Critically Conscious Purpose
Duty
Preparation
Socratic Sensibility
Trust
100
You finish your lesson plan for the week, satisfied that you have done a great job explaining the material. You inform your class that there will be a test in two days. After you complete grading all the tests, you notice that one of your students only got 6 questions correct out of 20. How do you discuss the student’s test performance through a critically conscious lens?
The teacher was upset at me for not doing well. She asked to speak with me after class and told me I had gotten the lowest grade in the class. She asked me what I was doing in class while she was teaching and kept reiterating how easy the test was. I wish the teacher would have started the conversation highlighting the fact that I got six questions correct. By first focusing on what I did well, I would have been more open to reviewing what I got wrong. The teacher missed an opportunity to look at me as something other than simply a test score.
100
Angie, a student in your history class raises her hand and asks when you will be available for extra help after school. How do you respond, conveying to the student your sense of duty to her and your school community?
My teacher responded by saying he was very busy and did not have time after school. I was upset and asked him, "why can't you make time for your students after school? You're the teacher. You have a role to help students." The teacher responded, " I only have to do it if I want to." A year later, the teacher emailed me and told me how I did have a point. He explained how he had even started his own track team and was involved with the school.
100
Harielys is a 15 year old Latina student in your classroom. Her grades are low and she seems to not respond as well as other students to your audio and visual instructional strategies. How can you improve your preparation so that you can better meet Harielys’ needs based on her learning style?
My teacher did not make any efforts to change his teaching until I asked him to make learning more hands-on and do more "showing." After that, we actually started doing more skits in class which really helped me.
100
Before class begins, you notice a White male student and a Latina student discussing something. When the Latina student starts describing something you can’t hear, the White male suddenly responds, “What is that? Some weird Guatemalan game?” The Latina student, very offended, yells “F--- you!” How do you respond with a socratic sensibility?
My teacher was shocked at my “inappropriate” use of language and sternly told me to calm down and to sit down. Upset, I asked her, “Didn’t you hear what he said?!” The teacher once again told me to calm down and sit down. I wish my teacher would have validated my anger and addressed the cultural insensitivity of my classmate’s comment, and not just the way I responded to him.
100
It’s the first day of school and you’re taking attendance in your culturally and linguistically diverse classroom. How can you approach attendance-taking in a way that will help you to build trust with your students?
When my teacher came to my name in the attendance roster, she asked me whether I preferred the English or the Spanish pronunciation of my name. This was the first time anyone had ever asked me what I wanted to be called. I grew up hearing “Génesis,” (H sounding G) and it wasn’t until I got to school that I was called “Genesis” (J sounding G). Before school, I hadn’t heard my name being pronounced with the J sounding G before. It meant a lot to be asked this instead of assuming the English pronunciation was correct. I now like both my names in English and in Spanish.
200
Your 8th grade student, Deyreni, learns that she has not been accepted to Classical High School. You witness her friends teasing her, saying she’s going to be hopeless because she has to go to Hope High School. You notice her starting to cry. How might you intervene in this interaction with a critically conscious purpose?
My teacher pulled me aside and said "Deyreni, don't let this set you back. No matter what school you go to, you'll succeed, and you'll do your best. Don't let this put you down, you’re going to be successful." This is something I'll never forget. This teacher helped me realize that my success in life was not just determined by the high school I went to.
200
Because of your strong sense of duty to your students and school community, you sometimes takes students home after school if they need a ride, or if students are suspended you drop off work for them at their house. Your principal asks you to stop this. How do you respond in a way that enables you to maintain what you feel is your duty to your students without violating any legal or ethical boundaries?
My teacher actually kept meeting with students outside of school which I know was not the right thing for her to do. I would have still known that she still cared deeply about us if she made a commitment to figure out times we could meet with her during the day during her free periods.
200
In your 9th grade English class, you announce that the next day students will be writing an essay on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and literary elements. Students immediately start complaining about how boring this is going to be. How do you bolster your preparation for class in order to exceed students' expectations for the lesson?
When we all walked into class the next day, there was a chocolate fountain with waffles and other treats to dip into the chocolate! As we were eating, the teacher asked us to describe how we felt eating the chocolate by using literary devices like metaphors and similes and by drawing from the cinematic teachings of Tim Burton's movie. After that we wrote the essay and weren't bored at all!
200
In your Biology class, you often hand out worksheets for students to review concepts they should already have mastered. A student asks you to spend more time explaining the worksheets because many of the students in the class were not taught the concepts in the previous grade. How do you respond with a socratic sensibility?
After I made the suggestion for more review, my teacher responded by saying “That’s not my problem.” But the next day she said I was right, and devoted more time for explanation. I appreciated that she finally recognized that many students were behind in content through no fault of their own, but it was her responsibility to catch them up. I also appreciated that she admitted she was wrong and changed how she taught.
200
It is the first day of school and you are the new teacher to a class of about 20 students. What is the most important message you choose to give to your students to create an atmosphere that will promote student success?
I really appreciate how my 7th grade created a loving and honest space for her classroom. She said, “this is a space where you can be 100% honest.” And she started with herself. She said, “I am new. I don’t know all of you and I’m a little bit nervous.” She told us a little bit about her background and went around the room and asked us questions. She did not tolerate bullying or people laughing at each other. It was key because the environment in the classroom was an honest one and when people didn’t understand something they would say it, and either the teacher would help or a friend would.
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