Week 3: Take a Stand. Lend a Hand.

Read-Aloud

Franklin Rides a Bike by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark
ISBN: 0 - 439 - 040 - 78 - 7

Some of the themes of this book include: never give up, not everyone is great at everything, and a mother's love is above any other love. Franklin and his friends constantly ride their bikes to the lake and other places. As they grow up, his friends take off their training wheels before Franklin. Franklin is upset because he doesn't think he can do it even though it seems so easy for his friends. His mother gently encourages him and gives him the courage he needs to keep trying until he gets it. She helps him understand that there are all kinds of things that Franklin is good at that his friends struggled to do. The main thing he needs to never forget though, is to never give up.

Learning Experience

In life, there are things that can be disruptive to a child's learning. This can be lifestyles, life events and so on. This includes latchkey children, death in the family, and bullying. This can affect how well a child learns in and out of the classroom. With grievance, there are four stages in which a person goes through until they have healed. This distracts the child from learning and makes them need a little more attention in the classroom. It will be hard for them to focus and they need for the teacher to understand it is difficult for them. Teachers need to be aware of all situations to help better their classroom and make sure learning is taking place.

Current Event

Following up on my current event last week, the Chicago Teachers' Strike alsted multiple days until the mayor asked government to intervene in favor of the teachers. They did not believe the passing rate of their students should determine if they have a job any longer. An agreement has been arranged but it does not fit all the needs and has yet to be passed by the union that is representing the teachers.

Quote of the Week

"Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today." ~ Malcolm X

With the future comes more technology and more advancements in the way in humans think and the way they do things. By educating yourself everyday and thinking outside of the box, you are preparing yourself to be successful in the future. Education is, once again, power. Education will get you farther in life than most other things. So, therefore, people should cherish education, take it more seriously, and put effort into bettering yourself.

Observations

While at Forest Lake, I interacted with a few special needs kids and to be honest i really enjoyed it. In my opinion, those kids are the easiest to show love and affection to. They need you to hold their hand and support them a lot more. You will mean a lot more to them as well. In the class i saw the teacher fully engaging the students and congratulating them as well. Although the job may be a little more difficult than an ordinary teaching job, you can tell that it is well worth it. I like helping kids with special needs and they are just like any other kids. 

Reflections

Even though I may not be a teacher when I grow up, I can say that I enjoyed the experience of visiting the Special Ed classes at Forest Lake Elementary. i know I have not been in other classes with other kids observing them, but i know it will not nearly be the same when i do. Their behavior, their reaction, everything will be different. I don't know whether or not it will be beneficial or not and that's okay. This whole experience is about trying new things and lending a hand.