TE 818: Synthesis: Theme 3b: What Should Schools Teach? "Controversial" Curriculum

Even as a write this synthesis post, I feel that my blood is not boiling as it should be. I came across the following poem...

http://www.latinamericanstudies.org/latinos/joaquin.htm

...and I could appreciate the sentiments, but I do not feel the bitterness and/or injustice that this poem conveys.

As I continue to think on it, and even after just having submitted my "brief" on Theme 3b, I think it may be because I honestly believe that I am a successful person. I do not feel oppressed. I do not feel that legislation could keep me from learning what I want to know about my culture and heritage.

Should schools teach it? Certainly. Heck, I try to inspire my students by EMPHASIZING Hispanic contributions to Texas' independence. National Hispanic Heritage Month is a big deal in my classroom. At the public school level, I think we're more likely to fall victim to the loss of Hispanic studies, and yet, I don't think it will be "felt" so much because there's a real hit-and-miss in public education. Some students may love and learn it, others are just going to go through the motions as is the case with any other subject. The college/university level is where I believe the loss will be detrimental. At this point, we have students, professors, and/or researchers who have a real passion for promoting and keeping alive our culture's contributions to the state, country, and inevitably, the world.

The initial interest and pride in Hispanic culture and heritage really does need to come from home. It is up to parents to dig deep and make the connections for our children so that they SENSE the absence of acknowledgement and take initiative to ask for educational courses to validate their (our) presence in this society.

I will go a step further and say that it is also necessary that the education about our advancements and changes as a culture come from the home also. We need to grow and emphasize changes for the better. Although not necessarily about Hispanics, the following link talks to gender roles, which are very prevalent in the traditional Hispanic culture.

http://www.science.tamu.edu/articles/1130/?utm_source=tamutimes&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2013-10-22

So perhaps the point-of-view, or the basis for continued Hispanic studies should focus on our strength. "Don't leave me out" is so needy. "Where would you and where WILL you be without me?" That sounds like a better approach.

TE 818: Theme 3b: What Should Schools Teach? "Controversial" Curriculum

I will begin with a parental view of not just these two issues, but all controversial issues in general. Recently my son relayed a story to me about something that had happened at school and in the middle of it all, he said, "gay," in a whisper as if he were afraid that someone would hear him. When he was done, I asked why he had done that and went on to explain that when we whisper words like gay, homosexual, illegal immigrant (because that's a word that gets whispered a lot in my neck of the woods), we perpetuate the stigmas, discrimination, and overall backward thinking that comes along with them. I can honestly say that although my husband and I have open conversations with our son, I am glad that the school takes the initiative to put "it" out there.

"Now we’re told we can talk about race, but it has to be through a multicultural perspective" (Siek, 2012). This, too, will come to an end. A state-wide curriculum in Texas was scrapped over the summer months because a parent got a hold of a high-school social studies lesson in which, in just so happened, the Muslim religion was being discussed as part of a "big picture" lesson. That's all it took for everyone to get riled up, and, as with so many other things, the politicians won. "Our students have already learned so much this year and this process is teaching them so much more. They are restless, ready to act and eager for their voices to be heard, and our community is equally supportive to their desires" (Acosta, 2012). It would be wonderful if the young students directly affected by this can in turn affect some real changes in how they are being edged out of the history of the state they live in. I wonder if being true to student-centered instruction, and allowing these students to "teach" themselves, or learn by way of self-directed investigation/discovery would also end up against the law. Will student research projects also be shut down to fulfill a political agenda?

In terms of curbing bullying all around, our school district has staff development and student presentations either through the counselor or outside agencies and by classroom teachers. Students and parents are asked to sign off on a parent/student responsibility and consequences contract no later than the 2nd week of school. It works for the most part along with reminders throughout the year. Education about tolerance for homosexuality has to begin at home though. I have had students come to school and refer to students that they don't like by calling them "gay" or (Spanish slang) "joto." Neither the speaker nor the target of the slurs are fully aware of what these words mean, but they interpret them to be "bad." As a classroom teacher, I know that I'm not teaching these words to my students, so they and their connotation must be coming from home...Education begins at home. (On a personal note, if parents whose children come to school ready to utter these words were as dedicated about helping with homework and showing up to parent/teacher conferences, we would all be much better off. Students. Teachers. Community.) When these words are spoken, we are somewhat forced to address the issue, and that puts us between a rock and a hard place because we do not have a curriculum for this. What do you say? What do you attempt to make the student understand?

“By the time kids get to high school, it’s too late," says Tess Dufrechou (Eckholm, 2010).

TE 818: Synthesis: Theme 3a: "Unconventional" Curriculum and Schooling

Can't we all just get along?

There has to be some kind of balance between an "unconventional" curriculum and meeting state-mandated testing requirements. Was state testing even an issue in the readings we had this week? If not, it'll come up, that's for certain.

I believe that one of the biggest problems is being able to tell the difference between curriculum and lesson delivery. Many of our teachers immediately associate resources with curriculum and teach according to what the resource provides to meet the curriculum. There is no consideration of the students' interest level or knowledge base. So when a student is not successful, the teacher panics and ironically, feeds the student more of the same of what they were unsuccessful with in the first place. I can see that, if we make lesson delivery something authentic and/or relevant to students, we can include the soft skills which would lead to more well-rounded individuals. When students see how Math, Science, Social Studies, Writing, and Reading skills apply to their every day lives, we can provide students with an answer to, "When will I ever use this in real life?" and then there will be some relevance to their time spent in a classroom. We are pressed for time as it is, and I am not suggesting that every lesson to turn into a drawn-out project, but there has to be some sense of discovery for our students. That "connect" will provide them a basis for practice outside of the classroom (grocery store, movie theater, gasoline station), without our guidance or insisting, and THAT will turn into consideration of outside factors. How neat would it be that our students "see" the use of the character traits that we are teaching them at school in action and how it affects them? This authentic learning will lend itself to application in other mediums, for example, state testing. See how that came full circle?

TE 818: Theme 3a: "Unconventional" Curriculum and Schooling

“We don't need the current schooling system” (Mitra; Build a School in the Cloud). I would like to say that this statement shocked me, but it really didn’t. In my mind it was not developed as far as only needing a grandma in the room, but the seed that a “teacher” should be more of a facilitator in the classroom was planted some time back. In general, I believe this is the way to go. Reflecting on Mugan’s A Short Introduction to the Studio School, there are many times when I just want to get in, I want you to tell me what I need to know, and I want to get out. However, there is no substitute for doing the work yourself, hands-on. As is the case with our students because so many of them lack the sit, listen, and learn skill.

I return to a thought that I expressed in Theme 2, "How is present day schooling going to prepare them for that world?" (Mitra). There is a gap between what is being taught and what will be necessary when students walk out our high school doors. And another thought occurs to me. One of our readings in Theme 2 talked about how there is so much available and accessible research out there about learning, curriculum and best practices. Now that I read and see and hear more of it, it truly does boggle the mind about how classroom teaching can boil down to so much testing. Mitra was able to collect data and show growth through unconventional teaching. Granted, there was testing involved (the 0-30% test), but the delivery was unconventional. I have tried several times to teach outside the box only to be corralled back in for testing. Could we not produce better-educated citizens through more student-directed learning? How long do we continue with the typical and rigid delivery of instruction that Nussbaum and Eisner say, and we know, goes on, and expect different results?

Eisner’s discussion of the Null Curriculum makes a lot of sense. We want to churn out better, less biased citizens with a varied repertoire of thought process, but THAT we’re not teaching them (98). I see that process learning does not develop these qualities in students beyond those who already have it as a natural ability.

I like what Mitra had to say about educational self organization, “it’s not about making learning happen, it’s about letting learning happen.” In fact, although not through the use of computers, I often answer my students’ questions with questions in an attempt to scaffold their discovery process. That scaffolding applied to the Null Curriculum could lead to those better-educated citizens we’ve been looking for.