May - 2021

Should We As Teachers Take Time to Reflect? 3 Principles to Consider

I have jokingly called myself an “incubator.” I have strong opinions, but I love intellectually stimulating conversations where the group is made up of those who enjoy learning from others. If the conversation remains civil and focused on the betterment of society, I find these experiences invigorating and refreshing. They always lead to reflection and an adjustment of my opinions to incorporate what I have learned. The six principles of reflective practice compiled by Benade

Why Am I Pursuing My Masters in Education Degree?

It has been 8 years since I graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) and while I truly embraced my undergrad degree with enthusiasm, I have already spotted how much more meaningful my schooling can and will be in this Masters program because of my life experiences over the last 8 years. I think the greatest benefit of returning back to school later in life is that everything I learn has meaning. Everything. One of the main reasons I am pursuing my Masters in Education de

P21 Skills in the Classroom

According to the Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), the principles of 21st Century Skills are fourfold: Key Subjects: Traditional subjects like the 3Rs should be learned under broad themes so that subjects are not distanced from each other and students are unable to see their interwovenness. “...Examples of interdisciplinary themes include: global awareness, financial literacy, health literacy, and visual literacy” (Ledward & Hirata, 2011, p. 2). As we guide a student

Absent Teachers: Poverty and the Deaf Classroom

In a general sense, poverty has one of the greatest impacts on education. It can lead to poor students having difficulty learning because of hunger, leaving school to work, falling behind quickly with their peers, and other issues that result in “poor children learn[ing] the least, which hurts them the most” (World Bank, 2018, p. 78). 24 Percent The specific issue that resonated with me under the massive canopy of poverty issues was discussed in “The Many Faces of the Learnin

Called to Teach: My Most Influential Teachers (Infographic)

I think called is the perfect word to describe what I feel as a teacher. While there are many reasons to teach, this reason stands out above the rest because its focus is on our students and what we feel we are meant to do in this life. My Teaching Examples The teachers in my life who saw their teaching as a call come to mind readily: Ms. Clark, my middle school P.E. teacher, who would cheer her heart out, jumping up and down, at the end of the mile run. (No matter if you ran

Ways to Upset Language Power Dynamics in the Classroom

Many countries, especially those with large and diverse populations, are unsure of how to address minority language communities. This issue is deeply rooted in how minority languages are welcomed, or not welcomed, in our schools. Comparing my home country, the United States (US) with the European continent through this lens is fascinating. The United States Is More Linguistically Diverse Than Europe The United States and Europe are relatively the same landmass and both have h

Diversity in Deaf Educational Experiences: Ghana, Vietnam, South Sudan, Finland, Uganda

The diversity in educational experiences is clear in the context of Deaf education, especially when we consider these real-world examples: A Ghanaian instructor dismissively stated that there was no point in teaching Deaf children since they will “only leave school to beg” (Yarbro, 2020). One of these students, Victoria, lost both of her parents and could not afford a school uniform until another teacher stepped in to pay her way. In Vietnam, Khiem’s college applications were

Deaf Oppression: Social Conflict Theory

The sociological theory that resonated with me the most this week was the social conflict theory. This theory doesn’t align with my own philosophy of education, per se, because it is addressing the ills in education that I want to fix in my non-profit work. It feels like a reactive theory rather than a proactive philosophy like social reconstructivism. But, my educational philosophy was honed because I explored social conflict theory for my first time (along with the excellen

Do I Agree With These Educational Philosophies? (Infographic)

The Pedagogy of the Oppressor and Educational Philosophies

Education Can Lead to Dehumanization The philosophy that spoke the most to me this week was Freire’s critical pedagogy (see my post from earlier this week). As I have studied formal education’s role in suppressing the rights of Deaf, Tibetan, and Black students and it’s role in promoting the oppressors in Nazi Germany, I feel strongly that Freire was right: education can lead to dehumanization (Wiseman, 2013, part 2). I addressed Deaf education in my forum post this week and

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