Prompt II Dewey

My class is a very diverse class. There are a total of twelve students, four girls and eight boys, there are four African Americans and the rest are white. My school is in the largest school district in Rhode Island, parents have more choices than other district, so this school is very diverse. According to the info works of 2008, this school has forty-percent white, thirty-one percent Hispanic, twenty-four African American and five percent Asian. The school is mostly white just like my classroom. None of the students are receiving English as second language and forty percent of the students are eligible for lunch, this is not surprising considering the location of the school. Eleven of my students are qualified, this tells a lot about their social economic status.

My class is not only diverse but all of the students are academically delayed, this is a challenge for the teacher. She has to meet not only there social and culturally needs but also their mental and physically needs. Although my teacher is very nice and has passion for teaching, it was very surprising to me that she did not know the cultural background of some of her students. It was through my conversation with some of the students she learned that some of them are bi-racial. Taking to the students, I learn that two of them are from Liberia, one of from Senegal, one is bi-racial, one parent is white and the father is from Nigeria. Dewey said that" education given by a group tends to socialize its members, but the quality and value of the socialization depends upon habits and aims of the group. How can these students be fully educated when their cultural background is not even taken into account?

Most of my students have a lot to give to society, there is this one boy who has impressed me with his style of dressing, and he also comes to school dress as if he is attending a press conference, including a tie. I asked him if his parents made him dress that way, he replied "no" and said "I like dressing this way". This conversation tells me a lot about his family, and his personality. Dewey also said that society is like a mosaic, we all bring something and take something from society, as he also draw very well, he may one day become an artist.

Dewey also said that in order to have a large number of values in common each member of society must have the same opportunity to receive and take from each other. Although my students are academically challenged they too have something that can give to society, some of them are very good artists, most of the girls are not afraid to address the class. While doing a writing lesson with one of them, I was impressed with how she can express her ideas in words, and I was able to write it down for her, so she can copy it to her writing book. Although she cannot write or spell properly she was able to express herself.