Have your teaching gotten easier with the access to technology or has it been a problem which interfers with students concentration and time devoted to their studies? Are there any other barriers you have experienced in your classrooms?
Hello Vilemar,
The most diffecult barriers I faced everyday were the removable barriers. They were hardened by hate, cold as Ice from beatings, and looked lean and mean not from working out but from hunger. The biggist and littlest barriers in my classroms were ourselves and the preteens . I do not mean ourselves as physically interacting with the kids but by inaction, turing away, and pertending to be blind to the social conditions just outside the classtoom door.
Each day 28 barriers come and then out with another 28 coming in. These barriers wearing hand-me-downs, holesin there shoes, sometimes without socks. These types of barriers sometimes crumple, the frozen heart melts, and the stomach is full but the next day all returns. Sometimes they crumble from fear, exhuastion, emotional overload, and the weight of society pushing in like the onean does to a diver. These are the bravest and couages acts I was and am privileged to whitness daily.
Most of the kids I am refering to are middle school and upward. Being at this age they were able to articulate how hurt they were and what really hurt them. To my suprise somewhere during my time with them they always asked; don't they see me? Some asked me do I see them and after responding yes, then why don't they.
What do we think, these kids as they walk from outside to inside somehow there memory is deleated and a refresh button is pushed?
I do agree that classrooms do have physical and technology barriers but to me the gaze from us to them as we blindly walk into them as if, as if, they were not there. We educaters must remember just as we bring our day into the classroom the children brig there racized, poverty, invisibilrty, and what I feel is most troubling of all there anger and no outlet in sight.
Hope this helps
Douglas
Dear Douglas,
Thank you indeed for your answer. I could not agree more to what you have said. If I had thse kind of students, it would be tough.
I teach in the university setting and the most common barrier I see is the outside-of- class time commitment these students have. Most have a full-time job, many have children and a spouse, although there are a lot of single mothers too. At times it becomes too overwhelming and they lose sight of priorities.
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