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How has our focus on the Professional Competencies impacted your thinking about your
teaching practices and dealing with conflict?
I have been thinking about how my choices with my practices and how I deal with conflict
will always affect the student. With the readings and discussions in class, I have been thinking
about how I would deal with certain issues and I think it has made me aware about how my
decisions affect others. I think that with our focus on the Professional Competencies I have
become more mindful that I should always think of the outcome of my choices because they
affect more than just my classroom. I've learned to suspend judgement, that interpersonal
awareness is important, to think of the positive rather than what is negative, meaning to see
things on the brighter side, and to realize that sometimes we cannot control things even though
it affects us. I know that I will always think about the outcomes of my actions and decisions.
What key strategies relating to the Professional Competencies do you believe you will need to
use to build positive relationships with your students, parents, and colleagues?
I think that Interpersonal Awareness and Suspending Judgement is important to build
positive relationships with students, parents, and colleagues. We have to make sure that we, as
teachers, do not come into our classrooms with biases because that can reinforce stereotypes.
I also believe that we should also not let our archetypes (personal beliefs) hold us back from
understanding other peoples archetypes. By coming into our classroom with no biases we will
be able to build better relationships with everyone around us (stakeholders). I know that I
should not allow my biases and archetypes to judge a student based off of what I believe. I
think that I will be able to try to fully understand my students to the best of my ability instead of
unfairly judging them. I should assume the best out of my students, their parents, and my
colleagues. I think that if I were to be mindful of my Interpersonal Awareness and Suspend
Judgement is the best way to build positive relationships with students, parents, and
colleagues, because I will be able to create relationships with a clean slate and will allow me to
get to truly get to know them.
Effect of Inequality and Poverty
Questions: After reading and participating in todays discussion, my only questions are how
can a good teacher not understand how poverty and social inequality affect the students? If
one cannot understand the link between the two, why cant attempt to see others point of views
even if they dont believe in the connection?
Reactions: I was honestly furious when discussing this article. Know from personal experience
that there is inequality in school due to poverty and other social issues allows me to understand
why a student may not be focused on reading Catcher in the Rye, for example. If a student is
having a hard time at home due to poverty, we as teachers should see if we can help them.
Maybe we wont be able to help them out of poverty, but at least we can help them be
knowledgeable of their resources.
Connections: I will be using my insight to help build relationships with my students. I want
them to be knowledgeable of resources they have access to. Understandably, college is not for
everyone but we need to get our student prepared for life and for a chance to change the cycle
of poverty.
Restatements: Poverty is a cycle and unless we understand that there is an inequality in
schools the cycle will continue. We need to be an agent for change. The 90/10 rule really stuck
with me. Only 10% of a students learning comes from school, 90% comes from their outside
life and if that outside life is full of hardship, we cant expect them to just work hard to achieve

the American dream. Although, I understand that the American dream varies depending on what
people want, but for helpless children, they cannot change their social status and the fact that
they are in poverty.
Applications: Like I said above, I will use my past to help build and connect with my students. I
will help them be knowledgeable for resources out there. There are many factors that affect our
students. Their life does not revolve around school. Some student may not know where their
next meal is, so how can we expect them to pay attention in class?
Transgressing Boundaries for Socially Just Teaching
Questions: I had a few questions when reading this article. I think that asking your students to
help come up with ideas on planning a unit around a topic that interests them is a great way to
get the students engaged. But is that really feasible? Thinking back on when I designed a unit
and how much time it took me to get activities prepared and everything else that comes when
designing a unit, I would think that it would take double to time to prepare if I had numerous
students inputs.
Reactions: I was impressed with the fact that these teachers care enough to know their
students and to teach to what would engage them the most. Todays teachers seem to teach to
the standards doing the same boring lessons. So it was nice to read about these teachers who
truly try their hardest to connect to their students.
Connections: I remember in one of my internships my mentor teacher had the students choose
topics of books they could read in their literary circles. From the topics they chose, the teacher
would choose books around those topics. The students really connected with that and were
really engaged.
Restatements: I like how Kathy designed and taught a unit that would directly affect her
students. I think that is an awesome way to engage the students and prepare them for the realworld.
Applications: I think what really stuck out to me and made me think about how I would apply
this to my teaching is Christis story. I love that being a white woman she still tries her best to
engage a diver class of students by probing issues that directly affect her students. Because
she goes through these topics her students are interested and engaged.
Schools, Prisons, and Social Implications of Punishment
Questions: Why is that assistant principle an assistant principal? Why is he working with
children?
Reactions: I was extremely shocked reading that an assistant principal in an Elementary
school said Do you see that boy? Theres a prison cell in San Quentin waiting for him. Wow.
Just wow. I cannot fathom what that young child could have done so wrong that would make an
assistant principal think that poorly of him. Honestly, I cannot believe that that person said such
horrible and demeaning words about a child. Just because this childs father made mistakes
that landed him in prison the principal just assumes that this child will follow in his footsteps.
Then reading that he was attempting to hit the child with an indefinite suspension really upset
me! Reading that this student was being discriminated against based off of his family and that
this assistant principle thinks that hes a waste of time and energy is just horrible. How can
someone think that he cant be helped? Hes in elementary school, he hasnt even had a
chance. Why does this one student have to prove hes worthy enough to be able to attend
public school when other students do not have that battle. Based off of his parents past and life
at home, this kid has a harder time at school. If he knows that even the assistant principal
doesnt care about him, why would he work hard to do well in school? If I knew adults were
against me, instead of trying to build me up theyre breaking me down, I wouldnt try either.
Connections: I never noticed in schools that most students that we suspended and/or expelled
were the students that had greater academic, social, economic, and emotional needs. But after
reading this article and reflecting on my own schooling, I can definitely see how students in my

high school that were getting suspended definitely fit into those category of needs.
Applications: I think this article made me truly believe that some people do not need to be
working with children. It made me think about how I would build that child up and give him the
tools he needs to be successful instead of breaking him down. I will be the exact opposite of
that horrible principal.
Your Best Friend or Your Worst Enemy
Questions: The first questions that popped into my mind is ways I would incorporate popular
youth culture to create engaging and empowering lessons.
Reactions: My reaction to this article is that as teachers we need to make our lessons relatable
for the students. But the curriculum itself needs to be culturally relatable. Teachers need to be
the ones who make the lesson culturally responsive.
Connections: Practical pedagogy. I think that this term should be understood and internalized.
Because it moves from critical dialogue for understanding toward a pedagogy o faction where
students are given tools to intervene into their own history. I really liked this term and the way it
is explained because I think this is another great way to relate to students
Restatements: Rethink cultural relevance in the classroom literacy. There was a positive
impact in the 1980s that emerged from the discourse which made teachers more sensitive to
students of color and their needs within the curriculum. I think this is a little funny because look
to where we are now teachers are not all that cultural responsive. Although some teachers try
to be, more than likely students are still faced with inequality in schools.
Applications: Again with this article I will use this information to attempt to become the best
teacher I can. Meaning I will be that culturally responsive teacher that I, along with many
others, needed in school.
Preparing Culturally Responsive Teachers
Questions: There are so many ways that makes a culturally responsive teaching, how can we
ensure that we are embodying all of the concepts that make teachers CRT?
Reactions: I enjoyed all of the strands that are detailed in the article. I believe that by really
reading into those strands we can become a culturally responsive teacher. I also loved Alexis
analogy for this article, Sympathy is feeling for someone else, empathy is feeling with
someone else. As teachers we do not need to believe in the students believe in
(cultures/beliefs) but we do need to respect them and try to each the content in a relatable way
that does not suppress their cultures and beliefs.
Connections: We should understand that every single student has their own background and
own culture/beliefs. Being aware that not everyone will think and believe like us and that is ok!
We may not have to believe in what they do but we do need to respect them. By knowing your
students and knowing your students cultures and backgrounds, we can ensure that we are
being responsive teachers. By knowing your students well we can better teach them and help
the content be relatable for them.
Restatements: CRT is not all about getting to know others, its about getting to know yourself.
I really like this quote that Smudde stated in class because my first thought was CRT was
getting to know your students. I never thought that CRT is also to reflect on yourself to ensure
that youre actually being culturally responsive.
Applications: I will try my hardest to be that culturally responsive teacher that I want to be. I
will reflect on myself and make sure that I am bettering myself in order to better teach my
students.
How Listening to Students Can Help Schools Improve
Questions: My questions when reading this article is about how societys view on education
has changed. The relationship between students and teachers have changed. The view on
high-stakes testing has changed, and discipline in schools have changed. But why have they

changed? In what ways have they changed?

Reactions: My reactions to this article and our discussion is how I did not realize how much we
have truly changed. From looking on the past into the present we have changed in our views on
schooling. But I was even more astonished that high-stakes testing has always been present
but as time goes on high-stakes testing has gotten more and more grueling over time.
Connections: I think that as I get into the classroom I will think about this article because it
really opened my eyes as to how much schooling has changed until now. Which makes me
think how much it will change in the future. What will the relationships between students and
teachers look like? What will the high-stakes tests look like and how much will they affect the
students education, such as graduating and moving on to college?
Restatements: I really liked the characteristics of a school where a student would be excited to
learn that were bulleted in the article. Teachers should be organized and well prepare,
teachers school be patient and ask students if they understand, teachers should know their
content well, teachers should respect their students, and teachers should be firm.
Applications: I think this article is another great read that we should keep in our tool box. This
article is a great resource in how we can keep our students interested in learning. We as
teachers need to keep these ideas in mind when they are going into the field.
Note to Educators: Hope Required When Growing Roses in Concrete
Questions: If Hokey Hope (work hard and youll succeed) is just a false hope, why is it that so
many teacher nowadays continue to feed their students that false hope? In what ways can we
as teachers help students who have had hope deferred teachers succeed? How can we get
those students to believe in critical hope?
Reactions: Something that surprised me was the false hopes. I never thought that I had come
into contact with these false hopes but I actually have. I have been directly affected from hope
deferred when I was in ninth grade. Not only has false hope affected me, I have seen a mentor
feed children false hopes. I think that if teachers read this article they may change the way they
view hope and the way they use hope in their teaching practice.
Connections: One thing that reminded me of something that I have experienced is when the
article talked about Mythical Hope. I can remember sitting in tenth grade Algebra class with Mr.
May in Meridian, Mississippi. This school was predominately African Americans and almost all
of the students were on free or reduced lunch. Barrack Obama had just been elected president
and all of the people in my class stood up and scream we made it. Mythical Hope reminded
me of how all of my friends thought that change would immediately take affect and they were
so excited because they believe that their race was about to succeed.
Restatements: it seems like a simple point, but teachers who want to build material hope must
understand that quality teaching is the most significant material resources they have to offer
youth (page 186). This took me back to ninth grade in that low income school, and it made me
realize that a lot of teacher there had to rely on their own teaching qualities in order to be an
effective teacher, because at that school resources were very hard to come by. So for the
good teachers at that school, I commend them.
Applications: I think I will refer to this article during my teaching because I want to make sure
that I am teaching how students can have hope. But not just any hope, only the critical hope
because with critical hope can truly lead to success. I also want to teach students about the
false hopes so that they understand the difference between the two types of hope.
I Wont Learn from You (Kohl)
Questions: My questions when reading this article mainly revolves around ways to get our
future students who choose to actively not learn, to choose to want to actively learn. How can
we get our students to be interested in topics they probably do not want to learn?
Reactions: My reactions to this article and our discussion is that we have to make the topics in
the content relatable to our students. As hard as that sounds, I believe that good teachers can

make that possible. I do not think we can get to every single students favorite topics but I do
believe that we can, in some way, make all of the content relatable to our students.
Connections: I think one thing that resonated with me within this article is that we need to tell
our students the so what to all of the content that we are teaching our students. In our
teaching careers we will face students that are actively not learning, and we should make the
content relatable and show them when they might be using the content in their daily life. I think
this article is a great source that show us teachers why it is important to engage our students
so that they want to actively learn.
Restatements: I truly found the quote that we spoke about in class about how not learning
deals with personal issues and family loyalties because this can lead us teachers to provide
labels for students. I think that if the labels we put on our students due to their family issues will
definitely affect our learning atmosphere. Thus dampening the respect between teacher and
students. It is imperative that we do not label our students and we need to get to know our
students and build the relationships so that we know reason why the students may be acting
out.
Applications: I think that this whole article should be in the back of our minds while going into
our first few years of teaching. The reason for this is that we do not judge our students for not
wanting to learn. We need to make the content relatable and exciting to peak the students
interests. I few try to make the content relatable the students will know the so what and the
questions about when they will use this in their daily life. The relationships between the student
and teacher will grow because the students will feel as if they are being heard, as if they have a
choice in what they are learning.
Classroom Management
Questions: Why is it that when we think of classroom management we think of good behavior
enforced by punishment? How can we inform our students about differences in culture and
beliefs and teaching them that it is okay to be different?
Reactions: I loved the section that talks about recognizing our own biases. I have seen this all
too many times, even in the cohort, individuals not recognizing their own racial identity. I think
we all need to be aware of our differences. Then we need to be aware that differences are a
good thing and we should embrace the differences and multicultural students in our classroom.
Connections: I think one thing that resonated with me within this article is so that students
need to feel cared for and valued. One thing that I could not agree more with is that cultural
values and norms affect behavior of students. We need to be able to understand our students
and their cultures because they have an effect on our students behavior.
Restatements: They consider their own cultural norms to be neutral and universal and accept
the European, middleclass structures, programs, and discourse of schools as normal and right.
This was my favorite quote from the article. We need to understand our cultural biases. Just
because we may find something to be normal it may have a negative impact on those around
us. Be aware!
Applications: One of the biggest takeaways from this article is to set up my classroom
management so that my students listen and behave without fear. I have seen bad classroom in
two out of three of my internships. Fear is not management. Another way I see myself using the
information I obtained from this article is that we need to understand our students cultures
because they ultimately do have an effect on our students behavior.