Promt #2

One of the tasks of this prompt was to describe the linguistic, ethnic, and sociocultural characteristics of the students in the classroom that I am tutoring. Some the students I am tutoring are bilingual. I’ve noticed at times while I was tutoring the students they would be speaking Spanish towards each other. I could also tell that they speak other languages at home because some of the students still have accents that are distinctive. I can tell that the students have picked up on both languages quickly because they are first grade students that have conversations in both languages.

The facts on Infoworks show that the majority of the students are on the poverty level. The students are roughly 40 percent efficient in math and reading and the rest aren’t. The English language learners test scores aren’t great, when it comes to reading 9 percent of them are efficient and the rest aren’t. When it comes to math proficiency 16 percent of them are efficient. Those are very low statistics. It is difficult for someone who is learning English to get high test scores but with the hard work and dedication they should start to improve.

The cultural capital that they bring is great; although they come from non-wealthy backgrounds they have the knowledge to be fluent in two languages. Many middle-class children with opportunities for a better education have difficulty in learning a new language. Although this maybe requires more work for the students and teachers to teach them English it could pay off in the long run. Also when students understand both languages well, they could go on to learn a third language in the middle and high school grade levels if the opportunity is given. This is excellent for the future of these children because knowing more than one language fluently is great to put on job applications and chances are they can get a better job. Many schools and companies need translators when dealing with students or clients that aren’t fluent in English. Having someone who could do help translate will benefit schools and companies.

This will strengthen our society and our democracy. Many people think that Americans are lazy and are incompetent. If a majority of the people living here are bilingual, it shows you that Americans are well-rounded. Students like these; with the right discipline and opportunities can improve the way people view Americans. At times people viewed America as a melting pot that just accepting anyone to live here without having to know the language. With students like these, Americans can have an all new outlook.

I can relate this to Paulo Freire because he was efficient at teaching a new language. He would use his method of pedagogy; this is when people would question the way things are, not just accepting it. If the students followed this path they could learn more languages the way he taught them. He was a very efficient theorist. If students now questioned their work as Freire taught things could possibly be different. He was known for teaching languages rapidly and efficiently.

Promt #1

The school that I am tutoring at is called Eddy Avenue Elementary. The neighborhood is in an urban setting. There are many playgrounds and apartments in the area. It seems like a tough neighborhood to grow up in because the lack of big houses and nice playgrounds. There was graffiti and it looks like most of the signs and parks were vandalized. This neighborhood looked like there needed a lot of work done to it to make it look like a more welcoming environment. The school building looked fairly new and didn’t look at bad as most buildings in the area. The classroom also looked nice with up-to-date materials and a good amount of laptops for the students to use. I can tell the school has either just been established or just recently renovated.

The space of the school isn’t bad, there are two schools fit into this once building. There are big hallways with plenty of space and the classrooms are adequate in size. They use the space well. The rug where the students sit when most of the teaching is done is in the front, the tables are in the back and the computers are in the corner and the desk is in the other corner. I like how it’s spaced out because the main priorities are in the front and the computers and the desk that aren’t as significant are in the corners of the classroom.

The school looks and feels like a good learning environment with bright colors on the walls and many pictures in the hallways. The friendly teachers contribute to this feeling. I noticed that the staff tries to build bonds with the students because the staff, such as the reading coaches knows many students name as well as the principle. The students always give a warm welcome to the principle when he enters the classroom. It seems like respect, and good manners are valued in this school and in the classrooms. The teachers are always advocating why it’s important to respect the staff and why it’s important to be well-mannered to fellow classmates and teachers. I notice the respect the students have towards the teacher because they remain silent when she was speaking and they always asked to either use the bathroom or to get something from their backpack. Also in the morning announcements they always have their pledge and mission statement that relates to respect.

This school is related to Kozol because the facts he states in “Still Separate, Still Unequal” because the majority of the students are either Hispanic or African-American. There were students that I was tutoring that complained about the parks and how they weren’t so great and how they were scared to play there. It reminded me about the eight-year-old who also complained about parks and how Kozol had things she didn’t and how his things are clean. This area is relevant to the ones that Kozol explains.

Intro

Hello,
My name is Matt Cavaco and this is my first year, and second overall semester at Rhode Island College. I am a Health and Physical Education major. I enjoy school and the Service Learning Program. When I'm not in school I enjoy playing soccer and a variety of other sports. I also enjoy hanging out with my friends on the weekends. See you in class!