Somalia and Sexuality

Somalia is a country that is trying to keep itself tied to traditional and religious customs.  Somalia is a predominantly Islamic country, with some parts unofficially controlled by fundamentalist parties.  This foundation of Islam still plays a major part in the Somalia customs and views of sexuality to this day.  It can be difficult to gather and collect precise information on this subject, due in large part to the uncomfortable and restrictive nature of sexuality in Somalia.  One study shows that 90% of women in Somalia find premarital sex prohibited and said that they did not partake in it.  These women also reported that there is a very strict view against premarital sex that comes from both traditional and religious practises.

Views of homosexuality differ only slightly throughout the country.  Somalia is one of 74 countries where homosexuality is illegal.  It is also one of 12 countries in the world where the punishment can be death, though usually it is only used as a penalty in the fundamentalist controlled areas.  Any member of the LGBT community can be openly discriminated against and denied employment or housing.  It was impossible to find any information on the percentage of possible Somalia people who identify as LGBT, which is easy to understand due to the horrific punishment they could receive.  These views told homosexuality come from their past religious ties and globalization has done little to alter these views in many countries.

In my observance of a classroom at Winooski High School, a discussion was introduced by the teacher that involved an article about a gay student.  The discussion centered on the civil rights aspect of all people in the United States and many of the students voiced their opinions freely.  Some of the students, including my partner O, were refugees from Somalia and engaged in the conversation as well.  As a civil rights issue, most of the students agreed that basic human and civil rights applied to all people, regardless of sex, race, gender, or sexuality.  I believe that open discussion is the best tool we have as educators to help students understand, think, and contemplate global issues such as these.

The Use of QR Codes in the Classroom

Epstein's Framework of Six Types of Involvement

Epstein's Framework of Six Types of Involvement lists the most effective means for teachers and families to build a long standing and strong connection to best benefit the respective student and child.  The establishment of a sound relationship that encourages interaction from both the teacher and the parents is critical in a student's ability to reach their full potential.  Learning is a constant process that must take place not only at school, but at home as well.  Teachers and parents working in tandem to develop continuous learning demonstrates to students the importance of life long education.  It also presents to students the value that both their teachers and parents place in their success.  The two types I want to focus on as an educator are communicating and learning at home.

Communicating means establishing an effective process to relay information from school to home and back about the student's progress and school activities.  This results in parents being more aware of their child's sustains and improvements, helps teachers understand family views and diversity better, and creates better awareness for students of school programs.  This can be practiced by weekly progress reports sent by students to families or emails directly to parents.  Face to face conferences or Skype meetings can also be an effective way to convey information and concerns to and from parents and teachers.  Challenges can be if the parents do not speak English or if the parents do not respond timely to the teacher's information.

Learning from home works in connection with communicating and provides information and ideas to families to help students at home with homework or activities.  This can result in better homework completion, increased test scores, better understanding by parents of their student's work and learning, and in teachers have better input in the design of their assignments.  Learning from home can be practiced by having teachers establishing assignment calenders for students and parents, having family activities at school, and disseminating information to parents on homework requirements and policies.  The challenge can be in coordinating interactive activities that can be completed at home with families.

When I become an educator, I believe that open communication with parents is the most important commodity I can obtain.  The challenge is to show parents that I value their input, but that I must also be aware of how to best develop their student's education.  I am sure that this can be a fine line to institute, but communication will hopefully establish trust in what we want the student to accomplish.

Australia's Secondary School System

Australia is a developed nation that is currently ranked 6th in the world for their education system.  Australia spends 5.3% of their GDP on education.  The Australian government places a large amount of value on their educational system.  In Australia, 99% of their students enroll into a secondary school once their primary education is complete.  Australia has three types of secondary school for their students to attend: Government, Catholic, and Independent. Government schools are free to students, but Catholic and Independent schools do charge students a fee for attending.

Students in Australia attend secondary school for four to six years, with 3-4 years in secondary school and 1-2 years in senior secondary school.  Australia's population is overwhelmingly concentrated in urban areas, with 89.4% of their students from this background.  Education is compulsary until grade 11, which demonstrates the value that the country holds on educating their adolescents.  This has helped students though, with 88% of people 25-34 holding a degree from a secondary institution.


Links: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog http://www.australiaeducation.info/K12/facts-and-statistics-of-australian-school-education-system.html