How a teacher impacted me

During our class discussion we spoke about how teachers have the responsibility of responding to their students behavior as well as the opportunity to reach out to them and offer them help and guidance. We further discussed how many of our students will encounter hard times such as family problems, parents going through a divorce, or even losing a loved one. Although these are common problems that can have a big impact on a student psychologically and impact their ability to think during class, I think there are many other unfortunate problems a student may encounter that teachers need to be aware of. Beginning my freshman year in high school I was in an abusive relationship. This is one event I can think of where a teacher reached out to me. I was told what to wear, whom to talk to, as well as where I could and couldn’t go. Although my family knew the horrible situation I was in, I thought I would be able to hide it from my teachers realizing it was having a negative impact on my class work. Looking back I am not surprised I was unable to hide it from my teachers. I believe they saw the sadness behind my eyes. My mind was never focused on classwork, but instead wandering off wondering if my boyfriend at the time would pass my class and see me wearing a tank top instead of the sweatshirt he demanded me to wear. He would always pass by my class to make sure I was wearing a sweatshirt instead of a tank top. On a hot day, this made it even more impossible to concentrate in class. After things got really bad and more then one of my teachers saw me crying in class, I was reported to the guidance counselor, who then contacted my parents. Although at first I was upset and tried to hide that anything was wrong, this was the first step in getting me help. I wanted help so badly, but wasn’t sure how to get out of the relationship. Although it still took time, these teachers took the first step by reaching out. They realized there was a problem and tried to get me help. This negative relationship was having such and impact on me emotionally and psychologically that I was not able to concentrate at all during school. I truly believe that, “things may shape future lives, but they don’t necessarily determine their future.” This could be said for the situation I went through. Although it helped to shape the person I have become, it in no way determined my future. I think as teachers we have so much to look out for and be aware of. Because my teachers were aware of the change in my attitude, they were able to get me help and that ultimately was the first step in leading me to where I am today!

Review on Frontline Segment "Poor Kids"

Review on “Poor Kids” My experience watching the video clip called “Poor Kids” was both empowering and eye opening. According to the Frontline segment, 16 million children are affected by child poverty in the United States. This segment greatly affected me emotionally, and helped me to better understand that children are very diverse economically and as teachers it is imperative that we are aware of their differences. One thing that all the children who struggled with poverty had in common was the obvious negative impact it had on their lives emotionally. One 14 year old boy dreams of playing football but states that he has nothing going for him because he was unable to play due to expenses. He says his life is almost over and he needs to start playing football or the dream will start to fade away. Another girl has to cope with leaving her dog at a shelter for a new home because they are unable to afford the pet. Lastly, one girl has to deal with important sentimental objects of hers that were thrown out at the storage unit because they could no longer afford it; All equally sad stories, which greatly impacts each of these children’s’ lives. It is important as teachers to be patient, curious, and self-aware. There is a lot that may be going on at a child’s home life that might directly affect their ability to succeed in school. There may be sadness in a child’s voice and behind their eyes that may sometimes go unnoticed. As teachers we need to be aware and interested in learning about their lives so we can help them to succeed. Hearing a child say “I don’t care if I’m happy, the good part is that my mom’s happy” shows sadness in her words. Stereotypes rely on the easiest way to understand somebody. Often stereotypes are passed down through our family’s beliefs. Society sometimes has a negative impact about families dealing with poverty, which has a great affect on the children’s social lives. This can impact them both in an out of school. The nutrition club is offered in one child’s school to supply them with food to last them through the weekend. The students leave the class in front of all the other students to receive their food. Although this is imperative that the child receives the food, it is also singling them out in front of the rest of the class causing an environment that may make them feel embarrassed. Children also get made fun of because of the way they look because they are not able to afford better clothes. Poverty impacts these children’s lives greatly both emotionally, socially, and cognitively. It is important that teachers are aware of all the struggles they may be dealing with on a daily basis. As a physical education teacher, I think it is especially important to be aware of the impact of poverty on the lives of my students because it may impact their ability level directly. Students talk about eating a lot of pizza because it’s less expensive, and they never get a chance to eat vegetables. One child also talks about loving football but never having a chance to play because it’s too expensive. Children may differ in their levels because of the resources that are available to them.

Not Enough to Live On

As teachers we need to be patient, tolerant and self aware of both what we believe and of what we say and do as well. Reflecting on our group activity, it helped me gain a better insight to all that we, as future teachers, need to be aware of when it comes to understanding our students. Our work as teachers is so important because we play such a big role in the lives of our students, not only socially but psychologically as well. We as teachers will encounter many different students; students from all walks of life. In one class we could encounter students coming from different economic backgrounds. We most certainly will encounter students from different ethnicities and religions. We could have students who may be working a part time job to help provide for their families or students are responsible for taking care of their siblings while their parents are at work. This can have a great impact on a student’s grades and ability to do well in school. Furthermore, in situations such as these, the students might not be eating a healthy, nutritious diet at home, which in turn can cause them to have a lack of energy or be hungry when at school. These are things we need to be aware of as teachers. Self-sufficiency takes many things into account; geography, age of children, number of family members, and disabilities. Furthermore, this week’s reading assignment on “Not Enough to Live On” stresses the importance of education to help reduce income inadequacy. Part of the reason this pattern continues is because for people who fall below the Self Sufficiency Standard, it may be hard for them to afford college. Something that caught me by surprise was the table with the top 10 occupations below the self-sufficiency standard broken down by race and ethnicity. What bothered me was that, “jobs within the same category and held by people from different race or ethnic group vary considerable from low wage to higher wage.”