Review of the Semester

     Throughout this semester, I definitely feel I learned a lot more about working with kids. Both from the service learning that has occurred and the topics that we go over in class. But out of everything that we have gone over, there were three topics that really resonated with me. Those being the reading on Lisa Delpit on the cultural rules of power, the novel by Patrick J. Finn discussing that the education system is setup to keep people in their social and economic class, and the ideas from academic and social values of ethnic studies. 

    Lisa Delpit's reading really resonates with me when it comes down to how I should setup the classroom. Specifically, with how I should make sure the rules and expectations of my room to be crystal clear. Understanding what the requirements of your environment truly are an important factor if you are going to succeed. Which is something that I will probably always keep with me now that I have it recontextualized. 

    Patrick J. Finn's book certainly made me take a look back at the school system I grew up in and the schools that I plan to work at in the future. I never thought about how people who are in either a High or low-income neighborhood are typically designed to keep them in their social bracket via education. I always believed it was related to infrastructure and job opportunities in the said areas. 

    The last piece that struck me was about ethnic studies classes. Both from the reading and in class, I learned that being able to relate to my students from a historical standpoint will help them improve their grades and morale overall. But most importantly, I learned that classrooms are meant to be safe places for where students can feel welcomed and appreciated for who they are. This is something that I truly hope to achieve once I become a teacher. 

    After all the lessons and discussions that we had together. These three topics are the ones that stand out to being important factors to being a successful teacher. I don't see how a classroom could operate without at least one themes that we discussed. I am very grateful that I was able to better understand these ideas this spring semester and I am excited to learn more about education at Rhode Island College.