After going on a field trip visiting some of the schools in Detroit I had some time to reflect. I am in the Urban infused section of TE and we were asked to write about our misconceptions and our experience... I had so many misconceptions and the experience was truly wonderful!
The Detroit field trip was an eye opening experience for me. Because we’re in the urban infused section and we have been doing readings as well as discussing urban schools I had an idea of a typical “Detroit school” in my head. We also hear things on the news and it seems like everyone has an idea of what a school in Detroit would look like. I went into the field trip thinking that the schools would be much different than Lansing but in reality they weren’t. I actually found that the students that I worked with seemed to be more advanced than the students I have worked with in the past in Lansing.
The school was much nicer than I expected. The walls were filled with color and the classrooms were quite. As we entered the first grade classroom the students were eager to see us and excited to get started on their work. Alicia and I were both in the classroom and worked with small groups of students to construct a play they would be performing later on in the week. The classroom itself had books, and games, and a board that seemed very organized. The students all knew their responsibilities and were ready to begin the task. It was so great to see them work together in groups and really listen to what each other had to say; I could honestly say that they worked better together than my third graders in Lansing.
After reflecting on what happened and the environment it seemed like all my previous ideas about the school had been broken. I had always imagined Detroit schools to lack any kid of resources but the students had books and interactive things to engage in, in the classroom. I also imagined that urban classrooms would be much harder to manage but the students were all well behaved and eager to learn. Clearly this is a teacher’s responsibility and not the children. I know that kids will be kids and no matter what classroom you’re in management will be a difficult but I had always thought that the students would be much more difficult due to their home lives and environment.
This was a great experience as a future teacher. I really came to understand that kids are kids no matter where they are. To make stereotypes is judging based off of what you don’t know so it is completely counterproductive. I had an amazing time with the children and thought about urban teaching as something I could see myself doing in the future. I want to be the best teacher I can possibly be and I am hoping to bring my skills to a classroom that truly needs it.
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