I think as teachers it is essential for us to get to know our students, especially where they come from. This can tell us ways to teach them more efficiently or how to incorporate their culture in the lessons. I think an "I AM" poem is a great tool that permits us to see inside the students culture and what is important to them. It would be a great ice breaker for the first day of school. I did one of these poems in my MAS 280 class and I would like to share it because it gives you insight into my life, culture and what is important to me.

I am from…..

I am from keys

from toothbrush and hand soap

I am from the branding iron circle

desert

I am from the snapdragon

The palo verde

whose long gone limbs I remember

as if they were my own.

I’m from enchiladas and tamales

From Nana Fala and Tata Manuel

I’m from piñatas and loteria

and from playing guitars.

I’m from portate bien and dar gracias

and sana sana colita de rana.

I’m from throwing quetes on New Years

I’m from SanDiego and Obregon

Menudo and posole.

From a nana who doesn’t sit until you eat

Who waits for her 10 kids, 22 grandkids and 21 great grandkids to feast

With your red bugambilia in your hair posed in a chair

On my closet door

So I can see your face every time I dress.

Valeria Valdez and August 28, 2014

 

So today in class we saw a video on disparities that affect education. One of the strongest arguments in the video was about resources, how we allocate them and how it affects education. Primarily we saw that professionals in the educational field thought allocating funds from property taxes was unfair and makes some students more disadvantaged than others. Furthermore they propose that we produce funds in another way, which poses problems for tax payers since it means higher taxes. This is another obstacle funding faces because tax payers already feel that they are paying too much for education. Others feel we are paying too little. What do you guys think about this situation? For me personally i feel we should allocate funds based on how many students each school has and property value from each student that way bigger schools get more funding from the government and from each property tax of each student. Furthermore, i believe that other than resoures, neighborhoods, parental engagement and motivating teachers are the driving force in the way we equalize and engage students in school. Personally, i know that these factors really influence how i viewed school and how i saw it as an opportunity for self advance,ent and success. I think if i lived in a bad neighborhood, had uncertified unengaging and uncaring teachrs and parents  i would see education as a passtime rather than a way out of poverty or struggle.

Classroom Technologies

For LRC 302 We learned about different materials and resources that are available for us future teachers to have in our classrooms. There are interactive websites that we can give to students so they can learn material in a fun way. There are also assistive technologies for those students that have disabilities. We need to know how to navigate and engage students with these technologies to keep up the time we live in now. If you want to learn more about these technologies please visit u.arizona.edu/~valeriavaldez thanks.