Katie Hammaker- Journal #4

During my time with the Urban Teaching Fellowship, I have gained invaluable experience in the classroom and learned countless lessons.  One of the most powerful learning experiences was when I worked with my small group of students after lunch each day during our “START” time.  I think as much as I taught them during the twenty minutes we spent together each day, that they taught me just as much.  It’s hard to describe all that they taught me, but I definitely got the closest to these kids over the course of the two weeks.  Whether we were doing reading or playing games, these kids always had smiles on their faces.  They echoed a lot of what I said below about seeing how smart and resilient the students are.

I also learned so so much from all of the other participants in the program.  Getting to meet with them frequently (s/o Frannie!!) and hearing their stories and experiences was amazing, and I’m so glad I got to know them.  They helped me stay mindful and intentional during my time in the school and classroom.  I had a great time learning and growing alongside of them.

Another lesson I learned from my time with the Urban Teaching Fellowship was about the importance of unity and cohesion between administration and teachers in a school.  I wasn’t expecting such a big gap to exist between the administration and the teachers of my school and was kind of surprised by it; however, I have heard that that is the case in many schools.  My teacher expressed a lot of frustration with this, and lamented at how little experience the administrators had in the classroom with kids.  This was important for me to learn as a future administrator, so that I can ensure I take into account my experience in the classroom and work with teachers in my school to make important policy decisions most effectively.

After my experience, I think I can definitely see myself going into urban education.  I don’t know where I will end up after I graduate, but I am definitely open to teaching in an urban setting.  Through this experience, I have gotten to see a lot more signs of hope and steps in the right direction than I have previously thought there were.  I have more sympathy for the students than I had before, after seeing for myself some of the daily struggles that they have to endure.  That said, I also have a lot more confidence in the ability of students from these backgrounds, after seeing how eager and determined they were to learn and do well.

Katie Hammaker- Journal #3

Being inside of a classroom for a period of time, I have been able to see a lot of the signs of hope that are invisible to those outside of the school setting.  I see students who are reading at or above grade level who were not able to read much English at all coming into second grade.  I saw kids who were going through some rough things at home who sought support and release in their teachers and peers.  I saw so many teachers who cared so much about their students and their well-being.  In talking to my teacher about misconceptions that “outsiders” may have about urban schools, and she said that people really don’t see just how much teachers and administrators care about their students.

Since most of my students are English Language Learners, they have to take the Access test in addition to the traditional standardized tests of Massachusetts.  A fair amount of the students who had to take the Access test had some level of testing anxiety, and I don’t think that one of the students was excited to take the test.  My teacher expressed a lot of frustrations with the Massachusetts standardized tests for many reasons.  Because the students are ELL, they have trouble reading the test and do not typically fare well in the English/reading portion of the test.  Also frustrating was that the students knew how to do the skills in the math portion of the test; however, they could not understand the problem they had to solve because they had a hard time reading the word problems.  Their results were also being compared to more affluent schools around them who had a smaller population of ELL students, which further frustrated the teachers.

One thing I loved about my teacher and how she taught was how she taught counter narratives of history that are often left out of history textbooks and traditional teachings (like how I was taught throughout primary school).  For example, when talking about WWII, my teacher pointed out that while not as severe, there were also camps in the US where people with Japanese heritage were forced to go.  When teaching about the Wampanoag Tribe of MA, she used language that shifted the view of the pilgrims from nice and peaceful people to people who invaded the Wampanoag land and killed many Native Americans.

The teachers at the school had good relationships with each other, at least from what I saw.  My teacher ate lunch with the same two teachers every day, and they were good friends.  I would definitely want to work with them if I worked in the school because they were so kind and warm, definitely good people to have around if you’re a new teacher.

Katie Hammaker- Journal #2

A large majority of the students in my class are English language learners, of middle to low SES, and children of color, and many students in the class are male.  The students that usually interact the most with each other are those of the same gender, but there are some positive interactions between genders when they are in the same group.  The students who appear to be the “lone wolf” student(s) of the class are those who cannot read or participate as well as the other students in the class due to language barriers.  The students who appear to participate the most and be “doing well” in the class are those who can communicate clearly and understand English.  One student in particular does exceptionally in the class, and is one of the very few whose parents both have well-paying jobs and time to engage with her learning at home and at school.  One day, the class did not receive math homework to do, so she made up and solved her own math problems that were above grade level and handed them in to the teacher.

Many of the students got along fairly well; however, there were some students, specifically boys, who the teacher pointed out “instigated” each other’s bad behavior.  Because of this problem, these boys sat at different tables across the room from each other.  This strategy worked, and I didn’t see any major problems with these students during my time in the classroom.

The students who were eager to take on their work and take ownership of their work made it pretty clear that they felt that way.  They always raised their hands to participate in class, and always finished their classwork without hesitation or grief.  On the other hand, the ones who did not want to do their classwork or be in school made it known that they felt that way as well.  For some, it was an outspoken displeasure with being in school, while for others it was more subtle.  By subtle, I mean that the student would not say anything or be disruptive to others in their class, but they would stare blankly at their work and needed a lot of pushing to begin their work (they often would not complete their work).

For both the outspoken and quieter students who expressed displeasure at their work or school in general, there seemed to be a common theme of a lack of self-efficacy.  Many students who did not like school or learning expressed that they didn’t know how to do a skill or that they had no idea what to do.  The teacher said that some of these students were very bright, but that they did not show their full potential because they didn’t feel like they could or wanted to do their work.

Art Lesson: Sophie, Susannah, and Liam

We decided to focus on Native American art to help bring our students’ focus to a group of people commonly underrepresented in curriculums.  This Native American beadwork specifically brings up topics of oppressive interactions between Native Americans and Europeans and the resistance that Native Americans showed.  This lesson would allow students to think critically about these topics, and share their thoughts with a partner or friends.  We thought that this lesson would be taught in a fifth or sixth grade classroom.  

Lesson plan:

1.  Show students pictures of the art and have them brainstorm who they think made it (ask them if they have seen anything similar before).  Take all responses.
2.  Make a short statement about how they adopted beadwork (they began using it after Europeans brought it) Ask the students, “why do you think the Native Americans would want to adopt this? What do you already know about the relationship between Europeans and Native Americans?” – can use some more guiding questions if students are having trouble (take all responses).  If no student brings this up, we definitely should: beadwork was a form of cultural and economic resistance.  Ask if students know what that means, or if they can volunteer any answers. If not, tell them: “using European materials and European depictions (floral imagery) to maintain their spiritual connection to the natural world, as well as to help them survive.  They could also sell these products which will help them survive, despite what the Europeans may want.”
3.  Discussion on women: “Within a tribe or nation of Native American people, who do you think made these products? Why?”

Betty Louis- Journal 4: Reflection #4

Throughout this fellowship, I’ve learned a lot about the importance of language. I was able to imagine what it would be like to be in a classroom that was taught only in Spanish or any other language that I don’t know and how frustrating that would be. Thankfully, the teacher in my classroom spoke both English and Spanish so she would give instructions and lessons in English and repeat most of it again in Spanish for the students who could not understand. I’m under the impression that most schools/classrooms are not set up this way but I think they should be if at all possible. If we truly want an equitable education system, we need to be able to meet the needs of our students, especially one as vital as communication. Because of that, I’m seriously considering adding a Spanish course to my schedule next semester so I can gain a basic understanding of the language and help the students that I want to serve most.

I’ve also learned a lot about the importance of a good relationship between colleagues in a school. All of the teachers that I got to see got along so well with each other. They would share their lunch with each other, offer to buy each other food, give advice on the best remedies for pain, and would just generally encourage each and be there for one another. I was honestly so blessed to work with the women that I met and to see how much they cared for each other and were genuine friends. I hope that when I become an educator myself, I’m surrounded by caring colleagues because that makes coming to work so much more enjoyable. Teaching is all about the students, but having adults who are working with you toward the same goal and are kind and supportive is extremely important as well.

Overall, this experience has been wonderful. I learned about terms like “inclusion classrooms” for the first time and got to experience firsthand the joys and the frustrations that go along with working in urban schools and schools in general. I definitely would like to teach in an urban school when I become an educator. I feel as though my presence is needed as someone who grew up in an urban area and “made it” to success. And I feel as though those communities are where you find each type of inequality possible. Working there would give me the chance to combat the things I despise most about American education in small but important ways. I’m excited to begin to make change through education in the future and I’m thankful for the ways that this program has equipped me with the terminology and experience needed to begin!

Betty Louis- Journal 2: Observing Students

All the students in my classroom were second language learners, with Spanish being the first language of all the students. Within this classroom, three of the students only spoke Spanish and while the other students could speak English but had trouble with reading/writing.

Student-Student Social Interactions: Generally speaking, the kids were pretty kind to each other. At times, they would tattle on each other or call each other annoying for talking too much, but overall, I would say the students were nice. They were always willing to share erasers and pencils and help each other with their work when they were able to. The students who could speak English were also always willing to translate what I said to the students who only spoke Spanish, so I would say the classroom culture was pretty friendly.

Student Status: The boys in my classroom were a lot more eager to participate than the female students and would often dominate the classroom discussions with all their questions. I would say most of the students were doing well or close to the same level in class, except for the students who only spoke Spanish. They had trouble understanding most of the assignments and often times, they were taken to the back to work with the paraprofessional to work on their basic understanding of English words.

Students’ Relationships to the Work of the Class: Most times, students get right to work and show a willingness (I wouldn’t call it eagerness) to get their assignments done. At times, there would be grumbling when students were confused about an assignment, but overall it was pretty easy to get students to work. I will say that at times, students would ask for help before they even attempted to read a “long” paragraph. They wanted us as teachers to simply read them the words, probably because reading was something that they were still developing. In terms of hindering other students, at times one student might say to another that s/he finished his or her worksheet first, which would discourage the student who wasn’t finished yet. It was easy to humble those students, though, by showing them all the places that they had made a mistake and had to revise.

Art Lesson Plan (Carina Cohen)

Group: Carina, Emerson, Ronnie

Painting: The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit (w/ Japanese vases)

For middle school mathematics class, use measurements of the Japanese vases and the mathematical concept of proportions to determine the height of the girl leaning against the vase in the painting. Discuss ways that using proportions and images are used in the real world (using maps); perhaps engage in activities using maps and determining distance.

For high school mathematics (calculus) class, determine an estimate of the volume of a Japanese vase via integration. Students will determine a function to represent the curvature of  the vase and use integration (disc method). Students will compare volume estimations and discuss error involved in mathematical and scientific studies, etc. Students will also discuss how using integration to determine volume is used in the real world (engineering, architecture, physics, etc.).

Journal Entry #4 (Carina Cohen)

One powerful experience was with a student who moved here from Vietnam two years ago. Upon being asked how he liked it in the United States, he responded very positively. His family came here with him so he considers this  his home, feeling like he has nothing to return to in Vietnam. He also really enjoys the four seasons, something that my Peruvian mother has noted she loves about the United States. I was inspired by how kind, passionate, and positive he is, despite the struggle of being new— not only to the school but to the country. He is so incredibly open to help, even though it must be difficult to not be as fluent in English as his classmates. Inspired by him and wanting to comfort him so he doesn’t feel alone, I told him about my mother who came to the United States from Peru for grad school. When talking to him about my mother’s current persistence in finding her dream, I saw his eyes light up and he told me how inspired he was by her. On my last day, he happily hugged me, saying “I thought you left!” This connection is something that I will take with me as I leave Boston.

Another powerful experience when the teacher brought politics into her AP biology class. She was able to incorporate EPA data into her presentation and immediately responded positively when a student asked about the harms of global warming. The students learned about how the administration, based on the range of data they analyze, could support their denial of climate change. They also learned about the ways the administration are not supporting climate change and the EPA. Importantly, they learned about climate change’s negative influence on animals and their environment. This was the most engaged I had seen the students be in a biology conversation; they were actually interested in this particular intersectionality. In fact, I was so much on a kick from this conversation that I watched Bill Nye’s Netflix episode on climate change that night.

Another more subtle powerful experience is how the teacher often goes without eating. During her prep periods and lunch, she continues to work, either on her own work or with students. I often observed her lunch being slowly eaten through the last two periods of the day— that is a long time without a meal! Although more subtle and indirect than the other experiences, this shows how much she prioritizes giving her students all she can give. It shows that being a teacher is more than just a job.

My preconceptions about urban students have not changed significantly since their behavior and situations are very similar to many students who attended my own public schools. However, I was unaware of the extent of the presence of ELL students and the wide variety of different languages they speak. At my high school, many students spoke Spanish to each other in the halls but there was not nearly as much of an Asian presence. In addition, I was surprised by the stark contrast between my own AP experience and the AP biology class at this Boston school. My AP experience was very rigorous and all of the students had clear plans to pass and attend college. In the Boston AP biology class, most students were failing and seemed relatively unmotivated. I am still interested in urban education but will need additional experience to supplement my knowledge of urban education since this internship experience was quite limited (I had access to one class and the daily routine was the same every day for these two weeks).

Pertaining to recommendations, it would be beneficial to ensure that the assigned class is engaging in multiple activities, lessons, and discussion, instead of the same monotonous structure every day for the entire two weeks (students working independently on their lab reports and the interns editing/commenting on them every single morning).

Journal Entry #3 (Carina Cohen)

Hope comes from the passion of the teachers and students. Teachers definitely prioritize their students and actively try to fight against situations that seem to put their students up for failure. For instance, in a team meeting of several teachers, they made sure to vocalize via emails their distain for certain planned situations that would cause students to perform inadequately in their class or on the standardized tests. Instead of the usual 40% of the biology grade being dependent on the science fair, the biology teachers convinced the administration to reduce it down to 25% this year. Teachers are continuing to fight; as long as they fight, there is hope. In addition, these students are intelligent and passionate human beings. Perhaps their passions lie outside of the biology classroom, but obviously there is something that drives them despite the situation that they live in.

Students continuously have to prove themselves on their standardized tests. In addition, students are required to take a test (for ELA, mathematics, history) at the beginning of the year, mid-year, and the end of the year to ensure they are improving. However, the taking of these tests often cause problems: access to computers, time to grade the assessments, limited time in their classes, and general readjustment that is not ideal. Also, teachers and students are made accountable via grade transparency. Parents have unlimited access to their child(ren)’s grades via a website and progress reports are also sent home to be returned with a signature. I can understand how this grade transparency could encourage “helicopter” parents, causing problems for teachers and the school. However, at this school, it seems that parents generally do not have the time to be involved in their child(ren)’s academic lives (due to full-time jobs, etc.). My teacher explained how, out of over 70 students, only 17 parents made appointments with her for parent-teacher conferences. Therefore, most of the accountability most likely comes from the state. This accountability has also probably caused the loss of funding for art programs and advisory activities/lessons, which further hurts the students.

My teacher attended a small liberal arts school in order to have access to resources to help her with her learning disabilities. She came to work at a Boston public school via the Boston Teacher Residency Program. Her husband also works in the Boston public school system, currently working to improve instruction— although he encounters obstacles of his own, preventing schools from improving. There is definitely a good relationship between teachers; my teacher often remarks to the other teachers how much she enjoys talking with whichever teacher she had been talking. There is definitely a sense of community; a sense of “there is so much chaos happening but at least we’re dealing with this together”. In addition, she is mentoring a new teacher at the school to support them as they are learning about teaching. However, there is definitely a sense of teachers versus administration as the administration often makes decisions that the teachers do not agree with. 

In biology, I recognize that it is more difficult to relate the subject to their real life experiences compared to the humanities and social sciences. However, for their lab reports, they have been recalling on their personal experiences to relate to their project’s purpose. The lab report asks them why their study is important to them and to other people as well. They also are asked to recall on personal experiences to support their hypothesis. These experiences are then shared with their lab group. In addition, in the AP biology class, there was an class discussion about climate change and how it is important to fight it. They continued to discuss the role that politics has in climate change and also in their lives. Although the experience they use may not be pertinent to their identity (as social justice discussions may be), this is still a good way to make biology more present in their lives.

Journal Entry #2 (Carina Cohen)

The vast majority of the class identifies as a racial/ethnic minority (many identifying as Black, Latinx, or Asian) and many are at least bilingual. For several students, it is clear that English is their second language, affecting their ability to write as well as the others on their lab reports. However, it is also clear that these students are incredibly intelligent and motivated. In the general biology classes, there is an even split between females and males; the AP biology class is mostly males. There are no students with easily visible disabilities, however we must be aware that there are most likely students with invisible conditions. I am aware of one student with ADHD. I also have learned that these kids tend to go to the same school as their relatives. Several students have told me that their cousins go to school with them, even are in the same class. Many of these students also have jobs that they need to attend to after school The stereotypes of these students are unknown: there are no students that stand out to me to be of a certain stereotype or not. There are the quiet kids and the loud kids. There are the kids who work hard and the kids who slack off. But no one seems to exude a certain stereotype like “jock”, “nerd”, “popular”, etc. It is possible that, if I stayed longer at the school, I could learn more about the students and their versions of these stereotypes.

Students who are close with each other generally talk to each other with insults, but it never seems to be with a serious intention. While there are a few students who are isolated, most students are very social with each other. However, those who are extremely social seem to not be social with those who are more withdrawn. Those who are more social in class tend to be more distracted and less motivated to complete their tasks and therefore are less academically successful.

Some students are generally pretty vocal about not wanting to complete the task at hand, groaning and complaining. Some students are distracted by the internet or their phones; some students doodle. One student has prominently refused to complete anything they thought was personally unnecessary. However, by talking with students, it is clear that they are not particularly proud that they are not performing well or that there are other factors at hand. Several students are absent or tardy due to situations outside their control: family emergencies, job situations, or transportation issues. One student told me that she recognizes that she is lazy which affects her performance, but still values her education. Another student explained to me how they prefer to work alone instead of with a partner (or two) on group projects because they find others not to be dependable.