Quote:
"Children are like wax, not iron, and can be molded (Horace Mann)."
1. What is reverent listening and how can it support culturally responsive teaching?
Reverent listening is needed in the classroom and is defined as an act of mutually given respect, no matter what the ethnicity or social status of the speaker is. Reverent listeners are respectful of those speaking, but they also realize that at the right moment, they have the right to be heard as well. In one example, he talks about a special chair that a teacher used to promote "reverent listening" in her classroom. I really liked this practice because I believe that this gives each person in the classroom the chance to feel special and that the message that they were trying to portray was heard.
2. Give an example from your own schooling experience of what this quote means:
Reverent listening is not to be confused with humiliation and domination by others who force us to listen, and even less so, with the kind of incompetence that wants to be told what to do.
When I was in the third grade, my teacher made all of the students stand in the front of the classroom and have a contest on who knew their times tables the quickest. We had just begun learning about multiplication and I was still apprehensive about the subject. However, every night my mother and I would practice my multiplication until I would cry. But, I still had a difficult time repeating them quickly in front of the classroom. This experience was very humiliating for me and made learning how to multiply a difficult task for me for a long time. By making me stand in front of all of the students and humiliating me did not help me learn how to multiply. It actually made it more difficult.
3. What is meant by a "laundry list of value ethics"? Give an example from your own schooling experience. And then explain how this approach to character education can be NON-culturally responsive.
I think of the “laundry list of value ethics” is similar to the classroom rules that teachers set at the beginning of the year. Many teachers make rules such as keep your hands, feet, and other objects to yourself, no talking when the teacher is talking, and raise your hand to speak. This approach to teaching in the classroom can be non-culturally responsive because in some cultures children are expected to have some input in what occurs. I believe that by making the students raise their hand every time that they want to speak we as teachers are silencing the students and not allowing them to fully express their feelings.
4. Have you ever had a teacher that at one time or another exhibited the traits of a reverent teacher? What did they do? How did they make you feel?
I have had many teachers in the past that demonstrated characteristics of a reverent teacher. However, I have also had many who did not demonstrate characteristics of reverent teaching. With the teachers who demonstrated reverent teaching, were able to speak our minds and share our opinions while in the classroom. While I was in these classrooms, I felt that my opinion mattered and what I was saying truly meant something.
5. What factors contribute to a "toxic" school culture?
I believe that a “toxic” school culture is a culture that is not open to diversity, closed minded, and do not have the appropriate tools to help diverse learners gain knowledge. A toxic school culture is unappreciated of students who learn in different ways and are not allowing students to voice their opinions within the classroom.
6. Find a quote in this article that you would like to incorporate into your own philosophy of education and explain how it fits or changes your philosophy of education.
"Children are like wax, not iron, and can be molded (Horace Mann)."
I believe that this quote best fits in my philosophy of education because many secondary educators believe that by the time students leave elementary school and enter middle and high school, they have been molded into who they will be and they will not be able to change. However, I believe that no matter how old a person is or what grade level they are in, they are still capable of learning. It is our job as educators to make sure that students obtain all of the knowledge that is possible while in our classroom. I want to be able to help mold a child’s life and future into something outstanding.
7. Find a strategy/activity conveyed in a video, blog posting, lesson plan, or online article that will help you become a teacher who cultivates a reverence in their classroom and school community (key search terms: teachers and reverence, teachers and mindfulness, teachers and rituals, routines (do not search teachers and ritual without the routine qualifier. If you do you will se disturbing stuff ). Link to it and describe how you will use it in your future classroom.
In today's society, it is crucial for teachers to be mindful of their students emotions and learning capabilities. If teachers humiliate or dominate their students, the learning experience for many students will be non-existient. However, it takes a large amount of practice to become a mindful teacher. I found a website that lists a few tips for teachers to become mindful of their students. The main aspect to being a mindful teacher is to get your students involved. I plan to use the tips given on the website to help me become mindful of my future students learning experiences.
References:
Cowan, M. (2010, May 13). Tips for teaching mindfulness to kids. Retrieved from http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/tips_for_teaching_mindfulness_to_kids
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