Blog 6

One of the classes I was in separates out to different levels with the other classes in the grade level for math. The class I was in had the lower level math students. There were a few resource students in the class, so there were many techs in there to be able to assist. One student seemed to be on the high end of the spectrum but was really struggling with math. He had a one-on-one tech to assist him. A few other students, I’d say about five, had three other techs that would focus on them. The other ones that were just struggling in general would receive one-on-one attention from the teacher. What I really noticed, is that a teacher cannot do it alone when a student is struggling. They really need to rely on the help that the school, districts, and parents provide.

Blog Entry #5

     This one was really hard for me think about because the school that I am doing my service learning is predominantly white and I cannot think about how any of the landmark events coincide with the classroom environment. So, I want to do instead is talk about what it was like in the schools I attended. I grew up in the inner-city ghettos of Las Vegas. Because of Brown vs. The Board of Education, I was able to attend school with people of varying backgrounds. This allowed me to gain an appreciation of different ethnic cultures. More over, some of my best friends were African-American, Mexican, Iranian, and Senegalese. None of this would be possible if it wasn't for the decision made in that case.

     As I look around the classrooms that I attend now, there is very little diversity. Sometimes I think that they are at a disadvantage not being able to see how different types of people are so similar. When I went to high school, I was a minority -- the school was less than 8% white. This allowed me to see how different it is to be around people who you might see as different. Then, as time goes on, you realize that you have things in common with them that you can discuss. You realize that they want the same things out of life as you do. You see that they have the same fears that cross your mind. I'll never forget what it was like to look around and feel so different, but I will also never forget how they treated me just like they treated anyone else. What I learned was we are only as different as we allow ourselves to think we are. It saddens me that a lack of diversity causes people to ear what they don't know -- sometimes.