This week's reading is an article written by Lily Yeh, published by Yes! magazine in 2011. It recounts her work in a community school on the outskirts of Beijing. There is a photo essay, which I hope you will visit, and a written essay that details some of her experiences as a resident artist at the Dandelion School. The complete story is documented in Yeh's wonderful book, Awakening Creativity: Dandelion School Blossoms, published in 2011 by New Village Press.
Based on your reading of Yeh's article, I'd like you to think, reflect, and respond thoughtfully to the questions below:
1. Yeh's work at the Dandelion School is set within a particular cultural, economic and historical context. The children who attended the school were/are caught in this larger situation. Explain what is going on in China right now and how it is impacting the lives of children.
2. You may never teach in China, but how likely is it that at some point in your future you will teach children who are dealing with some of the same issues as Yeh's students at the Dandelion School?
3. In China, teachers visit the homes of their students. How did the home visit experience change Yeh's understanding of the students she was working with? In your future career as a teacher, do you think you will have students who live in similar conditions?
4. Each cultural situation is unique. At the same time, different cultural situations share many things in common. In the U.S., what groups are most likely to be struggling with challenges very similar to the rural migrants in China? If you plan to teach in the state of Texas, which of these groups are you most likely to come in contact with?
Remember: it is always good to make your comments specific by anchoring them in direct quotes from the text and using description details. Enjoy this week's reading, and good luck!
1. China has been prospering for many years now. However, there has been a mass migration, the biggest in history, of millions of people from the country into the cities and coastal provinces. The migrants look for work in the agriculture field, but it cannot serve the millions that are searching for work. Many of the families are forced to split up in search of work. Many of the young people of China cannot afford to go to school or must work to help provide for their families. The country is now plagued with many migrant workers, poor families, and broken children. When Yeh visited a school, she saw students drawing pictures in which they were writing things like, “I am like this tree, worn out by the wind and broken.” The lives these children are forced into are creating this sadness and fear. To me children are often the definition of life and hope, so it is very different to see the struggles that are happening in China.
ReplyDelete2. It will be very likely that I will have to deal with some of the issues these students face. While it may not be to the extent of the Chinese children, it can be damaging in other ways. Children in the United States are blessed to be given free education, but they may not come from the best background. They may have a family that struggles to pay the bills. Families all encounter different problems and they all impact the stability of the family unit. I may have to deal with foster children that have never known a real home, or children that get no signs of love from their parents. Many children must deal with divorce, single parents, and incarcerated parents. It is, therefore, a reality that I will have to deal with children dealing with some of these issues. Especially in the West Texas areas, we encounter migrant workers that travel around with the agriculture industry. The family must move around and the children jump from school to school. Many children are not getting the greatest education that they need and deserve. There are issues within our country that also affect our children just like the students at the Dandelion School, and it will be our jobs as future educators to provide in the best way possible for our students.
3. Yeh was very surprised by the conditions of the families she was able to visit. The family she went to visit lived in a trash ground, collecting their livelihood from plastic foam boards. While their lifestyle would seem to some unbearable, Yeh was able to see the glimmers of hope that exist for the family. Luckily, the children are able to attend the Dandelion School. The family also has put effort into decorating their home with colorful flowers and showcasing the academic achievements of the children. They make the most of their life and by going on the home visit; Yeh was able to get a glimpse into who the children as well as the entire family are. I think as a future teacher it is highly likely that I will have students that may live in similar conditions. There are so many different situations that families are coping with. Some families deal with divorce, injury, unemployment, and poverty. There will be students that walk into my classroom that may not even have a home. It is a sad truth, but it will be my job as an educator to provide a safe place for that child. I will want to make them feel comfortable, welcomed, and give them hope for their future. The condition that children live in does not have to determine their future.
4. The first cultural group that comes to mind in dealing with these same challenges is the Hispanics. Among the immigration of the Hispanics, there have been immigrations from the Middle East and China, but none are as significant as the influx of Hispanics. There has been a huge wave of immigration from Mexico to the United States. Many of the immigrants come to America looking for jobs. They often find work in the nearby agricultural fields and travel around with the work. They must move their families around and uproot their children from their schools. This often causes children to fall behind in school and not have a desire to learn. Teaching in Texas, this would be the most likely group to come into contact with. The population is ever increasing in Texas. They bring different cultural situations to the classroom and will need attention and assistance, especially those children that have never been consistently in school. The Dandelion School in China has the “perfect symbol of the situation tolerated by many migrant families, driven to wherever they can find jobs. Unassuming but tenacious, they endure, raise their young, and hope for a better future.” I strive, just as Yeh does to help students gain “confidence in their own creative power and inspire them to dream and take action to shape their own future.”
ReplyDelete1. “Under Deng Xia Pins reform policy, China has force marched its economy from poverty to prosperity, at least for a portion of its vast population.” The rest has to deal with a migration of their people from country to city. They are looking for work, which in turn tares the families apart. “Traditional agricultural practices can no longer sustain villages.” The farm land is now being turned into building grounds for future migrants, because farming with the over populated migrants coming through is no longer sufficient. The ones who do farm land can even make little profit if their fruit and vegetables do not look fresh and presentable. The children experience pain and despair. Many are forced to work to help support their family, the air is filled with smog, which fills their lungs. One student even said, “ I am like this tree, worn out by the wind and broken.”
ReplyDelete2. Every child comes from a very different background. I believe that is one of the joys in being a teacher. You get to experience and learn from your students and appreciate their uniqueness. While most of these will be positive situations, there are many different types of families. A child may have two mothers or two fathers, an abusive father, or no parents at all. Which could leave the child acting different in the classroom. It is our jobs as teachers to watch for signs and figure out the underlying problem and help them if help is needed.
3. The family Lily visited was a family of six. The children had never been to school before the Dandelion project. The father had become injured leaving it the rest of the family’s responsibility to help out. They even built their own home! Even though, their home is bearable, the family has some positives. “The children decorated their home with colorful plastic flowers, which they found while rummaging,” and the displayed “two rows of awards in red and gold colors” to show their children’s achievements. I think in the future, situations like this, will be more seen in a lower class school district. I do believe though that I will see children in school, not actually wanting to be there over a child out of school, wanting so badly to be in school, like one of the girls in the article.
4. I also believe that Hispanics would be the most similar to the situation in china. With Mexico right by Texas, many cross over into the Untied States to find work and support for their family. Illegal or not, they take jobs others usually do not consider, because of how low the pay is. That being said they are probably already not making enough money to support their family, which leads to stress, anger, and poverty. Children may not talk about the issues they are having at home, but it is usually written on their face. As teachers we need to be there for them, provide knowledge and help them in ways they cant receive at home.
1. There is a huge migration in China right now. Farming used to be the main source for the economy but it is now becoming more industrialized. Cities are forming more and more and villages and towns aren’t able to keep up. This is making it hard for villagers to find jobs. This puts strain on all the family, including the children.
ReplyDelete2. I feel like it is pretty likely you will deal with these types of families as long as you work in public schools. I think that is it helpful to be open minded and prepared to have to make circumstances for these families as well as ways to go above and beyond the “job description” to help these families.
3. I think that doing home visit helps makes these situations real to people. I think no matter how detailed you hear about these situations, you can never understand it like if you see it and experience it. I think that visiting these families make what you are doing even more important and shows how be an impact you can make in these children’s lives.
4. I think that in Texas it would be the Hispanics because the migration of Hispanics is not only native to Texas but all over America. It is hard many times for them to find decent jobs and many times struggle to keep up with bills and putting food on the table. I think that sometimes school is put on the back burner for Hispanic children because many have to help with the money situation. I think that is important to reach out and promote the importance of education to these children as well making resources more available.
1. What is currently going on in China is the history’s biggest migration as the country is becoming more industrialized. There are struggles currently going on in the US with people trying to find work, but it is nothing compared to the unemployment going on in China. It is ripping families apart from each other, and Yeh see’s it is affecting the children every day.
ReplyDelete2. As a teacher you have to be prepared to see all types of students walk into your classroom. Not every kid is growing up in the same environment and some kids are living in an unsafe environment and are scared. We have to ready to deal with this, and as a teacher our number on job is to protect our kids. We have an obligation as an educator and just as a human being to be there for the kids going through life struggles.
3. The most important thing Yeh saw in these families who were living in terrible and unbearable conditions were hope. I think it is easy for people to lose hope, and when you have lost so much, you hold on to the little you do have. Yeh saw that these children and their families weren’t giving up. Hope is the key word. As a teacher you want to inspire each child to do their best, and give them hope. The situations families are in in our country now are so wide spread. In my future classroom I could see a number of different things, but no matter what I see, my job is to give my kids hope. There is always hope for better things no matter what.
4. I agree with everyone who has already commented that Hispanic immigration is the closest thing we experience in Texas like what is going on in China. Because Texas borders Mexico it is the closest place for people to come if they are leaving Mexico. People leave there looking for jobs, places to live, and because of this children can suffer. They may feel helpless and as a teacher we need to be there for them through the hard times. Give them someone they can trust to talk to, and someone they know isn’t going to hurt them in any way.
1. As I learned in my geography class, as well as from this article, China is a flourishing country right now. It is growing in every aspect economically, politically, as well as population. However, China does not know what to do with the population growth exactly. Because they do not know what to do with the growth, some people are suffering tremendously. It has caused families not to be able to find work, which over all effects the children the most. Children need so much while growing up and when a child cannot get everything they need to grow and be healthy, children can become ill. When children are older, they realize that they have less than others and sometimes that can cause a child to act in a negative way. Overall, it is causing children to have a more stressful life.
ReplyDelete2. I think it is very likely. Familes are migrating to the United States everyday and they usually have children. The reason people come to the United States is usually to better themselves and their families. However, you must put your children into schools in the United States. The children will realize that they have less and issues could arrise. As a teacher, you would have to find projects and have ideas that all students can afford.
3. As I said before, children all come from different backgrounds. So yes, it is possible to see children that come from similar conditions. As a teacher, you have to remember to keep personal life and school life seperate however. When a teacher feels their is a problem, they usually have to report it to someone above them in the school and also the parents.
4. As many others have said before, the hispanic migration for sure. However, where I am from there are also different races such as Bermese that have migrated to my town that I see struggling with everyday American life. As a future teacher, I believe we will see many different races in schools.
1. What's going on in China right now is the Biggest Migration in human history. Traditional agricultural practices can no longer sustain villages because everyone from the countryside is moving to the city to find working and leaving the other portion of China "suffers uncertainty, alienation, and deprivation." The farm land is now being turned into building grounds for future people moving into the area, because farming with the over populated migrants coming through is no longer good enough.
ReplyDelete2. For me, it is a very high possibility to teach a child that has had relative mishaps like a child attending the Dandelion school. This is because the job I'm striving to do is reach out to those who have been in horrible situations that I can personally relate to and show them a positive side to life.
3. Yeh had seen horrible, heartbreaking homes when she visited the homes. ALthough these were terrible situations, Yeh saw hope. She knew that they were atleast able to attend the Dandelion school and be taken care of there. Yes, I think I will see situations of my students living in terrible conditions and if there's anyway to change that, Im going to find that way.
4. All over America, there are children suffering in similiar situations maybe such as poverty, abuse, without food, etc. I could come across anything in my career.
1.China is experiencing a large amount of migrations. Citizens are migrating in large numbers from the country into the cities. These citizens are in search of agricultural jobs, but there are not enough available to accommodate the vast numbers of people seeking work. Due to this, families are encountering many different forms of heart ache. Some families are split up like the family who was split up due to domestic violence and the imprisonment of the father. The children, a girl and a boy, were affected negatively because of these unfortunate events. The son ended up leading a life of violence and was not allowed to go back to the Dandelion School. The daughter “drew a portrait of herself, saying, ‘I am like this wooden puppet. I have no heart.’” These children are becoming empty and hopeless because of the impact this poverty occurring in their young lives.
ReplyDelete2.I think that I will definitely encounter students who are facing their own set of trials. The situations might look a little different from those in China, but children are still dealing with their own heart ache in the States. I work at a camp in the summers and I have dealt with children who have heart aches due to death, divorce, and abandonment. These situations are very real and are happening every day. As a teacher, and right now as I continue to work at camp, I take it as my responsibility to love on all kids. I don’t know every child’s story, but if I love them with all I have I could impact them in a positive way. Maybe by showing them that someone is in their corner, rooting for them to succeed students will realize they are worth more than others are leading them to believe and I will be able to change their lives in a positive way.
3.Yeh was able to understand the home life of the students. She was able to see what they were dealing with at home and what their responsibilities in their families were. Some children are handling so many responsibilities at home that they put school as their last priority. Teachers who are not aware or empathetic to these situations are misunderstanding or sometimes judging students prematurely. Teachers can sometimes think that the student is just lazy or not taking their education seriously, and in situations like these the teacher couldn’t be more wrong. I am sure that I will encounter students who are responsible for being the adult in their households because unfortunately some circumstances force them to be. Like I said earlier teachers need to understanding and accommodating for these students. I believe all they need is a little extra boost of encouragement to meet both their home responsibilities and their potential in education.
4.In Texas we have a large number of people who come over from Mexico. I think that their situations might be similar to those in China, in the sense that their families might be split up from the traveling and some parts of the family come here while others stay behind in Mexico. I actually attended High School in Houston after hurricane Katrina and we got a ton of students who evacuated Louisiana and attended school with us. They were definitely dealing with separation from their families. Many were not sure if members of their families were even alive. This kind of devastation took a toll on the students who were from Louisiana. It affected their school work and their behavior in general. I am sure that in my future as a teacher both of these types of students could be in my classroom.
1. China is currently trying to improve its economy. Such as hosting the Olympics, and bring worldwide attention to the country. Though certain parts of china are improving, there are still many living in poverty and despair. It is Yeh’s goal to bring light to these places and their situations.
ReplyDelete2. Some of the students showed great sorrow in their drawing and writings they did for Yeh. I know that I will, unfortunately, have to work with children who are not as fortunate as others. I have even done it already with my student teaching in a very high class school district. So I know there will be more children in my future who are less privileged, but it will be my job to lend the helping hand. To be their support system if they lack one at home.
3. Yeh was shocked and interested by the home visit she did. The family she visited though lived in very poor conditions. They literally lived in the middle of a trash can. It was the family’s only source of income to sort through the trash. Though I plan on dealing with children who live in poverty, I hope to never have a child living in such unhealthy circumstances.
4. Though I do not believe any where in Texas is in such an extreme state of poverty as in China, I do know some home lives are bad. I think the closet I will coming to encountering situations similar to Yeh’s is working with children who come from low income families. When families are to handle the finical burden of children sometimes it is too much. I know some kids do not get the adequate car and attention they are needed to be successful at school. I believe working with underprivileged children like this, will be the closet I (hopefully) come to in working with children in the villages Yeh visited.
China is going through a huge migration right now. Families are migrating to the cities in very large numbers at a time. This is causing parents of families to be unemployed and not being able to afford to provide for their children. This is causing children to become unhealthy and ill as well as live a very stressful life at a young age.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it may not be in China, I think there is an almost definite possibility that I will be dealing with children with similar issues. There are children all over America who come from household like the ones described in this article. Although it may not be from migration there are other things that can cause unhealthy and stressful lifestyles to children at young ages.
Yeh visited children who were living in horrible circumstances. They were living in poverty stricken homes where school was not always taken seriously. It helped her understand where the children came from and why some of them may not be doing as well as others. I think I may see students who come from similar conditions, but hopefully not as bad as these.
Living in Texas Hispanic migration is the closest we will come in contact with. Hispanics in America may face similar migration issues. A lot of times these families are having trouble finding homes and jobs once they arrive here.
1. China is experiencing the largest migration in history, over 150 million people migrating into the cities from the countryside looking for new places to work. Farming is no longer an acceptable way to support families because villages in the farming community are becoming less populated while the city continues grow. China has also hosted the Olympics to improve the economy there. Yeh is trying to bring prosperity and happiness to the areas that are suffering.
ReplyDelete2. As I have learned through a schools, societies, and diversity class here at tech, It is very likely that I will be dealing with students that go through the same things that Yeh’s students go through, especially while doing my student teaching in Lubbock because almost all Lubbock schools within the city are considered low income. This means many of the students live in poverty. Also after volunteering at Atkins Middle School, I learned that many of those students deal with not having parents coming home to them at night and many students have parents that are heavily involved in drugs.
3. Doing home visits changed Yeh’s understanding because she realized how tough the conditions were that the families were living in yet they still had not given up hope. I do believe that in the future I will come across many, many families and students that are in the same situations. I grew up in a town with a lot of low income families around me and have a lot of experience dealing with a variety of people. It is almost impossible in my opinion, to teach at a school without at least one low income family.
4. Hispanics would have to be the ones who struggle most, because like the migrants in China, Texas has a large amount of immigration from Mexico because we border their country. When Hispanics come over here they often struggle because their families do not speak English and often do not have money to support themselves. So education is not the most important goal to these families, but making money is.
1. China is experiencing a huge migration of people from the country into China’s cities. People are leaving the country in search for work in cities. People leaving the rural areas to move into urban cities are creating shortages in jobs. Many families are being forced to split up in search for work. Families being spilt up have a huge effect on the children. I cannot imagine how hard it would be on a child to be split up from their family or have their mom and dad leave in order to find work.
ReplyDelete2. I believe it is very likely that as a teacher you will experience children with similar issues. Being a teacher you are exposed to many children and it is possible that your students may have serious problems. Every child has different home problems, these problems could range from bad parents to not having enough to eat. I believe that it is a part of a teacher’s job to help in any way possible.
3. When Yeh visited the student’s homes she witnessed horrible living conditions. Yeh’s home visit changed her understanding of the students she was working with by seeing how they lived. In my future career as a teacher I do believe that I will have students who live in similar conditions. It is sad that kids have to grow up in those types of environment but it’s out there and people do live like that. I hope as a teacher I can take those kids away from that situation while in my class and do what I can to help those students.
4. Being a teacher in Texas I would expect many Hispanics to be struggling with these similar situations. I believe this because Texas is so close to the Mexican border. Many Hispanic immigrants cross into Texas illegally. Because these Hispanics are illegal they tend to get low waged jobs therefore they are finical struggle. So that is why I think many Hispanics would be facing similar challenges and struggles.
1. China is experiencing heavy economic growth for much of its population. There is also a vast migration of over 150 million people from the country side into the city. Families are torn apart because not everyone is able to migrate to cities to work. Often, parents leave to go to work while they leave children and elderly behind. Children are forced to take on the role of adults when their parents leave, taking away their childhood. Families who are lucky enough to stay together and move to the cities uproot their lives and children must go to school for the first time or to a school that is completely different from what they are used to.
ReplyDelete2. I’m not sure how likely it is that I will teach students like that from the dandelion school because I am looking to teach in a private school, but I’m sure all teachers, including myself, will teach students that are moved around or come from a very different type of school.
3. Yeh was able to see how harsh the conditions that her students live in being from migrant families. However, despite their terrible living conditions, Yeh was able to see how her students still had hope in the worst of situations. One family even decorated their deteriorating home with colorful trash. Yeh believes this will translate to her students working hard in school despite their adversities. I don’t believe that it is likely that I will teach students who come from similar situations if I teach in a private school. And the school district I want to teach in does not have families in situations like that.
4. Migrants from Mexico can sometimes experience similar situations, especially if they come over illegally. I doubt that illegal immigrants will be attending private school, but I suppose it is possible that I will have legal immigrants in my class at a private school.
1. Right now, China is experiencing a huge migration from the countryside to the cities, the largest migration this world has ever seen. Because of this, many of the poorer and less fortunate families must leave their homes in the country to live on the outskirts in the city to find whatever jobs they possibly can to provide for their families. This is really hard on the children in the families because they do not have a set place to call home. Many refer to themselves as leaves being blown from the trees with no roots to hold them down. If they do not have a place to call home, they have a harder time finding a place to go to school and get an education. If they cannot get an education, it would be nearly impossible to make something of themselves for their future families so they would not have children that would have to live like this.
ReplyDelete2. I do not think it would be very likely for me to teach children that are facing the same exact hardships as the children at the Dandelion school are facing. Their hardships stem from being in a family that does not have a permanent place to stay. I may teach a few children like that, maybe some foster children, or children who are in families with parents who move around a lot for their jobs, but it is not likely for me to teach a class where the majority, if not all, of the children are having those experiences.
3.The home visits helped Yeh realize that, even though these children seem happy at school, it is not because their home life is perfect. In fact, it's probably because their home life is so awful that they are glad to get away for those eight hours a day. I think it is possible for me to teach children like this someday. I hope to be able to do home visits to my future students someday, and I do believe I will see children with home situations that are similar to the children that Yeh got to know.
4. I think the group most likely to experience the same things as the people in China would be the wave of immigrants we have coming into the US from Mexico. Many times, they have a hard time adjusting to our culture, which makes it more difficult for the parents, especially the mothers, to find jobs. When money is an issue, it affects the whole family. The same could be possibly for the immigrants in the north that are coming from Canada, and the Cuban immigrants that are entering into Florida and other Southeastern states. I would be most likely to come into contact with the children of Mexican immigrants.