Final Fires Reflection

      I think that Fires in the Bathroom by Kathleen Cushman is an excellent resource for teachers and aspiring teachers. I think that it is very important to listen to student opinions and ask them what they like and are looking for. At many points in the book, it is said that these students are not really used to answering these questions and giving this type of feedback. I think that asking for student opinions is something we need to do more as teachers. As a teacher, the students are like our clients and just as any other occupation would, we need to cater to their needs and do what they benefit from and enjoy.       Since I started reading this book, I have learned a lot about teaching. Now that I have had some experience in the position of a teacher in my mentor teacher's classroom, I see how the concepts in this book really relate to the real world classroom. I can relate much of what the students say in Fires in the Bathroom to how I see students in the classroom behave and what I hear them say. I don't know if I have grown a lot in classroom management, as I have not had much experience actually using aspects of classroom management. However, I do feel more prepared and knowledgeable about classroom management than I did at the beginning of the semester and I feel like my second three weeks in field will really test my knowledge of classroom management.

Chapter 10: Going Beyond the Classroom

     One of the suggestions in this chapter is to take learning outside of the classroom, such as taking biology students to a park with a pond to study plants and fish.
     While I think that moving outside of the classroom is beneficial, I do not know how practical it is. I know in my school, teachers were not even allowed to take a class outside to teach on a nice day. I wonder how difficult it would be for teachers to try to arrange these trips on a regular basis. I see that there may be many challenges with this, such as the class period being too short or the lack of places to go that are close to the school.

Chapter 9: When Things Go Wrong

     One student shares a story of their math teacher giving a questionnaire after almost everyone in the class failed a quiz.
     I really like the idea of checking in with students after there are several failing grades and seeing if there is an issue with the class or teaching. I have had so many teachers who just curve the grades so we pass or who just tell us we need to try harder. I think in some of those cases, a questionnaire would have helped those teachers see that the issue may lie in teaching methods or classroom environment.

Chapter 8: Teaching Teenagers Who Are Still Learning English

     This chapter expresses that an important aspect of teaching ELL students is finding out more about them as a person, such as their home life and culture.
     From both this chapter and the diversity conference, I have learned more about how to teach ELL students. One aspect of teaching these students that I have never considered is how important it is to learn more about them personally. While it is important to have a good view of all of your students, knowing the culture and family of an ELL student is even more important. Reaching out to learn more about the students will show you care and build a good relationship, as well as allow you to understand that student better.

Chapter 7: Teaching Difficult Academic Material

     When teaching difficult material, students want to reach understanding with that material, be asked thought-provoking questions, and have their beliefs challenged.
     These desires that students have reflect what we have learned in Dr. Grace's class. We have learned that it is important for students to reach understanding rather than just being able to recall information. I like that these students enjoy having their beliefs challenged, as I think that is a very important and exciting part of teaching. I have witnessed this in my mentor teacher's humanities class, where the students had a discussion about the biases that exist in the dress code and how they can take a stand against something they do not agree with in a respectful and reasonable way.

Chapter 6: Motivation and Boredom

     In this chapter, one of the suggestions is to "make learning a social thing" by incorporating a lot of group work, playing games, and doing activities.
     As a student, I have always hated the social approach to teaching. While I know that it is necessary in many situations, I would have hated a class that is based around constant group work. I think it is important to recognize that making all learning social will not benefit every student in the class and has the potential to cause some students anxiety or hatred for the class.

Chapter 5: Teaching to the Individual, Working with the Group

     This chapter starts off with a description of the different types of students in a typical classroom. These types include the eye-roller, the wallflower, the hand-waver, the dreamer, the con artist, the goof off, and the workhorse.
     This list interested me because I could identify which of the types I fall under. In high school, and even now to a certain extent, I was a wallflower because I often knew the answers to questions but was too timid or anxious to offer the answer. I can also see some of these types in my mentor teacher's classroom. These types are good to keep in mind because it is another way that students are diverse and this diversity needs to be considered.

Chapter 4: Creating a Culture of Success

     A student makes a claim that "most students do not want to be singled out--praise and criticism feel almost the same."

     I question how true this claim is. While it is clear that students do not enjoy being called out on bad behavior or a bad grade in front of the entire class, I wonder if some students would really dislike being singled out in a positive way. It is possible that being praised in front of the class would be uncomfortable or embarrassing to some students and this is a possibility that is good to keep in mind.

Chapter 3: Classroom Behavior

     In this chapter, some students mention that teachers should react differently to a girl who is putting her head down on the desk than a boy who is doing the same action.

     The students mention that if a girl is putting her head down on the desk, it is probably due to "girl stuff" and that "girls go through a lot in a month." While this is most likely a reference to the hormones that go along with menstruation which could be the reason a girl is acting distressed, I found these statements to be slightly offensive. They imply that teachers should treat girls better than boys and act as if their emotions are more valid and that the only reason a boy would put his head down is because he "gets bored by everything." While the students suggest that girls are more emotional, I don't believe this to be true. I think that, in general, boys are taught to suppress their feelings more and simply assuming that a boy would not be emotional about something only serves to continue this harmful social convention. 

Chapter 2: Respect, Liking, Trust and Fairness

            In this chapter, a student describes a principal who was very supportive of his students and always gave the students chances, even if they “keep messing up” (18).

            As a teacher, I hope that I am able to be encouraging and supportive of all students. I do not want to be that teacher that chooses favorites and leaves others feeling helpless and unable to succeed. I plan to give students many chances no matter how many mistakes they make. I want to try to ensure success for all students. 

Chapter 1: Knowing Students Well

            In this chapter, one of the students is quoted saying, “If there’s confusion on my face, I want you to see it. If there’s disagreement, I want you to say, ‘You disagree? Why?’” (4).

            This quote jumped out to me because I was able to relate to my own experience as a student. As an introverted person, I am typically quite quiet in class. However, I always have a lot of thoughts going on in my head that I often portray through my facial expressions. These non-verbal cues are a signal to my teachers about what I’m thinking and feeling. If the teachers I had in high school were more observant of these cues, they may have been able to encourage me to speak more in class or they would have been able to see that I am engaged in and thinking deeply about the material.