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Reflection The project needs to be thought out in ways that it can be more engaging to students. Open ended questions, opinions, emotional connections, controversy and hooks based on student interest are vital tools to connect students to the activities of the classroom. The Power of Community: I have spent many hours reflecting on the 2003-04 school year. The loss of funds, lockers, and time could have been overcome had the process that nurtured the community been upheld. I now understand the vital role that community has played in the success of
the dance program at Molina High School. It was very apropos that the symbol for the 2004 project was the "sarape" with its brilliant strands of wool woven together. |
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Necessity laid the original seeds for community. Because I am the only dance teacher in a school with 2,600 students the dance classes have always been multiple subscribed to allow students flexibility in scheduling. In the past, a few Dance II students who were good students but not quite ready to dance with levels III and IV were allowed to take the beginning dance class again. This provided leadership in the beginning classes. Placing only 33% of level II dancers in each of the upper level classes with level III and IV students provided the leadership that allowed students to monitor their own behavior to progress rapidly. The system also allowed for the transference of traditions, procedures, and expectations. The structure of mixing students of different levels is of particular importance at Molina because the vast majority of students come into the dance program without any prior experience. When the acceptable conduct is modeled by respected students then it becomes the accepted mode. The importance is that the accepted mode is established by the internal weaving of their own community rather than imposed by the an outsider (teacher).
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The ominous they. This summer, I have contemplated what the students were supposed to learn and what they actually learned about being Hispanic in the US. The brain searches for meaning in both focused and peripheral perceptions. What we live is a more powerful teacher than what is professed. The school district made promises to the media that they did not honor. The loss of trust was much greater than the loss of funds. Money can be replace, but the lost trust from a broken promise is not easy to regain. The students learned had a personal reinforcement "they" cannot be trusted. I have asked questioned whether it was my perception or it there was greater passive resistance to the rules and procedures set by the school board and administration. What is the extent of the resistance? What can be done to empower students? I believe these are key issues in understanding the high drop out rate among poor Hispanics and African American in the US.
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| Class struggle in the hallway. The quiet silent resistance to the school district dress code policy that demands that shirt tails be worn tucked inside pants. Like a workers slow down strike the students refuse to tuck shirts in until they are asked, slowly wearing on the patience of the teachers and administration. Is this just teen defiance of the establishment or class warfare? | ||||||||||
| Resistant to whiteness class struggle in the classroom. One of the reasons that my program begins with cultural dances rather than the traditional modern dance is not only because the students might be familiar with some of the basic steps, but because there is less resistance to forms of dance that are perceived as not white. | ||||||||||
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Positive Results "No hay mal que por bien no venga." Even good things can emerge from a tragedy. Some of the positive effects were: I personally gained a deeper understanding of the power of community and the power of dialogue in the classroom. I gained a deeper understanding of the silent class struggle that ensues with the "ominous they" and the real challenges of teaching the meaning of democracy in America. I gained a deeper understanding of the intended curriculum and the actual curriculum. Confronted with many challenges, the students in the company class bonded easily and quickly. The company parents and the PTA became more involved in supporting the dance program. We were able to present an impressive performance and bilingual power point lecture on May 4th when the Disney Foundation visited our school. We collected interesting facts and statistics on Hispanic in the US.
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