Frames of Reference

As we move through the world, there are many instances and experiences that shape our beliefs of our surroundings. Without the opportunity to question what we see on a daily basis, we sometimes allow our beliefs to be shaped on outside influences. One’s upbringing and value system, the media and its influences, our past experiences, and the perpetuation of certain stereotypes all shape our belief system. These aspects shape my beliefs of urban centers, teachers, schools, and students because my beliefs paint a picture of how these aspects should or should not be, based on a sometimes inaccurate set of constructs. Often times, we are pre-disposed to view a situation based on the above criteria. We may not notice the degree to which the media, our upbringing, negative stigmas, and past experiences influence our beliefs.

My beliefs of urban centers or urban environments were very much shaped by the perpetuation of certain stigmas in the media. Dangerous Minds, a movie from the early 90’s, definitely fueled the reputation of urban areas as being dirty, poor, run-down, and separate from the “norm.” The students in this film were depicted as being futureless gang members and druggies from bad families with little promise of certain opportunities that are possible for other populations of people. However, movies like Finding Forrester or Freedom Writers communicated to me that children in urban areas are in need of guidance more than actual learning. One movie depicted a far-reaching stereotype, while the other suggested that these students desperately needed role models and allies in an ever-changing, deeply troubled environment. It also communicated that the teacher could be the element of change that would affect the unchangeable elements of an urban area like poverty, poor building code, drugs, and gang influence.

Stereotypes of urban areas are well defined in our society, especially as they relate to education and the classroom. The media almost never communicated to me the idea that although an area was poor, it didn’t mean that there weren’t good people living there or that the area or the people had promise. I had to attempt to pick up these cues from what the media presented to me. My beliefs that urban areas are poor, under-funded, and unsafe are not a reach, as that is true of some areas. But, I don’t believe this necessarily makes these areas bad, it’s just a few characteristics of many that can effect education.

I believe that children from these areas do have a lot of factors pulling on them at one given time and thus, it can determine their success in school. For children living in an urban environment, the stresses of life can include problems in the neighborhood, violence, self-esteem issues, and ancillary issues stemming from a strained family or home environment. All of these issues can affect performance and motivation, even without considering test scores or school performance.

But, children in affluent areas can also be affected. The influences and the environment will be different, but I believe children in affluent areas can have just many factors determining what they get out of their education as children from urban areas do. Affluence doesn’t mean children don’t have family or financial issues. The situation in the Daily Kos article from my reading accurately describes the struggle of children in reasonably affluent environments,

“His parents were laid off from a big financial company and a big overnight delivery company. They live in our neighborhood of 200K homes. They are losing their home. Neither has health insurance anymore, and few prospects. They were an upper middle class family who just fell into poverty. Their son is grieving his home, is scared, hungry and crying.” (bkamr, Daily Kos: The State of the Nation, 2008)

In fact, children have to work twice as hard because of the above factors and others like building safety, proper funding, policy, and faculty commitment, all of which make a strained education system increasingly unfair to the child.

My upbringing and set of values played a role in the formation of my beliefs on urban centers as well as teachers. I was raised in affluent areas of Fairfield County, Connecticut and Bergen County, New Jersey. While I was not taught to have prejudices, I was told to avoid the well known “bad areas” of town and to be aware of my surroundings. My father lives in Norwalk, CT, a town with a huge economic disparity. While the town may not be classified as “urban,” it does have its bad areas, usually located in poorer neighborhoods. Growing up, I knew to avoid those places entirely. This perpetuated the idea that if a place was outside my comfort zone and appeared unsafe, be it urban areas or a seedier area of town, it should be avoided. Therefore, I would be more apt to teach in areas that I felt comfortable in or used to.

Past experiences will certainly influence how we judge a situation. My past experiences dictate my opinions of the teachers, the school and the classroom. My belief system could definitely be molded by teachers whose job it was to challenge my thoughts and opinions. But, therefore, I looked at those teachers as models of what a good teacher should be: caring, open, intellectually challenging, tough, but fair. However, the accepted view on urban teachers is that they are apathetic to their students because of the environment they find themselves teaching in. My frame of reference would allow me to believe that, based on my past experiences, teachers are people who care about their students and care about what they do.

My beliefs system will affect my interactions with teacher and students, especially if they are outside my experience. However, by working in an elementary school, I have realized that there are many different types of teachers, teaching styles, and opinions on how a classroom should be run. There are tough teachers and compassionate teachers and both appear create the same means to the same end. We’re all teaching for the same or similar reasons.

Similarly, children’s personalities differ. Therefore, they also learn differently. I previously worked within the Child Study Team as a classroom aide for children with special needs, including autism and Asperger’s. However, I was also exposed to children with remarkably high intelligence and very little learning difficulty. The influences that shape my belief system of urban centers, reinforced by the media and my upbringing, do not seem to factor into my beliefs of the students I have worked with and will work with. I understand that there are many different avenues by which a child learns. You have to be the type of teacher that can reach everyone.

I took away from the experience certain views on how I would want to model my classroom and the kind of professional I want to be. My beliefs, or rather, the decision to change and challenge my belief system, will certainly account for shaping the classroom I hope to create. I hope to create a classroom that is open, accepting, interesting, and, dare I say it, fun. My classroom experience is totally different from the type of classroom experience that is open to children and young adults now. Learning can be fun, engaging, and incorporate the acquisition of critical thinking and problem solving skills without forcing it. I want my classroom to be one of laughs, smiles, and conversations, not dull or drab question and answer sessions. I have learned through teaching and tutoring that it is possible to make children enjoy reading, literature, and even grammar studies if you do it the right way. In terms of the type of professional I want to be, I want to conduct myself with poise, respect, and character. I want to be able to teach what I believe in and in an environment that lends itself to my creativity and my strengths.

In closing, my upbringing, past experiences, relationship to the media, especially film, and the perpetuation of stereotypes of urban environments and education all shape my belief system in one way or another. My past experiences in schools and around teachers, both as a child and as an adult working in a school, shape my beliefs of teachers and students. My main questions about the difference between urban areas and suburban areas, assuming there is a marked difference between the two, lie in how you reach the students and teach them effectively. I find myself asking what the struggles and benefits are in teaching children from both environments. I am always willing to challenge my frames of reference and I wonder which environment would offer me that opportunity.

Works Cited

Daily Kos: The State of the Nation. "Mrs. K I don't have anything to barter." "Mrs. K I don't have any lunch money." Retrieved January 30, 2009 from http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/12/19482/679?detail=f .