Summary Of Dream Keepers By Gloria Billings

Gloria Ladson-Billings spent time observing teachers in public schools that were located in predominately low-socioeconomic school districts to figure out what makes them successful with typically low performing students. Some of the things she observed are all the teachers “shared pride in and commitment to their profession and had an underlying belief that all children could be successful” (learnnc). Furthermore, these teachers established trusting relationships with their students that allowed the students to take responsibility for their own learning. Lastly, these teachers also went beyond the classroom to show support for their students such as attending community events. These observations led Ladson-Billings to realize that in order for “teachers to use culturally relevant pedagogy successfully, they must also show respect for students, and understand the need for the students to operate in the dual worlds of their home community and the

Have you ever had a dream that you have been really committed to? Has something or someone ever stopped you short of that or any dream of yours? These questions are quite relevant to the main characters in the selections Of Mice and Men and “Only Daughter”. Of Mice and Men is a well-known story by John Steinbeck that tells the tale of two travel companions, George Milton and Lennie Small, as they dream and work hard to gain a small piece of land for themselves during The Great Depression, a harsh financial time. “Only Daughter” is an autobiographical essay by Sandra Cisneros about her struggles on trying to bond with her father while being impeded by her six brothers. The two selections’ main dreams are both corresponding and distinct in various ways. The dreams are also very substantial to the one who holds it. George and Lennie’s dream, in Of Mice and Men, influenced their lifestyle, behavior, and relationship between them. Sandra Cisneros’s dream, from “Only Daughter”, had an impact on the topic of her writing, her writing style, and her relationship with her father, who she has been trying to gain the approval for her writing career for many years.

In February, Galaviz will be traveling to the NEA Foundation Gala in Washington, D.C., to receive $10,000 and the NEA Foundation’s Horace Mann Award for Teaching Excellence. As one of only five recipients in the nation, this prestigious honor really reinforces Galaviz’s devotion to continually going above and beyond for her students, something that, for her, starts long before the start of the school year. Every summer, Galaviz goes door to door, meeting with the families of her incoming students. As an educator, she believes that knowing about the student, their family dynamic and their home helps her to be a better teacher. “I

1. In Linda Christensen’s story, she describes how it was a very difficult task for her to “build a sense of community” in her fourth grade classroom. She states that students were not being cooperative in most of the activities she had planned out for them. She had knowledge that some students already had issues with one another, making it even more difficult for her, as the educator, to accommodate these lessons. (Burant, 2010, pg. 69).

Most people from an early age have a dream; yet often people give up on them and most of the time around middle school or late elementary school. It is the prime time where everyone gets discouraged by bullying and the realization that life is tough that dawns in the child’s mind around this time. The discouraging factor could also be due to an unsupportive family, which is shown primarily by the short stories “Everything Will Be Okay” by James Howe and “Stray” by Cynthia Rylant. The main characters in each story have a conflict over a desire. In “Everything Will Be Okay” Our main character loses the argument in the end and the kitten he desperately wanted to keep the cat, but he learns the invaluable lesson not to give up on your dreams.

I greet my student’s families in a polite and respectful manner during each encounter. Respect of religious and cultural backgrounds, family structure, and parenting styles is vital to the foundation of a successful relationship. This is done by having pictures and books representing diverse religions, cultures, and family dynamics in the classroom. Religious holidays are not celebrated in my classroom. For instance, instead of Christmas, we celebrate Winter Festival and talk about snowflakes. I celebrate different cultures monthly to not only expose the children to a new culture, but to also show how each child is special. Monthly I send home a family poster for homework with different themes to promote inclusivity not only for the student but also for the families. The posters are then hung on the wall. Discussions about different family structures is encouraged as well and supported with books such as “The Family Book “by Todd Parr.

Next, we talk about the relationships with the teacher and the parents. Ms. McDermott uses class Dojo to communicate with the parents. The parents like communicating this way, so they always have access to their child’s academics via using their cellphone. There is also a classroom website that the parents and students have access

The mindset towards students in "Funds of Knowledge for Teaching" is one where a teacher develops a deeper and realistic understanding of students beyond the classroom. Teachers are encouraged to conduct visits to students' household to see how students interact within their families, how parents and other family members contribute to the social and emotional development of students and how that qualitative information can be used to design instruction. The article stresses that teachers see the intelligence and cultural experiences of students outside the classroom by visiting their households and becoming learners themselves to gain valuable insight into their daily lives. By using the information gathered from the household to design instruction,

The one ingredient that black educators and black institutions share in the successful teaching of black students is teaching race explicitly. In other words, black educators share a consciousness of race that is reflected in their personal philosophy, teaching instruction, and curriculum. According to hooks, black teachers were on a "mission." She says, "Teachers worked with and for us to ensure that we would fulfill our intellectual destiny and by so doing uplift the race" (2). In order to successfully teach black students one must care

Culturally Responsive Teaching is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning (Ladson-Billings, 1994). This approach to teaching encompasses how knowledge is both communicated and perceived by the students. The teacher must have a good relationship with the parents, have high expectations, learn about their students culture, have culturally mediated student-centered instruction, willing to reshape the curriculum, and be a facilitator in order to accomplish this method of teaching. These are key points a teacher must be willing to do if they intend to be an effective teacher especially in a highly culturally diverse area like central

As early educators and advocates for young children, we need to be available to families in our area and play integral roles that can make a difference in their lives. Some ways that I could do that in a student’s life would be to assure that the family’s basic needs are met by striving to make a deeper connection, provide outside

At 1:00 p.m. I entered into Evoline C. West Elementary school on Thursday, July 12 2012 for an interview with Mrs. Yolanda Lawrence. As I entered the classroom, I was greeted by Mrs. Lawrence, the head teacher in this classroom. Mrs. Lawrence has no assistant at this present because of it being in the summer. After I entered into the classroom, the entire class welcomed me with “hello Ms. Flournoy”. It made my day to see all of those smiley faces greeting me. This was a 2nd grade classroom which consisted of 17 students of which 8 were girls and 9 were boys. This interview and observation was a total of 2

I agree with the authors, “It is precisely through information of these kinds of social activities that we identify funds of knowledge that can be used in the classroom to help improve academic development” (Gonzalez, Moll & Amanti, 2005, Pg. 80). We start teaching at the beginning of the school year holding biases towards certain students. Sometimes we heard in the office or teacher lounge that student XYZ is a “nightmare”, we are scared of those students because we are afraid they will ruin our classroom environment. This was my mentality when I first stepped into a classroom as a tutor.

A culturally responsive environment in the classroom is essential in building the bridge between home culture and a school culture. Also it is vital to ensure that all students are able to succeed by incorporating and understanding students cultural beliefs and practices. As becoming a culturally responsive teacher means being able to appreciate, understand, and work with children and families from different cultures. ( Coleman, p.177). Developing a positive mind set and the reality check #2: Teachers need not give up on their own family values in order to resect the family values of others.( Coleman, p28). It is important to be open minded to other people different family structures and beliefs.

The classroom follows a partial day inclusion program. Ms. Welsh’s classroom on the second floor of Village School is considered their base area. The student’s belongings are all kept in the classroom upstairs and they spend the majority of their time there throughout the day. All students are taught by both teachers for math, science, and social studies. For reading and writing, Ms. Wilush teaches three students in a pull-out resource room on the first floor of the building. When it is time for students to review those lessons, the three students make their way down to Ms. Wilush’s classroom with the folders and other materials they may need. Once reading and writing periods are completed, the students either return to Ms. Welsh’s classroom or go to an alternate room for specials such as art or music. Ms. Wilush and Ms. Welsh’s relationship can be described as both friendly and professional. Ms. Welsh is currently going to graduate school for special education, so she is learning a lot from Ms. Wilush’s work. At the same time, Ms. Wilush is taking the opportunity to learn from such an experienced teacher as Ms. Welsh who has taught for ten years. They believe that the best way to work efficiently and achieve the most success for each student is