Blog Entry #4

“Dual Existence”
My most recent opportunity to observe student interaction was at Bradley Academy here in Murfreesboro. I have a friend who is the literacy coach at the school. She invited me come and work with some of the ESL students in one of the sixth grade social studies classes. The class was a mixed group of Caucasian, African American, and Latino students. The races were pretty evenly distributed. Approximately, 2/3 of the class were American born and about 1/3 of them were children of immigrants. As I waited each morning for class to begin, I had the opportunity of observe the students as they prepared for the day. All the Latino students sat at the same table. They spoke very softly and seemed almost invisible in this rather exuberant class of adolescents. There was very little talk or interaction between the American born students and the Latinos. I never witnessed any kind of warm exchange. There seemed to be a quiet tolerance of each other’s presence. For group assignments, students partnered with their own kind unless the teacher grouped them differently. I’m sure that language and cultural differences played a big part in this. It would have been nice to see more of a relationship between the two groups.

How can the teacher help to dissolve this “dual existence?”
As a teacher, I have come to realize how important it is to make conscious commitment to build a community of learners who sincerely care about each other. In order to do this, I need to communicate my values and expectations. Often, values and expectations have to be openly discussed so students clearly understand what is appropriate and acceptable, and what is not. It is equally important for me to model the behaviors I would like to see. I think students need to know me and their classmates. Being open and willing to share some information about who I am can help students do the same. In fact, there are many class and team building activities that can help students get to know each other. Celebrating diversity is also important. Focusing on the individuality of each student and emphasizing how every student contributes to building community is essential. Breaking down the barriers of fear and misunderstanding can go a long way in building a community of learners. That is why it is so important to help student learn how to interact and work cooperatively.