Blog 4- Building Relationships

This week’s readings kept me thinking that in order to build a more unified classroom it is most important to build relationships with students.  I talked about that in my last blog and I think it is important to voice my opinions again.  Without a mutual sense of respect or a student’s respect, the people you hope to teach will be lost. 

In Curriculum leadership, strategies for development and implementation (2009), the authors Glatthorn, Boschee, and Whitehead state that a “relationship is what keeps the students engaged in learning.  Students who have developed a connection with the teacher are more engaged in school…by providing more social and academic support, teachers can motivate students” (p. 165).   I think this is the type of motivation students need in order to work together to form a culturally responsible classroom, community, and world.  These are exactly the relationships the Bridging Cultures promote in the Helping and Sharing chapter of Managing Diverse Classrooms in Rothstein-Fisch & Trumbull’s book.

The Bridging Cultures teachers go so far as to put the as the first rule in the class:  “Help others” (p. 84).  This shows students can be the most important item of the day.  Building these relationships works between the students and the teachers and promotes sharing, helping, and responsibility.  These habits are natural to learn and build in order to teach students values needed to move forward in a competitive world.  These are all simple ways to raise students’ self-esteem when some of the other authors we have read this week question the state of our education system and ability to efficiently produce well-rounded students.

In my own classroom, we utilize many of the methods mentioned in the Rothstein-Fisch & Trumbull chapter.  

One of the most effective has been the “Older Buddy” system.  Currently our Student Council sends about 25 “student buddies” to various elementary schools throughout the community.  Like the chapter states, this provides an opportunity to help the teachers, to help the older students feel like they have a “special place” and job, and to help the younger students benefit from one-on-one attention (p. 91-92).  These older students were even told they could stop traveling to the elementary schools, in order to save gas money, and they chose to continue helping.  Most of them read and even have created individual curriculum to match the stories they are working with.  These opportunities have provided the older students and the younger students an opportunity to talk about experiences and build relationships.  They were able to create a situation very similar to the one explained in the chapter where the Bridging Cultures teachers helped the students “relate topics to their own experiences” (p. 92).  These experiences become the bridge. 

By creating situations for our students to build relationships, to take responsibility, to care for another we are allowing our students values.  These are exactly what Bennett, Chester, and Cribb (1999) claim are some of most important things in a good education:  civic virtues (p. 83).  In addition they claim that these virtues will lead to students become more productive members of society who will be able to offer this country “the great honor it deserves” (p. 83).  I just hope they will be more open-minded and responsible.

* I do agree with the authors of Managing Diverse Classroom that another reason these are important strategies to promote is because all students (from all cultural backgrounds) are familiar with the concept of helping others, and many students are willing to engage in these activites.

Bennett, W., Finn, C., & Cribb, J. (1999). The educated child: a parent's guide from preschool through eighth grade. In J. Noel (Ed.), Multicultural education(pp. 81-86). Sacramento: McGraw-Hill.

Glatthorn, A. A., Boschee, F., & Whitehead, B. M. (2009).Curriculum leadership, strategies for development and implementation. (2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications, Inc.

Rothstein-Fisch, C., & Trumbull, E. (2008). Managing diverse classrooms, how to build on students\' cultural strengths. Alexandria: ASCD.