Counter Narratives

I found this research article really interesting because of the counter narratives of urban schools. I feel like most articles, books or things on the news are all about urban schools and their negative aspects, never about their positive aspects. This article also discusses how it may not always be the students or the communities faults but the institutional, bureaucratic or systemic situations. It seems as though the blame is never put there, but that is where it really does belong, and not on the students or the communities. It was interesting that the author pointed out that this way of thinking can be counterproductive in the success of urban students. 

My favorite line was "Successful teachers engage in a 'different route to ensure the growth and development of their students'" I liked this point, because they were not saying that it is impossible to teach urban students, but that teachers need to find a different way to teach them. The first teacher, Mr. Jackson, used counter narratives to teach his students. He stressed the value of learning, he immersed himself in his students worlds and learned about their lives outside of school, included music in his teaching, and he dealt with the importance and unimportance of the same ethnicity. I really liked this teacher's way of teaching and I felt it related to my values in teaching. No matter where I teach, I want my students to value learning and I'll have to find a way to make sure my students do value it. I also believe in learning as much as you can about a student and immersing yourself in their lives. It's important to know the factors, so you can know what to expect and what may or may not work in teaching students. I also value the use of music in a classroom. I have always been musically inclined and find that a lot of teaching can be aided in music. For example, I am in a Kindergarten classroom right now for my internship and we listen to music every day and sing a song during the morning message. By singing and following along with the words at the same time, it will help the students learn to read. I find it beneficial to include all the learning styles in a classroom, especially music.