August 24, 2017

Teacher Observations Day 4:
So many are leftovers from yesterday that I forgot but still apply lol

1. I always manage to be on the in districts that are the last to cancel school for inclement weather. The water is in my house by the time I get that automated call. 

2. Teachers love their coffee a bit too much. Drinking coffee from yesterday is nasty.

3. Kids and teachers enjoy small class sizes who'd a thunk it? Class size is an anecdotal experience and can vary so much from district to district, school to school. Kids that aren't confident, have intrinsic motivation or "grit" will not find it in a large class.

4. I have noticed that native Houstonians are spoiled and don't know it. They do not know the privilege of having a teacher that looks like them at all levels of education and take that for granted. Please know that is a unique situation and I can count the black teachers I had in my educational career on one hand. Visibility makes a difference and you should respect that.

5. Minority students with white teachers....I really don't know why things don't pan out like in Dangerous Minds or Freedom Writers but....I have seen very stern white teachers and very nice white teachers struggle...male and female struggle. I mean I know why..history, colonialism, oppression but that only explains stern white teachers not the treatment by students of white teachers. There is a lot to unpack from this and I need to ponder on this some more but I know it can boil down to parents are raising some bad ass kids that will do the fool once they get out of your sight. So all of that "he/she doesn't act like this at home" is some nonsense. Earl and Anita had me conditioned that I calculated the risk of acting up at school for the punishment waiting at home. The risk was never worth it.

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