Double Journal Entry #5

“In an ideal classroom everyone treats what is to be learned with a reverence that generates mutual respect among teachers and students.” (Woodruff 2001, 192).

I strongly agree with the above quote. Students and teachers both need to show enthusiasm for learning. When they are both in mutual agreement, the classroom will run much smoother. In order for students to demonstrate and show respect for their teachers, teachers need to give them a reason to do so. Teachers should make sure they show their love for learning and their love for their students. Once students realize their teacher is genuine and truly does respect his/her feelings and opinions, it will become easier for the students to do the same. And, as the quote says, when the teachers and students are both in reverence, it will create the ideal classroom.

Reverent listening is a rather abstract concept. It refers to a person’s ability to listen and give compassion to another individual. I believe it can also refer to recognizing that everyone’s opinion matters. Each individual has valuable ideas and input that should be taken into consideration, especially in the classroom. If these qualities are demonstrated within the classroom, it will absolutely support culturally responsive teaching. Sharing and modeling this type of compassion and behavior within a classroom will create a sense of community. Students will feel welcome and safe with presenting their ideas, especially when they know they are going to be respected.

“Reverent listening is not to be confused with humiliation and domination by others who force us to listen, and even less so, with the kind of incompetence that wants to be told what to do.” This is a powerful quote, if you actually read and think about it. I personally believe it refers to actually listening to someone and trying to relate to them. Or, in other words, putting yourself in their shoes. When listening to someone, you should be respectful of them and try to gain personal knowledge from what they are telling you. It’s important to remember that how you react to someone’s situation has an influence on them; whether it be positive or negative. From my own schooling, I can think of one teacher that I believe actually listened and cared about what her students had to say. Her name was Mrs. Stephens and she was my third grade teacher. I always looked forward to going to school when I was in her class. She made us all feel so welcome and she actually got down on our level. She would make time to play with us at recess and we felt like she liked us. She would ask us personal questions and it was obvious she genuinely cared. She broadened her conversations with us, whereas most teachers kept it strictly about school work.

I believe the “laundry list of value ethics” refers to how teachers and schools prioritize. In my opinion, it is what teachers believe is most important for their students to focus on. I can remember through my entire public schooling, kindergarten through twelfth grade, having character traits posted throughout the hallways. It was basically just a list of words, generically describing how they expected us to behave and act while we were in school. Although these character traits are a good idea, I do not think it demonstrates very culturally responsive teaching. Very few of the teachers actually discussed or encouraged this behavior. It was posted in the halls and that’s about as far as it went. I also think this type of behavior needs to be demonstrated by the teachers, especially in the younger grades. Students pick up on teacher’s actions. Also, this type of behavior needs to be encouraged when the students are not in school as well.

As I stated earlier, I can remember having one teacher, throughout my entire schooling that I believe was a reverent listener. She was my third grade teacher and her name was Mrs. Stephens. She made us all feel welcomed and respected. She never made negative comments to our opinions or ideas. She always made us feel like we were something special and she listened with such care and compassion. Her amount of respect for her students was amazing.

A toxic school culture could occur because of many factors. One major thing that comes to my mind is having teachers who simply do not care. They are there to teach from the book and accomplish all of the CSO’s. If they get through the lesson, it was a good day. They do not care how their students feel, just as long as the test scores are passing. This creates a very negative environment for students and makes them not enjoy school. Also, things like bullying and favoritism can create a toxic environment.

“Reverent teachers listen carefully to what the subject matter has to say to them, but they also listen carefully to what their students say to them as well.” I love this quote and it ties perfectly into my teaching philosophy. A good, well rounded teacher knows how to balance the curriculum and still establish a good relationship with their students. They can teach a great lesson but they can also listen respectfully to their students. I want my classroom to be culturally responsive and like a community. In order for students to learn at their fullest, they need to feel as if they are safe and respected.

When searching for a video, I typed in “reverence teaching activities.” Many of the videos that came up had to deal with writer’s workshop. I think this a perfect example of reverence in the classroom. It gives students the opportunity to learn how to listen and to also know what it is like to be respected when telling your own story. Below is a video of a teacher going over what is expected during the writer’s workshop. This is an activity that I would like to incorporate into my teaching. It would give the students the opportunity to practice being revert listeners and I believe it would also show them how good it feels to be listened to and respected.

Sources:
Rud, A G, and Jim Garrison. "Reverence and Listening in Teaching and Leading." Reverence. (2010): n. page. Web. 19 Sep. 2012. <https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_lNdCbUdjDIvAFO7LhRAQqe9fJc-YReeKH7qGTWlxy4/edit>.