Ashley M

BLOG #7 Literacy with attitude  Reading Literacy with an Attitude by Patrick Finn honestly makes you rethink what we usually assume about school and learning. A lot of us grow up hearing that school is supposed to be the great equalizer, like if you just work hard enough, you can move up. But Finn kind of flips that idea and shows how schools don’t actually offer the same kind of education to everyone. It’s not just about access to school, it’s about what kind of learning you’re getting once you’re there. One thing that really comes through in the reading is this idea that there are basically two types of education happening at the same time. Finn explains that “there is empowering education, which leads to powerful literacy…and domesticating education, which leads to functional literacy.” That distinction hits hard because it’s not saying some students aren’t learning. It’s saying they’re being taught in a way that prepares them for completely different roles in society. Some stud...

BLOG #5 REDO ETHNIC STUDIES  For a long time, I never really questioned what we were learning in school. It just felt like this is how history is, this is what matters, and that’s it. But after reading Sleeter’s research on ethnic studies, it becomes pretty clear that what we’re taught isn’t neutral, it’s shaped by a specific perspective that’s been treated like the default for years. Sleeter talks about how mainstream curriculum is still heavily centered around what she basically describes as a Euro-American narrative. Even though schools have added more diversity over time, the deeper story hasn’t really changed. White perspectives still dominate, while other groups are included in smaller, more limited ways. When you think about it, that lines up with how a lot of us experienced school—learning the same types of stories over and over, just with a few additions here and there. What stood out in the reading is how this actually affects students. Sleeter explains that a lot of stud...

BLOG #6  While reading Alfie Kohn’s article about what we should actually be looking for in classrooms, it made me question a lot of the things people usually assume mean learning is happening. When people picture a good classroom, they often imagine students sitting quietly, the teacher leading the lesson, and everything running in a very controlled and structured way. But Kohn argues that real learning doesn’t always look like that, and sometimes the most meaningful learning environments are actually a lot more active and student driven. One of the biggest points he makes is that in strong classrooms, students should be doing most of the thinking. Instead of just listening to lectures or completing worksheets, students should be asking questions, discussing ideas, and trying to figure things out together. In those environments, the teacher isn’t the only voice in the room. The classroom is more like a conversation where students are actively involved in their own learning. Anot...

  BLOG 4 Schools often fall into the habit of focusing on what students are doing wrong. Teachers and administrators look at poor grades, behavior issues, lack of motivation, or missing skills and immediately try to correct those problems. When education is framed this way, students can start to feel like they are defined by what they struggle with instead of what they are capable of. Over time that kind of thinking can shape the entire culture of a school, where the focus is always on fixing weaknesses rather than helping students grow. An asset based approach takes a very different perspective. Instead of asking what students lack, it asks what they already bring with them. Every student enters a classroom with strengths, interests, talents, and life experiences that can be built on. When teachers notice and encourage those things, students are more likely to feel confident in themselves and willing to try. Focusing on strengths doesn’t mean ignoring challenges. It just means tha...

BLOG 3  When people talk about fixing education, the conversation almost always focuses on what happens inside the classroom. We hear about better curriculum, higher standards, more testing, or teacher training. After reading this chapter though, it really made me think about how much of education actually depends on things happening outside of school. One of the biggest points the author makes is that education policy should not just mean rules about teaching and testing. It should also include policies that affect people’s everyday lives, like wages, housing, jobs, and transportation. When families are living in poverty or struggling to make ends meet, that stress does not stay at home. It shows up in the classroom too. Students may come to school tired, worried, or without the resources they need to fully focus on learning. Schools alone cannot fix those problems. Something that stood out to me was the idea that even when schools try new reforms, those changes often do not las...

THE BROKEN MODEL  One of the most interesting ideas from this chapter is the reminder that what we think of as normal in education is really just what we are used to. The way schools run today with bells ringing, class periods, and subjects separated into different categories can feel like it has always been this way. But the chapter explains that the system was actually designed by people in a specific time and place, and it was created to meet the needs of that society rather than necessarily meeting the needs of students today. That idea made me stop and think about how rarely we question the structure of school. Most of us grow up assuming the schedule, the subjects, and the testing system are simply the best way to learn. When you step back and really look at it, a lot of those choices were somewhat arbitrary or tied to older economic and political goals. For example, the chapter explains that the basic model of public schooling in the United States was influenced by the Prus...