AshleyFreakShow

Finished: 11/29

__Journal Article Assignment:__

Mary C. McMackin & Elaine M. Bukowiecki (1997): A Change in Focus: Teaching Diverse Learners Within an Inclusive Elementary School Classroom, Equity & Excellence in Education, 30:1, 32-39

//A Change in Focus//

The journal article, //A Change in Focus//, was about how elementary school teachers are faced with a high rate of diversity within the classroom. The diversity within the classroom not only included ethnic backgrounds, but also students with learning disabilities who were once taught in a classroom that focused only on them. A group of graduates that were taking a language arts course at Lesley College School of Education in Massachusetts worked with a K-4th grade elementary school course revision for 2 years. This elementary school had 650 enrolled students and all 650 students had some sort of special need. One class room of 22 students had 7 students that had IEPs, and one student had yet to learn the basic letter/sound relationships while others were two or three years ahead of their reading level. Within this same classroom there were 8 different languages spoken and throughout the school there were 30 different languages spoken. The goal of this revision was to prepare today’s teachers to teach diverse learners in an elementary classroom setting. They revised the school course by doing several things: refocused the course objectives, teachers researched literature on second language learners, strategies for teaching students with learning and behavioral disadvantages, considered the curriculum for the wide range of needs, teachers instructed graduate students to read several articles about students with special needs in a classroom environment, and modifications for teaching diverse students. The graduate students observed 3 elementary classrooms and interviewed both the general and special education teachers. Each graduate student had to present a case study that observed a particular student in the classroom. Finally each graduate student had to visit an urban or suburban school to evaluate how “cultural pluralism” was being used. As a result, one graduate student found that an “inclusion” classroom was the best result when teaching to multiple students with learning disabilities. This is meant that the classroom has two teachers that co-teach throughout the day. Both teachers work with each student, but the special education teacher paid closer attention to the students with a learning disability.
 * Summary:**

//A Change in Focus// connects to this course because it is about diversity in the classroom. It not only deals with the cultural diversity, but learning diversity too. It is important not to only focus on what different cultures you may have in your class, but also how students are progressing in your class. This article demonstrates the alternatives a teacher can use to focus on the class as a whole and as well as the students who may need some more attention. This course also connects to this article because it reflects on the skills you need to work and understand with diverse students.
 * Reflection:**

//A Change in Focus// will help impact my classroom by giving me the knowledge that many schools will have a great range of diversity throughout the school as well as in the classroom. I will be aware of not only the cultural diversity but also learning diversity. I love the idea of co-teaching when accountable, especially if the other co-teacher specializes in special education. This teacher could help with IEPs and other ways to approach lessons and lesson planning. I will definitely make sure every student understands the lesson, even if I need to approach it in another way; and if that doesn’t help I will make sure I set outside class time to help the student(s). Also being as “gold” as I am, I realized that I need to be flexible with my lesson plans and that sometimes my lesson plans won’t work for a particular student or my class as a whole. This is one challenge I will most certainly encounter throughout my career.
 * Explanation:**

Completed-Sept. 26

// Freak Show //, told by Billy Bloom, a 17 year old boy who is looking for acceptance, is about the struggles he goes through to make a statement for himself along with other “freaks” of society. Billy had no choice but to move to Florida to live with his father (who is not too fond of him) after his mother kicked him out. Billy is a new student at this all white, all rich, super conservative school, Dwight D. Eisenhower Academy; and this school is not too thrilled with the new student. Billy is unlike any other 17 year old boy, he dresses in drag. He has a hard time trying to fit in and make new friends, and dressing in outrageous wardrobes does not make it any easier. Billy is immediately discriminated against; he is harassed verbally and physically. No one seems to take notice to the harassment either, not even the school faculty. It eventually gets so bad that Billy gets jumped during class and is beaten so bad that he is put into a coma. Flip, the jock and hottie of the school, comes to Billy’s rescue and begins to befriend him. Flip and Billy begin to establish a close relationship, and Billy starts to fall in love with Flip. Flip who claims he is not gay, but continually accepts Billy’s flirtatious ways, becomes jealous of Bib (Flip’s teammate) who he believes that Billy likes. Flip confronts Billy and Billy tells him he has no interest in Bib and that he is in love with Flip. Flip tells Billy once again, that he is not gay, but Billy’s counterargument is that if he wasn’t gay he would not be getting jealous of Bib. The two begin to have a steamy make out session and Flip just cannot come to terms that he may be possibly gay. After Billy’s heart is broken he takes things in his own hands and decides to run for Homecoming Queen. He has to win over the hearts of the whole school who believe that being gay is wrong. After much controversy he begins to win over the school and begins making friends with the “shadow kids” who take his side and help him with his campaign. Billy’s story makes appearances on every news channel; it seems like he has won over the school and society. Billy’s campaign is not only about gay rights, but about the acceptance of freaks, that everyone is a freak. After all his effort Billy does not win Homecoming Queen, and even though he is devastated, he has found who he is as a person and made an impact on many people’s lives. Flip finally comes around and accepts his sexuality and Billy and Flip live “fabulously ever after.”


 * Group(s) being depicted: **

The group that is being depicted in //Freak Show// is gays.


 * Change of perception in the classroom: **

Reading //Freak Show// has not changed my perception of students who might be in my classroom because I am already an accepting person of various groups. The only thing that will change will be my awareness of how the class gets along and making sure no discrimination/harassment is taking place.


 * Enhance your cultural awareness of the students: **

// Freak Show // enhanced my cultural awareness by realizing that some cultures may express themselves differently than others and that sometimes it may be outside of our own comfort level of acceptance.


 * New Insights: **

A new insight that I got from reading //Freak Show// was that everyone is some kind of freak; that everyone is somewhat different. The preps & jocks are different from the nerds; African Americans are different from Hispanics, and so on. A freak does not need to be a negative thing either; it can be a positive thing that shows differences between each culture. //Freak Show// also showed me that you need to believe in yourself and that you can do what you set your mind to; and even though some people may not see or understand who you are, you will always find at least one person you likes you for you.


 * Relevance to teaching: **

// Freak Show // can be relevant to my teaching career because I plan on teaching at a high school, and many high schools have a high diversity rate. I know I will have many different races, cultures, and ethnicities in my classroom so it will be good to be able to adjust to everyone and hopefully get every student used to the fact of the many differences around each other.


 * Use this book with your students: **

I don’t think I would use this book with my students because I am going to be a math teacher and this book has no relevance towards math. I would recommend this book to my old students if they needed a good book for a project or something like that.


 * Recommendations: **

I totally recommend this book to juniors in high school all the way through older adults. This book was a lot fun to read; it was quirky, sad, outrageously funny, and witty.