Entry 4: What Frameworks Help Create a Better Education for All

 Through the works of Gholdy Muhammad, Tompkins and Dr. Gloria Ladson- Billings we can see how teachers are supposed to create a better environment for their students. 

Three Ideas to Ponder

The first idea that connects Muhammads work to the Tompkins 11 principles of excellence is that both works focus on how literacy is more than just being able to read and write. We see this in Muhammads description of literacy, as it is stated that it is used as a tool to create change, and gives the person power. This along with Tompkins statement In Principle 4, "Traditional definitions of literacy focused on students' ability to read words, but now literacy is viewed as a tool for participating more fully in our technological society" (Tompkins, p.17). Both of these quotations for each work create a bigger meaning than what literacy means in schools these days. I believe that teachers need to be able to work on how they are teaching literacy and how they view it. Creating a different outlook on literacy as these authors have will create a new way of teaching, not just for the skill of reading and writing, but for those students to make change. 

Another idea that I need to think about as a future teacher is the idea that students need to be able to pick what they read, write and research about, within parameters of the class. Muhammad stated in the Ten Lessons from Black Literary Societies that literacy should be connected to the current social events and times. It also said that "the social environment especially dictated the topics they chose to read. write and speak about" (Muhammad, 2020, p.33). Creating an environment where the students can look at the social world around them will improve their overall interest in literacy and world topics, creating a multi factual learning process. In Gloria Landson-Billings video about Culturally Relevant Pedagogy, she talked about one of the corners of the triangle, sociopolitical consciousness. This helps the student learn about the area around them and can also involve them in the community. She also talks about how what the children are learning helps the democracy and the greater good, so we need to prepare the student the best that we can. This relates to Muhammad because the idea of incorporating social aspects such as the news, different cultured books and letting the students chose what to research and read helps the student become a more well rounded individual. To create a better educational standard for students we must incorporate this into the classroom, both letting the children read, write and speak about what they chose to research about within the parameters of the classroom and having community involvement will create a better well rounded classroom. 

A third idea that I would like to present is the idea that we need to share the stories of the Black Literacy groups and their history with the classroom and create a classroom that is fit to their students needs. Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings talked about how teachers need to teach for understanding, the lessons need to be thought provoking. According to Muhammad, "... one major reason why students of color often do not reach their full potential in schools- because schools are in disharmony with their history and identities" (Muhammad, 2020, 26). We as teachers need to improve the information that we give the students so we can show the history of all students, both the good parts of history and the bad. We need to be able to show all students that their cultures have different successes and give them role models that they can relate to. This goes along with Tompkins Principle 7, that teachers need to create a classroom that fits students needs as well as goes along with the schools standards and guidelines for the curriculum.  Creating a classroom that fits all students needs will only benefit the students in the long run and the teacher because students will want to be involved in the work, creating a thought provoking classroom. 

Two Quotes that Inspired Me

"Although I do not want to romanticize literacy in any way, nor to imply that literacy resolved racism, literacy gave us the tool to fight back" (Muhammad, 2020, p.19). 

This quote was inspiring to me because it showcases how much literacy has an impact on peoples lives. It creates a way for people to be able to fight against the system, to tell their stories and to help create a better, more knowledgeable world. 

"Classrooms are social settings. Together, students and their teacher create their classroom community, and the type of community the create strongly influences the learning that takes place(Angelillo, 2008)" (Tompkins, 14). 

This quote is inspiring to me because it shows how the classroom is effected by both the teacher and the students, and the type of interactions that they have in the classroom, the environment that they create influences how well the students learn. 

One Promise I Make to my Future Students 

I promise that I will do my best to incorporate all cultures and backgrounds into the classroom setting. I will create projects and reading activities that will be multicultural and listen to my students when they need something from me and adapt to their needs.