urban planning topic (transportation planning vs. housing planning

Diversity in Education: The Girls in the Back of the Class

Name

Institution

In my view, the main role of education was to provide a foundation on which students can get employed. However, from the book, I have realized the profound role that education plays in the society. Education provides a foundation of hope for people to improve their lives. When learners are taught how to read and write, they are more competent and can take advantage of the opportunities that exist within their immediate environment. All this can only be made possible with the aid of an understanding teacher who focuses on the wholesome growth of their students. It also shows the progress that has been made in regards to girl education.

The book directly relates to diversity in education. The book revolves around an American veteran Ms. Johnson, who spent several years teaching at Park Mont high in California. Most of the students come from rough neighborhoods where violence is prevalent compared to sustainable education and employment opportunities (Johnson, 1996). From the book, it is apparent that most of her students are African Americans and Hispanics, and she teaches them how to live peacefully with one another. Furthermore, despite their differences, she never allowed any religious, racial or sexual discrimination within the school.

There is globalization in the world, and this has led to migration of people from one country to another. Teachers should develop curriculums that consider all the students despite their various backgrounds. Unlike in the past, there are more girls who are within the educational system and teachers must develop curriculums that consider all the needs of their various students to improve their efficiency within the society (Banathy, 2002).

Some of the principles of education that are highlighted in the book are still applicable in current education systems. These include good communication skills, enhancing student engagement, offering room for individualized learning and giving students the opportunity to make their decisions. Finally, it is important for teachers to give positive feedback to their learners so that they are motivated and can strive to achieve more in their endeavors.

Good communication is important as it enables teachers to connect and build rapports with their students. Ms. Johnson was always willing to listen to her students and in return; they did what she requested them to do. With this connection, the environment was conducive for learning and ultimately she helped them achieve their goals. This is still applicable today, and tutors still embrace the same ideology (Johnson, 1996). Ms. Johnson used an interactive approach in the course of her teaching; this principle is applicable in many institutions today to increase the effectiveness of the learning process to the students.

Students need to grow up and become wholesome individuals; this should be the focus of education in the future. There has been a wholesome shift to a digital era and teachers should embrace such platforms to increase their interaction levels with their students (International Seminar on Democratic and Secular Education, Panikkar & Bhaskaran, 2011). In the future, the role of teachers will increase despite the easy access of information to students through the internet and social media. In accordance to the author’s perspective, teachers have a profound role in shaping the lives of students. In future; teachers will have the mandate to ensure that their students are responsible in their use of various platforms to access communication. Furthermore, teachers should be able to develop blended learning by combining the use of computers with traditional teaching techniques. Teachers will have to make use of collaborative online discussion platforms to enable their students to conduct research and complete their course work (Brezinka, 2004).

Part 2

Based on the book review interpretations there are certain concepts that are crucial. The first is an indication of the high degree of tolerance that teachers are required to possess. In most education platforms, teachers establish regulations that were to be followed by the students and in case this did not happen, they were punished. Ms. Johnson was more tolerant and used many approaches to ensure that these students remained within the education system, even bribing them to ensure they graduate. In one instance, she loans money to one of her students, Raul Chacon to enable him get back his jacket that had been snatched by a gang (Johnson, 1996). Her only condition is that instead of repaying the money, he will have to attend school until he graduates with his high school diploma. In another instance, a student ran into her office while she was in a meeting whilst being chased by a gun carrying individual. Rather than be alarmed as would normally have happened, she calmly told him to leave since she was occupied. It shows the lengths that she was willing to take as a tutor to ensure that her students attained education. Tutors should understand that students are not perfect and as a result, should create an enabling environment for them to learn. Despite their faults, it is the role of teachers to mold students to useful members of the society.

The second concept that emerges is that teachers have to play in regards to promotion of equity within the education system. Parents have a mandate to send their children to school, however, in the event that they do not, teachers must step up to class and request them to do so. Education should be guaranteed to all the children within the society, without any exceptions due to gender or racial background (Brezinka, 2004). In the book, Ms. Johnson realizes that there are fewer girls within her class. Later on, while looking back at the School, she realizes that she might not have been effective in promoting education among the girl child. In one instance, she talks to two boys about the importance of education. She points out that they do not have to do anything that they do not want to in the course of their education. What is important is that they attend their classes regularly. As much as she is tough in her approach, she is also kind to her pupils. If she had used the same strategy on the female students, it might have improved their rate of enrollment at the institution.

From participation in the book reviews, the importance of education has emerged. Ms. Johnson was a war veteran and from her experience, one would think that she would advocate violence as a means for resolving conflict within the society. However, she states that education is a more important tool for improving lives of people in disadvantaged societies. When learners can read and write, they are cable to access the many opportunities that present themselves in the society (Banathy, 2002). They are better skilled, can get better jobs and have more fruitful lives than their counterparts who are illiterate. This is in addition to other skills such as perseverance and team work. Within the education environment, we learn to interact with people from different racial backgrounds. Tolerance of various backgrounds is important given that later on in life, we have to live with such people in the society. With the spirit of teamwork learnt through the education system, we are better suited to cope with such scenarios.

References

Banathy, B. H. (2002). A systems view of education: Concepts and principles for

effective practice. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Educational Technology Publications.

Brezinka, W. (2004). Basic concepts of educational science: Analysis, critique,

proposals. Lanham, Md: University Press of America.

International Seminar on Democratic and Secular Education, Panikkar, K. N., &

Bhaskaran, N. M. (2011). Emerging trends in higher education in India: Concepts and practices. Delhi: Longman.

Johnson, L. A. (1996). The girls in the back of the class. New York: St. Martin's

Press.