9.2: Human Rights
With all of the buzz about immigration laws and reform today, how can you not recognize its importance in schools, where it all started according to some. Legislation and federal and local court rulings have permitted the children of undocumented immigrants, right or wrong, equal access to public education. As both sides continue to argue, and immigrant productivity in the community becomes more widely appreciated, it is certainly relevant to address this in the context of human rights, as defined and recognized internationally by the United Nations. Notice that one of those rights (Article 26) is the right to free education. So, just how far do we go to satisfy that obligation?
We have aggressively developed ESOL programs in our schools, but they cannot even address all of the language needs of our kids. My mentor has a student who is Thai. Although his English has greatly improved, he still had difficulty reading and communicating effectively, and there is little help for him at school. My experience with ESOL at Lawrence North raises many questions, and I plan to spend some time there observing. Is the assistance solely translation and language-based, or are there other peripheral forms of assistance (further explanation, examples, etc.) that are enjoyed either individually or by the nature of the program. I especially wonder about this during testing time, and just how "equal" the process is compared to the controlled situation in my classroom.
On two different occasions I asked my ESOL groups to please remain in the room. In Investigative Geometry we were working with constructions and reflections. Specific examples were needed and the exercises required the use of compass and straight-edge. I did not want the tools leaving the room, and I wanted to try to help the students myself to have a richer experience. If we are really talking about equal access to education, I feel the same about getting help outside the classroom that I do with all of my students. I am the content expert, and I am the best person to help them. Help outside of class is fine, sometimes very important, but class time should be spent taking advantage of the multiple representations and explanations that a willing content expert can provide.
I wonder also about the spirit of this particular right. Communication is imperative, but I often wonder who is assimilating to whom. Is the effort to provide equal education matched on the receiving end, or are the resources just being sucked up with the knowledge that they will be replenished or even expanded as needs continue to increase. Then I wonder just who is assimilating to whom, and if that is in the true spirit of the extension of a basic international human right to free education.
The daily routine of asking to go to ESOL, sometimes before the lesson or assignment have been given, also makes me wonder if they have other (not math) academic or social reasons for attending during my class. Typical adolescent behavior, I know, and just as questionable to me as the native English speaking student who wants to grab a worksheet and run off to the Resource Room before any instruction or learning has taken place.
As a teacher, it is difficult to balance students’ rights to seek specialized assistance with what I believe is a need to experience the learning environment of a cooperative or community-like classroom (see expectation 5.1: Fostering a Sense of Community). It is a challenge to build relationships with and create authentic assessments (see expectation 8.2: Evaluating Students' Learning) for students who are present and accountable but not absent—just receiving a different type of learning which I feel I have little awareness or control of.
Only through relationships and shared experiences do teachers develop understanding and empathy. Understanding is needed way beyond language barriers, and addresses cultural differences, physical abilities, cognitive readiness, age, gender, home life, etc.
I have been excited about having a visually impaired student in my class throughout my Apprenticeship and then during student teaching. Seth has a severe visual impairment and uses specialized equipment with a monitor to read and view the board. The thing I enjoyed most about having Seth in class was…well having him in class. He is a bright student, and I felt like I was teaching him. We built a personal and academic relationship over the course of the year, as I made special materials for him, suggested modified tools like compasses, considered his unique needs for lessons and activities and rearranged the furniture to make a better view for him. I felt like I had my finger on the pulse of Seth’s progress, and come test time, I knew I could rely upon his performance as an indicator of his true understanding. Based on his responses, Seth seemed to genuinely appreciate being increasingly included in classroom lessons, activities and assessments.
That is what I feel like I am missing with students who leave, and it is my hope that my style, sincerity and willingness to make accommodations will encourage those students that might benefit more from my specialized instruction to give it a try and first give a good teacher the opportunity to reach out and be perceived as an advocate and preserver of their basic rights, and not another "native" obstacle.
