Event #2

For my second event I attended a lecture at the Warwick showcase cinemas called speaking of kids. This particular lecture pertained to dealing with children with difficult behavior.  This was extremely informative and useful for me because it reaffirmed a lot of what I was using as disciplinary tactics with the kids at the Y, as well as a couple new tools that can be used in the future.  One such important aspect is the ability to disciplining children without singling them out.  We have issues often times at my work where children will act out or behave in a way that is clearly meant to catch the attention of the staff.  When confronted with the situation you have to take into account how much attention should be given without making the behavior desirable.  The discussion discussed how if the behavior isn't a detriment to the class then ignoring can be effective, but often times it needs to be confronted.  In that case it is best to confront the entire group about the issue, insuring that the child who is attempting to catch your attention receives the message of what behavior is acceptable, while not giving them the attention they so desired.
The Discussion also reiterated my attempts to stay positive with the kids at my work.  As a staff we try to word as much of our directions in a positive manner.  It has been found that kids respond to a direction that does not include negative words like "no" or "don't".  He said that this is the more difficult way to discipline because it requires you to think more about what you say, rather than what is instinctual.  But I have found that the more i practice being positive, the easier and more natural it gets.

Event #1

The first event i attended was a discussion at the social work building.  They invited every student who attends classes in the building to come and discuss anything that was on their minds.  Particularly about classes and material.  The teachers who conducted the even kept an open conversation and allowed students to both discuss what they liked and what they wanted to change within the program. One thing discussed that both social work majors and youth development majors liked was the professors.  Many of the professors within the program are understanding, knowledgeable and willing to help their students in any way possible.
An important lesson to learn from this discussion is how education should be.  It so often is a one sided relationship between student and teacher.  When the student feels comfortable discussing shortcomings with teachers then they will be much more invested in the education.  The feeling that teachers are as much interested in insuring a proper education is an empowering feeling withing the dynamic of teacher and student.  So often today teachers automatically think they are correct and know best merely because they are the one given the power.  So often in our discussions in class we try and convey the exact opposite.  It should be the students and teachers as near pears rather than a dictator like environment.

Resiliant Kids

These practices can be extremely useful in any environment when working with kids.  I have personally considered using the technique of merely taking a slow walk around to calm kids at my work when they seem to be overly excited.  In schools this can be an even more useful tool for teachers.  There is a lot of pressure for teachers to be able to teach all of the material set forth for a certain school year.  This can be a reason why many educators would be hesitant to use valuable class time for relaxation or mindfulness.  But it is evident that the benefits far outweigh the time used for the relaxation techniques.  If students are relaxed and calm they are far more susceptible to learn and understand material.  This is the final goal for teachers, not to merely present the material to the students and hope they understand.  It is through these innovative techniques and the willingness to experiment that defines what a good teacher is.  There is no script that can be used when working with kids but there can be understanding.

YIA Documentary

Teaching in an inner city school is no easy task.  Often times teachers are unable, or incapable of motivating their students.  Many of the students in the YIA Documentary feel that their teachers fail time and again to connect with their students and rarely consider their students as a person and more as a burden.  This creates a culture where the students do not learn and the teachers do not want to teach.  The first issue is the type of teacher that is typically at an inner city school.  These teachers are often the least qualified to teach, often fresh out of college and inexperienced.  This is because an inner city teaching job is often the least desired position for teachers.  They desire to work in wealthy suburban school where discipline is minimal and parental involvement is assumed.  In an inner city school many of the students even in younger grades are not given parental guidance and therefore fall behind because the only means of an education they receive is during school hours.  These new or poor teachers are not able to motivate their students because they struggle with the concept of teaching.  Often times in the video the youth expressed the feeling that they were merely being spoken to when in classes rather than taught.
WHAT IS THE SOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM?
There is no one solution.  Many strides are being made to help students after school and provide them with the same opportunities that wealthy children are given.  There are still countless youth who are put at a disadvantage or left behind every day by poor schools and poor teachers.  But progress is being made to keep both students and teachers accountable for their role within schools.

Contextual Mapping

Contextual mapping as described by Nakkula allows youth to identify and work on strength and weakness that may be presnet within their personality.  In the text Mitch asks Julian a series of personal questions.  These questions allow Mitch and Julian to identify the areas in which Julian is strong and which he needs to work on.  The ultimate goal of the excersise is to allow the youth to understand their role within society as an individual.

The four different identities are:
Foreclosed Identity:  The person is committed to a particular way of life without exploration into different alternatives.  This identity is often pushed upon a person by family friends, or peers.
Diffuse Identity:  When a person has commited to a particular identity in one social situation, but to another in different situations.  Individuals in a diffused state are very easy manipulated due to their unsure and differing nature
Moratorium Identity:  The person explores all roles and different situations around them but fails to commit to any particular role or identity.
Achieved Identity:  This is when the identity crisis is resolved and the person has fully developed who they are at the particular place and time.  It is important to note that there is a chance that a person who is in the Achieved Identity state can fall back into any one of the previous identities

My Contextual Map

RIC -  Teachers, Classmates, Friends,
YMCA (work/internship) - Children, Co-Workers, Boss, Parents, Members
Home - Family, Friends