Instructional Technology

Talking to a little neighbor of mine, who studies in a public school in 7th grade, I could get some answers of what I wanted to know, which is about some of the problems that he faces at school. To start, I just talked for a while about how the environment had to be; later on, I asked specific questions so that he answered me. From outside the school or any classroom, we hear about their problems, but we do not really know what is going on. To find it out, it is necessary to talk with someone of that place. The main problems that we speculate are delinquency, lack of interest from the teacher or students, misbehavioring, lack of didactic material, etc... but, is it that what affects students the most? Is it not anything else? To find it out, we should get into business and ask a student who faces it daily.

My first question was based on the teacher, so I asked him if the English teacher teaches well; I mean, if he provides the necessary material and uses the right methodology to teach English to the course. His answer was that the teacher's class is monotonous. The teacher always enters the classroom, tells them to be quiet and starts writing on the board. He finds it boring, so he barely pays attention. This issue is one of the main problems in education because most of the teachers do not motivate their students to collaborate and pay attention in class. He said that when they are too noisy, the teachers yells at them and asks them to be quiet again because otherwise, he would leave the classroom. This type o threat is not so useful since students are not motivated by the teacher.

Another question was about delinquency. I asked him if any of his classmates is a gangbanger or related to a gang. His answer was positive. Three of his classmates are active gangbangers, and they are always teasing others and even asking them for money to "protect" them. He told me that the teacher does nothing to avoid that awkward situation, and just ignores them. These are hard times in our country, and I guess that the teacher would not like to have any problem with these students. He also expressed that he is fearful because he cannot defend himself from the bullying by their part. If he does, they might do something to him. This has made him think of changing school because as we know, our safety is important. Another problem is the lack of activities from the teacher because he always does the same. He makes them write, but does not explain to them.

As a conclussion, the main problem in his public school is the gangbangers. As teachers, we cannot only cross our arms and let it happen; unfortunately, we must think about us too. Teachers should always motivate students with dynamics and activities that involve: speaking, listening, writing and reading skills. If we only keep them on writing, they will obviously get bored and will not pay attention to the class. I suggested my neighbor to talk with the teacher, but he told me that the teacher is not so open with the students. Anyways, we must keep working in our techniques to teach. It is not only about providing knowldege but also to play many roles that will be appearing through our careers. Blessings, and I hope you can find this helpful for you as well as nice.