Lost Boys of the Sudan

The “Lost Boys of the Sudan” were young boys from the ages of 7- 17, who had to flee from their homes and were separated from their families because of a deadly war. They were hungry, frightened and weak. It was terrible. I had heard of the title the “Lost Boys of the Sudan,” but I never really knew exactly what happened. I could not believe that these boys walk thousands of miles barefoot to seek refuge. Many were killed on the way and experienced death first hand as little innocent children. I cannot even imagine how they felt to be alone, not knowing what would happen and remain separated from their loved ones not knowing when they would see them again. One of the most surprising things I learned was that many of the “Lost boys” were granted to come to the United States for a better life many years later. I think the most negative experience that the boys had was to barely survive while being surrounded by death at such a young age. I think it was wonderful that people from the United States went to the Sudan to help teach the boys English and learn about how difference the United States is from the Sudan. If I had these boys in my class, I know they would definitely have culture shock. I would first help them learn by making them feel welcomed in a safe environment. I know that those harsh experiences would never leave their minds. I would make sure they have all the essentials for school that they need and make sure they know how to use it. I would make sure to use comprehensible input, visuals and realia to help them understand while learning. Lastly, I would not label them as the “Lost Boys” as one of the men in the video said, “I am called a lost boy, but I am not lost from God, I am lost from my parents.” This touched my heart that after all he has been through, he still has faith in God and is optimistic.

Do you know about your family?

After reading the NY Times article "The Family Stories that Bind Us-This Life" I reflected on my own family stories. Dr. Robyn Fivush developed a measure called the “Do You Know?” scale that asked children to answer 20 questions. Some of them include: Do you know where your grandparents grew up? Do you know where your mom and dad went to high school? Do you know where your parents met? Do you know an illness or something really terrible that happened in your family? Do you know the story of your birth? I was actually able to answer all these questions. Dr. Fivush concluded that "The ones who know a lot about their families tend to do better when they face challenges,” They have a stronger sense of control over their lives and a higher self-esteem. I guess my family did the right thing by passing down our families stories about our past. As a teacher, I would like to help teach my diverse students to understand their families' struggles and develop both resiliency and potential for success. I would create a project in which each student has to interview a family member about their past and how they became the person they are today. What struggles have they faced and how have they overcome those challenges. I think this is very important for children to understand their families past and the challenges they have faced as well as their successes. It is very important for ELL's to understand that must be resilient while learning English and adapting to their new culture and that hard work pays off. I would also like for my students to share their family experiences with the class if they feel comfortable so that their classmates see that no matter where you are from everyone will face challenges and somehow find a way to move on and never give up.

Bedtime Stories

As a child, I would love to fall asleep hearing my parents read me a book. I felt safe and it felt like the natural way to fall asleep after hearing stories of princesses or nursery rhymes. It is natural for children to develop literacy skills when a parent or caretaker reads to them. According to the article, "What no bedtime story means", children learn certain customs, beliefs and skills from written materials. Bedtime story reading is a preparation for the kinds of learning and displays of knowledge expected when the children go to school. When parents read to their children not only are they bonding with their children but they are also teaching them morals and values. It is evident from watching the bedtime stories on YouTube in both English and Russian that bedtime stories not only help children become literate but they also teach life lessons. In The Little Toot and the Loch Ness monster the tug boat and the monster become friends despite what others say about the monster. It also shows bravery and true friendship. In the story of the Four Friends in Russian it seems that these four animals a deer, crow, turtle and mouse are good friends even though they are very different, they save each others lives from the hunters. Bedtime stories no matter what language they are in are similar because they help children expand their vocabulary through sight words and pronunciation when someone is reading to them. They also help children predict and recall events from the story. Children can also understand and use their imagination through the pictures and the way the reader is telling the story through his or her voice. I do not speak Russian but I understood what was going on by just looking at the pictures and words and their use of punctuation. After viewing it in Russian I watched it in Spanish and Italian so I could understand the specific details of what they were actually saying. Therefore, it is very important for children to have stories read to them every day or night so they will become successful readers and do well in school.

Becoming American

After watching the PBS video Becoming American it is very interesting to hear about the different stories from the different immigrants. All the sacrifices and devastation they had to face when coming to America and trying to establish a good life for their children. Such as Stephan Colbert's Irish Catholic family from Ireland, Meryl Streep's family from Switzerland, Kristi Yamaguchi's grandfather's journey from Japan to Hawaii and then to California and Queen Noor's family from Syria. It also has brought back memories of my family coming to this country. My grandparents also came to America for a better life from Italy to Ellis Island in the 1920's. Just like Kristi's and Mario's grandparents they wanted to embrace their new world but unfortunately they felt inferior, therefore, many of them changed their names and felt that they needed to speak English and not their native language to be excepted. As they said in the video, many had "slammed the door on their past" and wanted to succeed and practice what they believed in their new country. Even though, my grandparents felt it was important to learn English and assimilate to the American culture they still held on their traditions and values that was past on to my generation. Just like Queen Noor, I wanted to go back to where my grandparents came from and learn the language.I wanted to know more about why they came here and did not stay in Italy. I have heared many stories from my parents and relatives but I was never able to hear them from my grandparents because they passed away before I was born. However, I am proud to be an Italian American. I am also grateful to my grandparents for having the courage to come here and start a new life.

A Class Divided

After watching the video, A Class Divided, I thought it was a very powerful way of teaching children and adults about discrimination. They were able to experience what it feels like to be discriminated against and it is amazing how easily people change their feelings towards other people because of what they hear. People start to feel inferior to other people because they feel that the way they look is better than the way other people look. I think it is an important lesson to teach this to children so they understand that they should not judge people on the way they look on the outside with out knowing who they are on the inside. I think the teacher was right with carrying this exercise out through blue-eyed and brown-eyed discrimination to teach the lesson. However, like Jane Elliott says in the video she hates doing the exercise because not only does she get a headache but she hates that it is still a necessity. I think it is a necessity that people still need to learn. When an authority figure gives out miscommunication or misleading facts it leads to discrimination and many times this leads to wars. I do not think I would like to do this exercise in my classroom unless I am fully trained and I was asked to do it.

Multicultural Manners

There are so many different cultures in the world, how are we able to communicate with one another? It can be confusing and difficult, but there are certain guidelines that one must follow to get your point across. Body language and eye contact are essential in non-verbal communication, however, is important to understand what is acceptable depending on the culture because it can be misleading. For example, in some cultures crossing your arms while talking to another person means you are focused on what they are saying, however, in other cultures in can be a negative gesture. Every culture has their own way of greeting one another upon meeting. It is better to have less body contact than more so you do not send out mixed signals or offend anyone. Modesty and Respect are seen differently in each culture. Some cultures women are covered from head to toe and in others they are free to wear whatever they want. Lastly, always show respect to people you do not know and call them by there last name and title. Always remember "actions speak louder than words".

EDU 513: What happened to the true Native Americans?

Throughout the United States of America many towns, cities and states are named after Native American tribes. Such as Montauk, Ottawas, Miamis, and Kansas. Native Americans lived in peace until around the 15th century when Europeans first arrived on the shores of North America. The Europeans took over their land, homes and ruined their families by separating the Native American children from their parents. They forced the children out of their homes and took them to a reservation boarding school. They were told to "Let all that is Indian within you die". Children were harshly immersed into European-American culture through appearance changes with haircuts. They were forbidden to speak their native languages, and traditional names were replaced by new European-American names. The experience of the schools was often harsh, especially for the younger children who were separated from their families.