When I began this class, I was a bit unsure of myself with regards to urban education. As some of you may remember from my culture paper, I grew up in the middle class town of Flemington, NJ. Looking back, I was very spoiled with luxurious school facilities and opportunities in this predominately white town. The culture paper/collage made me realize the different traits, people, and places that makes me who I am. Because of my background, it took a little while for me to discover how to relate to the inner city and to get a grasp on many realities.
Through class discussions, readings, and my inquiry project, I was made aware of the many issues that go into urban education. Some of this knowledge was upsetting. For example, the Lareau text made it clear that working class students are at many disadvantages with social, reading, and writing skills because of their class and race. My inquiry project titled, "What are the relationships between art, public education, and the community," allowed me to do a case study involving physical research and interactions. I learned a lot through this project, including the disconnect between parents and arts education. These disconnects seemed to be mainly because of economic and cultural reasons.
Despite the negative, I did learn about positive issues in urban education. Spectacular Minds, for example, left me with hopeful thoughts about teaching and my future students. Through visiting Arts High School in Newark, I witnessed first hand the power of strong, effective teachers and smart, determined students.
I will be more in tune to my students through my awareness of urban community's economic, physical, mental, and social factors. I will take what I have learned and apply it to my classroom. I will use interdisciplinary teaching methods combined with students' interests to connect with my students. I will value students' opinions in classroom instruction, and tell them that they can make an immediate difference in their lives and in the lives of others through their school work. My students will be the center of my teaching and pedagogy.
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