My new look

On March 2, 2011 @ the age of 26 I finally decided to wear the "hijab" - traditional Islamic head wrap.

I prayed every night make (dua) that Allah(SWT) would make it easy on me. It was extremely difficult coming from a large family of women who do not wear the hijab. Five aunts, several cousins, sister..I am the first. I hope I can make it a trend in my family.

I called my grandmother who lives in Jordan to share the exicting news..she cried with joy and wished I can bless my family members as well.

To share some experiences I had so far...

The first week was extremely easy..I placed the scarf on my head and showed it off with confidence. And then it became more difficult around the second week. The shaitan must have been whispering in my ear..( I miss my curly hair that people complemented me on for several years) (it was difficult sorting out nice stylish clothes) "did my entire wardrobe just go to waste"?

But I must say I have really strong friends who support me. I am so thankful for my close circle! Most of them are also new at wearing hijabs..so we help support each other and cope with the trails.

Why did I decide to wear it after to long?

Well I had a friend who was sick and dying of cancer..I received a txt message saying that she was in critical condition and the doctors gave her 2 days to live..how awful I felt..She was young..,my age.."Why her", I asked?

I decided to change my live right then and there. Allah Yirhamha.

She passed on March 6, 2011 our dear friend Rehab we really miss you and pray Allah(swt) placed you in the highest level of jennat al furdous.

Reflection as a young reader..

I really can't remember how good/bad of a reader I was in elementary school. I do vividly remember trying to get my parents attention on my reading skills and asking them to read stories to me. I always wanted to know what everything meant. My parents would always give me the immigrant version of a certain topic and my teacher would tell me something totally different. I don't remember reading out loud either. I was always embarrassed that I would mess a word up. I loved books with pictures to assume what the story was about. I loved using my imagination.
I remember when we had DEAR time (drop everything and read) I would open a book and place it in front of my face and make believe I was reading. Now as I sub I see students do the same. It's so important to read and make sure they understand what their reading bc its fun.
Another important aspect of my 3rd grade subbing experience that really caught my eye was when the students were reading their journal entrees and one girl said pezza (pizza) and she spoke fluent English. But since her parents were from another country they taught her to pronounce words how they do. The kids were laughing at her. I felt so bad.
Now all I do is emphasize on how reading is important and how it's makes ppl more intelligent. I really wish I was a better reader so I can be brighter and knowledgeable on various topics.

How can we create a community in our classroom?

In Walking Trees, Ralph Fletcher emphasizes the importance of writing to create an imagination for the young students. In the readings assigned for this week you can see and personally feel with the students life's as most openly write about their real life stories. Some were pleasant others not so much. For example, Tanya who was phsically abused by her mother than moved with her father who rapped her and was eventually sent to a home at such a young age. Or the other young girl who was literally afraid to write because her mother was so overpowering that if she found out she was writting about personal problems, her mother would some how find out and abuse her. Many of these young girls had several responsibilities and held chores that an adult would have. Cleaning, cooking, taking care of siblings. How about school? When would they ever have time to do homework or even class work when all these duties are running through their minds.
Ralph makes sure that the students feel comfortable writing about themselves by sharing thoughts and feelings with the rest of the class. By using this method several classmates gave advice to the students in need. This created a community within the classroom. This helps one realize that every child comes from a different home which causes their behavior in the classroom. Being in school is the only time to reflect and be in an atmosphere that is either relieving and fun or miserable depending on their experiences.
Writing is a form of communication which helps the student reflect on their experiences. This technique is essential to create a community within the classroom amongst all the students. Being left out makes one feel unwanted or unliked. Ralph truely knows how to put the broken peices together to create a happy community within the schools.

Lessons we can learn from children

We have to be open-minded and realize that every student comes from a different background and various traditions at home. As a future teacher I have learned that I must take note, comprehend, and share the thoughts of other students with the entire class because some may be shy to do so. How can we learn about a child if we don't listen to their personal lives? You would be surprised what some children go through at home. We need to support them and help them find a solution before it's too late. Our job is not to only preach our lessons but to listen to our student's opinions and personal stories. They may relate to a topic being taught and we must listen to their responses. I have learned to stop judging people by the way they look because at a young age we tended to do so (or learned to do so). As we grow older, we must realize that an outside appearance is a facade. Get deeper to acknowledge the truth of a person's action. Ralph Fletcher opened his horizons and balanced the confrontation of city students and their teachers. He opened their minds to realize how important it is to acknowledge every situation. I was shocked to read about the teacher's carelessness and negative remarks of their students effort. Positive reinforcement and focus towards that child's learning shows how much Ralph cared about the children's future. Regardless of their level of understanding he made sure they continued to understand the importance of writing and to reflect on what matters to them. For example, family, freinds, pets, whatever one takes to heart. Remember when Ralph was in the main office and a young boy walked in and said, "I said my mother died over the weekend." (Page 60 middle to end)How does one respond to that? What does your facial reaction look like? What was the secretary suppose to do? Don't you wonder if you were in that situation? What was going on through the boys mind? Did any staff member know anything about the situation? My heart melted when i read those words.

Expanding knowledge about racial/ethinic groups

I was never judged by anyone until they REALLY new where I was from. I always got that I look Hispanic and several people come up to me speaking Spanish. Just yesterday a class mate swore I was Spanish. Several people think since I'm not dressed in traditional Muslim attire that I'm not Muslim or even Arabic. In high school I was always taunted about my background that I was a terrorist. I was born here and follow my tradition. Just because I'm not dressed or stereotyped to look like an Arab people judge me.
It was hard growing up in a small white town but I got through it. We were the only Arabic family at the time until some other families moved to Ridgefield. I still hold a grudge on the teachers that didn't "protect" me or let me explain to my peers what my background is. I wasn't a typical student at my school and they really held that against me.