Troublemakers

 For my blog, I will be using quotes from Troublemakers written by

Preface:  "That is when a child is singing loudly and sometimes more and more loudly, despite our requests for silence we might hear that song as a signal that someone is refusing to hear her voice." 

I chose this quote because the students who are labeled as troublemakers are the ones who are loud and disruptive to the rest of the class. They are seen as the kids who refuse to conform to the power of the school system and are instantly pushed out of classrooms. As for the students who always follow the rules and are compliant with the teachers' rules, they are looked at as more well-behaved and the "good kids." Shalaby is writing this to show that these "troublemakers" aren't bad kids with problems they are actually good kids, but it is their environment that dictates how they are in that setting.  

 Introduction: "I had power over him, and his success relied on his ability and willingness to accept that. I didn't much question these roles and expectations because they are normalized in teacher preparation programs and in the everyday life of classrooms..."  

I chose this quote because it signifies how normal it is for the teacher to be standing up in front of the classroom and the students to sit in their seats and obey the rules of the classroom. That is what teachers are taught to do but they don't teach teachers what to do if there is a student that doesn't respond well to taking "orders" the teacher's immediate reaction is to remove them from the classroom to solve the issue. The environment a young child is in has a huge impact on the behavior that is projected off of them. 

Reflection: I really enjoyed reading this text by Shalaby because it opened my eyes differently. Growing up in elementary school there was also that "troublemaker" in my class, and I noticed my teacher's first reaction was to try and get him to leave and go see the principal or a different teacher. After reading this article it made me realize that is not the answer in the majority of these cases. Teachers need to take the time to understand the student's individual needs and they might be trying to tell you something instead of just not wanting to learn or trying to be disrespectful. 

Remove Labels and Redefine Student Success | PBS Education 

I have attached this link that talks about why teachers shouldn't be labeling students as something they might not actually be.