Interview with an Urban School teacher

 

Ms Katie Brophy, Directing Teacher of a preschool class at National Child Research Center in Washington, DC, graciously agreed to be briefly interviewed and answer questions about her culturally responsive teaching practices.  She shares how she incorporates her students' community and culture into the classroom, collaborating with other teachers, and how she supports students who require differentiation.  I find that we share a lot of the same practices, and it is affirming for me to hear how she meets the needs of her students in an equitable way.

According to Johnson, Uline, and Perez (2019), culturally responsive teaching in high-performing urban schools occurs when teachers "strategically [enhance] the curriculum and their instructional practice" (p. 59).  Ms Brophy describes how she invites parents and families into her classroom to share about their culture and traditions.  When one family came in to share a presentation about Holi, they created a craft for all the students to make, answered everyone's questions, and read books to the group.  Every student had access to this experience, and every student knows their families are welcome to bring their own traditions and culture to the class, be it in a class presentation directed by parents or grandparents, or in a book or craft.  Ms Brophy's "students are engaged in performing, discussing, creating, building, [and] similarly active experiences that lead to deeper understanding" (Johnson, p. 61).

Ms Brophy utilizes differentiation for multiple intelligences and abilities by offering extra support in the form of manipulatives.  Her students know she "care[s] enough to transform classroom practices in ways that are more likely to help them learn and succeed" (Johnson, p. 11) because she makes these practices a center focus and a norm, available to all students.  She states that while students were initially unfamiliar and resistant to these extra supports, like fidgits or three-sided chair available at circle time, now all her students understand and can explain why and when these are needed.  Students are encouraged towards self-autonomy by having these supports available for everyone at all times, so the students can make the self-determination of when they might need supports like manipulatives, and then go get it themselves.

Ms Brophy's discussion about differentiation led us to talk about collaboration with other teachers.  The supports and differentiation she uses in her class are not all designed, invented, or suggested only by her.  She regularly consults with her teaching team of three (each classroom has two Directing Teachers and one Resource Teacher), an on-site Child Development Team (speech pathologist, pediatric counselor, and occupational therapist), as well as experienced administration and fellow teaching teams.  She shares how she is in constant communication with all of these sources of support, encouragement, and development, and she never feels left on her own to create her teaching plans alone.  She feels supported, and thus she is able to be a better teacher.  This reduces the likelihood of burnout and ensures she has "the content knowledge and the pedagogical skills necessary for organizing clear, powerful, and effective lessons" (Johnson, p. 43).

For my final question I asked Ms Brophy was how she makes her students feel valued and capable.  She answered that she finds herself giving praise and positive reinforcement the most.  She believes it is beneficial and makes them feel good about themselves, especially when they are caught in the act of demonstrating outstanding learning.  Her practice reflects what Johnson, Uline, and Perez (2019) state, that "positive acknowledgement of behavior, effort, and accomplishment [is] far more abundant in high-performing urban schools than in typical urban schools" (p. 7).  Her use of specific observations to reinforce her praise results in her students perceiving her as sincere and trying even harder to meet her expectations.

My conversation with Ms Brophy was enlightening and gave me lots to reflect on.  Much of what she said was under girded by the theory we have learned in our classes.  The dedication to equitably supporting each student is admirable, and her culturally responsive teaching practices are definitely something to emulate.

Citations

Johnson, J.F., Uline, C.L., & Perez, L.G. (2019). Teaching Practices from America's Best Urban Schools. New York, Routledge

Urban school graduate interview

When Mr. Eric Thomas agreed to be interviewed about his experiences matriculating through urban schools, I knew I'd be in for a treat!  He matriculated through DC Public Schools, and now teaches at a private school in a Preschool class.  He is a much-loved teacher, and I have observed his rapport with the students.

Mr. Thomas is full of interesting stories with many applications to my current path of learning.  Even before I got the chance to fully ask my questions, he was already giving answers just by describing his experiences.  Mr. Thomas told me about his schools, which teachers made an impression on him (both through making him feel valued and the opposite), how teachers demanded the best from him, and the various ways his teachers tried to transform the learning environment and classroom to make it inviting and to showcase representation.

I found his comparison of the good teacher and the bad teacher particularly compelling and relevant.  Clearly, that experience made an impact on him and shaped not only his educational journey, but his vocational one as well.    He makes a great point about how, when a teacher disrespects her students, morale is low, but when a teacher values and cares for her students, it positively impacts more than just that one student.

In reflecting on this assignment, I've come to appreciate just how valuable skills in tech can be for an educator.  Mr. Thomas described how his teachers would print copies using a mimeograph machine, which required waiting for the ink to dry.  I recall from my own education using card catalogs and microfilm machines.  Yet here I am now, making video blogs and struggling for days trying to figure out how to edit clips!  Teachers need to stay up to date on technology, because we can utilize it in our classrooms to keep them fresh, relevant, and attractive, as Mr. Thomas' teachers did for him.

 Blog Reflection #1

My experience with children in urban classrooms has been eyeopening.  When I began teaching in early childhood education in 2018 at a private school that catered to the rich and privileged, I was not fully prepared for the challenges.  Children in privileged homes tend to have different learning challenges, such as needing assurances of security, a pressing need to learn empathy and pro-social behaviors, and often not having time with parents at all, since both parents work and subsidize childcare to nannies. This is very different from what I expected when embarking on teaching in an urban setting.

When I started teaching in an urban Montessori preschool, I was surprised by the level of helplessness displayed by my students.  Most of them displayed difficulty separating from parents or caregivers, and took long periods of time to settle.  The low level of security and self-awareness they felt was evident by their crying and freezing up.  As a teacher, I had to step up and be extra attentive and caring to meet their need for attachment and security.

Many of my students had not spent time around other children at all; rather, they had been kept at home or allowed to play only by themselves.  I believe a lot fo children have experienced this during the pandemic. We call them Pandemic Babies. They've never had the experiences that we've come to expect from children their ages. When my students came to class, it was a shock for them to suddenly be required to share toys or respect another student’s belongings and person.  As a teacher, I needed to leave my prejudices behind and offer modeling and patience to my students.  That wasn’t easy, but I started deep breathing exercises, which helped me stay calm while my students melted down after fighting over a toy.  This modeled for them the appropriate way to self-regulate before addressing a problem.

Almost all of my students came from very rich families where both parents worked full time.  Their caregiving was handled primarily by a nanny, and these children rarely spent significant quality time with a parent.  This often resulted in parents not really knowing their own child and not recognizing who we described at our parent/teacher conferences.  I had to learn a special dance of respect for parents while also recognizing that nannies were doing the hard work of raising the child.  For big picture things, I began to refer to parents, but for day-to-day issues, I deferred to the nanny.

In conclusion, my introduction to urban schools was different than how I’d previously envisioned an “urban school.”  Instead of dealing with the challenge of underprivileged youth and few resources, I was struggling with students who displayed entitlement and parents who were occasionally elitists.  I was referred to as the servant on more than one occasion!  The experience taught me patience and the vitality of self-care.  Students who come from privileged backgrounds deserve respectful, robust educations, and my job as a teacher is to deliver what they need, regardless of my own biases.