1

Emily Wagner
TED 5150

Learning with Communities

People
Most of the people that I saw while exploring Dearborn were of Arab American descent,
like the majority of the population of the children who attend Geer Park Elementary School.
There were a few white people and African American people that I saw in the area, but for the
most part the people I saw while driving were Arab American.

Housing
There are residential homes and other housing units like apartments and duplexes on the
road to the school. Most of the housing in the area looks like single residence homes. Most of the
single-residence homes are arranged in neighborhoods in the surrounding area. For the most part,
it appears that most residents live in single residence homes, all within a short distance of the
multiple schools in the area.

Support for Specific Populations

The Arab American National Museum is nearby, reflecting the Arab population. Another
sign of support for the Arab American population in Dearborn is the use of Arabic lettering for
signs on local businesses. There is a small market just down the road from Geer Park that has
both English and Arabic lettering on its sign. Many of the local businesses reflect the Arab
American population in both their signs and the types of businesses available.

Public Institutions
There are several religious buildings, including churches like St. James, St. Barbaras,
and Dearborn Assembly of God. There is also the Islamic Institute of Knowledge, American
Moslem Bekaa Center, and Islamic Center of America. The Woodworth Middle School is near
Geer Park, and there are two early childhood centers: the Rainbow Child Care Center and Cotter
Early Childhood Center. Henry Ford Elementary and Henry Ford Community College are both in
the area. The Dearborn Public Library is west of the school on Michigan Avenue, and near the
library there is a post office.

Islamic Center of America

http://spirittourism.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Islamic-Center-of-America-in-Dearborn-Michigan.jpg

Health and Social Services

The Oakland Midwest Medical Center is close to Geer Park off of Michigan Avenue.
There are also smaller, private practices scattered around the community outside of the major
hospitals in the area. The Dearborn Community Center is located down the road from Geer Park
off of Schaefer Road. From the website (http://dearborncommunitycenter.org/school/) there is

information about Weekend School which is available for children and is a great resource for the
community.

Commercial Uses of Land

There are plenty of restaurants and shops along Michigan Avenue, including Lebanese
food which reflects the culture of much of the population. There are gas stations, convenience
stores like CVS, and other typical businesses that are found in downtown areas like clothing
stores, cafes, and printing shops. There are car dealerships, fast food restaurants like
McDonalds, and coffee places like Starbucks. I saw a few different banks in the area that are
spread throughout the community for easy access. There are multiple grocery stores and delis,
including Kroger and Alcamos Market. Fairlane Shopping Center is a large mall that includes a
movie theater and several stores.
One of the biggest museums and historical places to visit in Dearborn is the Henry Ford
Museum and Greenfield Village. Both include the history of the automobile and other enginepowered machines, along with other artifacts that help document history both in the Dearborn
area and in the United States.
The Ford Motor Company World Headquarters are next to Fairlane Mall and very close
to the Henry Ford Museum. The Ford Rouge manufacturing plant is also in the area.

Ford Motor Company Headquarters

https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/29/64236038_a6eb7b1dcb.jpg

Transportation
There is an Amtrak station that allows for longer-distance traveling, which is easily
accessible off of Michigan Avenue. Michigan Avenue is also full of bus stops for public
transportation needs.

Recreation
Geer Park Elementary is situated next to Geer Park. Ford Woods Park is a fairly large
park that is open and includes playgrounds, sports areas, swimming pools, and open space for
other recreation. There is a large golf club, TPC Michigan, at the corner of Southfield and
Michigan Avenue.

Protective Services
The Dearborn Police department is just west of Geer Park off of Michigan Avenue. There
is also a Dearborn Fire Department station located just south of Geer Park, along with at least
two other stations north and east of the school.

Environmental Factors near Geer Park Elementary

While there are residential homes that are all around the school, there are also businesses
like C&A Transportation and an auto repair place on the same street as the school. When turning
onto Prospect Street to get to Geer Park from Schaefer Road, there is another road, Maple St,
which merges into Schaefer right before Prospect. This area is tricky while driving and requires
caution when traveling to and from the school from Schaefer Road.

History of Dearborn
Dearborn got its name from a General in the American Revolution, Henry Dearborn.
Dearborn is well known for being the world headquarters of Ford Motor Company. The Henry
Ford HIstorical Museum and Greenfield village are large attractions in the area, along with the
available tour of the Ford Rouge plant. The Arab American National Museum was established in
2005 and was the first museum to feature the history of Arab Americans. Dearborn also has the
highest proportion of Arab Americans in the United States.
One incident from recent years that caught my attention while I was researching was
about a clash between white Christian missionaries who were arrested and caused a scene at the
Arab American festival in 2010. From what I could read and find on the incident, eventually the
city of Dearborn had to apologize to the missionaries who were arrested and paid a settlement to
them. The population in Dearborn seems to be roughly half Christian and half Muslim, and this
incident arose as a clash of cultures when the Christian missionaries showed up to the festival
with information about Christianity in order to convert the Muslim people attending the festival.
For this section, I used information from the following websites:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dearborn,_Michigan, http://www.cityofdearborn.org/,
http://archive.freep.com/article/20130506/NEWS05/305060101/Dearborn-to-pay-christianevangelists-to-settle-lawsuit, and http://usreligion.blogspot.com/2012/04/american-islam-indearborn-portrait.html.

Reflection on What Ive Learned

In both my research online and my travels around the community to observe and collect
information, I have learned much about the area surrounding Geer Park Elementary. Most of the
people that I saw in Dearborn were Arab American and white, and most of the information I read
about the history of the area reflected the combination of both Christian and Muslim influences
in the area. Especially considering the incident at the Arab American Festival, there seems to be a
divide in the community and although I was unable to truly see a divide by driving through the
community, I would be curious to find out more about the relations of the different cultures in the
area. The area of improvement for the community would be the religious and cultural divide. The
school itself and myself as a teacher can work to
The community has several resources that are fantastic for me as a teacher. There are two
very large museums for both Arab American history and the United States, specifically dealing
with the automotive industry in Michigan. There is a large public library, parks for recreation,
and there are plenty of areas that reflect the Arab American population to both teach students and
to allow students to see their lives reflected in the content and activities I would use in school.
These resources could easily be brought to the classroom (or the classroom could visit these
places) in order to teach students and to promote acceptance while teaching students the key
concepts and skills that they need to be successful.

The Henry Ford Museum

http://www.thehenryford.org/images/homeslideshow_clocktower.jpg

Reflection Narrative
One of the most important things for me as a teacher in this area would be to get to know
the families and their culture in order to bring it into the classroom. Having parents volunteer
information is a great first step, as well as using a survey in order to learn more about them.
Because I come from a Christian family, I would need the Muslim parents in the community to
help teach me and help me incorporate their culture into the classroom. I can also read more
about Arab American history, visit the Arab American National Museum, and learn more about
Dearborns history in order to better understand the community. My roles as a teacher in the
community would be to create a community of different types of learners in my classroom while
incorporating the cultural backgrounds of my students into the curriculum. I can be a facilitator
in order for the students and their families to learn more about each other to create a safe,
accepting learning environment.