Middle School Student Japanese Female Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: “You follow MY rules in MY room.” First, it is not your room. It is the school's room. Second, why even have rules? Third, why should I even listen to you? Fourth, I really hate that voice of yours. These are my first four thought that come to mind when the teacher says the rules. I am Asian. I am female. I am tall. I have glasses. I do not follow the rules. In fact, I hate the rules. I never have had much in common with my teachers. I have had a few things in common, like gender, or family, or what I favor. However, one thing I had never had in common with my teachers was having an all-Asian teacher. In addition, I have never met or had a teacher with as much opposition towards rules as much as me. I remember that back in 5th grade, I had a Norwegian female teacher, who was very strict and expected a lot out of us. She was the bane of my fifth grade school life. And since our class was so boisterous, she was a pain. For all of us. I think that the biggest reason that I disliked her was because she had a chart of rules. And I always broke them. In addition, for some reason the teacher disliked me so I was punished. If some of the teacher’s pets broke the rules, they were not punished. For an example, I broke the rule, “No talking in class while the teacher was talking.” I was punished by staying in for my recess. The other kid who was talking to me should have been punished too. But she wasn't, since she was favored. My teacher obviously did not like me. I was fine with her not liking me, because I did not like her. From having this teacher, I learned that rules are rules and if I do not follow them, the teacher will dislike me and I will have a terrible year. I want to be who I truly am so I won’t change how I act in front of teachers or other people. Because I do not want to. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Yes, I think that having things in common with your teacher is very important. When we have things in common with our teachers, we can solve problems easier and we can have fewer problems. Though it is important to have things in common, we cannot always have things in common, and if we do, we must cherish them. For me, it is very important to have someone who I can rely on and relate to. Whether that is a friend, or a family member, or a teacher, it is very important to have someone to relate to. I honestly do not like counselors. It seems like they understand you. However, humans cannot understand everyone’s feelings. We are humans. So we tend to take sides. It's human nature and we cannot deny it. I really felt this when I was involved in a problem with a fellow classmate in 5th grade. She had misunderstood what I said and was hurt and had started crying. I tried to explain but the teacher and the counselor took sides with the crying one. So I couldn’t really do anything. I am not sure if being Asian effects any of this, but one thing for sure is that in my family, I am taught not to keep all of my emotions in and stress over them. Therefore, if it is appropriate, I will say what is on my mind. However, teachers on the other hand want "school-appropriate conversations" and they want people to feel comfortable. Not saying that I disagree, but we should be able to express our feeling and not be punished. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong
0 Comments
High School Student Hispanic Straight Male Will be the first in his family to graduate from college Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: Growing up, I never had anything in common with my teachers. Being a Mexican-American is tough, especially because a lot of us come from families who immigrated to the U.S. We always had to do the extra set of work and help our parents at their work, and it was that struggle that your teachers didn't understand. It wasn’t until I reached high school, for the first time I had a teacher who was Mexican. As soon as he introduced himself to me I knew we were going to get along. Then we began to share the common problems that Mexican children have, the foods that we liked and we even shared the same taste in music, and that's what made me trust him and rely on him whenever I had a question or a problem and that’s when I realized that when you share something in common with someone, especially share the same race, you don’t feel alone, you don't feel outnumbered, you feel relieved that someone finally understands you and your struggles. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: When sharing a common interest, especially cultural background, it makes you trust that person, so when students and teachers share the same struggle or same taste in music it helps create a connection and that connection turns into trust and trust turns into a friendship. That said, I believe it's beautiful that teachers and students share common interests, but does it matter? No, because although there's no commonality, there is that respect that makes you interact with that person. Roberto plans to study science and engineering in college and start his own software company that will help make sure all children have access to computers. To hear more about Roberto's journey, watch this video of Kristin Leong's opening talk for Town Hall Seattle's #EducationSoWhite event. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong High School Student Black Heterosexual Female Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: Appearance wise I don't have much in common with my teachers. Majority of them aren't of color but half of them are women so we do relate there. Something that I do have in common with my teachers though is probably a shared mentality towards work ethic. I naturally have a mature mindset so it is easy for me to relate to my teachers. For example, it would be easier for me to talk to my teachers about the meaning of life and working after high school rather than my peers because my teachers and I just have a common perspective on things. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Absolutely! There are so many benefits for not only the students but for the teachers as well. When students and teachers have things in common, teachers can understand why a student is choosing their actions. For students, it's important to have things in common with the teachers because you can relate about struggles and stereotypes, and it just creates a good feeling to know that someone can relate to you about certain things. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong High School Student Filipino Middle Child Male Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: I have never been a talker. I usually just listen to what my teachers have to say and then do my work. But every now and then my teachers and I have a small chit chat in the middle of class. Just yesterday me and my math teacher had a conversation about how weird and funny our pets are. Since I'm not a big talker I mostly learn about my teachers through my peers. They tell me about another teacher being a 'straight up savage' and we laugh and joke about it. I've also learned that some of the teachers like and play the same video games me and my friends like to play! I feel like I really started to connect with my teachers in high school. In elementary school and middle school I felt I never got to really know my teachers--not because they were mostly White Women and I am a Filipino Male--but because I didn't get to know them as a person; a human being. I feel as if I lost that opportunity to get to know them and for them to get to know me. But it's hard to get to know a person when all the talk is focused on what's going in our textbooks or about a test that's going to be taken the next week or at the end of the school year. There is one teacher that I will never forget from elementary school (especially with a name like hers how can you forget!). Her name was Ms.Star. She was my 4th grade teacher. At the time I was just starting to love art! I remember I would draw all the posters on my cousin's walls and she would show me all the drawings she drew. She inspired me to also start drawing and I fell in love with it! Ms.Starr loved arts and crafts a lot, unlike the other teachers. She was really into making handwritten and custom-made cards. She would tell us stories of how her and her friends would meet up and create together as well show us her cards in class. I felt like I could understand her love for making those cards and I could connect with her on that personal level. Although I have never shared the same culture or race with my teachers I feel like that it doesn't matter because all of my teachers have always treated me with respect despite our race and culture differences. Being able to say that must be very lucky for me compared to what other kids across the country and around the world have to go through. Especially for one of my friends who I talk to who lives across the country. Her relationship with her teachers aren't good and it doesn’t only affect her in school but also at home as well. I wish I could say the same for her. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I strongly believe that it is important for students and teachers to have things in common. Getting to know your students and teachers is not only the first step to becoming a better learner but also creating good connections. Because at the end of the day (and it's been said many times and sometimes we forget) we are all human. It doesn’t matter if the setting is within classroom walls or it's out in the grocery store, we are all still human no matter what. And being human is being able to communicate and communication plays a huge role in education as well as the path of life. Getting to know your teachers creates the trust needed between a student and teacher and vice versa. If you get to know your teacher as if they were a friend you start to respect them more and become more engaged in topics they bring in class. I believe that this special bond is important in order to keep students engaged and interested in the curriculum they are learning about. It's part of the teacher's job to connect with the students. It's their job to keep our ideas running and to show us that our thoughts and dreams are not impossible to achieve! But it's also their job to be second parents for the student, because students spend most of the day with their teachers rather than their parents, especially if both of the parents work long hours. The teacher should be someone who students can talk to and trust if they don’t feel okay at home or at school. And as of right now, in the world we live in today it's really important for someone to be there for them. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong High School Student Somali Straight Male Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: As an African and a Muslim, I don't have anything in common with my teachers. Even though we might not have anything in common, we still respect each other and not let that divide us. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Yes, it does matter that students have things in common with their teachers because they can relate to their teachers and open up with them more. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong Middle School Student Chinese Female Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: I had a few connections with my first grade teacher. When I was six, in first grade, I had just moved from China. My parents already knew a lot about English. On my first day of school, my head was still full of Mandarin dialects. I knew little English during that period of my life. I had to take a class with others my age and that class would help me learn English more fluently. I would always ask my first grade teacher what others had asked her. For example, a student near me asked her how to spell a word. Then I would ask the teacher how to spell a word as well, but a word I already knew how to spell so I could make sure that the answer was what I thought it was. My teacher knew that I was learning a lot and starting to understand English more. It did not impact me a lot with my teachers being from a different area than me. I loved their personalities. In addition, my fifth grade teacher and I had a very strong bond when we would do writing with our class. When we had conferences, each time I would get to know her a bit more personally. I honestly feel like having a race connection with your teacher does not matter at all, personality matters more. If you know each other personally, it helps you have a stronger bond. That is much more important than where you are from and what language you speak. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: It might have been easier for me if some of my teachers were Chinese too. Mostly, I think being from different areas is what makes us unique. I think that one of the most important things in school is to have a bond with a certain teacher you know personally. It feels like you and the teacher have a special link. Just like a friend. The first step to becoming a friend with another person is knowing more about them. If you never knew that person, you will not be friends. It is the same with knowing teachers. That is why a bond with a teacher is important. Another thing is that when you are connected to a teacher, you are more likely to give attention to their lessons, and that way you have a larger learning opportunity. A bond like that is important becuase not all students are very engaged in what teachers have to say. Sometimes when you know more about your teacher than your classmates, you feel special since it is like a secret no one else knows about. That is another reason why having a bond with your teacher is significant. You might be more willing to talk to that teacher if you have a stronger connection with them. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong Middle School Student White Half-Canadian Male Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: Teachers have always been socially and emotionally distant from us, the students. Especially in my earlier days in school. Now I can find more things in common with my teachers. One main example of this was when I was in fifth grade. Throughout all my years in elementary school, everybody looked forward to fifth grade. The teachers were nice and relatable to the kids. They wanted to make school fun instead of just get their job done. The first thing is that there were only two fifth grade teachers at my elementary school, making it more personal. Also, not only were those two teachers very close friends, but they also ran a blog about their classes, both as an educational tool and for fun. One of the teachers published vlogs each day. Looking back, the main reason I liked them so much is because we shared common interests. They shared memes in class and whenever there was a new tend one of the teachers would bring it to our class and make a vlog about it, like lip sinking lyrics to popular songs, or having a March Madness basketball game. Because they were so relatable, they were fun. But that was just one year. Every other year in my school career all of my teachers have been female. I feel that these teachers weren’t relatable, not because of their gender, but because of their personalities. They wanted to get stuff done the right way, and that is not a bad thing, but they just didn't make it fun along the way. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Well at first, I would say no. We should not go out of our way to find a teacher that is the same gender or race as the students. Yes, it may be helpful, but unless there is a language gap, it seems inconvenient to choose teachers based on gender or race. You should not discriminate, but you should not chose a teacher only for those aspects. However, a good teacher should be emotionally relatable. Not just a figure of power forcing their students to do boring things, they should be like a close friend. Keeping them on track academically but not being afraid to have fun. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong Middle School Student Indian Female Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: I moved to America when I was three so I was brought up here, even though I was born in India. Most of my teachers have been American. I only had one Indian teacher and that was in preschool. I did not have a larger understanding of race culture and religion back then so it did not make a great impact in my life. If I had an Indian teacher now or in elementary school, it would have been different because my parents and the teacher could talk it over and have more in common. So there is not much I had in common with my teachers other than being female. For some people, teachers of the same gender can understand them better. However, that was not the case for me. I never really connected with my teachers most of the time. I was an average student who didn't have any problems. I never had too many personal or exiting things to share with my teachers. The only difficult thing was probably was being of a different race and religion. My family has a special way to do things. There are also some things in my religion that we do. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: Yes, I does matter because teachers need to connect with students to help with any problem they are facing. When students connect with teachers, teachers can understand the student and figure out a way to help them. That is why teachers are here, they guide students to become great successful people. Sometimes kids are afraid to talk to teachers because they worry they might be judged because they do not have that necessary bond. The student can end up in lots of pain. Photo (c) 2017 Kristin Leong High School Student Middle Eastern Muslim Heterosexual Female Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: If I am being completely honest, the only thing I have in common with my teachers is that they are mostly female – that is it. I have never encountered a Middle Eastern or even a Muslim teacher in the time that I have been in school. However, with the recent politics it is very comforting to know that many of my teachers share some of my same beliefs or at least support me in expressing my own ideas and opinions. After the inauguration this past January and after all the political protests and sadly the many violent acts against specific groups of people it was very easy to feel alone. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I came to school and almost all of my teachers and all of the office staff were wearing pins with different messages that preached equality, freedom of expression, and safety. Although I do not have a very direct commonality with my teachers, it is comforting to know that they are so accepting of who I am and whom I represent. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I think it is so incredibly important for students and teachers to have things in common because it brings them closer together. Even though it is not commonly viewed this way, teachers and students have a very special and intimate relationship. Teachers help students build their character, their interests, and ultimately their future. The exchange of information that happens between a student and a teacher is so valuable and so important. However, if a student does not feel like they can trust or feel close to their teacher then it is very likely that they will not absorb the material. A teacher’s job is not to stand in front of a class and lecture their students. A teacher’s job is to connect with students and help them interpret the information and apply it to their own lives. In addition, when it comes to education, communication is one of the most important factors. If the student does not feel like they have anything in common with their teachers then that line of communication can very quickly be closed. If a student has something going on at home that prohibits them from finishing their homework, or if they are going through certain mental health issues, they need to have comfort in knowing that their teacher is someone they can come and talk to. I have seen multiple situations where a student is too afraid to talk to their teacher and ask for help because they feel like they will not understand. Having something in common with a teacher makes them less scary and more approachable. They no longer become a daunting adult, but rather a friend and someone that can easily be approached. Recently, my mosque was burned down in a very unfortunate case of arson. Coming to school and having multiple teachers ask me if I was okay, if it was the mosque I attended, and if there was anything I needed really made me feel like they cared about me and what was happening in my life both inside and outside of the classroom. I am thankful to have had amazing teachers in all my life in school and I really do believe it is because I was able to build relationships with them based on commonalities and trust. Middle School Student African African American Female First Generation American Q: What do you have in common with your teachers? A: I have moved to various different schools in three different school districts and most of my teachers did not relate to me by where I came from. I had mostly girl teachers. I had one teacher that was a male in the first grade. However, all of my teachers were white. While I was born in America, my mom and dad were born in Kenya and they moved to America for work. Now I can tell you that none of my teachers were African so it was hard to relate to them culture-wise. Although some teachers I could get something in common with. For example, my fourth grade teacher loved to read and write and get creative, so I could talk with her about books and poets and get to know her and create a bond. But then I moved to a new school and that bond had been mostly broken and I had to create another bond with another teacher in a new school. All my teachers had various personalities so it was hard to pick out every piece of myself to understand how to talk and relate to them. None of my teachers really tried to get to know me better, or to ask me question about myself or childhood or anything, and they didn’t really take much care in telling about themselves and showing me a side of them. There were even times when I could not talk to my friends or I could not make friends so easily partly because I moved a lot and partly because I did not relate to other kids. What I had with my teachers was not much but I seemed to connect to the other staff much more. The office assistant was an African American so sometimes I would like talking to her and have help from her. Another thing that helped is that my mom was mostly in the school I went to so I could talk to her but sometimes you might want to get away from your mom and talk to someone new. Q: Does it matter that students and teachers have things in common? A: I think it is very important for teachers to have something in common with their students. Coming from a person who has moved to many schools, for me, I think it would have been easier to learn from my teachers if I did connect to them. Although having differences with my teachers did start up conversations about my different experiences. Also, I got to learn a little more about their culture and what they liked and how it even related to my experiences even though we are from two different places. The only thing that bothered me a little is that my teachers were usually all from the same place and the same culture so when I kept moving I was thinking maybe I would learn something new and I didn’t. But I learned their likes and hobbies. I had one teacher who was a little tough on the kids and I thought to myself, maybe if I started a conversation with her I can get her perspective, but I never found anything in common with her. Later on that made me realize the importance of having something in common with someone. |
ROLL CALLHumanizing the gaps separating teachers and students. Archives
December 2020
Categories
All
|