Parents and Teachers, Bridging the Gap

This weeks readings were very interesting for me to go through because of the connection they have to my Community Study Project. While reading the Tan and Collignon article I could really make connections to the Asian families they talked about. In our research for the Asian Immigrant group we found a lot of information on "Tiger Moms" and other parenting issues that were faced in the education system, like the lack of communication because of language barriers. Because of the push on English language fluency, there is a struggle to connect with parents who cannot speak the language very well. This also becomes a problem for students because they have to translate for both parties. Then there is always the issue of students who have English as a second language, who are understanding the material, but cannot express it.

Another thing that I found interesting in Beyond the Bake Sale was the way the schools worked with the communities to make parents feel more supported in their relationship with the school, teachers, and their children. This reminded me of the phrase, "it takes a village to raise a child." Support, from anywhere, is always a great thing to have, whether it's extended family or neighbors and friends, or the community. One thing I wasn't so sure of was the school that required parents to volunteer to enroll their children in the school. There are some parents out there that want the best education for their child, but they might not have the ability to volunteer. I understand that different schools can create policies if they wish, but I wasn't sure how much I agreed with that one.

The final thing that I really enjoyed about these articles was how much they lend to the idea of building parent teacher relationships. In our Adolescent Development class on Tuesdays we have done some fake parent teacher meetings and I was really nervous to go through with my own. I felt like that was going to be the most intimidating part of teaching, dealing with parents. Once I had finished my fake meeting though, I was much less nervous for this aspect of teaching. Parents just want to see their child doing well whether they can or cannot help. These articles gave many different insights on how to involved and engage parents in their child's learning and I thought they were extremely helpful and something I would refer back to in my future as a teacher.

It really shouldn't matter what we are

I had never experienced the presentation of sex while I was in school. Going to a Catholic school my entire life, Sex Ed was not in the cards for me. Although this was my school environment I was lucky enough to have a home environment that was very open and loving. I had “the birds and the bees” talk with my mom when I asked her what sex was and they always taught me that love was love, it did not matter who it was between. I have gay and lesbian friends who I love very much and I recognized some of them in these readings.

            Like in Anderson’s article, a close friend of mine, who I grew up with, struggled with an identity crisis. He had a wicked temper when we were young and it always looked as if he was having an internal debate whenever we did something, even just playing outside. Years later we talked about it and he knew that those years were his toughest. He knew that he was fighting with the fact that he was, “joining to a stigmatized group” and he had no idea what to do about it (Anderson, 2005, p. 4). When we were young I just thought he was being annoying and that he would get out of his funk eventually, I never imagined it was something so important for him. Now I am glad I was able to be there for his experiences and learn from him and what he went through.

            One of my roommates is someone else I have learned a great deal from. She is a lesbian, and as she likes to call herself “boyish.” She is more comfortable with short hair and looser clothing, but that is not who she is. I watch as people give her a questioning look at school or out somewhere, but she does not even give those people the time of day. She has overcome so much adversity in her life that she does not worry about the looks. And there are many people out there that have to deal with this struggle of judgment, not just gays or lesbians, but from being around my friends I see how much it can be a nuisance. Students need to learn about all different types of love, I feel, because if they do not, they will be the ones starring. We cannot change everyone’s mind, but I feel that we owe it to students to make the world a little more caring and a little less judgmental.

            I also really liked a point that Fine and McEllend made, that desire is everywhere (Fine &McEllend, 2006). She mentions different social medias and television channels that plaster adolescent desire as the main focus. Students cannot escape the fact that sex sells and that it is becoming a large part of society. Sadly, they can “’Google’ for information about the average young woman’s age of ‘sexual debut,’ if she used a condom, got pregnant, the number of partners she had, if she aborted or gave birth, and what the baby weighed” (Fine & McEllend, 2006, p. 4).  It is not just Google that is becoming a problem, but young adults these days do not understand the idea of privacy (I know I sound like I’m old, but really!). Girls will post pregnancy photos on social media websites and apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Boys will talk about the “girl they smashed” last night. There are no boundaries anymore for adolescents and someday they might wish they never put that out there for everyone to find.

            I just hope that eventually all students will have some understanding and appreciation for all types of people, whether you’re GLBTQ?, black, white, purple, or blue. There needs to be some level of caring between young adults so that they can learn from one another and carry what they learn with them into future experiences.

Anderson, D. (2005). Lesbian and Gay Adolescents: Social and Developmental

Considerations. In E.R. Brown & K.J. Saltman (Eds.). The Critical Middle School Reader. New York: Routledge, 338-344.  

Fine, M. & McClelland, S.I. (2006).  exuality Education and Desire: Still Missing After

All These Years. Harvard Educational Review, 76(3), 297-338.