So as mentioned in the post below I was an SEA for PE class. Well, something the teacher did made me really mad--and I see teachers do this WAY TOO OFTEN. So I just need to rant.
The PE teacher had written on the board, get into groups of three (NOT TWO, NOT FOUR). He even verbalized this to the kids before he let them get into their groups.
So three of my SE kids grouped together and two of the others grouped together and they were looking for one more. Coincidentally, I saw a group of four girls. (Everyone else had paired up.) PERFECT! One of the four girls can join my group of two fully functioning SE kids and it will be perfect. I went over to the girls and asked for one of them to come and join my group of two kids. They pretty much ignored me. What do you expect!? I am a sub and their regular ed teacher is there, so I have no say.
I went over to the PE teacher, thinking that he just hadn't noticed the groups of two and four. I mentioned to him how I tried to get one of the girls to join the group of two, but they ignored me. The PE teacher then said to me "Oh, we'll just keep the group of four and two. If we try to split up those girls we will have a fight on our hand." And he walked off.
WHAT!? You are worried about a fight?! From 13 year olds? You are going to let them not follow instructions (while the rest of the class is required to follow instructions) because you are afraid of dealing with some big talking over-hormonal thirteen year old girls. I KNOW YOU DIDN"T! Let me also mention this PE teacher is a fairly large man.
WHOA WHOA.... Okay now is my turn to rant.
How are these girls going to learn the importance of community-working with others--if this teacher is not going to promote it. In the business world, are these girls always going to work with their best friends? Are they going to challenge their bosses instructions because they don't like them? Are they going to be able to get along with their coworkers? Are they going to be able to hold a job?
School is so much more than reading, writing, arithmetic. It is about learning to get along with each other. LEarning to make good choices. Learning COMMUNITY!
COMMUNITY--this is the first thing that should be taught in a classroom--and this is always my goal. You have to start at the beginning of the year when *hopefully* they are nervous, want to make a good impression, and finding their place among their peers. I often have "getting to know you games" to help. Then for the first semester, I assign the groups. I don't allow my kids to create their own, because I know that they won't branch out to meet their classmates. I also grade them on their group interactions (here I have had some parents get upset with me.) I try to assign roles in the group. If one of the kids is not performing their role and interacting with their group, they lose points. I have had parents get mad at me about this.
"Ginger did her work. You can't take points off her assignment because she didn't ask her classmates involvement." --Oh yes I can. Do you think Ginger's boss is going to be happy if she is assigned to perform this in her job, and yet she refused to consult her colleagues also assigned to the same job. COMMUNITY. We need to learn to get along with each other, no matter what our social status is. By the way, I send home a letter at the beginning of the year explaining how I grade AND I have parents sign it saying that they have read it and understand it. This is always a good back-up when Ginger's mom comes a-knocking.
Community should be the number one goal of any teacher. If you have students that are supporting each other and building each other up, you are going to create the best learning environment. Kids are going to feel safe. They won't worry about getting made fun of by asking questions or not understanding. (This also means that the teacher MUST take disciplinary action if any student is bullying or making fun of another student.) Community is definitely the most important thing in the classroom and in our world. Let's build it!
Monday, March 26, 2007
Are SEA's needed for every subject?
So today I was an SEA (Special Education Assistant) once again for a middle school. However, this time I worked with fully functioning kids that should be included in the classroom. (See post below.)
Let me tell you about my day.
First hour, I with another SEA and the home Ec teacher worked solely with 7 fully functioning Special Ed kids to make breakfast burritos. (The rest of my classes were all regular ed classes.) Second hour, I worked with 5 special ed children in PE to shoot baskets. Third hour, I have no idea who the special ed kids were, but I was in art. Fourth hour, I was in music aiding one special ed kids. Fifth hour was lunch supervision. Sixth hour, I was back in PE with one special ed child. Seventh hour I was booted out of the computer class (the teacher said she didn't need me) so I went to see if I could aid another SEA in a SE math class--which I wasn't needed in either.
At the end of the day, I feel as though the district wasted some thirty thousand dollars a year on the position I subbed for. I felt the most useful during the lunchtime supervision.
I always though that SEA's sole job was to be present for the academic classes and the SE classes. Does an SEA really need to be present in a PE class if the students are able to function normally? Yes they were slower, but that is a part of their disability. I honestly thought that my day was a joke. I did not need to do lesson plans, nor did I really need to attend to these kids. Sure I gave them words of encouragement, but isn't that the job of the regular ed teacher?
No lesson planning or anything. PE and Music. Do they expect the SEA to have a special ability in helping these kids to sing or shoot a basket? What a joke!
Okay, so once again I was glad for the experience, but really some of the SE legislation in public schools has really gotten out of hand.
Let me tell you about my day.
First hour, I with another SEA and the home Ec teacher worked solely with 7 fully functioning Special Ed kids to make breakfast burritos. (The rest of my classes were all regular ed classes.) Second hour, I worked with 5 special ed children in PE to shoot baskets. Third hour, I have no idea who the special ed kids were, but I was in art. Fourth hour, I was in music aiding one special ed kids. Fifth hour was lunch supervision. Sixth hour, I was back in PE with one special ed child. Seventh hour I was booted out of the computer class (the teacher said she didn't need me) so I went to see if I could aid another SEA in a SE math class--which I wasn't needed in either.
At the end of the day, I feel as though the district wasted some thirty thousand dollars a year on the position I subbed for. I felt the most useful during the lunchtime supervision.
I always though that SEA's sole job was to be present for the academic classes and the SE classes. Does an SEA really need to be present in a PE class if the students are able to function normally? Yes they were slower, but that is a part of their disability. I honestly thought that my day was a joke. I did not need to do lesson plans, nor did I really need to attend to these kids. Sure I gave them words of encouragement, but isn't that the job of the regular ed teacher?
No lesson planning or anything. PE and Music. Do they expect the SEA to have a special ability in helping these kids to sing or shoot a basket? What a joke!
Okay, so once again I was glad for the experience, but really some of the SE legislation in public schools has really gotten out of hand.
Friday, March 16, 2007
To include or not to include...
Today, I subbed for a SEA (Special Education Assistant) in an elemetary school. My job was to get two severly autistic boys (nonverbal) to class, and then to work with another severly autistic boy for the day. All three of these boys were in regular ed classes with a few breaks to let them have a few minutes to have a "break" from the classroom environment? So the question is...is inclusion the best thing for these boys or not?
So first of all what is autism... Autism can range from very mild ( can perform almost at normal standards in all areas) to very severe (does not talk, does not appear to notice you or care.) I guess the best way I see autism is that the individual is almost in their own world. They do not necessarily notice you, or what is going on around them. They may have obsessive behaviors. The boy I dealt with today was obsessed with having his shoes off. I think I must have tied them close to 25 times. Another boy I had was obsessed with picking at things. It could be his face or his notebook. Below are listed some characteristics an autistic child may have. Mildly autistic children may only exhibit a few while sever may exhibit many.
does not respond to his/her name.
cannot explain what he/she wants.
language skills are slow to develop or speech is delayed.
doesn't follow directions.
at times, the child seems to be deaf.
seems to hear sometimes, but not other times.
doesn't point or wave "bye-bye."
doesn't understand the concept of pointing; will look at the hand pointing rather than the object being pointed at.
used to say a few words or babble, but now he/she doesn't.
throws intense or violent tantrums.
has odd movement patterns.
likes to spin around in a circle.
is overly active, uncooperative, or resistant.
doesn't know how to play with toys.
doesn't smile when smiled at.
has poor eye contact.
gets "stuck" doing the same things over and over and can't move on to other things.
seems to prefer to play alone.
gets things for him/herself only.
is very independent for his/her age.
does things "early" compared to other children.
seems to be in his/her "own world."
seems to tune people out.
is not interested in other children.
dislikes playing pretend.
walks on his/her toes.
shows unusual attachments to toys, objects, or schedules (i.e., always holding a string or having to put socks on before pants).
spends a lot of time stacking objects, lining things up or putting things in a certain order.
unconcerned about - or completely oblivious to - dangers around him/her (i.e., standing in the middle of the street without worrying about getting hit by a car).
Onto my thoughts of inclusion. So I spent the day with Gene (this is not his real name.) Gene spent most of the day with his class of regular ed first graders. Gene does not speak and most of the time I do not think he hears what is said. At times he may begin yelling. Other times he may get out of his seat and go where ever and do what ever. He may try to run out of the classroom or the school. He may decide to lay on the floor. There is little that at teacher can control.
While his classmates are studying stars and pasting names to the constellations, I am struggling to prevent Gene from eating the glue and picking his nose and leaving his seat and trying to keep him quiet (the teacher is reading a book out loud.) And yes, Gene is also taking off his shoes. Now my question is why is he in this classroom.
Did I also mention that I have to take Gene for breaks in a room that has a giant swing. This is his chance to get away from the structure of the classroom.
My feelings are that Gene would do better in a one-on-one environment where the teacher, me, could work with him individually so he can learn things like tying his shoe (so I don't have to.) I also discovered in my one day with Gene that he was food motivated. I bet Gene might be a bit more motivated to keep his shoes on if I gave him a reward for not taking them off. My other thoughts include the fact that the rest of the class is being disturbed by Gene's behavior. Their learning suffers with him the classroom. It is easier for them to get offtrack when you have a student dashing for the door or sprawling on the floor.
In a utopic world inclusion for all would be idea. However, in a utopic world, Gene would not have autism. I do like inclusion. But special needs students should demonstrate the ability to be in a regularly strucutred classroom before they are put in it. They need to be able to sit in their seat. They need to be able to pay attention. They need to actually be able to get something out of the classroom.
I hope that at some point Gene will be pulled out of the regular classroom and given the special atmosphere and attention that he needs. Right now this is the environment he needs to grow.
So first of all what is autism... Autism can range from very mild ( can perform almost at normal standards in all areas) to very severe (does not talk, does not appear to notice you or care.) I guess the best way I see autism is that the individual is almost in their own world. They do not necessarily notice you, or what is going on around them. They may have obsessive behaviors. The boy I dealt with today was obsessed with having his shoes off. I think I must have tied them close to 25 times. Another boy I had was obsessed with picking at things. It could be his face or his notebook. Below are listed some characteristics an autistic child may have. Mildly autistic children may only exhibit a few while sever may exhibit many.
does not respond to his/her name.
cannot explain what he/she wants.
language skills are slow to develop or speech is delayed.
doesn't follow directions.
at times, the child seems to be deaf.
seems to hear sometimes, but not other times.
doesn't point or wave "bye-bye."
doesn't understand the concept of pointing; will look at the hand pointing rather than the object being pointed at.
used to say a few words or babble, but now he/she doesn't.
throws intense or violent tantrums.
has odd movement patterns.
likes to spin around in a circle.
is overly active, uncooperative, or resistant.
doesn't know how to play with toys.
doesn't smile when smiled at.
has poor eye contact.
gets "stuck" doing the same things over and over and can't move on to other things.
seems to prefer to play alone.
gets things for him/herself only.
is very independent for his/her age.
does things "early" compared to other children.
seems to be in his/her "own world."
seems to tune people out.
is not interested in other children.
dislikes playing pretend.
walks on his/her toes.
shows unusual attachments to toys, objects, or schedules (i.e., always holding a string or having to put socks on before pants).
spends a lot of time stacking objects, lining things up or putting things in a certain order.
unconcerned about - or completely oblivious to - dangers around him/her (i.e., standing in the middle of the street without worrying about getting hit by a car).
Onto my thoughts of inclusion. So I spent the day with Gene (this is not his real name.) Gene spent most of the day with his class of regular ed first graders. Gene does not speak and most of the time I do not think he hears what is said. At times he may begin yelling. Other times he may get out of his seat and go where ever and do what ever. He may try to run out of the classroom or the school. He may decide to lay on the floor. There is little that at teacher can control.
While his classmates are studying stars and pasting names to the constellations, I am struggling to prevent Gene from eating the glue and picking his nose and leaving his seat and trying to keep him quiet (the teacher is reading a book out loud.) And yes, Gene is also taking off his shoes. Now my question is why is he in this classroom.
Did I also mention that I have to take Gene for breaks in a room that has a giant swing. This is his chance to get away from the structure of the classroom.
My feelings are that Gene would do better in a one-on-one environment where the teacher, me, could work with him individually so he can learn things like tying his shoe (so I don't have to.) I also discovered in my one day with Gene that he was food motivated. I bet Gene might be a bit more motivated to keep his shoes on if I gave him a reward for not taking them off. My other thoughts include the fact that the rest of the class is being disturbed by Gene's behavior. Their learning suffers with him the classroom. It is easier for them to get offtrack when you have a student dashing for the door or sprawling on the floor.
In a utopic world inclusion for all would be idea. However, in a utopic world, Gene would not have autism. I do like inclusion. But special needs students should demonstrate the ability to be in a regularly strucutred classroom before they are put in it. They need to be able to sit in their seat. They need to be able to pay attention. They need to actually be able to get something out of the classroom.
I hope that at some point Gene will be pulled out of the regular classroom and given the special atmosphere and attention that he needs. Right now this is the environment he needs to grow.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Should students be suspended for inappropriate dress?
So I read a lot of articles in order to keep up to date and to keep my mind in teacher mode. The latest topic I read was suspension for inappropriate dress.
In the schools I taught in, students were sent home if they were dressed inappropriately. They were not suspended. I personally don't like that. A poor choice should not result in losing a chance to learn. Plus, many students dress inappropriately in order to get sent home or receive the attention.
I like the "ugly t-shirt" theory. I sat in a class once, where the teacher stood at the door and handed out t-shirts to any student that walked in and was dressed inappropriately. He did not have administration backing up dress code --therefore the kids wore whatever they wanted--except in his class. The kids were not very excited about wearing the teacher's old t-shirts, so very quickly they just learned to dress appropriately or deal with the t-shirt.
Ideally administration should back up the dress code AND all teachers should follow that dress code. If a student is dressed inappropriately--it should be caught first hour. They should be sent to office and their item of clothing should be confiscated and they should be given a t-shirt. They then can receive their item of clothing back when they bring the t-shirt back laundered. If there are multiple offenses with the same item of clothing, the parent should have to come to the school to pick up the item of clothing.
In the same regards--we should also have sweats provided for students. There are way to many minis and high hem lines and low riding stuff that should also be taken care of.
In the schools I taught in, students were sent home if they were dressed inappropriately. They were not suspended. I personally don't like that. A poor choice should not result in losing a chance to learn. Plus, many students dress inappropriately in order to get sent home or receive the attention.
I like the "ugly t-shirt" theory. I sat in a class once, where the teacher stood at the door and handed out t-shirts to any student that walked in and was dressed inappropriately. He did not have administration backing up dress code --therefore the kids wore whatever they wanted--except in his class. The kids were not very excited about wearing the teacher's old t-shirts, so very quickly they just learned to dress appropriately or deal with the t-shirt.
Ideally administration should back up the dress code AND all teachers should follow that dress code. If a student is dressed inappropriately--it should be caught first hour. They should be sent to office and their item of clothing should be confiscated and they should be given a t-shirt. They then can receive their item of clothing back when they bring the t-shirt back laundered. If there are multiple offenses with the same item of clothing, the parent should have to come to the school to pick up the item of clothing.
In the same regards--we should also have sweats provided for students. There are way to many minis and high hem lines and low riding stuff that should also be taken care of.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Substitute Teaching
I received my first assignment substitute teaching in Madison. I had my choice of placements, but I chose a middle school for my first. When I first got into teaching, I thought I wanted to teach in a middle school environment, so I thought I would try it out again. After spending my day there, I have changed my mind. I really think high school is then environment for me. I need a more challenging curriculum and I need students who are a little less worried about themselves and more concerned with learning.
So I arrived at the middle school in plenty of time. I was filling in for a lady who taught English & Math. Once I received her schedule, I realized I had two preps in the morning. ARGH! What a waste! Instead of spending two hours of being bored, I asked the secretary, if I could observe a teacher for the first two hours. She gave me the names of several teachers to check with.
I love observing! Different teachers have so many great ideas. You learn so much from your colleagues! Plus if you are lucky, you can see your own students and how they work in a different environment.
I only got to obsevere one teacher. Ironically, I had actually observed his class before. He plays the Freeze game with his kids. He yells freeze and then he times them. The first kid to move ends the game. --and yeah--he harasses them a little to get them to move. Anyway, he keeps the class with the longest freeze time on the board. Then at the end of the year, the winning class receives giant candy bars. This is a great game! And I really need to use this. Just think if you have a class that is typically rowdy (especially at the end of the day) you can use this to gain control or just have a moment of peace.
Anyway, nothing too exciting happened in this class. I have to say, he is very lenient in comparison to myself. I have very high expectations. For example, I do not accept late work. Well, he accepts late work. I also do not let kids go to their lockers to get forgotten work--he does. In some ways, it is nice that he lets these kids have a break. However, I want my kids to be the best--I want them to be responsible and always thinking ahead. I think that is why I am so strict. I hope for Madison schools my strictness is not looked down on. In Milwaukee, I was often applauded for my sterness (not necessarily by parents--but by colleagues.) I think I need more time in Madison to see if things are really different.
So I went back to my classroom a good 1/2 hour before my first class. It was then that I noticed I did not even have a class roster. The teacher had left very little for me and said "Ask the students for help with attendance." YIPPEE! I never did this for my subs. If anything I probably over prepared them for my classes (extra worksheets if there was extra time, etc..).
I called the teacher at home. She then informed me that she had just rearranged her classes with another teacher (who was also out sick) yesterday, so she did not have rosters nor did she have seating charts.
Well this may be a horror story for most, but I knew that this could not be as bad as some of the MPS classrooms I had been in.
My first two classes were all girls and the same students. I showed them "Pay It Forward" and then they were given Math worksheets for homework. Pay It Forward is a PG13 movie. I think it has a great story, but I would not have shown this movie to my students. There was excessive cursing--which of course the kids loved, laughed at, and repeated. (Couldn't they make a version where the words are bleeped out?) I had no problem with this class.
My next class was combined with another sub's class. Once again we had no roster, so we had no idea who was supposed to be there. In fact a teacher came into our room and told us we were missing a bunch of students. I went to the office to tell someone, but another teacher came to the room and told us we were fine. So who knows if we really were missing students or not. This class was really a study hall, so there was very little to do and the kids were well behaved.
My last two classes were all boys. And they were riled up! It took me time to get them quiet enough to talk. I had to kick two boys out of the classroom. I then started the movie. After a one on one with one boy, I let him back in the class. The second boy, I had to send to the office because he still was not cooperating. Some schools have been very angry with me for sending kids out into the hall. But I feel that sometimes a moment of separation will often get these kids back on track. Plus it gives me a chance to regain control of the rest of the students and talk privately with the student I am having problems with. This is one method I refuse to give up.
The movie went over okay. However, many of the boys were watching me closely to see if they could get away with stuff. That meant I had to be the overbearing teacher and stand during the whole movie. Argh! I hate having to feel like a babysitter.
When it was time for the homework portion many of the boys did not want to work. I had to move several of the students and "babysit." THey begged me to turn on the radio--but I told they had to show me they could work without music and then I would turn it on (of course that did not happen--but I tried to give them incentive.)
Now their teacher is very very lenient. She lets these kids eat in class and listen to music. So I was put into a postion where i could not fight the snacking and drinking. However, I did stand my ground on the music.
It turns out (after talking with other teachers) that she also has a serious behavior problem with these students--that is why she recently reorganized her classes separating the girls and the boys. I don't know the history of her kids nor do I know her teaching style, but it makes me think that the problem is her. In my background I did have problem kids, however I was very strict from the beginning and there were some rules I did not back down on--such as eating in class. These kids were not bad--they just know how to push limits.
So in my next blog entries I am going to be taking a look at a lot of my past teaching experiences and reflecting on them and what I could do to be better.
As as sub, I know that I should have looked over my materials before I went to observe another class. That was bad of me. I also know that I should never turn my back to the class. I made this mistake when I went to help a boy with a problem. My back was to several students and so they started misbehaving.
Oh yeah--a few last thoughts.
I always find the demographics of public schools interesting. I have taught in primarily African American classrooms. At this school, the population appeared to be primarily Hmong, followed by white, black, and then Hispanic. I also noticed that despite all our efforts to desegregate, my students would segregate themselves. The Hmong students would sit together, the black students, the white, and oddly enough the special ed students sat together. --This makes me realize that assigned seating is a must in the beginning of the school year. My classroom must have a sense of community where my students don't naturally sit with only people that look like them.
Alright--that's all for now
So I arrived at the middle school in plenty of time. I was filling in for a lady who taught English & Math. Once I received her schedule, I realized I had two preps in the morning. ARGH! What a waste! Instead of spending two hours of being bored, I asked the secretary, if I could observe a teacher for the first two hours. She gave me the names of several teachers to check with.
I love observing! Different teachers have so many great ideas. You learn so much from your colleagues! Plus if you are lucky, you can see your own students and how they work in a different environment.
I only got to obsevere one teacher. Ironically, I had actually observed his class before. He plays the Freeze game with his kids. He yells freeze and then he times them. The first kid to move ends the game. --and yeah--he harasses them a little to get them to move. Anyway, he keeps the class with the longest freeze time on the board. Then at the end of the year, the winning class receives giant candy bars. This is a great game! And I really need to use this. Just think if you have a class that is typically rowdy (especially at the end of the day) you can use this to gain control or just have a moment of peace.
Anyway, nothing too exciting happened in this class. I have to say, he is very lenient in comparison to myself. I have very high expectations. For example, I do not accept late work. Well, he accepts late work. I also do not let kids go to their lockers to get forgotten work--he does. In some ways, it is nice that he lets these kids have a break. However, I want my kids to be the best--I want them to be responsible and always thinking ahead. I think that is why I am so strict. I hope for Madison schools my strictness is not looked down on. In Milwaukee, I was often applauded for my sterness (not necessarily by parents--but by colleagues.) I think I need more time in Madison to see if things are really different.
So I went back to my classroom a good 1/2 hour before my first class. It was then that I noticed I did not even have a class roster. The teacher had left very little for me and said "Ask the students for help with attendance." YIPPEE! I never did this for my subs. If anything I probably over prepared them for my classes (extra worksheets if there was extra time, etc..).
I called the teacher at home. She then informed me that she had just rearranged her classes with another teacher (who was also out sick) yesterday, so she did not have rosters nor did she have seating charts.
Well this may be a horror story for most, but I knew that this could not be as bad as some of the MPS classrooms I had been in.
My first two classes were all girls and the same students. I showed them "Pay It Forward" and then they were given Math worksheets for homework. Pay It Forward is a PG13 movie. I think it has a great story, but I would not have shown this movie to my students. There was excessive cursing--which of course the kids loved, laughed at, and repeated. (Couldn't they make a version where the words are bleeped out?) I had no problem with this class.
My next class was combined with another sub's class. Once again we had no roster, so we had no idea who was supposed to be there. In fact a teacher came into our room and told us we were missing a bunch of students. I went to the office to tell someone, but another teacher came to the room and told us we were fine. So who knows if we really were missing students or not. This class was really a study hall, so there was very little to do and the kids were well behaved.
My last two classes were all boys. And they were riled up! It took me time to get them quiet enough to talk. I had to kick two boys out of the classroom. I then started the movie. After a one on one with one boy, I let him back in the class. The second boy, I had to send to the office because he still was not cooperating. Some schools have been very angry with me for sending kids out into the hall. But I feel that sometimes a moment of separation will often get these kids back on track. Plus it gives me a chance to regain control of the rest of the students and talk privately with the student I am having problems with. This is one method I refuse to give up.
The movie went over okay. However, many of the boys were watching me closely to see if they could get away with stuff. That meant I had to be the overbearing teacher and stand during the whole movie. Argh! I hate having to feel like a babysitter.
When it was time for the homework portion many of the boys did not want to work. I had to move several of the students and "babysit." THey begged me to turn on the radio--but I told they had to show me they could work without music and then I would turn it on (of course that did not happen--but I tried to give them incentive.)
Now their teacher is very very lenient. She lets these kids eat in class and listen to music. So I was put into a postion where i could not fight the snacking and drinking. However, I did stand my ground on the music.
It turns out (after talking with other teachers) that she also has a serious behavior problem with these students--that is why she recently reorganized her classes separating the girls and the boys. I don't know the history of her kids nor do I know her teaching style, but it makes me think that the problem is her. In my background I did have problem kids, however I was very strict from the beginning and there were some rules I did not back down on--such as eating in class. These kids were not bad--they just know how to push limits.
So in my next blog entries I am going to be taking a look at a lot of my past teaching experiences and reflecting on them and what I could do to be better.
As as sub, I know that I should have looked over my materials before I went to observe another class. That was bad of me. I also know that I should never turn my back to the class. I made this mistake when I went to help a boy with a problem. My back was to several students and so they started misbehaving.
Oh yeah--a few last thoughts.
I always find the demographics of public schools interesting. I have taught in primarily African American classrooms. At this school, the population appeared to be primarily Hmong, followed by white, black, and then Hispanic. I also noticed that despite all our efforts to desegregate, my students would segregate themselves. The Hmong students would sit together, the black students, the white, and oddly enough the special ed students sat together. --This makes me realize that assigned seating is a must in the beginning of the school year. My classroom must have a sense of community where my students don't naturally sit with only people that look like them.
Alright--that's all for now
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