The IRIS module that I chose was, “Teaching English Language Learners.” In the beginning of this this module I watched the video of a lecture in another language, I couldn’t get anything. These made me realize how hard it is to learn when being taught in a language you don’t know or understand. This module was about how hard it is for kids who are learning in English when it’s not their first language. It talk about the difficulties and the solutions. I was shocked that “It takes between five to seven years to become proficient enough in a second language to succeed in an English-only classroom.” I don’t think teachers realize this and put up impossibly high standards which could really effect the students confidence.
Working with High Poverty Children
Richard Milner offers insight about why some parents do not appear to provide a significant amount of educational support. He also discusses why it is especially important for high-poverty schools to have effective teachers
The interview that I listened to was called, “Working with High Poverty Children” from Richard Milner.
When listening to this interview I had no issues with the interview it covered great topics along with great questions for Richard Milner.
An AHA that I had that is that a common misconception is that people believe parents especially stereotyped as being in poverty don’t care about their child’s education. When in reality they do. There are numerous instances where it might look that way for example the parent works 2 jobs so they have cloths food etc. They wouldn’t get as much time to work with their kids making it look like they don’t care about their education. When they may be just trying to supply for their child’s needs so the child can focus on school with food in his belly and a warm bed to sleep in. Another example would be a parent with very low education which happens with people in poverty from time to time. The parent could not help the child with their school work if they did not understand it themselves.
Some questions brought to mind through listening- Why should there be better and more qualified teachers that depend on what school you go to or how much money you have?
The interview had insights for me – The socioeconomic class of a parent has nothing to do with how much someone cares about their child’s education. The kids with parents that have a low socioeconomic class do not deserve to have a poor education. It is unfair that these kids are given a less effective education due to a class they were born into. There are amazing teachers everywhere but I feel that it is unequal and unjust.
A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist asks his viewers to question what it means to be an American. (Time: 4:33)
The take away that I got from this was that people are people. He grew up in America and believed his whole life that he had his green card and was legal. He worked hard and was successful. This illusion was ripped away from him and his opportunities and citizenship were being threatened. I couldn’t help but think that could happen to anyone. What If it happened to me? I didn’t realize how privileged I was to just be a citizen. The man Jose, in the video is not a stereotypical immigrant as media would like to portray him but a true American just like you and me.