Self-Assessment

My experiences in this class have definitely expanded my thinking. I entered the class with the impression that there was not much more to know about inner city education; I couldn't comprehend anything other than what I saw and heard. I pictured the inner city environment to be a dangerous and scary place and inner city schools to be run-down and full of disobedient students. While these things do exist, they do not represent all situations. I've been able to replace these stereotypes with the idea that urban communities are simply composed of normal people who differ economically. Before this class, I never quite realized the severity and the "ripple-effect" caused by this difference in class. I always wondered why low-income families couldn't simply put in more hours, save up, and refrain from non-essential spending. Through the readings, class discussion, and my inquiry project, I now understand how little inner-city families have, that they have "no bootstraps to pull themselves up by."

I think the most important knowledge I attained from this course was that of the parent-teacher relationship in terms of its importance and with regard to social class. I learned 1. how important it is for there to be open communication between teachers and parents and 2. of the issues that prevent parents from reaching out to teachers. If I end up teaching in an urban school, I feel as though I will have the insight to welcome parents and create a comfortable relationship that with provide me with a better understanding of my students.