Community Teaching Page
#1: Idris Mosque
On a Saturday evening I went to visit the Ibrid Mosque in Northgate, Seattle, which many of the students I work with attend. After arranging a visit I was received warmly and given a tour of the mosque and allowed to attend the evening prayer. While I was there I saw the prayer halls for both men and women, as well the community spaces. The mosque offers many forms of support for their community, such as social gatherings, counselling, services for the five daily prayers and wedding and funeral services. There are also youth programs, which include a weekly gym night and a Quranic school on the weekends. Apart from being segregated by gender, the prayer was very inclusive with men, teens, and boys, toddlers and young girls with their dads attending. The prayer service began with individual prayer, proceeded to group prayer and ended with a sermon given by the Imam, which was delivered first in Arabic and then in English.
#1: Idris Mosque
On a Saturday evening I went to visit the Ibrid Mosque in Northgate, Seattle, which many of the students I work with attend. After arranging a visit I was received warmly and given a tour of the mosque and allowed to attend the evening prayer. While I was there I saw the prayer halls for both men and women, as well the community spaces. The mosque offers many forms of support for their community, such as social gatherings, counselling, services for the five daily prayers and wedding and funeral services. There are also youth programs, which include a weekly gym night and a Quranic school on the weekends. Apart from being segregated by gender, the prayer was very inclusive with men, teens, and boys, toddlers and young girls with their dads attending. The prayer service began with individual prayer, proceeded to group prayer and ended with a sermon given by the Imam, which was delivered first in Arabic and then in English.
#2: School to Prison Pipeline Panel
One evening I attended a panel at Garfield High School on the school to prison pipeline, which refers to the policies and practices in our school system that drive our students out of the classroom and into prisons. The panel included teachers, students, who had been incarcerated, school administrative staff, an attorney and other involved in community and youth outreach programs.
In the first part of the panel, the panelists were facilitated in a discussion. A major theme brought to light was how to encourage cooperative behavior in students. Rather than traditional forms of punishment, the development of meaningful relationships between students and teachers, the creation of a safe environment within schools and connecting curriculum to students’ lives were all deemed essential in motivating and engaging students. Another major theme regarded the specific role of the teacher: showing faith in the capability of all students, creating inspiration, staying consistent and committed to the students and taking time to reflect on one’s teaching in order to improve.
The second part of the panel, we split into small groups. I joined a group that discussed the legal implications in the school to prison pipeline. A main focus of this discussion centered around student removal, namely suspensions and expulsions. We learned how state, district and individual school policies impact how removal is utilized. One member of our group was also able to go in-depth about the prosecution process that students often go through. In the end, we focused on how transformative justice, or solving conflict by directly addressing those involved, should replace our current policies of removal, as a step toward overcoming the school to prison pipeline.
One evening I attended a panel at Garfield High School on the school to prison pipeline, which refers to the policies and practices in our school system that drive our students out of the classroom and into prisons. The panel included teachers, students, who had been incarcerated, school administrative staff, an attorney and other involved in community and youth outreach programs.
In the first part of the panel, the panelists were facilitated in a discussion. A major theme brought to light was how to encourage cooperative behavior in students. Rather than traditional forms of punishment, the development of meaningful relationships between students and teachers, the creation of a safe environment within schools and connecting curriculum to students’ lives were all deemed essential in motivating and engaging students. Another major theme regarded the specific role of the teacher: showing faith in the capability of all students, creating inspiration, staying consistent and committed to the students and taking time to reflect on one’s teaching in order to improve.
The second part of the panel, we split into small groups. I joined a group that discussed the legal implications in the school to prison pipeline. A main focus of this discussion centered around student removal, namely suspensions and expulsions. We learned how state, district and individual school policies impact how removal is utilized. One member of our group was also able to go in-depth about the prosecution process that students often go through. In the end, we focused on how transformative justice, or solving conflict by directly addressing those involved, should replace our current policies of removal, as a step toward overcoming the school to prison pipeline.