Reflection #4: Stereotypes

     I believe that teachers have a tendency to stereotype on a daily basis. We unknowingly make little comments or subconsciously use body language to reveal our prejudices, whether through race, gender, religion, or otherwise. The secondary classroom can be worse than elementary programs when it comes to stereotyping students; their personal feelings are beginning to emerge in a new way as they become independent and their parents give them freedom in a way they have not experienced before. Even secondary students have a fragile sense of self-esteem, and they need someone mature enough to overlook behavior, attitude, and appearance. I noticed this tendency in myself from the beginning of the year. With students who looked Hispanic, I tended to assume they spoke Spanish. I was surprised when I would connect a grammar concept to Spanish grammar with little response from the students, and I began to realize that they did not speak the language simply because it was associated with their appearance. I never showed my surprise to my students, but it did teach me to be on the lookout for “hidden stereotypes” I have that I might not even recognize yet. I have seen teachers assume that students who came from a different continent work harder than students from the U.S. Such stereotypes take place without teachers even realizing it. I believe that if most teachers knew how often they were stereotyping students, they would quickly change their minds and interactions with students. It is a difficult challenge to overcome.

     Treating each day as a new day is one of the most successful ways to avoid stereotyping students. If I enter the classroom with none but the highest expectations for my students and myself, I have noticed I treat them as equals. The days I am dissatisfied with events from the day before or allow personal troubles and worries to shadow me into my classroom are the days I struggle to see students outside of stereotypes and social perceptions. I must choose to focus on the content I want the student to master rather than the opinion they have of things outside of academics. My role as a teacher does not include judgement. Even grading is assessment instead of judgement. My students need unconditional love if they are to listen and learn. This semester, I have worked at walking into the classroom each day with a smile, regardless of the events transpiring in my own life, outside of the building walls. For a teacher, each day has to be a new day, as if you have never met each student, or anyone like him or her, before. As I have started to begin each day anew, I have really learned that it helps me work with students for that day instead of becoming frustrated over a buildup of past “failures” and frustrations. 

Reflection #3: No Child Left Behind

     As a student teacher, I have mixed feelings on the issue of inclusion. Addressing the needs of all students is not an option for schools and teachers – every student should have the opportunity to excel in education. However, how the needs are addressed for the students is a complicated issue. While inclusion has given some students the opportunity to become a part of a “regular” classroom, I feel that inclusion could have just as big of an impact on non-disabled students as they also learn how to help and work with students who are considered part of “special education.” On the other hand, inclusion creates difficulties for teachers who are already struggling to reach all of their students. Once they are put in the “regular” classroom, students with special needs are treated, along with education in general, “as an assembly line” (Randolph and Wilson-Younger, p.5). Although the No Child Left Behind Act and teachers across the country have strived to help students succeed, the assembly line of inclusion is “contrary to the belief that each child needs to be treated as an individual and have their education tailored to fit their specific needs” according to Randolph and Wilson-Younger (p.5). As I have spent time both observing and teaching throughout the semester, the need for smaller classes has become apparent. One day in class, we were working on expository essays with our students. We used the same prompt for each period, reviewed how to write an expository essay with the students, asking questions to check for understanding, and then we allowed them the rest of the class period to complete the essay. After each period, my cooperating teacher and I looked back over the essays to see how the students had done. Each period, all but three to five students had failing grades, so we would revise the instruction, but to no avail – the students were still failing. For the last period, acting in desperation, we decided to split the class and each take half, going over each part of the essay with the students. Because the class was smaller and at the end of the day, the task would be less complicated. At the end of the period, all but one or two students had essays that would receive a passing to high grade. That experience drastically affected the way I viewed the classroom. Inclusion is a wonderful idea, but only if the teachers are well equipped, given fewer students and more time. Another important aspect of inclusion is parental involvement. According to Simpson et al, “parents and families are thought to be an integral educational resource and alternative” under NCLB (Simpson et al, p. 69). Parents and family members are the ones who make inclusion possible for their children. If the parent works with the student because they want them to succeed in a “regular” classroom, the teacher has the added support needed to help the child in every way. The No Child Left Behind Act was monumental; “It expanded the federal role in education and took particular aim at improving the educational lot of disadvantaged students” (Education Week). The plan is not foolproof, however, and many parents, educators, and administrators are dissatisfied with the results. Although meant to help students who have been “left behind,” students still fall through the cracks; only they are lost in a “regular” rather than “special” classroom.
     This semester, my goal is to take the time to create individualized instruction and use every learning type for every lesson as often as I can. Having students who are succeeding in the classroom come alongside and aid those who are not is also important, and often students can reach their peers in ways I never could. Learning to harness that power and use it for learning will be a challenge that I am eager to overcome.

Randolph, K., & Wilson-Younger, D. (2012). "Is No Child Left Behind Effective For All Students?" Parents Don't Think So. Online Submission,

Simpson, R. L., LaCava, P. G., & Graner, P. (2004). The No Child Left Behind Act: Challenges and Implications for Educators. Intervention In School And Clinic, 40(2), 67-75.

"No Child Left Behind." Education Week. N.p., 4 Aug. 2004. Web. 9 Mar. 2014, <http://www.edweek.org>.