My students represent a wide range of skill levels, ethnic backgrounds, and personal experiences, but nearly all are experiencing childhoods marked by economic poverty. Our school is located in an area dominated by industry; when I tell people where I work, they almost always react with surprise. "People live there? There's schools there?" Our school has one of the highest mobility, ELL and free and reduced lunch rates in our state. Many assume that students from this area will never attend college or advance beyond menial labor. Consequently, students in my school rarely have the opportunity to engage in creative play at school, and their arts, science, and social studies education is minimal. Math and reading are inevitably taught in a skills first fashion, giving my students little opportunity to express themselves or develop their own learning styles. Despite these limitations, my students are exceptionally insightful, compassionate, resourceful, and creative.
About my class
My students represent a wide range of skill levels, ethnic backgrounds, and personal experiences, but nearly all are experiencing childhoods marked by economic poverty. Our school is located in an area dominated by industry; when I tell people where I work, they almost always react with surprise. "People live there? There's schools there?" Our school has one of the highest mobility, ELL and free and reduced lunch rates in our state. Many assume that students from this area will never attend college or advance beyond menial labor. Consequently, students in my school rarely have the opportunity to engage in creative play at school, and their arts, science, and social studies education is minimal. Math and reading are inevitably taught in a skills first fashion, giving my students little opportunity to express themselves or develop their own learning styles. Despite these limitations, my students are exceptionally insightful, compassionate, resourceful, and creative.
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