Shifting the Paradigm
By
Shannon Renkly
Katherine Bertolini
Reflection
I find this text extremely valuable, and everyone should be aware of it! It touched me deeply in many points that it discusses, since I lived in a very similar school environment where there was no place for the Asset Model; rather, as the authors mentioned, it was all about focusing on observing students’ behaviors and focusing on how to severely punish them, believing that, using such a method, can fix those behaviors and lead to successful students and, in that manner, they satisfy the government by “keeping their schools well disciplined”, exactly what they inherited from the prussian system! But from what I’ve seen and experienced academically, I can clearly understand the authors’ concerns about how the Deficit Model can strongly damage the students’ future, both academically and socially, especially with the absence of the adults' roles in supporting them, those adults who could be their parents, their teachers, their relatives, or even their community. Here, I would like to share the author's interest in that role, which I find to be of substantial importance in students' achievements, as it was in mine! When I was in middle school, I used to hate school, since I didn’t find it supportive; I couldn’t find most of my teachers caring for me or encouraging my unique talents. I couldn’t see the administration staff as loving ones who were there when I needed help or support; we were all treated almost in the same way, ignoring our diverse needs! The lack of consistent communication between schools and parents made my parents unaware of the concerns that I could’ve had! All these aspects of that Decifit school model made me, for example,
lose confidence in my school’s administration and most of its teachers, impacting my academic experience during that time, which also affected my high school experience. So, when I tried to find positive and motivational teachers when facing challenges, I found unlistening ears; So, I wonder, why doesn’t the majority learn from the minority since they see in those the model of good teachers loved by their students for all the academic and social support they receive?!
Comment to share
If that had happened, you would have suffered from the Deficit Model in your middle school. What was your most difficult challenge, and what did you do to overcome it?
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