Katherine Graff
CONNECTING LABELS WITH EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE Session 4, Page 05, Activity
03
Course: EDUC 5329
Degree: M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign Languages (Arabic)
Standards: ACTFL, NCPTS (
Content practice test NOT TAKEN
TExES content exam NOT TAKEN
PPR practice test NOT TAKEN
TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN
1.
What ways
did labels make you more and/or less visible at school?
The labels I carried that
made me more visible were the positive ones I had – “Great Friend” meant that I
was a kind person and others were kind to me, Jock and Gifted/Talented meant
that I had a good, healthy balance of athleticism, intelligence, and the
ability to combine the two using superb time management skills and by setting
and successfully achieving goals. Ginger
definitely defined me-feisty, spunky, freckly, and definitely unique. One label that made me less visible was the
“Teacher’s Kid”. People did not take the
time to judge me for who I was; they based my value from my mother’s
profession. That was totally
unfair! It was more like a “brand” than
a label.
2.
Did the
labels you carried symbolize certain student attributes? What personal meaning,
if any, did the symbolization create for you?
This is a recap from the last
paper, but my Gifted and Talented label made me feel special because I knew I
was getting the best education possible.
I had the best teachers, collaborated with other students that worked
and thought like me, and I was motivated because of the higher-level work I
that was awaiting me. Classes were going
to move at a faster pace (I like challenges because I will get bored if I am
not challenged) and I welcomed independent work and projects. Going to college was almost a given-it was
what everyone expected from me. I was
considered a good leader because of my club and council memberships, my strong
social network among my fellow classmates regardless of clique or “label”, my
participation in multiple sports and my ability to relate well to students
across the grade levels. I was a star
pupil, and I knew that meant I had to live up to that identity. I was the student Powell and the others
described in the first paragraph on page 59.
3.
As a
consequence of the school labels you adopted, what self-labels did you give
yourself? Were they positive or negative? How did these labels affect your
relationship with school? with teachers? with peers?
When I accepted that I was a G/T student,
over-achiever, Goody-Two-Shoes, etc…, I was set apart as described in Classroom
Management (Powell, et al., p60 1st paragraph). My school administration knew me and said
“Hi” to me when I walked down the hallway, while everyone else just passed as
if they were ghosts. I was hand picked
for special student councils and projects by faculty and staff and I returned
the favor by volunteering for school fundraisers and clean-ups. I believed everything my teachers said about
me. I would go far, be successful and
make a huge difference in the world. I
related well with my teachers and my younger sister despised me because we had
the same teachers and they always compared her performance level to mine (which
was totally unfair to her). My peers
respected me, with a few exceptions (remember the fat jokes after I started
gaining weight from the pills? Read my
School Labels paper…) and looked to me for advice, and I was happy to help
anyway I could. I enjoyed most of the
academic and social portions of my school life, and I feel that I made the most
of what I was given.
4.
As a
result of the labels you adopted and the corresponding groups you belonged to,
do you think your teachers saw you more as an individual person, or more as
part of a social, academic, or athletic group?
Because I fit into so many different
“groups”-volunteer clubs, student council, athletic teams, honors societies,
religious associations, foreign language clubs, ROTC sponsor-my teachers viewed
me as an individual. It was hard to lump
me in with one crowd because I appeared so frequently with different people and
did not always stick to one “subculture”, except my little circle of
“girlfriends” who were “social nomads” like me.
As a final note, I would like to discuss a label that
has recently been a haunting label that in some cases is true, but has become a
blanket for all. “Those who can,
will; Those who can’t, teach” Translation-If you cannot
amount to anything in life, teaching is a great fall back. I believe that teaching is one of the most
difficult professions in the world, and to be a great, effective teacher, you
have to want to be a great, effective teacher.
All the education and experience in the world is not enough unless you
have the desire for greatness and the students’ well-being at heart. I was disappointed that this was not
highlighted on pages 63 and 64.
EQUITY - Buddy Response A
|
Message
no. 959 |
|
Author: Wenyung
Chung |
|
Date: Monday, October 1, 2007 11:23pm |
|
You said that you were getting
the best education when you were placed under the gifted and talented, do you think the
school is only focusing on the high-achieving students? Could there be any chances
that the school was neglecting to provide the "best education" for the less
achieving students? I agree with you last
comment about the teaching professions. Teaching was first developed with a high
honored responsibility for the educating of mankind to allow personal learning capabilities. I
also dislike when people take teaching as a low level job not realizing that teaching is
one of the greatest influence in the growth of children. |
EQUITY - *My
Response* to Buddy Response A
|
Message
no. 1009 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
|
Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
9:22am |
|
Hello Wenyung, I was thinking about that
after I wrote the paper, and I really do not know how much the school interacted with or
encouraged students that were not in the academic honors classes. I was talking with Erica earlier about how a
reward system needs to be set up for students who excel in
their specific "track" to recognize their work and accomplishments as well. It may not just be an academic
achievement-it could be that someone displayed great
leadership in ROTC events or performed outstanding in a county band competition. If a student logs 20 hours of community
service outside of the school and someone finds out
about it, I think that is worth rewarding.
I agree with you about the
major impact a teacher has on a child's growth. The United States is one of the few
countries that does not recognize teaching as a revered position. I agree-it should be an honor to be a
teacher, not an alternative. |
EQUITY,
Response 1 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 1054 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
|
Date: Thursday, October 4, 2007 7:43am |
|
Katherine Graff CONNECTING LABELS WITH
EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE Session 4,
Page 05, Activity 03 EDUC 5329 M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign
Languages (Arabic) ACTFL, NCPTS ( Content practice test NOT
TAKEN TExES content exam NOT
TAKEN PPR practice test NOT TAKEN TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN Hi Stephanie, It seems that you had an
enjoyable school experience! I find it
interesting that you only saw yourself as average
despite all of the encouragement and attention-that tells me you are a very humble person. Do you think all of the personal perks you
received as a soccer and academic star
hurt the other students with negative labels or just the attitudes of the teachers? Do you think you deserved what you were
awarded? Great paper-thanks so much
for sharing! |
EQUITY,
Response 2 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 1024 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
|
Date: Wednesday, October 3, 2007
3:07pm |
|
Katherine Graff CONNECTING LABELS WITH
EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE Session 4,
Page 05, Activity 03 EDUC 5329 M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign
Languages (Arabic) ACTFL, NCPTS ( Content practice test NOT
TAKEN TExES content exam NOT
TAKEN PPR practice test NOT TAKEN TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN Hi Margaret, I agree with you that being quiet and smart
are definitely positive qualities ; )
You said that your teachers were very
caring about your studies and your well being. Were they like that with all students, or
because you exhibited model behavior and achievement? I enjoyed reading your stories-thank
you for sharing! |
EQUITY,
Response 3 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 1079 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
|
Date: Thursday, October 4, 2007 7:09pm |
|
Katherine Graff CONNECTING LABELS WITH
EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE Session 4,
Page 05, Activity 03 EDUC 5329 M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign
Languages (Arabic) ACTFL, NCPTS ( Content practice test NOT
TAKEN TExES content exam NOT
TAKEN PPR practice test NOT TAKEN TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN Hi Cassie, I had similar experiences
as a gifted/AP student in school, but I forgot that socio- economic status could become a
label. Cool-thanks! How did your psychology class fare overall? Did everyone achieve according to their
labeled intelligence or did they perform better when given an equal
chance? Thanks for sharing your work, you opened my eyes to another labeling
category. Kudos! |
EQUITY,
Response 4 to a Classmate’s Work
|
Message
no. 1082 |
|
Author: Katherine Graff |
|
Date: Thursday, October 4, 2007 7:28pm |
|
Katherine Graff CONNECTING LABELS WITH
EQUITY AND EXCELLENCE Session 4,
Page 05, Activity 03 EDUC 5329 M.Ed.T, Secondary, Foreign
Languages (Arabic) ACTFL, NCPTS ( Content practice test NOT TAKEN TExES content exam NOT
TAKEN PPR practice test NOT TAKEN TExES PPR 8-12 NOT TAKEN Hi Wenyung, Sorry I am getting to you
so late. I was not able to do my
homework because one of my students showed up to class drunk
today and I had to kick him out. After
that, the rest of my students planned to
boycott my lessons (which is considered muntiny by
the military) because they were
angry with me (it was that students 21st birthday, so that was important to them) and
I had to get some people that were bigger and meaner than me to quell the hostility in
my class. I could not teach or get to
my computer for 2 hours today! Anyway, I enjoyed reading your work as
always. You brought up a label that I
also had neglected to remember-the religious
label. Many people identify themselves
by their religion, so this may be the most
common type. Great thinking and
congratulations on finding your faith! I also think it is great that you keep in
touch with your teacher and friends back home. I try to do the same, but it is hard since
everyone has their own life to live. Great hearing from you
again-enjoy your evening! |
EQUITY
RUBRIC
Fully
Answered Question 1.
I talked about some labels
that made me more visible like G/T, athletic, and “Ginger”. A label that made me less visible was
“Teacher’s Kid”.. 10
Fully Answered Question
2.
I mentioned how the G/T
label made me feel special and how motivated it made me feel smart. I felt I had to live up to the identity of a
“star pupil” as mention I the book on page 59. 10
Fully
Answered Question 3.
I illustrated how I
accepted my labels as a G/T student and how I was set apart as described in the
book on page 160. The administration and
faculty forded me many privileges and opportunities that other students were
not and I believed all the great things everyone told me. I was inspired to participate in school
activities and fund raisers. 10
Fully
Answered Question 4.
I discussed that since
I was a part of so many clubs, teams and organizations, I was seen as an
individual because I did not fit neatly into one group. I also discussed my frustration with a common
view that some people have toward teaching as a “fallback” profession. 10
Responded to three
members of your learning team and replied to all responses to your original
post.
I had discussions with Stephanie Bohn, Margaret Liew,
Wenyung Chung and Cassie Essary and received responses to my original work
from Wenyung Chung 10
Total Possible
40 points My total points 40 My percentage score 100%