have freedom. (Which they don’t) The oppressed on the other hand start to believe they are of little worth and see no other way than to be under the rule of the oppressor. It is ironic because they (the oppressed) are the key to restoring humanity. In order to achieve humanity, the oppressed need to fight for their freedom, which is responsibility and the right to self govern. This conquest is not impossible but the oppressed must overcome their lack of confidence and ACT!

            The oppressed must overlook their current situation and see themselves as powerful figures.  In order to do this, they need to continuously reflect on who they are and what they are doing to act. By acting, they become the oppressors of the former oppressors. If they are not acting correctly, they will switch roles and become the new oppressors. If the pedagogy is rightfully achieved, the (former) oppressors will sympathize with the oppressed and all will be equal.  At the end of the reading it briefly revealed who exactly the oppressed and oppressors are.  The oppressors are teachers and the oppressed are students.

So what does this all mean? I believe it means that our education is changing. It used to be that teachers were the leaders and students saw the teacher as a feared authority figure. Teachers taught by lecture. One-way communication. Education has come a long way since then. We have found that classrooms work more effectively when teachers and students work together (as the reading states) “re-creating that knowledge.” This knowledge comes from constant reflection and action. The goal of the classroom is to attain freedom and human equality.  If teachers and students work together and create a space where two-way communication, positive feedback, and an uplifting atmosphere coexist, students will be successful in their role as a learner and creator of knowledge.

This text was very difficult to understand and I still am not sure if have a clear idea of the point this text was trying to make. I did like nor understand the reasoning behind people having “objective” and “subjective” views. It says that they cannot exist together or apart and they contradict each other, therefore they do not exist. And yet society needs to have an objective view in order to correctly act.

I also did not agree with the portion that explains the oppressed as being a flock that does not make a decision without everybody else agreeing at the same time. If we look at it from a classroom perspective, there are small groups of students who group together and generally agree on a choice before voicing it, but somewhere along the line, an individual had to express an opinion in order for there to be action. 

I thought this informational text danced around a simple concept and was very repetitive explaining it. The level of diction was unnecessarily high and was probably put in place for the purpose of confusion. I felt oppressed! It seemed in some ways, a false representation and over exaggerated interpretation of the educational system.

Common Core State Standards for Reading

I studied the reading literature and informational text standards for 8^th grade to get a deeper understanding of what each standard entailed and if the students in my classroom were up to par with the standards. I also read over the reading foundational skills for 5^th grade (the highest grade standard).

First off, I want to say that I am a fan of Common Core State Standards. I believe that schools all around the country should strive to meet similar goals. It would be convenient for students to move to a different state and not be far behind or ahead in the curriculum (easier on the teacher too). I also believe that the standards are broad enough that a number of classrooms can be at different levels of understanding while achieving the standard. Like the website states, “Teachers are thus free to provide students with whatever tools and knowledge their professional judgment and experience identify as most helpful for meeting the goals set out in the Standards.” Not all teachers are created equal. Some teachers will help their students to achieve the higher end of the standard, while other teachers reach the lower end. The gaps in the standard can be positive or negative depending on the work ethic of the teacher.

Reading, in my opinion, is the most effective way to gain knowledge. Looking over the reading standards, I was impressed to see the word “analyze” in almost every single one. This verb tells us that students should not just read, but they should reflect, examine and make connections to what they read. This skill is essential for citizens who live in the real world (real world meaning to have a job, or important responsibility.)

In the CCSS I also ran across some things I did not like. One in particular is the goal learners are supposed to meet by the end of the year. For 8^th graders, they are to read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of their grades text complexity band. I am not totally sure of what a complexity band is, but I do know that each book in a school library shows what reading level it is. Just because a student is in 8^th grade does not mean they are incompetent if they have trouble reading 8^th grade level books. The books are given a reading level based on the level of diction it uses. There is more to a fiction novels than vocabulary. Books at a 5^th grade reading level contain complex situations that cause the reader to think of a solution. These books can be about characters that are older than ten and experience problems that 13 and 14-year-olds do.  I am new to the whole education field but I hope the tools that are used for determining whether a student is with the standard are not solely measured by vocabulary.

Discussion as a Way of Teaching

Discussion is one of the greatest tools that can be used in the classroom if it is used correctly. After reading chapters one and two from, “Discussion as a Way of Teaching,” I have learned a great deal about what discussion can do for students if teachers give specific guidelines and direction.

When I was in middle and high school, I hated the days where we would have a huge class discussion for a whole class period. Even though I had been keeping up on the reading and homework, I felt inadequate. There were those few in my class who knew everything and when people like me wanted to speak, I felt like they would just rip me apart and I would not be able to defend myself. Those people were of course not practicing the disposition of hospitality! In the reading many things were said that were once my beliefs, such as, a fear of looking stupid in front of peers for not knowing enough about the subject, or spending so much time rehearsing what to say in your head that by the time you want to say it, the discussion has moved on.  If my teachers had gone over the dispositions of discussion perhaps I would look at discussion as a positive experience.

As a future teacher of English I found that my mind set for implementing classroom discussion has been off. When I prepare to have a discussion as a class activity, I usually write down points I want the students to hit in order to guide them toward a specific direction. Now I know that discussion is not supposed to reach one conclusion. It is a chance for us to explore all sides of a subject and change the opinions of others or allow students and teacher to have a more open mind view.  As chapter one said, “It wasn’t my duty always to make connections for students.” It was awesome to read and realize that just because I am now a teacher and not a student, it is not my job to know everything, but to learn along with my class.

Introductory Letter Assignment

Hello! I am Whitney Leavitt. This is my 5^th year at Eastern Washington University and I am currently enrolled in English 493: Teaching Literature to Adolescents.  I am also known as Ms. Leavitt at Shaw Middle School! This will be my 3^rd quarter in the classroom and in January I will be a full time student teacher for 11 weeks! I am so excited but also very nervous. I still feel so young and I have so much to learn, but I know I will grow from this experience.

Seeing that I am placed in an eight grade English classroom, many of the lessons that are going to be taught revolve around adolescent literature. This year, the students will be reading, The Giver, Daniels Story, Number the Stars, Devils Arithmetic, Torn Threads and many other short selections from Springboard.  With these selections we analyze the elements of fiction, study vocabulary, and relate situations in the story to personal and current problems. The goal is to read between the lines and find a deeper meaning; putting ourselves inside the shoes of the characters rather than just being an innocent bystander. Going along with my literature experience in the classroom, I am of course a student myself and have had many courses where I have to read a piece of literature and write a paper on a specific topic or break it down and go over the words with a fine tooth comb, looking at a text in more ways than one.

As a potential teacher of English and Language Arts, I believe a strength of mine is having the ability to create a lesson in a fun way that is both educational and engaging to students.  Another strength would be checking for understanding. Many students are afraid to ask for the help of a teacher and would rather leave a worksheet blank or sit silently during discussions. I always walk around and help the reluctant students and am aware of the students who are not participating and find ways to help them be involved. A weakness of mine would be that I do not know everything! But good thing teachers don’t need to, I have ways of helping students find the right answers rather than just giving it to them (in some cases I really don’t know the answer!). I also have a tendency to not see a text in more ways than one. There has been a few times where I have discussed a text with the class and have been surprised to find that students see it differently than me. Lets just say in a classroom, students are not the only ones learning something!

By taking this course I hope to be a more efficient reader.  I want to be able to pull out themes, look at them from every angle and relate them to the world we live in. I also want to build my vocabulary and apply it to my every day language. I hope to learn reading and comprehension strategies that can be used in the classroom. I want to be more aware of the literature that is around me and use these tools as an important supplement to the classroom.

In this course I want to develop a three-week unit plan.  I want to be well rounded in the different beliefs, attitudes and cultural perspectives in adolescent literature. I want to have either read or be well versed in literature that would appeal to students in the secondary level.

LETS GET STARTED!

Final Summary of Field Experience

Whitney Leavitt

Dr. Agriss

June 11, 2013

Field Experience Summary

Placement at Shaw Middle School

1.      What have you learned about teachers during this period?

Being in a classroom and teaching is different from sitting in a classroom and being taught how to teach. My coordinating teacher teaches the same English class for five periods a day. I am somewhat relieved because I think it takes me long enough to plan one successful lesson to teach for one day. Some teachers have to prepare two or three different lessons everyday because they teach a variety of subjects. I have learned through my experience observing this quarter that teachers are always busy, deal not only with intellectual growth but emotional too, and without a classroom management plan, teachers are setting themselves up for more work.

            My master teacher is a busy man, I always knew teachers had a lot on their plate but my thinking did not go much further than that. I only spend two full days at the middle school a week and by the time I leave I am exhausted and half the time I was not even the one who taught! Teachers have early morning meetings, lesson planning, teaching, afterschool programs and grading papers. Not to mention dealing with students who are struggling. I have found that prep period and lunches are not always guaranteed. Teachers often give up this time to provide extra instruction to students. My teacher often goes on weekend vacations to get a break from the stressful school week. I may have to do this as well.

            I have also found that teachers are not just the people who teach lessons and grade your papers. At the middle school there are a lot of students with financial and family problems and often times their teachers are the only stable people in their lives. I have walked in on my teachers prep period only to find a crying student asking for help. They can’t get a hold of their parents and they need to make a court showing or have no form of transportation to get from point A to point B. There have also been a few instances when I asked a student how they were and they end up spilling their guts to me and expect words of wisdom in return. In order to keep a classroom of emotionally and mentally healthy students, teachers can’t just address the intellectual component but the emotional as well. Teachers do it all.

            Successful teachers are also strict and well planned. Those with classroom management plans, such as my master teacher know how to control student behavior. There is a consistent system everyday where kids walk into the classroom and they know they have to get started on the entry task right away. They also know that during the entry task their teacher will be asking somebody to write down the names of those who are not behaving as they should. They know there are consequences and that their teacher is not afraid to punish. Strict management plans can make a difference in the conduct of a student in their classes. A student can be well behaved in a classroom with a strict management plan and a trouble maker in one that is unorganized. Teachers have to be on top of their game.

2.      What have you learned about yourself during this placement?

It is usually not hard for me to be myself, but I found that it took me a few weeks to adjust to the new classroom setting. The first few weeks I would walk into the school and feel out of place and I would be awkward at times trying to act normal. I was constantly trying to act in such a way that the students would approve of. One day I was trying to get a student to do her work and she told me, “You should not make that face at me, it is not cute.” I was taken back a bit and decided to be firm with her. “Do your work.” was my reply. From that day, I knew that in order for me to feel comfortable in the classroom I had to be myself. Not every student is going to like me, but I guess that is life. The last few weeks of my observations have been great! I feel like now I connect with students on a stronger level and I am conversing with the other teachers during lunch. I think I found the happy medium between being professional and being my goofy self.

I have made a few exceptions when trying to be myself. I am not usually a strict, mean, feared person. I have found that in order for my classroom to settle down and stop talking, I need to be strict and mean sometimes. At first I feared the students would hold a grudge, but after seeing my coordinating teacher punish students daily, they still came back to school the next day and have friendly conversations with him. I feel some days it is easier for me to punish those who are constantly talking out of turn but it is still something I need to work on.

All in all, I have learned that I need to be patient with myself, being a teacher is a tough job and there is a lot to learn. Taking baby steps is okay. Most people don’t go to bed an average person and wake up extraordinary, it takes time and effort. I have learned to accept this.

3.      What have you learned about schools during this placement?

When I had my interview at Shaw to see if I was a good fit, the principle walked me through the halls of the school and explained to me their plans of bringing the school together. They have four hallways, and each one has a team name. They use the teams to establish groups for field trips, competitions, schedule school wide testing’s, etc. While the principle was explaining this to me he also told me of the difficulties. Having a school so big and many teachers, it is hard to get everybody to agree on a plan. It is easy to develop a plan of action and think, why don’t schools just do this? Saying is easier than doing. Just because a school has low test scores or a high dropout rate does not mean everybody that works there is lazy. Shaw middle school strives to promote student success through fieldtrips, inspirational speakers, assemblies, competitions and other fun activities. Schools are large and it takes a team effort to make a change.

4.      What is one lesson-learned that you would share with another student just beginning their 341 placement period?

I know that for me, coming into this class and seeing that I had to spend nine hours in the classroom and teach eight lessons. I was a bit overwhelmed. Now that it is almost over, I look back and realize it is not that bad. My coordinating teacher and I have a good relationship. He is easy going and would let me teach whatever classes I wanted, on whatever day. He would even give me options on what lessons to teach. I would say that establishing a good relationship with your coordinating teacher will make the experience flow a lot smoother. I would also say to plan accordingly. You have eight lessons to teach and one needs to be observed by your advisor, do not wait until the last week to teach every lesson. You do not need to be more overwhelmed than necessary! Another piece advice I would give is to plan ahead, you know that before you come into this class that you need to spend a good chunk of time at the school you are placed at, try to arrange your classes so you can go to the school twice a week instead of 5 mini visits. I was lucky enough to schedule classes 3 days out of the week and leave Tuesday and Thursday free to observe at the middle school. I know this is a lot of advice but I believe it is important. This class gives us the opportunity to learn and prepare us for our future jobs. You do not need to be a perfect teacher yet, but you should strive to be.

Nearing the End

My experience at Shaw middle school is coming to an end. My last day is Thursday. I did not know it would be so hard to say good bye to my eighth graders. They will not be there when I come back next year! As I was leaving the middle school today, students were waving to me in the halls and yelling my name across the parking lot. I feel now that I am comfortable in the classroom and faculty lounge it is time to go!
Highlight
The past week my students have been working on their embedded assessments for their comedy unit. Today, my teacher was spread thin trying to get end of the year projects done, and left me in charge of helping the students write their five paragraph papers. My six hour school day went by really quick but I also felt that I had been writing a paper for six hours straight because I had a constant flow of students asking for my help. Even though this was tiring, I got to see the light go on when I helped. I had two students today who would write a paragraph and come to me and have me read it to make sure it was right. It made me feel good to know that the students believed in me. What I had to say was important. When I gave them the go, they were really excited to start the next paragraph knowing they were on the right track.
Different View
This experience also made me think differently about students. When you sit in the back of a classroom and observe, you tend to categorize students as the bright ones, the ones who are average and the strugglers. I was blown away by some of the writing I saw. Students who were mostly quiet, or did not participate in class activities had beautiful writing. As I went around the room and read some of their passages it would cause me to smile and compliment them. It made my day and I hope it made theirs.
New Approach
A practice I have seen my coordinating teacher do is give high fives to students who are on task or have done the above and beyond. Today I decided to adopt this. After observing the class, I would pick out the few who worked diligently all class period or those who had breakthroughs and give them high fives. I think I got a bit to high five happy and gave one student too many. By the end of the class period, his high fives were getting a little wimpy. I kept giving him high fives because his work was so good! I had seen his previous work and could see the progress he had made in his writing over the past few weeks.
Conflicting Situation
At Shaw middle school, attendance is always a problem. I saw two students today who I have not seen in about 2 weeks! I thought they had moved away. One of the students was actually bragging about having the record for the highest amount of absences. I think it is sad that these kids don’t care enough about their education to come to school. Where are their parents in this? Missing school not only causes problems for the student but the teachers too. How do teachers deal with students who are far behind while trying to teach those who have been at school everyday? One teacher is not enough for 20 kids. It is hard for a teacher to ensure success for every student.