Supportive Communication

Communication is an important element within the classroom. It is through communication that teachers convey new material and ideas as well as directions to their students. The teachers in both the kindergarten and first grade classroom I volunteer in have various ways of communicating and interacting with their students. Because I spend most of my time in the kindergarten classroom, I have a greater understanding of how those teachers work and respond to their students.

In the kindergarten classroom, the primary teacher is Ms. Katherine, a white woman. Although she is a white teacher in a classroom primarily composed of Hispanic and African American children, she manages to reach her students. When communicating with them, she tells her students exactly what she expects. For example, many of the students love to get drinks from a bubbler located within the classroom when they should be moving to the giant rug. Upon seeing these children, Ms. Katherine does not walk up to them and say something indirect such as, "Excuse me? Is this the time to be getting a drink?" She tells the children that it is not the time to be having a drink and for them to move to the rug. Ms. Katherine is able to be direct and firm with her students.

I have found that Ms. Gloria is also firm, but in a way that is a little different from Ms. Katherine. Ms. Gloria, a Hispanic woman, is a teacher's assistant within the classroom. While she is direct like Ms. Katherine, I feel she is tougher with the students. I will never forget the time when all of the children were sitting on the rug with Ms. Katherine. She was sitting on a chair in front of the students and getting ready to read them a story. Before she began, she noticed that she was bleeding and needed to get a band-aid. Ms. Katherine stood up and asked Ms. Gloria to take her place and begin the story. During the switch, the children started to talk. The moment Ms. Gloria took a seat, the talking became quieter and eventually stopped. This event suggested to me that there was a difference between the two teachers. While Ms. Katherine is direct, she is not as strict or intimidating as Ms. Gloria.

Ms. Gloria offers assistance to Ms. Katherine in terms of addressing the linguistic differences within the classroom. The majority of the students are Hispanic or African American. Ms. Katherine differs from most of her students in that she is white. In terms of language, Ms. Katherine only speaks English. However, Ms. Gloria is one of many Hispanic individuals within the classroom, and she will often speak Spanish to certain children. When she does, it is usually after she has said the same thing in English. I think this is an excellent technique because it gives students who speak different languages the opportunity to follow directions and to further their understanding of the dominant language spoken within the classroom.

Ms. Katherine will use visuals when giving directions. One of the primary visuals she uses is to place her hands on her lips. When she does this, she asks the students to do the same. They understand that "fingers on their lips" means to stop talking and listen. I consider this visual to be one that is universal. Many children, regardless of their culture and language, understand that covering their mouth in some way means to be quiet. This is a helpful technique not only because it is easily recognizable to many children, but because it encourages listening and learning.

Along with their methods of giving strong commands and using helpful signals, the teachers within the kindergarten classroom do respond to children who are in need. One child who is in need of more assistance is a girl named Anna. Anna is an extremely sweet and caring girl. She likes to help, and she often gives hugs to her friends. When the class is on the giant rug, she will often ask the teacher if she is doing a good job. However, Anna is constantly unfocused and moving around at inappropriate times. During one of my visits, she noticed that Kim was absent on the classroom rug. She turned around and asked me where she was. I told her that Kim was not in school and most likely at home. She then started pointing to the row of cubbies against the wall and said Kim's bag was there. I wasn't sure if she was right, but then she got up and went to go touch the bag. I followed her and brought her back to the rug. She then proceeded to ask me where I was going after I left the classroom. I told her that I went to help out in a first grade classroom, and I then turned her attention to the teacher. I am not certain, but I believe Anna has a learning disability. The teachers within the classroom as well as those involved with the Reading Buddies program have tried to make adjustments for Anna. In terms of the Reading Buddies program, Anna was originally in Ms. Gloria's group. However, they moved her to Ms. Katherine's group. This was a beneficial move because Ms. Katherine is the head teacher of the classroom, and she will have the greatest chance of reaching Anna. A second adjustment was made in terms of the class time on the giant rug. Ms. Katherine pulled out a small Hello Kitty doll. She explained to Anna that this doll was for her to squeeze while she was on the rug. Ms. Katherine explained in clear directions to both Anna and the students what the purpose of the doll was. I thought this was an interesting technique. The goal is for Anna to use her energy to squeeze it and move it around in her hands. By using her energy on the doll, she will be less likely to get up and move around.

I was reminded of Lisa Delpit while I was thinking about the kindergarten teachers and their communication and responses. Delpit describes the authority styles of teachers who are racially different. It is believed that black teachers have more authority than white teachers; white teachers do not give direct commands and appear weak while black teachers have much more authority and are direct with their students. However, Delpit does not embrace this argument and suggests that a good teacher needs to create a way of teaching that works with the "culture and community context" of his or her classroom. I think the kindergarten classroom is a good example of Delpit's thoughts. Ms. Katherine may be white and racially different than most of her students, but she does speak with authority to her students. Her directions are clear and are not mere implications of what she wants her students to do.

Delpit also suggests that a good teacher is not one who treats every child in the same manner. Every child is different in terms of their sociocultural characteristics and their needs. In order for a teacher to be effective, he or she needs to recognize these differences and work with them. For instance, if a child is not fluent in the dominant language of the classroom, the teacher needs to work with that child to promote their learning of the language; the teacher needs to understand the difference between students who have a full understanding of the language and those who have a little understanding. Also, there are students who have different learning needs. Anna is an example of a child who needs extra assistance. It would be wrong to ignore her needs and treat her like the other students. The teachers of Early Morning Elementary School are doing their best to provide the help she needs.

The final connection I made to Delpit was in terms of how the teachers handle the linguistic differences of their students. Delpit believes that the cultural diversity of students should be embraced, but that it is necessary for them to learn the "codes of power." Ms. Gloria speaks to certain children in Spanish and English. She does not ignore their original language, and she uses it as a means of helping them learn the dominant language spoken within the classroom.