With a definite shortage of qualified teachers in most urban and rural areas, I can't help but wonder why the most qualified teachers continue to teach the students with the most resources outside school. Shouldn't the teachers with the most resources to give students be teaching in schools where students have limited or no resources outside of school?
posted by Anonymous @ 3:29 PM
1 Comments:
I agree that a large contributing factor in this issue is that most teachers are frankly scared to teach in urban environments. Besides the obvious safety issues that plague some urban schools, there are the issues of never really being able to understand what those students are going through. However, I believe that what we are learning at Westminster has prepared us more than many other education programs to take on this challenge. It takes a very strong and committed person to teach in an urban school in which he or she may find strong resistance from the students, the community, and in some cases the administration. In most of these schools the students are written off as unmotivated and not committed to their work. However, in some districts students are bussed from an hour away every morning and night, and we all know the possible situations that could be happening when they finally do get home. Critical pedagogy was created for the oppressed students such as those in urban schools, who subconsciously believe the opinions of the administration and other people who have no faith in them. However, getting through to these students and connecting to what is relevant to them can only be achieved after a teacher gains their trust. It is gaining the trust of these students, who see us as just another elitist who plans on treating them like enferiors, that is the hard part of this type of education. It's a different situation than most of us have grown up in. It's going outside of our comfort zone, and honestly I don't blame future teachers for being scared. The question is can we overcome our fears? Students who are brought up in an advantageous situation tend to return to that kind of situation. It's a tough reality. Not a definite one, but for right now a reality.
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