I grew up in Florida and have always admired the beauty of its wildlife. I am fascinated by observing alligators and manatees. Both of these creatures take a great interest in mothering their young. Obviously these are two hugely different creatures. Nonetheless, they are present in Florida as they are nowhere else in the United States.

My logo is a beautiful image of a baby alligator in a position of safety on top of its mother’s head. John Moran, a nature photographer often called the “photographer laureate of Florida,” took this picture, which demonstrates the unique propensity of crocodilians to mother and protect their young. Young alligators are very vulnerable to predators, and females aggressively defend their babies in the first few years of life.

Intergroup Relations

Just as alligator mothers help their young learn how to survive in the dangerous wild, teachers must be prepared to “help students acquire the social skills needed to interact effectively with students from other racial, ethnic, cultural, and language groups” (Banks, 2001). A value cannot be placed on talking about the devastating impact of racial and cultural stereotyping with your students. They may never receive these messages otherwise. Without positive intergroup relationship skills, it would be impossible to wade effectively through the swamp of life.

Teacher Learning

Alligators do not have the benefit of professional development programs as teachers do, but they certainly face challenges in the form of habitat destruction and water pollution. Alligators are resilient and have an amazing capacity to adapt. In droughts, they search exhaustively for water and inevitably find it. Teachers could learn a lot from this type of persistence in the face of adversity, particularly when seeking understanding of unfamiliar ethnic groups. If the answers are not available, seek and record them.

Student Learning

Alligators grow a foot a year and are considered mature at six feet. They benefit from the knowledge and experiences of their mothers until capable of independence. Teachers often end up being surrogate parents to their students at school. We look out for our students to ensure that they are being treated fairly and getting the best education possible. We make opportunities possible when they might otherwise be impossible. On a daily basis a teacher might encourage one student to fill out a scholarship application and another to join an extracurricular activity (and make sure he or she has the equipment necessary to participate). These types of social encouragement activities are done in addition to the teacher’s primary responsibility of promoting learning and trying to make it relevant to students’ lives. To feel secure that students are properly presented information, a teacher must help them understand how “knowledge is socially constructed and reflects researchers’ personal experiences as well as the social, political, and economic contexts in which they live and work” (Banks, 2001). All information comes with a certain amount of personal bias.

School Governance,
Organization and Equity

One of my favorite places to hike is Paynes Prairie Preserve outside of Gainesville, Florida. There is a trail to a sink hole where alligators and assorted other wildlife congregate. The spectacle overwhelms reason. I have observed birds cleaning alligators’ backs. In some cases the birds rested in the water next to sunning alligators. If birds can live peacefully with alligators, apparently unafraid of being eaten at any moment, schools should be able to operate in a manner that fosters collaboration and general agreement on organizational strategy. I do not mean to oversimplify this point; school governance and organization is challenging. I do believe good teachers recognize and support genuine administrative efforts to do the right thing.

Assessment

Alligator assessment is survival. Schools must not apply the “survival of the fittest” philosophy to the classroom. Traditional assessment techniques, like essay writing and multiple choice tests, are often unfair for non-native English speakers. Teachers accidently use idioms and unfamiliar vocabulary in such assessments. Many students who speak English as a second language feel too embarrassed to admit they do not understand questions. They are also self-conscious when it takes them far longer than their classmates to complete these assessments. Using non-traditional means of assessment such as class participation, group work, and other lower pressure activities mixed with traditional methods seems a fairer approach in today’s multicultural society.

Article Reference

Banks, James A. Diversity within unity: Essential principles for teaching and learning in a multicultural society. New Horizons for Learning, Online. April, 2001. http://www.newhorizons.org

January, 2009

A to Z . . . ZOWIE this is Me!
 

A is for Alligator
            Which represents my home state and my alma mater

B is for Benevolence
            Because I dedicate time to teaching and volunteering

C is for Career
            The one I hope to keep balanced

D is for Development
            Of students’ minds and interests

E is for English
            The first language I learned and the one I teach

F is for Florida
            My place of birth and home to my family

G is for Girl
            Sometimes I feel so small in this world

H is for Hedonism
            If only I had unlimited funds

I is for Individual
            Belonging to many groups, but thinking independently

J is for Jesus
            A key figure in my religious upbringing

K is for Kindness
            “Do unto others…”

L is for Learning
            For myself and others, I make this a priority

M is for Management
            Of health and wealth, important for me as I prepare
            to turn 30

N is for Neighbor
            Being a good member of the community is important to me

O is for Opportunity
            What I hope to create for the people in my life

P is for Precise
            Being exact is how I am most comfortable

Q is for Qualified
            As a good student, I feel prepared for almost anything

R is for Reading
            My favorite way to relax

S is for Sunshine
            I love to live where the weather is warm and the sun shines

T is for Talented
            With words and with ideas

U is for Uncertain
            Of the exact details of my family heritage

V is for Vocal
            About my beliefs, both political and personal

W is for White
            My skin lacks pigment

X is for Xenophile
            Loving foreign people, foods, and cultures

Y is for Yielding
            Control of the uncontrollable

Z is for Zowie!
            Because life is for living!

February 27, 2009

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