Black Ants and Buddhists

1. What can I do to make sure my students feel they are safe to talk about things they may not agree with?

1.1. I can make it very clear that everyone has different opinions and world views and that that is so important to the way we interact and grow as a society. Our differences should not turn us against each other, but instead, draw us towards each other through the goal of learning from one another. We all have stuff to teach and we all have stuff to learn.

2. "With each new group of students, the nature of my class changes"

2.1. This is a point that I feel is important. the teacher has to adapt to the students, not the students adapting to the teacher.

3. How can I make sure the kids in my classroom feel included even with their differences?

3.1. By encouraging students to work with classmates who aren't like them (assigning groups or partners) it will help students who often feel excluded from their peers interact in a more casual way. This will also help students branch out in who they talk to and hang out with because they will soon learn how similar they are to those they might not initially be inclined to get to know due to their own biases.

4. How do I tend to each student specifically while simultaneously tending to the class as a whole?

4.1. Do not single out any one student or group of students. Pair together stronger, more outgoing students with those who are struggling. This allows students to not feel embarrassed by grouping together all the struggling students and just working with them. Instead, students are able to interact with and learn from each other.

5. Chapter 7

5.1. Have students write letter to historical figures about their ideas for solving problems.

5.1.1. Using this strategy is beneficial by allowing you to "test" students' comprehension, but it also teaches them that it's good to write to political authorities about issues that they see as important

5.2. Schema theory is the only comprehension strategies that the author uses with her students.

5.2.1. Using schema theory encourages students to make connections (text-to-text, text-to-self, and text-to-world)

5.3. Children can handle difficult topics. We shouldn't shy away from teaching young kids about slavery and the realities of America's historical figures just because they're young

5.3.1. I loved the example given on page 132 about the children realizing that our money has the faces of slave owners on it. Even as young as they were, they still understood that maybe those men shouldn't be honored in that way and decided to write a letter with better suggestions.

5.4. 1. The purpose of education in an unjust society is to bring about equality and justice. 2. Students must play an active part in the learning process. 3. Teachers and students are both simultaneously learners and producers of knowledge.

5.4.1. Children have the ability to really care and be passionate about social justice. We shouldn't underestimate their ability to understand certain issues and become activists in their communities.

6. From the chapter, It has made me more conscious about how i would teach my students in the classroom. Not all kids receive things the same way, so we have to be sensitive to their environment and how they take in information.

7. In chapter one, what intrigued me the most was the learned oppression that was being passed around in American schools. The workers even felt that but decided to fight against the oppression instead of just pretending it was normal

8. The workers were blamed, beaten, and told they weren't telling the truth about things that weren't even worth lying about. When one worker broke his hand, he was immediately told to repair the machine that broke his hand instead of seeking medical help.

8.1. The importance in this is that no matter your background, no matter who you are, there are basic rights that everyone has that they shouldn't let be taken away like this.

9. "I choose to teach critically because I believe young children are capable of amazing things, far more than what is usually expected of them"

9.1. This quote grabbed my attention because I always see adults trying to shove children in a box that they think they should be shoved in, but really, children are the new and improved tools of the world that will without a doubt, think differently than us adults.

10. How can I make sure every child feels heard and understood?

10.1. This might seem unrealistic to accomplish, but I feel that its important to make sure each child is feeling like what they think and what they imagine is okay and that someone can understand and can imagine with them.

11. The chapter didn't disappoint, and I feel enlightened when it comes to diversity in the classroom.