After Community Visit- Update of first blog post

After Community:

Going into the community was a great way to learn more about my students, their background and where they come from. There were so many different places to go and explore that it was a bit overwhelming but it was also fun. My group and I decided to drive around, take pictures, have a discussion and explore the community all together. We went into the experiences with no expectations because we wanted to have an open mind about the entire thing and not feel like we were going to miss out on something if we didn’t get to it.
One of the first things that we noticed about the community was the busyness of the streets and shops. We noticed many people out and about walking on the sidewalks or into stores. We also noticed how many students walk to school with their family members. Something about the community that stands out is the difference in people and their cultures. Also the difference in the ‘atmosphere’ from the business district to the housing district. There is a huge difference in appearance of the two different districts. What stood out to me most about the community from eye sight glance was the people moving about, it was nice to see because I live in an area where there are few people walking and biking and more driving.
Some things that surprised me about the city of Southfield in certain areas was the lack of different language signs for how many people who attend my school that do not speak english. I thought that in neighborhoods and areas that there is a high volume of non-english speaking people there would be some type of different language signs. The only place that those were spotted were at religious centers. Something that also surprised me was the neighborhoods and how similar many of the houses were- also how close they were together. Possibly because of the prices or the amount of houses that the builder wanted to have on one spot of land. Some things that did not surprise me were the busyness of the city because it was just about at rush hour time. The amount of shops and stores that were open and selling items because in many cities business is always booming when it comes to food and gas stations.
This community experience has helped me in so many ways learn about my school, my students and their families. It has taught me that it is always helpful to explore the community in which you are working (no matter what job) because it gives you a better sense of the type of people that you will be working with, the places that they may visit after or before school and the areas in which they are learning and playing. This experience has helped me learn about my students in many ways. I was able to look at and explore places that they travel to after school and hang out. We went into music stores, shops, restaurants, etc. I was able to explore the type on interactions they were to encounter and think about the things that they may need to learn in school in order to facilitate those encounters correctly. I learned that there are many places for students to go with their families and enjoy family time and spending time talking about what they did at school, what their goals and dreams are and just being a ‘kid.’ I learned that my school is in an area that is very diverse and therefore gives all students a chance at learning about different cultures and ideas that they may never have gotten to learn about had they not attended or are currently attending the school. I learned that the different languages that are taught are from all over the world and that those students who come into the school not speaking a bit of english in the beginning of the year come out at the end of the year doing very well and speaking plenty of english. It is the school and the community that has helped them reach this point because they have had experience in talking and communicating different thoughts and ideas. I also learned many things about the families. This is a great thing because learning about the student and their families gives the teacher a great sense of who they are as a person and where they come from because each family is different and does things differently which effects how the students learn and behave in school. To quote Compton-Lily in her article on Listening to Families over Time: Seven Lessons Learned about Literacy in Families, “While it was often assumed that parents did not realize how school personnel viewed them, this was not true. Parents did talk with their children and were aware of what happened in school. What we say and do in school matters, and we must remember that quick judgments can be detrimental to the collaborative relationships we strive to build with families.” (Page 455.) This statement could not be more true. It clearly states that students share with their families what happens at school and there can be no assumptions made about the families because each family is different and each student is different, which is what makes the classroom so wonderful- a ‘mixed salad’ idea of students, their ideas and their learning techniques.
This experience has helped my teaching through learning more about my students and where they come from. It has allowed me to realize that I can be judgmental sometimes and as a teacher that is the last thing that I need to be doing because everyone is different and everyone deserves and equal chance at learning and being who they want to be based off of where they come from. This experience has helped me think about who my students are as people. Which is a great way to look at the students no matter what age they are. Each student has something different about themselves that makes them stand out in the crowd and add color to the classroom. Knowing what students are going to be doing after school and the places they may be going while being familiar with that can also bring great lesson plan ideas to the classroom because you can incorporate places and fun things that they may enjoy doing into the school curriculum.
This experience will help me learn about my students as literacy users and thinkers in many different ways. It has helped me see the different types of languages and signs that they see on a daily basis and must know how to read and comprehend and how this would be a great way to get students into learning more about their city while learning in school. It has helped me think of new ideas and ways for students to use their brain to think about many different ideas that will be thrown at them in the classroom. Overall, I think that this experience has helped me see my students as more than thinkers but as learners and learn about how they will interpret literacy in their daily lives.