Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Giving more and feeling good


It is Wednesday and a lazy one at that. This morning during class, we reviewed for the first assessment. I need to write an assessment on the multiple intelligences and the ten principles on building trust and support in your classroom. They understand the seven styles of learning, and added their input on spiritual style, but when my final word was the point that they have to try to incorporate all of these styles into their teaching, they didn’t comprehend. One student thought you had to do all seven at the same time. One thought that after fourth grade, you really only use verbal and linguistic. Their way of teaching is preaching and drilling students with notes to memorize, but in order to be an effective teacher and to have students grasp the concepts being taught, you need to meet their needs and interests.

I am seeing every day how fortunate I am to have been born and live free in the United States. This idea of teaching and having students memorize is uninteresting, even though it seems to work here. Again, I can back it up with they don’t have the proper resources and technology to have the same privileges we do, but how can students thrive to become ‘better’ individuals if they are not given the same opportunities as Americans. I know I can’t change the world and that’s not what I expect to do, but I just want to give as much as I can.

I have no doubt that all six teachers will get a 100 on the assessment because they are so use to having to memorize anything they learn. My concern is that the teachers won’t apply the knowledge they have gained and will continue to teach the way they do. Sometimes I find myself frustrated because I feel like they are coming up with excuses for not being able to apply a technique, but Marquise reassures me that this is all new to them, and it is like any other change of habit. I know it will be difficult, but without a doubt it is necessary and doable.

Anyways, if you have been keeping up with my blog, you would remember how I told you about Fritz and his projects. Well, he asked Marquise and I to teach English to the students taking the computer course for an hour each day. We will be teaching basic English and computer terms after each class. The computers are set up in English, so not only are these students learning how to use a computer, they have to find and read the words in English. It isn’t impossible, but it’s like having your settings in French and trying to figure out what you are doing.

I am overly ecstatic and I can tell the students are also. The students are my peers, and there are about 15-20 students per class, with a total of 100 students. Marquise could probably teach this course by herself because she is bilingual, but since Fritz knows I feel like a princess stuck in a dungeon, not able to freely be and do what I want, so he made this suggestion and I gladly accepted. Sooooo excited, and so is Marquise.

That is all for now. Bonswa! 

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