Urban Education, post 2

    This week, I observed kindergarten students during a phonics lesson. I was reminded of the fact that young children’s home situations can affect their perspectives about the world. The teacher pronounced a new word, and then when she snapped her fingers the students repeated the word. One of the words that was read was “chore”. The class had a discussion about the definition of the word. Some of the students raised their hands and shared what chores they do at home. Other students said that their parents and older siblings did most of the household chores. One student made the comment, “A chore is like when daddy cooks dinner.” Another student replied, “But only mommy cooks dinner.” Some of the children seemed to assume that the way chores work at their home is the same as someone else’s home. They did not understand that other people’s lifestyles may be different from theirs. The teacher acknowledged all of the students’ comments, and then explained how chores were done at her home. I think it is important to use these teachable moments to remind the children that people’s lives are all different and that there is not necessarily one way that is right or wrong. I would like to learn more about the individual home lifestyles of my future students. If I were teaching this class, I would have followed a similar method as the teacher. I think she did well turning this conversation into a teachable moment.