Reading and Class Discussion for November 12th

Today's class seemed to drag a bit today because I wasn't feeling well. I had a severe migraine, but no worries, some parts of me were still in class!

To start off my blog for today.. I want talk about the headlines. For the first headline, it discussed a teacher refusing to give the test to students. As a new teacher, or even as a seasoned teacher, I do not think that I would have the nerve to go against the system and just refuse to give the test. I think that today's standards are so set so high for students that teachers actually feel bad for them. It still is part of the state's requirements; therefore, it is a teacher's job to do what he or she is forced to do.

For the second headline, it brings up the topic of whether or not it is indeed helpful or not to keep a child back a grade. I think it all depends on the age level and social and behavioral skills the student has. Like we mentioned in class, parents never really want to face the fact that their child isn't adapting well in the classroom and often do not want their child "labeled," but in some cases, it is better because they will get the help that is needed. I think if the child is going to be left back, it is better to do it while they are younger so they will grow and mature with the right group of people at the right time. Skipping a grade is another big question. Sometimes a child who is in the 3rd grade is reading at a 6Th grade level, but is it a wise decision to skip the grade? Sometimes it is better off keeping children where they belong in age-wise classrooms.

Getting to the point of inclusion: I think that inclusion can be a good thing. I have many friends who have ADD or ADHD and were never technically "picked on" because of their learning disability. I think that it is in the child's BEST interest to get the extra help that he or she needs. As for the Gifted and Talented children as well, I think that schools should at least try to provide programs to help them get along as well.

Lastly, I wanted to make a brief comment on the last video clip we watched. There were two teachers with two children [with different ages], who were acting up in class. I think that both scenarios depended on race, the ages of the students, the teachers [because they were both first-year teachers], the families of the students, and lastly, whether or not the children were academically gifted or not. The black boy had a black teacher. I think that it may have been a different situation if he had a white teacher. On the other hand, the white boy had a white teacher, I think that he would have had a different scenario as well. Also, both students were males with female teachers. Maybe if the boys had male teachers, they would respect them more? The younger boy's parents came in to school when he was acting up... GREAT idea. The boy disappointed his father and I think that by bringing the parents into school.. the teacher really got her point across to the boy. The other boy though probably will not have as important lasting effect because his family wasn't notified, and he can easily forge his parent's signature.