On February 4, 2014, I attended a lecture titled “Students At Risk.” It was a lecture on at risk students in urban areas that often find many students finding paths of destruction, both internally and externally, to themselves and the to those around them. The lecturer's function was due in part by two people, Shannon Garcia, an Assistant Principal from Rancho Buena Vista High School, and Reggie Washington, the founder and leader of Project Aware, an at risk teen intervention program. The lecture focused on aspects of children’s lives that are neglected in schools. Not all students needs are neglected in schools though and the lecturers made sure that their audience was aware of that, but but many of which are not addressed need to be to ensure student success and safety. One lecturer related students’ needs to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs. While general physiological well being is met in schools, students’ love and belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization is rarely addressed. While many teachers have adjusted their teaching philosophy to incorporate all needs of students, many continue to have an obtuse view of what a education is. Instead of making connections with students and making connections with them, opponents view the classroom as a sacred place of learning. However, this distance from students can no longer be the case and never should have occurred.
While there was a significant amount of teaching philosophy addressed in the lecture, what I pulled most from the lecture was Reggie Washington’s story and the story’s of his students. Since i am currently teaching a juvenile justice module in my Expository English 12 classes, I had much to learn from them. The reason being that early in Washington’s life, Washington got involved with gangs and committed several crimes at a young age which could expose my students into the psyche of a young person who committed crimes. Many believed that the crimes that people are involved are deliberate, and while some may understand that some events may lead to the event of the crime, the crime itself is unforgivable and not preventable through simple events. What I was able to do with my students the following class was retell Reggie Washington’s story in addition to his student Romero’s. In addition I read the children’s book “If She only Knew Me” by Jeff Gray and Heather Thomas in order to get students to grasp the basic theme of both Washington’s and Romero’’s stories. “If She Only Knew Me” is a children’s book that tackles the issues that are created when teachers neglect their students and do not listen to them.
Romero and Washington’s stories gave a first hand perspective of a life that would lead to fear and what Washington called “poor social skills.” Washington explained that the social skills of a person in a gang environment is different than most are used to. In fact, most skills that are considered natural in the suburban environment that my students absent in urban environments. I found this important for my students to be able to incorporate into their understanding of what causes teens to be tried as adults in courts (what the overall theme of our juvenile justice unit is on). My students became aware that sharing how one feels and what goes on in ones life is essential towards getting the help they need and if no one is there to listen then little can be done to support them.
The childrens book expressed the need for relationships in children's’ lives in order to give someone a chance to support them. By introducing this to my students, they better understood the influences that people can be exposed to. Additionally, many were able to relate to the ideas that were introduced in the book since they were at one time bullied or not exposed to a positive relationship with their teacher.
The issues brought up during the lecture were eye opening at the least and the products of which were inspiring and relieving. Its been six days since I saw Shannon Garcia, Reggie Washington, and Romero speak, and I cannot help but use their experiences as motivation to continue to help my students grow and succeed in ways that are beyond a grade. I want my students to be safe in every possible way, to have a chance to grow, and a chance to express themselves in an environment that they will not be looked down upon because they appear weak or different. What I learned during the two hour lecture is that it is ok to keep showing my students love, appreciation, and encouragement. Many often do not receive such expression and often do not know how to reciprocate it. I view teaching as beyond a set of government made standards and more of human made connections that are are used to address such standards. After all, the standards won't matter if the students are not in a position to practice them after they graduate.
While there was a significant amount of teaching philosophy addressed in the lecture, what I pulled most from the lecture was Reggie Washington’s story and the story’s of his students. Since i am currently teaching a juvenile justice module in my Expository English 12 classes, I had much to learn from them. The reason being that early in Washington’s life, Washington got involved with gangs and committed several crimes at a young age which could expose my students into the psyche of a young person who committed crimes. Many believed that the crimes that people are involved are deliberate, and while some may understand that some events may lead to the event of the crime, the crime itself is unforgivable and not preventable through simple events. What I was able to do with my students the following class was retell Reggie Washington’s story in addition to his student Romero’s. In addition I read the children’s book “If She only Knew Me” by Jeff Gray and Heather Thomas in order to get students to grasp the basic theme of both Washington’s and Romero’’s stories. “If She Only Knew Me” is a children’s book that tackles the issues that are created when teachers neglect their students and do not listen to them.
Romero and Washington’s stories gave a first hand perspective of a life that would lead to fear and what Washington called “poor social skills.” Washington explained that the social skills of a person in a gang environment is different than most are used to. In fact, most skills that are considered natural in the suburban environment that my students absent in urban environments. I found this important for my students to be able to incorporate into their understanding of what causes teens to be tried as adults in courts (what the overall theme of our juvenile justice unit is on). My students became aware that sharing how one feels and what goes on in ones life is essential towards getting the help they need and if no one is there to listen then little can be done to support them.
The childrens book expressed the need for relationships in children's’ lives in order to give someone a chance to support them. By introducing this to my students, they better understood the influences that people can be exposed to. Additionally, many were able to relate to the ideas that were introduced in the book since they were at one time bullied or not exposed to a positive relationship with their teacher.
The issues brought up during the lecture were eye opening at the least and the products of which were inspiring and relieving. Its been six days since I saw Shannon Garcia, Reggie Washington, and Romero speak, and I cannot help but use their experiences as motivation to continue to help my students grow and succeed in ways that are beyond a grade. I want my students to be safe in every possible way, to have a chance to grow, and a chance to express themselves in an environment that they will not be looked down upon because they appear weak or different. What I learned during the two hour lecture is that it is ok to keep showing my students love, appreciation, and encouragement. Many often do not receive such expression and often do not know how to reciprocate it. I view teaching as beyond a set of government made standards and more of human made connections that are are used to address such standards. After all, the standards won't matter if the students are not in a position to practice them after they graduate.