Reflection #4

A. First off, the woman in this story did assume not only in regards to the boy's name, but to the background to how he got whatever name he was being called.  She does not know the real story and neither do we. He might have gone by another name, not been racially profiled in any way.  Now that being said, if we look at it in her point of view then we can answer this question better.  From what I have seen throughout my life, it depends on the person and where they come from in regards to stereotyping.  No matter how correct we try to be, there will always be something assumed in one way or another, no one is that perfect.  I have witnessed a substitute begin speaking "Spanish" to a Hispanic girl in a class this year who she assumed could not speak a word of English because another student told her that.  After being at the school a while and teaching her class, she does in fact understand English.  Yes, she is not the most fluent English speaker, but this student can understand it.  Because a student might dress a certain way or come from a different background or culture, of course we should not assume a certain thing, whether that be assuming a students name or speaking Spanish to a Hispanic student just because.  We have to take the time to learn and figure out every student.

B. I believe in treating every student fairly and without giving special treatment to anyone, whether I like the student or wish they were in another class.  I judge a student by what quality of work they turn into me.  By this, I can access their knowledge of everything from if they paid attention, if they understand, if they don't understand, if they even care, or if they are struggling to understand.  With this, and by observing and discussing with the students in the class, I can determine what needs to be done.  For example, there is a specific student in two of my classes that takes special education classes.  After a couple weeks through my student teaching, my teacher informed me that he was labeled as special ed.  Had I known this before it is possible I would have treated him differently, but I didn't.  I give him more help sometimes to him than others assisting with measuring and more advanced metal work skills that he does not quite comprehend.  However, that is after I have assessed if he can complete the task or not.  I observe his work, ask him how he will accomplish whatever task is at hand, and if he does not understand, I will explain.  If he still does not get it, I will work through the task and assist him, but I never do anything for him.  In conclusion, some students may require more assistance than others to complete a task, but no student should have work done for them, no matter what they are "labeled" or what background they have.  That is how I treat everyone fairly.