#7 - Language

I love languages.  Absolutely love them.  I have been fortunate to travel around the world to countries that speak no (or very little) English.  For some of my international travel I have tried to learn the local language.  These languages include Russian, Hebrew, Arabic (although that one was too hard for me!), Thai, Croatian, Czech, French, German, Italian, and Portuguese.  My goal is to have enough to get by, and it usually works.  I try to not be the ethnocentric American who thinks that everyone in the entire world should learn English because that is what I speak...and nothing else.

In my opinion, one pitfall of American education is that - ethnocentricity in the language realm.  We believe that everyone should speak English, and only English, in school.  This flows out to the business world as well.  In modern day America, many students speak other languages in their homes.  As the group showed last night in their presentation, the number of homes who use a language other than English or Spanish is near 20 million.  That's other than English and Spanish.  Instead of forcing one way, be open to other options that may be as beneficial.

How can we, as educators, use students' native language to their advantage?  How can we help them see the strengths and opportunities that being bilingual can provide?  How can we encourage students to learn English while maintaining a sense of pride in their native culture and language?  How can we balance American culture and native culture without forcing ideals and acculturation to what we think is normal?  How can we use language to the benefit of the student?

I do not have answers to all of these questions.  I wish I did.  The right answers could change the way that the education system in America operates.  They could change the way that our society operates.  They could change the way that our world operates.  By taking our eyes off of "our way or the highway" in learning English, we may be able to open doors for other students to learn more about other cultures and languages instead.  We need to be more sensitive and encouraging of others as we openly embrace what they have to offer.

#6 - The Kite Runner

"Have at least one box of Kleenex ready before you begin..."  Thanks to my classmates for such good advice!  The Kite Runner definitely made me tear up a few times.  The themes of love, character, forgiveness, loyalty, dignity, and compassion run throughout.  Other themes of tragedy, war, and pain also appear.  Hosseini did a fantastic job of depicting life in Afghanistan during very difficult times, as well as providing a peek in the life of Afghans who were able to escape.  Note:  I describe highlights of the book here, so if you do not want to know details or the ending, you may not want to read this!

Hassan and Amir were best friends - as close as brothers.  They did everything together, and Hassan was the best at running kites...and teamed with Amir to win the city tournament.  Sadly, Amir made a decision to lose his best friend.  Amir's father warned him to sort feelings out quickly, but Amir didn't take it to heart in the right time.  Little did he know that he would spend the rest of his life always wondering what happened to him.  During the war, Amir escaped to Pakistan with his father, then eventually left for California.  Amir missed out on having his best friend at college graduation, his wedding, and his book publication.  On the other side of the world, however, Hassan missed out on being protected by and provided for by Amir, and his family life changed as well.  War would tear these two even farther apart, but would eventually turn the tables.  

"There is a way to be good again."  Amir's father's friend called to tell him that he was very ill and needed to come visit him in Pakistan.  This would be a big trip for Amir - threats of safety, leaving his wife unsure of his return, and missing out on his book tour.  But for him, the price of not going was higher than staying.  The friend told Amir about life since he left Afghanistan, ultimately letting him know that Hassan had been killed.  Hassan wrote Amir a note describing his life and his family, letting him know that he wished only the best for him and he would always be a faithful friend to him whenever he could return.   He included a picture of him and his son, Sorhab, in the letter.

Amir heard more details of the story from the friend, and ended up going to Afghanistan to get Sorhab -- his nephew.  It was a very dangerous mission, and the stakes were high.  Monetarily, physically, mentally, emotionally, safety.  The cost of not going was higher than staying in Pakistan.  He paid many of those prices and experienced what life was like in the land where he was raised.  After many horrific events, he was able to escape with Sorhab and return to America.  Amir shared many stories of Hassan with Sorhab and they flew kites together.  Amir was able to overcome his past, eat his pride, and be the loyal friend and brother that he never was to Hassan.  

The Kite Runner was excellent, and I highly recommend it.  The perspectives of life change, the values of life strengthen, and the relationships of life develop throughout the book.  At several points I stopped to ask myself what I would have done if I were in that same situation.  Many times I did not have an answer.  Just as Amir ended up doing the best with the cards he had been dealt, I hope that I would do the same.  Overcome obstacles, care for family and friends, and be the kind of person that I was created to be.

#5 - Exceptionality

Labels go a long way.  When I grew up, exceptional children were known as "disabled", "gifted and talented", and in severe cases "mentally retarded".  The American culture has tried to remove labels from being directly associated with the student.  For example: disabled children are now "children with disabilities", mentally retarded children are now "children with mental retardation", yet gifted and talented children have retained the same name.  The effort to remove any negative correlation with the child's character or physicality has proven to be successful in the world of educational jargon.  I was recently out to dinner with some friends who teach special education in a nearby district, and we had this discussion.  Students are not to be classified by or known as anything that may mark them as different than the mainstream population.  Rather, students have differences, thus making a disconnect from any "fault" or "blame" of why the student may be that way.

While our country is now trying to make "everything right with everyone", it hasn't always been that way.  According to our textbook, Gollnick and Chinn (2009) address the history of treatment of individuals with mental disabilities.  These people were shunned, locked up in mental institutions, eugenically sterilized, and prohibited to marry.  Who knew that Americans did that to each other up until the second half of the last century?  It makes me cringe to think what still happens today that we don't even know about.  I wonder what the reasons were behind such poor treatment.  Was it because people didn't know what to do with someone who was different than themselves?  Was it because they didn't understand different doesn't mean bad?  Was it because they thought they were doing the others a favor? No matter the reason, there is no excuse.

That is where educators can step in.  We have an amazing opportunity to form the next generation of leaders into loving, caring, compassionate, accepting, and humble people in the way that they treat others.  We get to set an example for our students that everyone does  have something to offer, even if he or she is different than we are.  We can encourage students' growth at any level, challenging and equipping them to do and be the best they can.  We get to build community and forge relationships between our students, giving them a chance to interact in a safe and caring environment.  We are in a position to change the world, one student at a time.  We might not be able to change all 198 million square miles of the world, but we can change one person's world.  Isn't that an honorable place to start?  How can you change someone's world this week?

#4 - Single-Sex Education

Our classroom discussion about gender and sexual orientation brought up many differing points of view.  The presenting group led the class in an activity where groups were to defend the pro and con for the question at hand.  The discussion was engaging and thought-provoking.  I enjoyed getting to hear both sides of various issues and having to think through what my argument would be for each side.  This topic is becoming increasingly popular, but in many areas of our state is still seen as taboo.

Heights Preparatory School in west Dallas has recently split the 6th and 7th grade classes into single-sex classes.  I have asked many of the 6th grade girls how they feel about the change, and their reactions are always positive and encouraging.  They feel that they can be themselves in class and not have to put on a show for the boys.  The distractions of co-ed classrooms were taken away when the students were placed in single-sex classes.  They boys also like the change and feel that they can be more creative and "manly".  A benefit for teachers is that they can tailor projects for all-girl or all-boy classes.  Heights Prep made the change as an experiment, but since it has benefited the students academically and socially the school has decided to keep the classes separate at the middle school level.

I have a colleague who attended an all-girls school from kindergarten through 12th grade and loved her experience.  She said that she had just as much (if not more) peer pressure than co-ed schools like the ones her brothers attended.  One point she mentioned was that oftentimes certain teachers are known to play favorites with one sex over the other, but that could not be in effect at her school since all the students are girls.  While her school had a "brother school", the daily social interaction with boys was limited from an academic standpoint.  Only social activities, sporting events, and community happenings were times when both sexes were present on either campus.  All in all, she had a positive experience and she even wants to teach at an all-girls or all-boys school.

I often wonder how different my life would have been had I been placed in an all-girls school.  How would I interact with guys if my daily interaction with them was limited to family or church?  Would my grades have improved or worsened based on female peer pressure vs. co-ed peer pressure?  (Sometimes I would try harder if there was a cute boy in my class that I wanted to impress.)  What would I have done every Friday night instead of being at a football or varsity boys' basketball game?  What would my relationships now look like having had different experiences?  As with anything, I only know what I know because of how I was raised and how I interacted with my environment.  I need to maintain an open mind and be willing to accept other ideas and try new educational strategies in hopes of aiming my students for success...even if that means it may be harder or different than I did it before.