Teacher Identity

While reading Chapter 5 of Early Career English Teachers in Action, I found it kind of eye opening to see the standards that teachers are held to. I always knew that there was a high point of professionalism that needs to be held, but to the extent it is at I didn't expect.

In the text, it had talked about the expectations of teachers by the student and parents. The students hold the teacher to a very high standard at almost an unachievable amount. It is as if we are living in a different world. As for the parents, our expectations are held in all aspects of our lives. We have to have a good background, culture, wardrobe, ideas, and personality. On top of expectations held, it is also hard to relate to students in a hostile environment.

Like in the first story, the teacher felt sort of afraid and intimidated before talking to a group of young African-American students. It could be hard to address certain situations if not exposed to it before. I guess, as a teacher, it is a very "on edge" job. You constantly have to be on the best behavior, act appropriately, show concern to every student, and still be vigilant at the same time. It can be a tough situation and you can't always please everyone, but you have to look up and stay strong otherwise the situation could take a turn for the worse.

The look into the eyes of teachers in similar situations like these was very insuring. It allowed me time to look at how hostile a classroom environment could be for a teacher, and also laid out possible things that could take place.

Nothing But The Truth

In class we were asked to finish reading Nothing But the Truth, and in doing that, I have discovered many things and definitely developed strong opinions. In this case, Philip may have been in the wrong for assuming a teacher had it out for him because of his insubordinate behavior, but I believe that if a child does claim such a rash thing then he should be heard. Regardless of the situation, such a claim can be bad for both the teacher and the child. Instead of thinking Philip was lying they should've had a sit down discussion to work out the details.

On top of that, when the national anthem comes on and Philip starts humming I feel it was wrong for him to be shushed. As a teacher it is time for you to tuck away your pride and let them be. Was he hurting you in any way? Did it do any damage to others? It was a harmless act that got blown way out of proportion and wrapped in lies. In the end, Philip is transferred and cries in shame for not even knowing the words to begin with.

This whole story was a little backwards to me, and the point of reading something of this sort was a little rough. But I found the multi-genre text to be a very easy type to read. Also, in some ways this book was good for helping you do problem solving in your mind. I know I was continuously asking if that was the way things should be handled. All in all, the book wasn't a bad read and you were able to pull some interesting facts and themes out of it.

Introduction: About Me

I am new to the English Education program. Before, I spent most of my time with Biomedical Sciences and I was able to find my passion during a Literary Interpretation course. I love anything athletic! I am a runner, I play soccer, and I am a personal weight trainer.

I am a big volunteer advocate and work at many non-profit organizations within the communities I live in. Also, I am a second year student at Western Michigan University, and I love to travel. My family comes from a small town in Colombia, but I was born and raised in Michigan. Since my senior of high school I have been to 5 countries (Greece, Colombia, France, Germany, and Ireland).