Today's class was another 2 1/2 hours of pure, useful, controversial, information. The headlines in class always seem to get every one's interest and fill the classroom with many points and arguments. In my opinion, throughout the semester I think that by starting class with headlines, it is a good idea to break the ice and get everyone talking.
The most interesting headline, in my opinion, was the obesity/overweight headline. Like I mentioned in class, many schools have gym everyday but children are not "forced" to do certain things. It feels like gym time is just an hour to relax with other kids and not to "exercise." Quite blunt, it is almost ridiculous. A better way to get children to be healthier is to cut the sweets out completely and lower the prices in the cafeteria. Gym class should be a little more strict and teachers should stick to the curriculum.
Getting the the charter school information.. like I mentioned in my last post.. charter schools have teachers who work longer, harder hours.. and the topic of tenure was mentioned. Do they get it? Is there a union that helps teachers out? For all the hard work and heart that these teachers put in the job, I think they should have some more protection.
Lastly, some of the copyright rules that were presented in class today made me very confused. I feel like the teachers that I had through the years almost abandoned these important rules, and could have got in a lot of trouble for that! Many teachers should be very careful what material they present to the class and what to copy and not to copy.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Charter Schools... The Reading for October 29th
Although this week's reading requirement was not as hectic as usual, but the topic that was brought up was very interesting. Just to keep everyone up-to-date... I am still in the process of my field experience. I did my shadowing, I am planning on attending a meeting on November 17Th, and I have been trying very hard to get in contact with my site liaison to help her in the classroom as one part of the community service...
...As stressful as that sounds, back to the reading. I was a little confused about the whole "charter school" concept. I heard the term before but never truly understood what it meant. Charter schools are institutions that can be formulated by communities or people that have a specific purpose -- a subject area. Everything in the charter school is not "taught to the test" as you hear in almost every public school setting. Charter schools have teachers that work long, hard hours, with potentially less pay and work with students with certain abilities that they enjoy because they are good at them.
I think that charter schools are a great idea because if teachers are working hard and presenting a result, and at the same time students are learning, having fun, and enjoying themselves while comprehending the material... is all that should matter.
...As stressful as that sounds, back to the reading. I was a little confused about the whole "charter school" concept. I heard the term before but never truly understood what it meant. Charter schools are institutions that can be formulated by communities or people that have a specific purpose -- a subject area. Everything in the charter school is not "taught to the test" as you hear in almost every public school setting. Charter schools have teachers that work long, hard hours, with potentially less pay and work with students with certain abilities that they enjoy because they are good at them.
I think that charter schools are a great idea because if teachers are working hard and presenting a result, and at the same time students are learning, having fun, and enjoying themselves while comprehending the material... is all that should matter.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Monday's Discussion
Once again, Monday's discussion led to some controversial issues. One of the first issues was giving the pill to middle school students. Honestly, if urban schools are having high pregnancy rates, I think that the pill should be distributed. I also believe that the parent's consent is needed. I do not think that it is a good idea to have these small children taking the pill without their parent's knowing about it. Like mentioned in class, the pill can have harmful effects sometimes and if no one konws about the girl taking the pill... it may interact with other medications. The school should have high authority, but a child's parents always come first.
Getting to the issue on upper vs. lower class, it is a big problem in American schools today. Children are automatically branded by other students and teachers by where and who they grow up with. It is a shame because students who may come from a family with domestic violence or who suffers through poverty may have the same potential as students from a great family and a clean suburban area.
Lastly, another topic that came to my interest was what a teacher can and cannot get fired for. I can't believe a teacher cannot get arrested for smoking marijuana but could get fired for making homosexual moves on another teacher. What is this world coming to? I also think the whole issue of having a sex change can lead to termination is ridiculous. I know great people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. It doesn't affect how they do their jobs. If a teacher is any of the above, PUBLICLY, I think that it is his or her choice and I think that it shouldn't affect what goes on in the classroom.
Getting to the issue on upper vs. lower class, it is a big problem in American schools today. Children are automatically branded by other students and teachers by where and who they grow up with. It is a shame because students who may come from a family with domestic violence or who suffers through poverty may have the same potential as students from a great family and a clean suburban area.
Lastly, another topic that came to my interest was what a teacher can and cannot get fired for. I can't believe a teacher cannot get arrested for smoking marijuana but could get fired for making homosexual moves on another teacher. What is this world coming to? I also think the whole issue of having a sex change can lead to termination is ridiculous. I know great people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. It doesn't affect how they do their jobs. If a teacher is any of the above, PUBLICLY, I think that it is his or her choice and I think that it shouldn't affect what goes on in the classroom.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Case Study # 2 // Online Quiz
When I read this Case Study, I was pretty shocked. I also took the brief on-line quiz about what teachers can get fired for. I only got one answer wrong. I wasn't sure they could neccessarily get FIRED for cursing in class.
I linked the reading to the quiz because even though Julie Amero was only a substitute teacher, her whole career is now in jeopardy. I think that the school totally misunderstood Julie's plea. Honestly, what I got out of the Case Study is that she tried desperately to try to get help turning the computer off and there wasn't a response because she was "only a substute." I think that schools need to pay more attention to substitute teachers bceause nine times out of ten, they are our future teachers.
This Case Study disturbed me greatly because I think that the school did not give Julie a chance. She claimed she tried to find different people throughout the whole day and she even consulted with the assistant principal after school and toook the time to call the next day to talk to the principal.
I think that it is the school's responsiblity to make sure each electronic device is turned off if the teacher is not in the classroom. I remember when I was both in elementary and high school the computers were not allowed on unless our teacher was in school. To be on the safe side, the school in which Julie was subbing at, should have been more strict with thier policies.
I linked the reading to the quiz because even though Julie Amero was only a substitute teacher, her whole career is now in jeopardy. I think that the school totally misunderstood Julie's plea. Honestly, what I got out of the Case Study is that she tried desperately to try to get help turning the computer off and there wasn't a response because she was "only a substute." I think that schools need to pay more attention to substitute teachers bceause nine times out of ten, they are our future teachers.
This Case Study disturbed me greatly because I think that the school did not give Julie a chance. She claimed she tried to find different people throughout the whole day and she even consulted with the assistant principal after school and toook the time to call the next day to talk to the principal.
I think that it is the school's responsiblity to make sure each electronic device is turned off if the teacher is not in the classroom. I remember when I was both in elementary and high school the computers were not allowed on unless our teacher was in school. To be on the safe side, the school in which Julie was subbing at, should have been more strict with thier policies.
My Shadowing Day - October 17, 2007
Wow, Wednesday was a LONG day. You really do not know how much work it is to be a teacher. You have to be prepared, organized, and READY for changes that come throughout the day. My experience went great, and the day went very fast as well.
To begin, school starts at 8:25 am. The teachers are usually there by 7:30-8:00. The classroom is clean, neat, and ready for the children to learn in beforehand. Class objectives are written on the board with the date to help children get organized. Class starts with a journal entry for the day and within a few minutes of being in class... the school announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance comes on the loudspeaker. One of the announcements was that the faculty meeting that I was planning to attend was canceled due to the teacher-conventions in the following week.
I was in a Language Arts class throughout the whole day, and at this particular school... 5Th graders do not necessarily "switch classes," like in Middle School settings, but they do not keep the same teacher for the full day of school. My morning class was my site liaison's homeroom class. Students were separated into 5 groups of 6 kids. Each group had a specific task to do. For example, reading, writing, revising, or speaking with the teacher. Discipline rules were set out by the teacher and were enforced greatly. Any student who opened his/her mouth during the assignment got the proper punishment of moving to another side of the room and being forced to the the work independently. The teacher had a site of strict rules that the children needed to follow. I think it was a great idea to get students to focus more on their work than leaving the room every two minutes.
From about 9:45-11:45 the class did this activity with only one break [for library class]. The librarian was not in school that day so there was a substitute. When the students had library class, the teacher had a prep period when she walked around and talked to the student teacher and I about her experiences over the years.
At 11:45-12:15[12:30] it was lunchtime. Lunch goes SO fast when you are constantly on the go. By the time you finish your last bite it was OFF TO CLASS once again!
From 12:30-2:55 there was a second group of students who seemed to be better behaved than the first group of students. They did the same activities as the morning class and around 2:20-2:30, had a Social Studies lesson that was prepared by the student teacher.
Before I knew it, the time was 2:55 and it was time to go. I would definitely like to go back to the school system where I was on Wednesday for another learning experience. I wish I could have more experience teaching the class, rather than just observing! Well, my time will come.
As for both the site liaison and the student teacher, they both were very nice and polite to me. They gave me their email addresses and told me to keep in contact with them. They both reassured me that I will love what I do if I put my heart into it.
For me, shadowing was a great experience and I cannot wait to go back into a classroom setting and be the teacher rather than the student.
To begin, school starts at 8:25 am. The teachers are usually there by 7:30-8:00. The classroom is clean, neat, and ready for the children to learn in beforehand. Class objectives are written on the board with the date to help children get organized. Class starts with a journal entry for the day and within a few minutes of being in class... the school announcements and the Pledge of Allegiance comes on the loudspeaker. One of the announcements was that the faculty meeting that I was planning to attend was canceled due to the teacher-conventions in the following week.
I was in a Language Arts class throughout the whole day, and at this particular school... 5Th graders do not necessarily "switch classes," like in Middle School settings, but they do not keep the same teacher for the full day of school. My morning class was my site liaison's homeroom class. Students were separated into 5 groups of 6 kids. Each group had a specific task to do. For example, reading, writing, revising, or speaking with the teacher. Discipline rules were set out by the teacher and were enforced greatly. Any student who opened his/her mouth during the assignment got the proper punishment of moving to another side of the room and being forced to the the work independently. The teacher had a site of strict rules that the children needed to follow. I think it was a great idea to get students to focus more on their work than leaving the room every two minutes.
From about 9:45-11:45 the class did this activity with only one break [for library class]. The librarian was not in school that day so there was a substitute. When the students had library class, the teacher had a prep period when she walked around and talked to the student teacher and I about her experiences over the years.
At 11:45-12:15[12:30] it was lunchtime. Lunch goes SO fast when you are constantly on the go. By the time you finish your last bite it was OFF TO CLASS once again!
From 12:30-2:55 there was a second group of students who seemed to be better behaved than the first group of students. They did the same activities as the morning class and around 2:20-2:30, had a Social Studies lesson that was prepared by the student teacher.
Before I knew it, the time was 2:55 and it was time to go. I would definitely like to go back to the school system where I was on Wednesday for another learning experience. I wish I could have more experience teaching the class, rather than just observing! Well, my time will come.
As for both the site liaison and the student teacher, they both were very nice and polite to me. They gave me their email addresses and told me to keep in contact with them. They both reassured me that I will love what I do if I put my heart into it.
For me, shadowing was a great experience and I cannot wait to go back into a classroom setting and be the teacher rather than the student.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Today's Orientation
Today was the first day that our class visited the school we are going to be observing. First, I have to say that I was simply amazed by how nice the school was and how nice the particular part of Newark was! People always criticize how the city is, and like I mentioned in my previous blog... you never know until you are there for yourself. Overall, I really enjoyed my experience today and I look forward to working with my site liazon.
I particuluary enjoyed getting to associate with certain members of the facolty. Every person was very polite and encouraging and really helped me understand key points [within the brief 5 minute period]. I got a lot of information out of the first year teacher, the union representive, and the student teachers. Anything I agree more with is the fact that people were HONEST with you. I think that the student teachers blunty told you what to expect in the next couple of years and I also liked how the first year teacher told us her experience and how she had first day jitters, but that will all go away with time. The union representative also helped our group with several key factors that we should know and how teaching as a career has many benefits. I am pretty thankful that my mother works in the school system and already advised me as much as she could on the teacher's union. More more aspect of today's meeting was the Parent Association. I think it is a GREAT idea for parents to volunteer in their children's schools to help not only their children get more involved, but also give back to the community at the same time.
Lastly, the tour, though brief was very nice. All the classrooms seem to be pretty technology-advanced, as in my town's new school and will be very helpful to students. Our tour guides were so proud to show us around! My site liazon was very polite to me and she seems like she will be a very nice woman to work with. I booked my full-day shadowing for this coming Wednesday, October 17th. Like menitoned before, I am looking forward to working with her and will definitely keep the class updated on what happens during the day! I also chose to attend a meeting on Wednesday as well. We'll see how everything goes!
Until then!
I particuluary enjoyed getting to associate with certain members of the facolty. Every person was very polite and encouraging and really helped me understand key points [within the brief 5 minute period]. I got a lot of information out of the first year teacher, the union representive, and the student teachers. Anything I agree more with is the fact that people were HONEST with you. I think that the student teachers blunty told you what to expect in the next couple of years and I also liked how the first year teacher told us her experience and how she had first day jitters, but that will all go away with time. The union representative also helped our group with several key factors that we should know and how teaching as a career has many benefits. I am pretty thankful that my mother works in the school system and already advised me as much as she could on the teacher's union. More more aspect of today's meeting was the Parent Association. I think it is a GREAT idea for parents to volunteer in their children's schools to help not only their children get more involved, but also give back to the community at the same time.
Lastly, the tour, though brief was very nice. All the classrooms seem to be pretty technology-advanced, as in my town's new school and will be very helpful to students. Our tour guides were so proud to show us around! My site liazon was very polite to me and she seems like she will be a very nice woman to work with. I booked my full-day shadowing for this coming Wednesday, October 17th. Like menitoned before, I am looking forward to working with her and will definitely keep the class updated on what happens during the day! I also chose to attend a meeting on Wednesday as well. We'll see how everything goes!
Until then!
Monday, October 8, 2007
Monday, October 8, 2007
I am not going to lie. A 2 1/2 hour class on long readings can seem a bit overwhelming at times, but some parts of the discussion really hit home for me. I personally liked today's readings because I feel closely linked to them. All of us encounter the college tuition problems. I come from a good family with two working parents and I have a 3.94 GPA.. yet I still PAY for college. My SAT's weren't to Montclair's liking - so I'm not helped out...
Besides that issue.. the foster care article got to me. My parents took in a 15-year old boy back in 2000. He was a special education student who came from a broken family with no money and his father dropped dead unexpectedly. His family came from a drug-invested background and there was a lot of domestic violence. When his family got evicted, my parents took control. He was on the honor roll, attending school everyday, and working part-time. Once his mother needed him to go back home to help pay rent for the family's new apartment... he quit school, got hooked on drugs, got arrested periodically, and wound up overdosing on drugs. My parents helped this kid out. In my opinion, if he would have stayed with us.. he would still be here. Foster families aren't as bad as you think.
As for the statitistics... I was quite shocked how society viewed the importance of education. It is almost a shame that the parents, students, teachers, and pricipals come so low on the education scale also because they are the people that you think of when you say the world "school." It is ridiculous how
Besides that issue.. the foster care article got to me. My parents took in a 15-year old boy back in 2000. He was a special education student who came from a broken family with no money and his father dropped dead unexpectedly. His family came from a drug-invested background and there was a lot of domestic violence. When his family got evicted, my parents took control. He was on the honor roll, attending school everyday, and working part-time. Once his mother needed him to go back home to help pay rent for the family's new apartment... he quit school, got hooked on drugs, got arrested periodically, and wound up overdosing on drugs. My parents helped this kid out. In my opinion, if he would have stayed with us.. he would still be here. Foster families aren't as bad as you think.
As for the statitistics... I was quite shocked how society viewed the importance of education. It is almost a shame that the parents, students, teachers, and pricipals come so low on the education scale also because they are the people that you think of when you say the world "school." It is ridiculous how
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Readings for this week... [October 8, 2007]
Starting with the brief reading about Newark... I think that areas are looked down upon because of stereotypic things that go on in this world. For example, when I found out we were going to be shadowing in Newark, I'm not going to lie.. I was nervous. That weekend I saw a shirt saying, "Newark, We're not in Kansas Anymore," with Dorothy and two shot guns in her hand. It is not all about the "killings." Newark is a very prosperious area with a lot of rich history behind it. Rutgers University, the new Devil's stadium, and Newark International Airport are just a few of Newark's fascinating features. Until we go to the school, until we observe the children, and until we see for ourselves how the area is.. there is no room for comments.
As for the article about the Education Bank, I think that this is a great idea! Having an education bank will, if anything, only improve society's schools. Teachers are in this thing called a "union" that I was raised to know, will fight for your job. I think that it would be a great idea if the teachers union got together and saved some money in an American Education Bank simply bceause if something ever does happen, like Hurrican Katrina, the bank will have extra money in it to spare rebuiling. Another positive side of the Education Bank is to help urban schools get more advanced to help even under privedlged children earn a good education like suburban-area students.
The longest article, [which my printer ran out of ink], made me think as well. I think that somewhere in the government's long agenda.. there should be more money funded for urban schools. They should be able to have the same ability to produce education as suburban areas. Teachers in both suburburan and urban areas should also be compensated for their duties. Especially for urban-area schools, teahcers should be paid more money because of issues that go on in cities. For example, poverty, domestic problems, and little things like hygiene issues should be look at as well. Teachers of urban schools not only have to perform the duty as a teacher but also at least try to ensure that their students are coming to school trying to have the best enviornment to learn in. Its a very tricky situation to be in, but government has to have some kind of money to help ensure the education of all students.. that's another reason to go back to the previous article and keep a bank for educational purposes only.
As for the article about the Education Bank, I think that this is a great idea! Having an education bank will, if anything, only improve society's schools. Teachers are in this thing called a "union" that I was raised to know, will fight for your job. I think that it would be a great idea if the teachers union got together and saved some money in an American Education Bank simply bceause if something ever does happen, like Hurrican Katrina, the bank will have extra money in it to spare rebuiling. Another positive side of the Education Bank is to help urban schools get more advanced to help even under privedlged children earn a good education like suburban-area students.
The longest article, [which my printer ran out of ink], made me think as well. I think that somewhere in the government's long agenda.. there should be more money funded for urban schools. They should be able to have the same ability to produce education as suburban areas. Teachers in both suburburan and urban areas should also be compensated for their duties. Especially for urban-area schools, teahcers should be paid more money because of issues that go on in cities. For example, poverty, domestic problems, and little things like hygiene issues should be look at as well. Teachers of urban schools not only have to perform the duty as a teacher but also at least try to ensure that their students are coming to school trying to have the best enviornment to learn in. Its a very tricky situation to be in, but government has to have some kind of money to help ensure the education of all students.. that's another reason to go back to the previous article and keep a bank for educational purposes only.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Class Discussion - 10/1/07
Today's class was quite interesting. I enjoyed our discussion on the various articles.. especially the history as part of a standardized testing practice. Maybe I am old-fashioned, but I am not even into the idea that students should be judged based on a test... especially something like the SAT's. Anyway, if children are going to be tested, the best way to go about it is testing based on EVERYTHING things - like math, reading, and writing. Science and history in my opinion, aren't neccessarily as important to be tested about on standardized tests. Not that I think they are not important, but if society is going to test these students, at least test on something that is used everyday.. not cells and plants.
As for bilingual classes, it's a 50/50 kind of attitude. Some parts of me say.. teaching a language is a great idea while some other parts of me say that today's teachers have not teaching language classes as they should. I think that a more varied list of languages should be offered in public schools including, polish, italian, german, and chinese. It is important - if we want to keep a salad bowl kind of society, that we welcome all languages and cultures instead of just spanish. [I use the language of spanish because that is offered in many schools today.]
As for bilingual classes, it's a 50/50 kind of attitude. Some parts of me say.. teaching a language is a great idea while some other parts of me say that today's teachers have not teaching language classes as they should. I think that a more varied list of languages should be offered in public schools including, polish, italian, german, and chinese. It is important - if we want to keep a salad bowl kind of society, that we welcome all languages and cultures instead of just spanish. [I use the language of spanish because that is offered in many schools today.]
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