How Are Schools Integrated?

 To answer this question simply, I would say our schools are not integrated. The term "redlining" plays a huge factor into why we see segregated schools even today, so let's take a deeper look into what this means, and how we can truly integrate our schools so that no child is left out. 

Decades of racial federal policies have made it so that we see majority White neighborhoods, and majority Black neighborhoods. In the 1930's FDR created loan programs to help people finance their homes. As a result of this, there were green, or "good," neighborhoods which allowed individuals to receive loans, and red, or "bad," neighborhoods who could not receive any financial assistance, therefore, creating the term "redlining." Even after these racist policies were changed, people living in the "red zones" did not have enough money to afford the increased property rates within the "green zones," so at this time there was nothing else to do but to stay and reside in the "red zones." Because of this unfair advantage people of color were subjected to live in the red areas with no other options, which meant zoning to schools with lower property tax incomes and less money to provide students with resources they need. Many people, like myself, do not realize that the government still enforces these policies, such as banks charging higher rates on loans for Black homebuyers, and it leads our students to attend majority White or Black schools. So I would not says our schools are integrated, but by becoming more aware of the racial inequalities we see homebuyers and people of color face, we can begin to make a change.

I believe one way we can truly make our schools integrated is to rethink our zoning policies many school districts have in place. We must think about equal access, and if we provided families with a lottery-based plan for where their child attends school, the diversity dynamic could be shifted so that all schools are integrated. I gathered my information from 3 Promising Models of School Integration, where Matt Gonzales, an advocate for the New York Appleseed, says "Desegregation is about creating diverse spaces and breaking down barriers to access.” “Integration is about the cultural and pedagogical school climate shifts [needed] to create a truly equitable environment.” This quote stuck out to me because of the success New York schools have had with this mindset, and I hope one day Texas can make the same changes. 

How can Educational Philosophies Influence Schooling?

 As time passes, society advances and new ideas form about schooling, and more specifically how we should educate children. There are many philosophies about how and what should be taught in public schools, with the most popular and well-known methods seeming outdated. As future teachers we must educate ourselves about the different teaching methods in order to provide a quality education that influences our students to engage in their learning.

Theories such as Perrenialism and Essentialism are known to be "teacher-centered" philosophies, and is used as the leading style in our current public education system. Although these theories are the most commonly utilized today and do assist in developing skills such as critical thinking within students, I don't necessarily view these as the most beneficial for learning. These philosophies leave little room for creativity or children's interests, and focus on insuring that students acquire a common core of knowledge in a systematic, disciplined way. I believe that when these methods are used we see more students disengage and feel as if the content doesn't apply to them, leading to poorer academic performance in the classroom. 

"Student-centered" philosophies on the other hand, such as Progressivism, Multiculturalism, Constructivism, and Eclecticism, allow students to create their own meaning of things using their experiences and interests, and draws on different ideas and theories to gain insight about real world topics and issues. These tend to be lesser known and less exercised philosophies because they do not always have a strict set of "rules" or "guidelines" to follow, but in my opinion that means we can create our own values as a class, and draw from different sources of captivating information to develop basic skills like interpreting, analyzing, critical thinking, and problem solving. These methods influence schooling because it makes the learning experience enjoyable, which leads to the a domino effect of higher engagement, stronger teacher-student relationships, and an increase in academic performance. 

Using a mix of these philosophies while taking what works best for your class into account can produce a superior education that influences children to enjoy their schooling experience and seek out learning. 

What lengths am I willing to go to educate all children?

 I strongly believe that every single child deserves a high quality and equal education as they are moving through the public education system. In our schools today we see unfit teachers, poor financial support from school boards, and injustice towards our non-white students because teachers choose to ignore their backgrounds instead of encouraging them to learn about their cultures. It is my goal as a future educator that my students never worry about the inequality certain students face while learning, because my own classroom will be and inclusive learning environment that accepts and motivates children to embrace their cultures because it makes them who they are. 

In order to educate all children we must first have a caring heart that allows us, teachers, to realize that our school curriculums have not taken our students with different backgrounds, possibly their race, socioeconomic status, or cognitive abilities into account. By having compassion for these students and understanding the struggles they might have faced, you are already on your way to being a progressive educator that includes everyone. I personally will focus on what benefits my students and their educational journey when I am teaching, and elaborate off of the standard curriculum by incorporating events and lessons that also relate to the children, and I will do so by taking the time to learn about their lives in and out of school. 

The article “The Culturally Responsive Teacher” by Villegas & Lucas (2007), highlights six main concepts of how to accomplish culturally responsive teaching, which I would like to base my own teaching style off of. One key idea that stuck out to me was Holding Affirming Views About Diversity, where the color of ones skin does not determine who they are or what the are capable of, but it allows us to open up conversations about their background, because I believe that race is ultimately just a part of their culture. I am willing to put my own control and power aside to teach my students, as I have already been blessed enough to receive a high quality education, and now it is their turn to experience the same as they are entering a diverse world. It is all about understanding your students and advocating for them that leads to an equal education for all, and there is no length that I wouldn't go to for each of my students to truly feel as if they are valued and receiving the education that they deserve. 

How Does Gender Affect the Teaching Profession?

 We see stereotypical gender norms play out everyday in society, but today we are specifically diving into the role gender, and diversity in general, affects the teaching profession. 

Throughout my years of public education, I have always had a majority of White, female teachers educating me. I feel as if this affects future generations of educators because it is what we are used to seeing in the classroom, and it leaves males to believe that teaching is strictly for women. This constructs a bias that only women can teach because we have been portrayed as nurturing, and the caregivers for children since the beginning of time, which are both very important traits to have in the classroom, but in no way do these projections suggest that men are not capable of this occupation as well. These early on-set opinions that men work the hard-labor jobs while the women are the "housekeepers" create a stigma in young developing minds, making them believe that they also have to follow in the same footsteps.

The inequality we have seen throughout history with men and women in the workforce has also drastically affected teaching and who we view as educators. In the PBS document "Only A Teacher," it takes us through the becoming of female educators in the classroom, where we see women only began teaching because the "promising" young men were being hired by more prestigious professions, and the Common School movement had begun for the fight against the public to integrate women in the education field. Even after being accepted by the public for female teachers, we still saw inequality in pay, because women were not "fit" or "educated" enough to teach others and their intellectual capabilities were doubted by many. Although the fight for equal pay between male and female educators was eventually resolved, I believe that the long running view that women are lesser than men heavily affects why we see such a difference in gender within the education system today. 

Why Teach?

 So... Why Teach?

Teaching has always been something that I am passionate about, whether it be the inspirational teachers growing up that made learning exciting, getting the opportunity to receive first hand experience in a classroom while still in high school, or the numerous babysitting jobs I took on throughout my life, my declaration to major in Elementary Education came to no ones surprise when choosing what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Teaching is important to me because I aim to create a safe space in my classroom where every child feels valued. By creating a trusting environment, my goal is for my students to look up to me as a leader, where I will guide them to be successful, caring, and engaging citizens as they enter society. Many teachers I've had in the past have had a similar mindset, where rewarding and contributing to students individual growth was the most impactful way they connected to their class, which ultimately led to motivated students wanting to learn just because they felt seen and important. I aspire to be this type of educator not only to create memorable bonds, but because of how it has affected me as a student in school, leaving me eager to learn and explore new ideas that I hadn't thought of before. 

Educational Aim

As I am entering the world of teaching my dream would be to teach either first or second grade, specifically math and science if I had to choose a subject. I prefer the younger grades because their minds are still very impressionable, and although many people may view this as a bad thing, I see it as an opportunity to learn from each other and discuss our likes, dislikes, interests, etc and base my teaching style off of what excites them. My ideal workplace setting is somewhere that teamwork and collaboration is encouraged and sought out for. Bouncing ideas off of co-workers and comparing what helps or hurts our students learn is a crucial aspect in leading an accomplished class, which is the main goal when teaching. Because we are all striving for the same goals and what is best for our students, we would only benefit from working together in order to lead efficient and goal-oriented classrooms.