Respect

The quote I really liked from this passage "Reverance..." was "Respect is given, not earned". Usually people say this the other way around, you don't just GIVE respect, you have to earn it. However, I like the thought to the twist of this quote. It's outwardly focused. It is saying to focus on being respectful rather than how to earn it to make yourself feel/be better. At first this confused me and it made me think: respect must be earned, it's not just automatic. Then I realized that it was reversing the typical way of thinking. Often, too many times, people focus on ME. What will get ME ahead, "I" deserve respect, MY idea is best; however, this isn't the way it should be. One will in turn receive respect and honor if they are respectable and honorable.

Reverent listening is supported by culturally responsive teaching because you are simply showing respect to others. This is shown when someone is talking by using whole body listening, and asking specific questions regarding the subject of discussion. The opposite of being a reverent listener is being an authoritarian type teacher. All the teachers I had growing up were great! But once I reached college, I came upon the "my way or the highway" types. One particular professor had me so upset all the time; I'm a good student, but when I had an idea, if it wasn't the way SHE saw it, my thoughts were in turn wrong. She would even interrupt my explanation of my ideas to tell me how wrong I was and how it should be done differently. What's worse, is when I did it the way she wanted, it was still not right because no matter how much I tried to see it her way, my brain just isn't wired the way hers is and I just didn't think of things the way she thought of them. I constantly felt very disrespected by her and belittled.

Having a laundry list of value ethics can be very NON-culturally responsive. If there is a set list of ethics in a classroom, that is imposing ONE set of values for everyone. As we have talked about in class, some cultures believe it to be disrespectful for children to look adults in the eye... if eye contact is on this list of ethics, it would be very awkward for the student at hand to make eye contact with his/her teacher. I don't think I have any prior experiences with situation as everyone that I went to school with was basically the same religion and had the same ideas of ethical values. 

I had  a high school math teacher that was a reverent teacher. It was a remedial math class, but she didn't make us feel stupid. A few times I was almost in tears because I just didn't understand and she got down on my level and told me to say my thoughts out loud about what I did understand to the point of what I did not understand. She broke things down for me to understand them with so much patience and not once did I fell less than her. When students spoke, she listened and always made a comment about it. This teacher also knew most of our parents, so it was (at least seemed) easy for her to make it all personal. When I would walk into class she'd say "Hi, I saw your mom this weekend at the pharmacy, is she feeling better...... I got to go to the football game and you guys [the band] sounded great!" Even still, when I see her out somewhere, she smiles and waves and asks how I am doing and about Chloe, etc. It has always made me feel good knowing that she seemed so interested in my life and her smile has always been contagious which helps. 

A toxic school is one where culture is irrelevant and listening no longer occurs. Other factors include behaviors such as authoritarian type teachers, classrooms where respect is not a focus for daily behavior, and many times when a leader is set in his or her own ways and does not like to take constructive criticism and will shut out others' ideas.

A quote from this article that verifies some of my philosophies is as follows:


                  "Joan, a third grade teacher in Indiana, has many pet animals in her classroom.
                  The children learn responsibility through taking care of these companion animals,
                  and Joan integrates these pets into her teaching. "


This is something that I have planned to do for quite some time, now. I have these little animals called sugar gliders that I would love to incorporate into my classroom and the curriculum. Already in some of my lesson plans, I have included a book about a sugar glider called "Kimi Sue" and a nutrition lesson about natural sugars versus man made sugars- sugar gliders eat natural sugars in the wild. Also, sugar gliders are native to Australia and they are nocturnal marsupials, there is SO much to teach right there! Not to mention, I can bring the sugar gliders into the classroom every once in a while and let the students feed them meal worms, crickets and yoggies. They are animals most people have never heard about and they are something I am very passionate about. My passion will rub off onto my students and they will also get excited about learning with themes dedicated to gliders.

I would love to show this in my future classroom. Too many times teachers make sure the students know what is expected of them... but what about what the students expect of the teacher? Both parties deserve to give and get respect. I also like a few of the slides that state "different kinds of smart" and the one that says "staring at me will not cure my autism". All people learn in different ways, but ALL CHILDREN CAN LEARN.



Resources

deirpg1. (2011). 403 - respect group presentation[Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3PFkGDMRL4

RUD, A. G., & Garrison, J. (2010, November).Reverence and listening in teaching and leading. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_lNdCbUdjDIvAFO7LhRAQqe9fJc-YReeKH7qGTWlxy4/edit