Cultural Snapshot

  

Sexism is commonly present in the workplace, in the media, in the home, in the schools, and pretty much everywhere in society. While I acknowledge that there is discrimination against men, I'm currently focusing on discrimination against women. There are different ways to fight back against sexism, and one "group" that fights for women's rights have been termed feminists. Feminist has come to often carry a negative connotation, as communicated with the first few images. The images use male and female derogative stereotypes to discredit feminists as pursuing a worthy cause of gender equality. Recurring jokes are that women belong only in the kitchen and that women who tear down men and want equality are not logically sound. In addition to being irrational, feminists are portrayed as unattractive he-women who don't conform to societal standards of how to look, act, and dress.

These messages affect how women are viewed and treated in the classroom because they reinforce the idea that women should act a certain way; if they don't act how they are expected to, they won't or shouldn't be accepted. If women don't look a certain way or are too outspoken or claim that something is sexist, then they can be viewed as a "feminist" in the incorrect, negative understanding of the term. It is important for teachers to examine how cultural groups are represented in the media, curriculum, and policy because teachers play a critical role in educating students to think differently than simply accepting what has always been the norm. This also applies to how teachers manage their classrooms; will they reinforce the dominant culture? Will they treat students incorrectly? Will they make offensive jokes that single out different cultures or groups? Teachers need to understand how cultural groups are being portrayed so to understand how their students may view each cultural group. If the students only hear one story, that is the only view that they will have.

This “single story” of feminism affects all students. People who view feminism through this single story who do not identify as feminist will feel uncomfortable when feminist opinions are brought up. I think that they will typically conform to gender stereotypes and roles and put down those that don’t conform. “Powerful” or “Bossy” or “Strong” women will be seen as unattractive and undesirable, and women who exemplify those attributes will be seen as or feel undesirable. For students who identify as feminist, male or female, this single story largely misrepresents the issues that feminism combats and it would be upsetting to hear it or experience the enforcement of this single story. Feminist students might feel uncomfortable speaking up or identifying as such, or lash out in the opposite direction and get angry and loud.

In concerns with school policy and curriculum, anti-feminist mentalities would encourage a greater selection of male students for leadership positions in clubs and sports. In the extreme sense, there would be rules about how only a male could fill specific positions. Women who would be assertive and do well in the positions would not be voted in because it is difficult to see women in positions of authority; it’s annoying according to the single story of feminism. Anti-feminist or “neutral” teachers and administrators would promote a curriculum of texts written mostly by men that purport the same mentality. As a future educator, I need to advocate policies that incorporate equal opportunity for both men and women, and create or teach a curriculum in a way that challenges the single story of feminism.

First Imagined Classroom

1. Five images (you can take them or they can come from the Internet [provide proper credit]). These images should reflect, in some way, what you imagine your classroom will look like once you are a teacher. Please annotate your images by providing a description of the image and how it relates to your future classroom.  I found the first image at http://yaloveblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/0041.jpg, the second image at  http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eHvkUsgG1YA/Ugqseiud5XI/AAAAAAAABEg/Dd1ZOq-PIrA/s1600/CIMG1068.JPG, the third image at http://www.weareteachers.com/images/default-source/default-album/bgt45c4278481ca6f21a07aff0000a50561.tmb-blogs-3x25.jpg?sfvrsn=2, the fourth image at http://www.instructables.com/id/Cheap-DIY-100quot-Projector-Screen/, and the fifth image at https://sonatamathematique.wordpress.com/page/2/ .
1. Here is an example of an in-class library bookshelf with example novels that could relate to the coursework or material being studied that year.
2.  Here is an example of how I want my classroom to be set up with a board, a teacher’s desk, and the students’ desks laid out in rows and columns.
3. Here is an example of how to keep the students’ work organized; this is a cubby for turning in work according to name, class, and section.This is an example of using the projector and screen for class lessons.
4. This is an example of using the projector and screen for class lessons.
5. Here is an example of how to return work to students without losing it or allowing it to get disorganized. Each students has a folder where they can retrieve graded work.
2. Imagine the surrounding in your classroom. What does the room look like? What resources are available for students? How are the resources used during the lesson?
1. The room will typically be rectangular in layout with a teacher’s desk near one of the front corners. The front of the classroom will have some sort of board – dry-erase white board or chalk board – as well as a screen to project images and presentations. There may be an office in the back of the classroom. There will be desks and chairs for the students to sit in, and shelves lining the walls with different books and texts – be they literary texts or writing resources such as dictionaries, thesauruses, and formatting guides. Students will be able to use the writing resources when writing in class, and the literary text will be used to study from and learn material.
3. Describe the students in your classroom. What are their backgrounds? What are their interests? What are they doing during the lesson?
1. I hope to eventually be able to work with honors students. These students can come from various types of backgrounds. Typically, excelling students come from more affluent families with heavy parental involvement, but that is the stereotype. Many exceling students come from less-affluent families, and the students are motivated to work hard to get a good education in order to obtain scholarships that will provide them with the opportunity to attend college. The main reason that I want to work with honors students is because they are typically more interested in learning and education, willing to think about challenging concepts in different ways. With a strong teacher (which I hope to become) these student generally show respect and pay attention (for the most part) and are willing to participate if skillfully engaged.
4. Describe you classroom policies. What are you classroom rules? What is your discipline plan? What are your homework policies?
1. Raise your hand before speaking
1. If this doesn’t occur, I don’t think that it is reason to be obnoxious and not acknowledge students when they speak without first raising his or her hand, but I think that it helps to maintain a sense of order as well as establish respect for the teacher and for the students
2. Tardiness – late more than 5 times results in unexcused absence
3. Attendance – school policy
1. Honestly, I plan to uphold the school standards (wherever I work) on attendance and tardiness. I think that with some students, it is important to consider the result of giving them “a tardy” and to be lenient in some situations.
4. Respect – no physical violence or cursing
1. Also whatever school standard
5. On-task behavior
1. Give a warning
2. Loss of participation points that contribute to student’s grades
6. As obnoxious as accepting and grading late work becomes, I will accept late work in order to motivate students to still complete assignments even if they didn’t turn them in on time. However, for every day that the assignment is late (until a certain point), points will be deducted from the graded score of the assignment in order to motivate students to complete work on time.
5. Describe a typical lesson you will teach in your classroom. What will you teach? What is the topic? Why did you choose this topic? How will you teach it? What is the main thing you want students to learn during this lesson?
1. I will teach English. I love both the reading and writing components of the English language, and will teach both areas together. Grammar and mechanics will need their own focus at times, and reading and understanding literature will make up the lesson at other times. By reading literature and writing about it, I hope to teach students comprehension skills as will as proficient writing skills. I hope to make the material interesting and relatable. I want students to learn to love reading and writing, to not be afraid of it, and for them to apply the new ideas found within the text to better their character.
6. Imagine your work as a teacher during this lesson. What are you doing during the lesson?
7. Imagine your students again, what are they doing during the lesson?
1. (this is for both prompts 6 and 7) I plan to be involved with the students during lessons through the use of effective lesson planning. During the lesson, I might use a PowerPoint, image, or short video clip in order to catch the students’ attention and apply the lesson to something that they already know or value. There will be a period of instruction, explaining what will happen and what is expected. Then I would instruct the students to read part of a story together, switching off between students, and then break up into groups to discuss themes found within the text, and then write about the themes and how they apply to the overall point of the text.
8. Imagine how you will assess your students' learning and achievement. How will you know they have learned?
1. By using a rubric with standards set for whatever specific grade level I’m working with, I will grade the papers to see if the students match these standards of writing. It is important to see that the students make progress over time, and to move slow enough that the students can proficiently perform to the standard at which they are expected to perform. If they can meet these standards, or if they show progress over time (whether big or small), then I can know that they are learning.