NCLB, Acheivement Gap, Alternative Assessment

This presentation was both fun and informative. The variety in the activities made it very easy to stay engaged and excited. I really liked how the group opened up with a game. It was fun and gave us a quick overview of the three topics we would be covering in the presentation. I liked how the three stations were all very different because I could take away something different from each one. At the alternative assessment station, I liked how we were given resources (which I would have liked to keep!) and got to apply it right away to different students. I'm a huge fan of alternative assessment and certainly want to use them in my classroom in any way possible. The achievement gap station was a lot of fun, but some of the statistics were quite scary. This station certainly got me thinking about all the ways students can be affected. The No Child Left Behind station was an interactive way to learn about the many different issues we have in our schools. My group focused on differing state standards and how students can be affected by these. It is unfortunate when students can't reach their highest potential just because they suddenly had to move. Overall, I found this presentation to be interactive, extremely informative, and personable. Great job, ladies!

Philosophy Impact

My personal philosophy of education will impact my future classroom in a lot of different ways. This impact will determine my effectiveness as a teacher and I am hoping for it to be a positive one! My philosophy will affect classroom organization, student motivation, discipline, assessment, classroom climate, technology integration, learning focus and teaching and leadership styles.

Classroom Organization
As a teacher, I want my classroom to be welcoming, organized, and full of books. I want my students to feel comfortable and excited to be in my classroom. I want student work on the walls and a work station that has a variety of supplies that students can borrow (pens, pencils, glue, tape, rulers, markers, etc). It is important to me that everything has a place. I want an organized desk and many organized shelves. I would like to have an entire bookshelf dedicated to books and magazines that my students would be able to sign out and borrow.

Motivation
After putting together a presentation on motivation, I certainly have some better ideas about how I would like to motivate my students. The most important thing is to connect the students to what they are learning. One way to do this is by connecting it to their interests. A student will get more excited about something if it is something they enjoy doing. Along with that, I also believe in the importance of giving students choice. This is time for students to develop a sense of responsibility. One of my favorite ways to motivate students is through the use of technology. Students can use their laptops to do a lot more than just type a paper, and I intend to use it to its full potential in the classroom.

Discipline and Classroom Climate
For me, discipline isn’t about punishment. It has a lot to do with positive and negative reinforcement. Students will learn better from being told when they are doing something correctly as opposed to be being punished when they do something wrong. When a student does act out in class, it is important to deal with it immediately. I certainly don’t believe in sending students to the principal’s office because it doesn’t really teach them anything. I would much rather find a way to turn their negative behavior into a positive one. I want my students to feel comfortable in my classroom at all times. I will not tolerate bullying, interrupting or inappropriate language. From the beginning, I want to establish a set of rules (created with the students’ help) that everyone understands and agrees with.

Assessment and Teaching Style
The key here is variety. Tests are helpful on occasion, but I don’t see myself using them on a regular basis. I like the idea of projects that require many skills in order to show what has been learned. There are many ways I could do this. One of my favorite projects in high school was based on choosing from the multiple intelligences. We could sing, draw, write, organize, relate it to nature, etc. Our options felt endless and it made it very enjoyable to design the project in our own way. This is the best way for students to show what they have learned. I also intend on using a variety of teaching styles within the classroom. Discussion, collaboration and blogging are some instructional strategies I would love to use on a regular basis. I am a firm believer in formative assessment and would like to make sure that my students are on the same page as me throughout the entire lesson.

Technology Integration
I believe that technology integration is crucial to helping students better learn the material. It is interactive and provides an opportunity for exploration and collaboration. I also want to make sure that I am not using it to say that I am using it. In other words, I want to use it in an effective and productive way. There are so many great websites and programs out there that I would love to implement in my classroom. I want students to be aware of them and know how to use them, but be able to choose the ones that work best for them.

Learning Focus
The student should always be at the center of the learning. Students are the ones doing the learning and therefore, the focus should be on them and their differences. I am one person. My students will all be very different and my lessons need to reach each and every one of them. I believe in giving them some choice when it comes to learning and showcasing that learning.

Leadership Style
Over the past few years, I have found myself in many different leadership positions. I’ve come a long way to get to the point that I am at now when it comes to being comfortable as a leader. I want my students to look up to me and I want my colleagues to respect me. I intend to stand up for what I believe in and want to encourage my students to do the same. In the classroom, I want to start a conversation that my students can effectively take over and have it on their own.

Technology Integration

Today's presentation about technology really got me thinking about some of the issues that can come from having technology in the classroom. Sometimes, at schools with limited technology, it is hard to figure out who gets to use it and when. I also learned about positive ways to use it. The opening discussion was a good way to get us thinking about the topic of technology. I do, however, wish we had focused more on the history. We started to have some good conversation, but I feel like we very quickly glossed over it. Polleverywhere.com is an interesting concept and I certainly feel like I could find a way to use it in my classroom in a number of different ways. Of course, I will have to be aware of the students that may not have a texting plan. The scenarios were interesting and we had some good discussion, but I wish there had been more variety. At the very least, I think I would have liked to use technology a lot more. Overall, though, it certainly got me thinking and excited about using technology in my classroom.

Promising Futures

Abstract
Promising Futures: A Call to Improve Learning for Maine’s Secondary Students is a comprehensive report put together by the Department of Education and the Maine Commission on Secondary Education. Originally published in September 1998, the document reviews the effectiveness of Maine high schools by looking at schools that were doing well and schools that were struggling. In order to provide a better chance for all schools, this document highlights six Core Principles and fifteen Core Practices that all schools should embrace. The six core principles include the following:

1. A safe, respectful and caring environment
2. High universal expectations with a variety of learning opportunities
3. Understanding and actions based on assessment data
4. Teacher practice which values and builds upon the contributions and needs of the learner
5. Equitable and democratic practices
6. Coherence among mission, goals, actions, and outcomes

These six core principles create a list of goals for schools to reach for. In order to reach these goals, they can follow the fifteen core practices highlighted in this document. They break the practices down even further: statement, rationale, essential elements and a snapshot from within the classroom. The first eight focus on learning and teaching practices. The final seven focus on school practices that support learning and teaching. There are, however, other certain practices that are getting in the way of the core fifteen. These include, but are not limited to, the following: confining schedules, teachers being responsible for too many students, ineffective study halls, etc. The fist step to fixing our schools might be to eliminate some of these older practices and start embracing change. The document closes with a the belief that schools can’t necessarily do this on their own. It provides a number of helpful tips for involving other people and groups in the process. The document also opens and closes with a profile of a high school student as positive changes are taking place within the school.

Reflection
I found this document to be both interesting and encouraging. There may be some schools in Maine that still haven’t reached the proper level, but I believe this document does a good job determining what changes need to be made. I particularly enjoyed the section with the fifteen core practices. I like how the practices highlight the importance of individuality and that all students learn differently. Teachers need to understand that different students will make sense of the material in a different way. It is important to embrace this in the classroom as much as possible. Of the fifteen practices, I believe I connected with practice 12 the most. As a student who never really felt like I was academically on the same level as other students, being aware of developmental stages plays a strong role in my philosophy. Core Practice 12 stresses the importance that “Every staff member understands adolescent learning and developmental needs, possesses diverse instructional skills, and is a constructive model for youth.” I agree with this completely. It is important to meet the needs of all students. In order to do this, it is important to understand that all students are going to be at different stages of development.

Voices Reflection

Upon reading The History and Philosophy of Education: Voices of Educational Pioneers, I found myself connecting to a number of different philosophers. In some cases, I agreed with parts of it and disagreed with other parts of it. But throughout the entire packet, the five philosophers that I connected with the most are Comenius, Pestalozzi, Dewey, Tyler and Piaget.

Comenius
I agreed with Comenius’ ideas about how education should be universal for all, regardless of social background, religion, sex or intellectual ability. A person should never be denied an education. I liked how he was willing to teach everyone and believed that “all could be educated to some degree.” He also had the right idea with teaching students according to the developmental level of the child. Students go through stages as they get older and won’t always be learning in the same ways. As they get older, students can handle more abstract ideas. I also believe in the importance of teaching to the different intelligences, while also bringing in student interest whenever possible. Like Comenius, I believe that students should feel comfortable, but also challenged in the classroom.

Pestalozzi
I fond Pestalozzi’s philosophy to be quite similar to Comenius’ in the sense that, as teachers, we are teaching the whole child. He also put a lot focus on the developmental issues and the importance of emotional and social needs. These needs will change from week to week and it is important to embrace them in the classroom. I liked his idea of completing one stage of learning before moving onto the next. We can’t expect students to understand a certain concept, if they didn’t understand the concept that precedes it. I also agree that education should not be denied to anyone, no matter how poor or disabled.

Dewey
I think Dewey is spot on with the use of hands-on activities in the classroom. I’ve always been the type of person that learns better by doing and I know that I will have students similar to me in my classroom. Cooperative learning is also a big part of keeping students engaged. Meaningful interactions with peers can be more beneficial than lecture by the teacher. I also agree that students should have some say in their education. Choice is a very powerful motivator. If students enjoy what they are doing in school, they will be more likely to learn and retain the information.

Tyler
I think Tyler might be the philosopher that I connected with the most. I agree with Tyler’s ideas about the purpose of life and school. Learning shouldn’t be limited to one’s time in school. Learning should be a lifelong process that is constantly challenged and adapted. School should teach students how to learn through the development of problem-solving skills that they can carry with them into life after school. I really like the idea of educational programs that interest the students, meet their needs and prepare them for college. His life philosophy was also very interesting: “Before I go to sleep I always ask myself three things: one, what did I learn; two, what did it mean; and three, how can I use it?”

Piaget
I love Piaget’s theories about cognitive development and the importance of them within education. I agree that each student is going to be at a different stage of development and as a teacher, I will need to individualize instruction to meet the needs of my students. Although I like the idea of learning centers, I’m not sure this would be appropriate in all classrooms. It would work very well in an elementary classroom, but might be more of a distraction at the middle or high school level. I also believe in Piaget’s purpose of schooling as “helping children to learn to think, to discover, and create.” Collaboration among students is a great way to foster this purpose in the classroom. It is important for students to discuss abstract ideas and learn together.

Student-Centered and Teacher-Centered Philosophies

Teachers are bound to have different ideas in the areas of classroom management, teaching styles, motivation, etc. The eight education philosophies are broken down into two categories: teacher-centered and student-centered. The eight philosophies are perennialism, essentialism, behaviorism, positivism, progressivism, humanism, reconstructionism, and constructivism.

Teacher-Centered Educational Philosophies

Perennialism is a theory focused on humans and ideas. Ideas are relevant and meaningful throughout time. Little importance is placed on what students are interested in. They believe in the importance of ideas that are universal to everyone. There is a strong focus on scientific reasoning and mathematics because they never change.

Essentialism is a theory that wants to achieve a common core of information and skills for all individuals in a given culture. Essentialists believe in working hard and mental discipline. They put more focus on basic core information that will help students survive today, and therefore spend less time on ideas of the past. They accept that the core information will change as time goes on. Subject matters include literature, history, foreign languages, and religion. Teachers use a variety of methods: required reading, lectures, memorization, repetition and exams.

Behaviorism is a “psychological theory and educational philosophy that holds that one’s behavior is determined by environment, not heredity” (Johnson et al., 110). One argument of this theory is that the classroom environment can have a large effect on how students will behave. The most effective environment is one that is organized. Reinforcement plays another important role in behaviorism. This includes both positive (praise, privileges, good grades) and negative (reprimands, extra homework, low grades) reinforcers. The way a teacher reacts to the action of a student determines whether or not that student will repeat the action.

Positivism rejects any information that cannot be formally measured. It “limits knowledge to statements of observable fact based on sense perceptions and the investigation of objective reality” (111-12). It is the teachers job to make sure directions are clear and students understand what and how they will be learning. Through repetition and practice with different media, students are expected to have a clear understanding of the topic studied. Heavy focus is placed on testing students to ensure that all criteria have been met.

Student-Centered Educational Philosophies

Progressivism is a more developed version of pragmatism, emphasizing that “ideas should be tested by experimentation and that learning is rooted in questions developed by learners” (114). They believe that human experience is far more important than authority when it comes to learning. Like pragmatists, progressivists believe that change is occurring and should be embraced rather than ignored. Progressivism is all about organized freedom that allows students to take responsibility for their actions in the classroom.

Humanism is “concerned with enhancing the innate goodness of the individual” (115). Its focus is on individual development through a process of developing a free, self-actualizing person. Education should start with the individual and the choices made by the individual. The humanistic classroom is welcoming and caring. Students feel comfortable to share their thoughts, feelings, beliefs, fears, and aspirations with each other.

Reconstructionism is a philosophy that centers on the idea of constant change. The world is always changing and we need to change in order to adapt to the changes that are occurring. Reconstructionists like to focus on “reconstructing” one area of society. Curriculum is focused on student experience and taking social action on real issues such as violence, hunger, inequality, etc. Students are taught how to deal and ultimately fix these issues.

Constructivism “emphasizes developing personal meaning through hands-on, activity-based teaching and learning” (117). Teachers are responsible for creating effective learning situations rather than constantly lecturing students. Personal meaning is the best way for students to connect to the material being taught. Constructivist theorists “encourage the development of critical thinking and the understanding of big ideas rather than the mastery of factual information” (117). They believe that students will be more prepared for the ever-changing world if they learn how to develop critical thinking skills. Unlike traditional ways of learning, the constructivist classroom focuses on the way a learner internalizes, shapes, or transforms information.

Reflection
Although I see a small piece of most of these philosophies within myself, I think the one I can connect to the most is constructivism. I strongly believe in hands-on, activity based learning that is focused on the students as individuals. It is important for students to learn in a way that is interesting to them. I also like the idea of creating learning situations instead of lecturing students. This gives students the chance to learn the same material in a much more personal and interactive way. Another philosophy I find myself relating to is progressivism. It is very similar to pragmatism (which is another theory I connect to) in the sense that theorists in this philosophy are always moving forward. I agree that it is important for students to take part of the responsibility in the classroom.

Discipline

I absolutely loved the setup of this presentation by Sara and Ryan. They did a great job providing an overview through various activities. The Line Game is a classic, and I'm not sure I'll ever get sick of playing it. It was a great way to get us in the mind set of discipline in the classroom. I have taken a discipline style quiz before, and I believe I had the same result: authoritative. I believe in independence and giving students reason for what I have them do in the classroom. They way they grouped us was effective because of how like-minded we were based on the quiz. Acting out scenarios is another activity that I probably won't get sick of for a while. It really helps to understand the differences between what's right and wrong. They're also a lot of fun! The book activity was a good one because it is funny to see how things have changed since the 80s. Teachers were allowed to be much more harsh to the students. I'm glad things have changed because I would not feel comfortable hitting or humiliating students. The movie that they played at the end was hilarious. Even though the teacher's mistakes were very obvious from the beginning, it was helpful seeing the good and the bad back-to-back. Overall, I definitely feel like I learned a lot. It is important to be aware of the different discipline styles, as well as having a bag of tricks for those tricky scenarios that will most likely occur. Looking at the different resources is also a good reminder that there are resources out there for us to use. Some of them may suck, but there are certainly some that could probably help us out a lot. Great job, Sara and Ryan!

Teaching Hope: Empowerment

I really enjoyed story 144. It’s great that this teacher was even allowed to take the students on such a unique field trip. By meeting with the mayor, the students were allowed to voice their concerns to a very real audience. They were very enthusiastic and stood strong in their beliefs. This is a great lesson for any middle school student. If you want something to change, you have to do something about it. Not every problem is going to fix itself. Making a “toast for change” showed the students that speaking up is the first step and getting someone (like the mayor) to listen is the next step. These kids are affected by so many different issues on a daily basis, that teachers may not even notice what’s happening. I really like how their experiences shine through the “toasts for change” being made.

Story 146 really made me happy. I love how determined Mike’s peers were when he decided he wanted to drop out of high school at the end of his sophomore year. Students and teachers alike were not willing to let him go. I would love to work in a school that’s really more like a community. I think it’s an important part of learning. It also must have planted a seed in Mike’s brain because even though he left for a little while, he was back before the school year had ended. I’m really glad the teacher never gave up on him and even graded his final paper. Overall, this story makes me think about how stressful life can get and how sometimes, it seems like it would be easier to just give up. Students are probably going to reach this point and as teachers, we need to know what to do when it happens.

Four Philosophies: Idealism, Realism, Pragmatism, Existentialism

Abstract
The education philosophy can be broken down into four main schools of thought: Idealism, Realism, Pragmatism and Existentialism. Each school of thought has at least one philosopher who would be considered the forerunner of the school. Idealism, for example, is based on the early writings of Plato. Realism is based on the thinking of Aristotle. Pragmatism s based on the thoughts of a number of nineteenth-century American philosophers. Existentialism is based on the writings of Jean-Paul Sartre. Each school also discusses what and how we should teach students.

Idealism
Idealists stress the importance of learning ideas and concepts. They believe in reasoning but question the use of scientific method and sense perception. They have the most confidence in ideas that remain constant through time and place. When it comes to teaching students, idealists believe in sharing ideas and great works that are universal, as well as long-lived. They believe all students should have at least one teacher who they look up to, so they can learn cultural norms. In the classroom, idealists put a lot of focus on lecture, discussion and imitation.

Realism
Unlike idealists, realists highly recommend the use of scientific investigation and senses in order to learn. They put focus on the physical world, arguing that reality, knowledge and value exist independent of the mind. This physical world is composed of matter. Realists believe that schools should promote human rationality through observation and experimentation. A lot of responsibility is placed on the teacher to have the right background and information. Realist teachers believe in the importance of experimental learning. In order to learn, students have to take a hands-on approach.

Pragmatism
Pragmatists place their focus on the idea of change. This constant change results in people having to understand what it means to know. Pragmatists believe that knowing represents an exchange between the leaner and the environment. They also believe that truth and values are always changing because the people who have those values change with the surrounding environment. For pragmatists, the most important thing for schools to teach is “how to question what we know and how to reconstruct what we know to match the changing world” (92). They put more focus on carefully solving problems and less on large amounts of information. They encourage problem solving through learner-centered problems such as student investigations and activities, providing technology and other resources, and encouraging students to collaborate with others.

Existentialism
Existentialists place their focus on the ideas of existence and essence. Individuals create their own meaning. Finding one’s purpose becomes a lifelong goal for existentialists. They believe in the importance of personal choice and reflection of knowledge. In school, they place importance on “developing a free, self-actualizing person” (94). This means having students discuss their lives and decisions they make. In the classroom, teachers place emphasis on asking questions and discovering one’s purpose in life. Students are given the chance to define themselves through how they live their lives.

Reflection
After reading these sections, I find myself to be a combination of two: realism and pragmatism. As a realist, I believe it is important for students to learn while doing. I also enjoy environments that are organized and logical. I agree that students should learn to recognize the pros and cons of different ideas. Realists understand the importance of these within the classroom. One aspect of pragmatism that appeals to me is the idea of how things are always changing. Ignoring this fact would have a negative effect in classroom. Teachers should take advantage of the changes that are occurring. It makes it easier for students to connect what they are learning to what is happening in the real world.

Multicultural Literature

I really enjoyed the Multicultural presentation by Ted, Andrew, and Corinne. It was great that they got us up and moving while also interacting with each other. I like how they broke it down into three major categories: gender/sexuality, religion, and curriculum as a whole. It really got me thinking about a lot of different issues. With gender/sexuality, I certainly see the importance of allowing related discussion into the classroom. I just get nervous about how parents may react to it. I would love to teach a book like Boy Meets Boy but I do wonder if angry parents would get involved. Something as simple as the children's book about the two kings caused a lot of uproar a couple years back, so I wouldn't be surprised. If I were to use a book like that in my classroom, I would have to clear it with my principal and probably even get permission from the parents. As for religion, I'm not sure I would want to use specific religious literature (like the Bible for example) but I certainly wouldn't ignore novels that highlight certain religions. I think it is important to expose students to many types of religion. It is okay to talk about, as long as I don't place a bias on one particular religion. These topics can't easily be ignored if we want to expose our students to a variety of literature that they can learn from. Parents and principals alike have to be aware of this. Ted's question at the end was also very thought-provoking. I definitely agree that schools should do a lot more than just add a little multiculturalism here and there. Schools should really consider reworking their entire curriculum. This might be expensive, but certainly worthwhile for the students and teachers.

The Story of Schools, Episode 4: 1980-2000

This video was interesting to watch because I actually lived through some of the years that were covered. It was interesting to see why certain things like standardized testing and charter schools came into existence. I don't know much about charter schools and what they do, so I was glad this video gave a quick overview of what they are. I also liked how they showed the opinions of the presidents throughout the video. The president has a pretty big effect on what happens in education and it's nice to see them get excited about different aspects of education. I was a little put off by George W Bush and how he believed that every student should be tested at every grade. That seems a little excessive and maybe even intimidating for the students. Every few years should be enough and might encourage students to take it seriously. One thing I wish the video had covered was the idea of tracking. I'm not sure when this idea came into practice, but I'm sort of on the fence with how I feel about it. Like most things, it has both pros and cons. It's good because it allows students to take the classes that interest them. But it's bad because it categorizes students from the beginning. This may cause them to feel limited in what they are "able" to take. So perhaps there is a better way. Maybe we could settle on a combination of the tracking and not tracking. For example, there could be one level for all students. Then, there could be a special interests course that students cold take if they wanted to. I do agree that students who are supposedly on a lower level shouldn't be treated as such, but I also believe that students who are supposedly on a higher level should be able to take a course that might challenge them in a different way than the base level. If this course existed, I don't believe it would be necessary to have an Honors or AP distinction. It would just simply be a course with a slightly different topic.

Teaching Hope: Rejuvenation

Story 115 really had me thinking about the importance of communication. I love the idea of having students write to pen pals from another part of the country. It gives students a real audience and allows them to relate to other students their age who may struggling with similar problems. I love how excited the students got when they received a new letter. Getting students to truly care about something in school is critical in order for them to learn something. It’s awesome that the students even had the opportunity to visit the other schools. It was probably scary and intimidating for the students, but a very important experience to have. It gives them perspective they may not be familiar with, which allows them to be more accepting and open.

Story 118 reminded me of the time I worked in a second grade classroom at Mallett. Once a week, the second graders would pair up with kindergarten students and read to each other. I loved watching how excited they all were to see each other. It gave the second graders a chance to share what they had learned and gave the kindergarteners a chance to practice in front of a friendly audience. It’s a great program. The one talked about in the story goes a step further. It takes sixth graders from one school and pairs them with kindergarteners from a very different school. Not only are the students connecting with others different in age, but also different in experience, which is very beneficial to all involved.

I really liked how the teacher in 130 stood up for herself. It wasn’t fair of the department head to repeatedly assign her to teach a class on African American history just because she was African American. I’m glad she finally decided to do something about it and actually got the principal to listen. I’m sure that particular teacher is capable of teaching more than just African American history and it might actually be good for the other students to hear some new perspectives from a different teacher. I’m just glad the principal actually did something to help the teacher, because that may not always be the case in other schools.

A Nation at Risk

Abstract
This article points out how far behind we were with schooling in the 1980s. Other countries were way ahead of us in business and commerce, as well as education. Without a good education, however, our citizens wouldn’t be able to make informed decisions, which would negatively impact our economy. With a number of heart wrenching statistics, this article shows that the US certainly has some room for improvement. The article, of course, lead to a lot of disagreement in the world of education. This is discussed in the article published twenty-five years later. A lot of educators believed the article was too harsh. Others however, believed it was completely necessary in order to progress education to the next level.

Reflection
Although a lot of people believed the original article to be too harsh, I think it was necessary to get the ball rolling. Some issues tend to get pushed aside when people get too busy with other things. Education isn’t something that should ever be pushed aside. Without education, our nation couldn’t possibly progress. Regardless, the tone probably could have been slightly more positive. The second article talks a lot about how harsh the original article was, but I think it’s important to remember that the school system probably wouldn’t be where it is now if it wasn’t for the article.

The Story of Schools, Episode 1: 1770-1890

This segment was particular interesting because prior to it, I had a hard time imagining what school must have been like back then. It’s awesome that so many people were interested in changing schools for the better of the students and teachers. This section focused on the evolution of the American Public School System, as well as the major inequities and how/if they were solved.

In the late 1700s, only the larger towns were required to build schools. Children in smaller towns were left to learn on their own. Some towns had Dame Schools, which mostly doubled as a daycare and was run by women. In school, students had a horn book (a pallet with the alphabet and one prayer) and the New England Primmer (used to teach reading and Protestant religion). By 1773, students were only spending less than 82 days in school. Slaves weren’t allowed to receive any sort of education and women only received enough education to get married and have children. Poor families couldn’t afford to stay in school. At this time, the state was probably taking better care of the livestock than the children. Thankfully, there were a number of people who were ready to make a change in the education system.

Noah Webster wanted to Americanize the students by removing anything that had to do with Britain. This meant all British textbooks, and even words, were removed from the classroom. He published the Blueback Speller which had new, American spellings and put a lot of focus on American history. Noah Webster was known as the schoolmaster of America. Thomas Jefferson believed that a successful democracy required a successful education for all citizens. He drafted a bill that stated everyone got three years of public education and a few advanced students would go on to college. Horace Mann, a politician from Massachusetts, believed that all students should have an equal chance to succeed. He became the Secretary of the Board of Education and rode a horse from district to district to checkup on the schools. He wrote detailed reports on each school’s condition. Eventually, he created what was known as Common Schools, which taught common knowledge that would give students an equal chance in life. It was free, high quality and didn’t know the difference between rich and poor students. It was funded by tax dollars. He standardized a lot of what we use now – chairs with backs, blackboards, etc. Bishop Hughes did a lot for Catholic schools. When the community started to get fed up with the Catholic schools using the public school funds, he tried his best to create a system of Catholic schools that wasn’t based on public funding.

I think the thing that surprised me the most about this portion was how early on desegregation had begun. In 1855, a law was passed to abolish segregation in Boston schools. And only ten years after that, slaves could finally learn how to read. Why the heck did it take another 100 years to finally get it right? Honestly, schools shouldn’t have to be scared into desegregation. Would that principal in Boston ever let in Roberts if her father hadn’t pushed for it? Probably not. It’s really too bad that it took so long for people to become accepting of each other. The same applies to women. Women weren’t respected as educators until they had no one left to teach the students. Katherine Beecher strongly believed that women were put on this earth to teach. She believed it was in their nature to be caregivers.

Teaching Hope: Disillusionment

Story seventy-eight really got my attention. I can’t even imagine being in that teacher’s shoes. It isn’t fair when the room isn’t big enough to accommodate the number of students within it. The principal’s reaction to the teacher is the most disheartening part about this whole story. All he can do is mention the fact that the teacher cried. It doesn’t occur to him that he should probably do something to prevent something like this from happening again in the future. I wouldn’t feel comfortable working in a school with a principal who wasn’t willing to help out. It’s too bad the teacher in this story didn’t at least stand up for herself and ask him to make some changes. At the very least, I would have gotten a group of teachers together to go talk some sense into him.

I’m not sure how I feel about story eighty-two. It’s awful how they expect one teacher to watch twenty to thirty misbehaved students for such a long period of time. This teacher was right in saying, “Isn’t there a better way to do this?” (Gruwell, 186). What are the students going to learn by sitting in a room with other students like them? An effective punishment has to somehow be related to the crime being punished. Community service is one example of this. If a student defaces school property, have them clean it up. It isn’t fair to the teachers to make them watch all of the students at once. Discipline should be individualized, much like learning.

Story 107 really got to me. It’s scary that after everything that teacher had done for the school and her students, she was still let go. It seems like sometimes the firing has nothing to do with who you are as a teacher. It’s almost as if it is now a game of luck. It’s unfortunate, but administrators can only do so much with the funding they receive. I wonder if it also has something to do with how long a teacher has taught at the school. Would administrators be more likely to fire a teacher who has done a great job but only been there for one year over a veteran teacher that still refuses to update his or her practices? It just doesn’t seem right. Regardless, the teacher in this story was pretty naïve in thinking teaching was a safe profession. It is competitive and political. These things can’t be ignored.

Teaching Hope: Engagement

Story number forty-eight caught my attention by making me think about the line between wanting to get to know your students and knowing too much. The teacher in this particular story believed in the privacy of his students. If they didn’t want him to read a particular journal entry, he skipped right over it. When Alli asked him to read one of her entries, he was excited to finally know more about her. The entry only lead to more questions so the teacher continued to dig. This seemed to annoy the student a little, but I suppose she did bring it on herself. And eventually, she wanted the teacher to read the entire journal. This is where the red flags went up for me. Although this was a school journal, it is hard to say what a student might write about. If I were in this teacher’s shoes, I would probably be curious as well, but I think I would be more scared than anything. You never really know what you might find out about a student. I think the teacher puts it very well when he says, “I wished I hadn’t pressed to find out about Alli’s parents” (Gruwell, 112). I feel like this is the type of position I would find myself in if this were to happen to me. As much as it might hurt to learn about the struggles your students endure on a daily basis, I suppose it might be a good idea to know what’s going on, at least to a certain extent.

Story number fifty-six made me laugh out loud. The classroom is certainly not a place for politics of any kind, except maybe in a social studies class come November. When that particular girl brought up the question about gay marriage, I’m not sure what I would have done, but I’m not sure I liked the way this teacher approached the question. Turning it back on her, was his first mistake. She clearly had something to say about it, or she wouldn’t be bringing it up. Maybe he could have explained how class time shouldn’t be spent discussing politics. If there had been any questioning people in the room at the time, I can’t imagine how they must have felt once Natasha shared her mind. His second mistake came with making her name the Ten Commandments. She certainly deserved it, but it wasn’t a good idea to call out the student in front of the whole class like that. His overall message behind his technique was certainly interesting though. I agree that students should be able to back up what they believe instead of just repeating what someone else believes.

The Story of Schools, Episode 3: 1950-1980

I really liked this video because of all the positive changes that were occurring. People were slowly starting to realize how important equality truly is, especially when it comes to education. I really liked seeing people push for equality. The inequities that were occurring during this time brought on a number of different reforms that were fully supported by Lyndon Johnson, the president at the time.

One of the biggest changes in this time period was from segregation to integration. African American children didn’t have the same resources as white children. They were forced to attend a different school, one that wasn’t quite up to par as the white schools. In fact, there were eighteen schools for whites and only four schools for African Americans. They weren’t receiving an equal education and they weren’t happy about it. One student, Linda Brown, and her family decided to do something about it. Her parents talked to one of the nearby white schools and tried to get her enrolled. When the principal refused, Brown’s family took it to court and fought it as hard as they could. Soon, they had decided to desegregate schools, but it still took some time for it to take full effect.

A second minority group that was suffering in this time period was Mexican Americans. They weren’t given the support they needed in school because teachers believed they weren’t smart enough to succeed. They weren’t even allowed to speak Spanish. If they did, they were forced to choose between receiving a slap or receiving detention. Finally, a group of Mexican Americans decided to write a letter to the school board making reasonable demands: no name calling and being allowed to speak Spanish. Until these demands were met, they decided to go on strike. Before long, there was the bilingual education act and Spanish was allowed to be spoken in schools.

Women were also struggling with rights during this time period. They were taught to be lady-like, domestic, and maternal. They learned to cook, clean, and sew. They were discouraged from playing sports and taking higher-level math and science classes. One woman in particular, Dorothy Raffel, loved playing basketball. When she tried out for the boy’s basketball team, they refused to let her play. Because of this, a girl’s “pick-up” team was created. This meant barely playing a game or two after school. They never got to travel or play other teams. Raffel kept fighting and eventually in 1972, Title IX was created, which allowed all women to be treated equal. If a school had a male sports team, they had to have a female version as well. There were also bias-free textbooks and co-ed activities.

Students with special needs weren’t receiving the help that they needed. In fact, 72% of special needs students weren’t even enrolled in schools. This gives them no opportunity to socialize with other students and absolutely no chance to try. It is truly disheartening that teachers and schools weren’t always willing to try at first. But soon, disabled students were allowed to come to school. It meant some very expensive changes, like ramps and automatic doors, but it was worth it to finally see those students attend school like everyone else.

Lyndon Johnson provides an interesting view as president because he was once a school teacher. He truly believed in the importance of equality and was willing to do whatever he could for minorities. He started the war on poverty and created Head Start, a program for children in low-income families. He also created low-cost college loans so more students would be more likely to attend college after high school. In 1964 he signed a bill that meant equality for all people. He even threatened to take funding away from schools who weren’t willing to fully integrate students.

The Story of Schools, Episode 2: 1900-1950

I found this video to be very interesting and informative. I haven’t really spent much time thinking about what school was like over a hundred years ago. So learning about it now, has been very eye-opening. I really enjoyed the stats that they gave at the beginning of each section. I especially enjoyed watching the stats, like percentage of 17-year-olds who graduate high school, improve as the years went on. This particular video put a lot of focus on immigration, IQ tests and change.

In the early 1900s, over 22 million (3 million children) immigrants came to America. The schools had to do something about this, but they weren’t sure what. The schools weren’t big enough to hold all of the students, so a lot of students were only allowed to attend school part time. This doesn’t seem like the students have enough time to truly learn. The schools put a lot of focus on “Americanizing” the immigrant students by having them study how to be Americans while in school. They didn’t have a lot of faith in the minority children and trained them in industrial work, not aware that they might actually be smart kids that just weren’t inspired or challenged enough to reach full potential.

The discussion of IQ testing in this episode was very disheartening. I didn’t like how the impossibly worded questions were used to determine the “quality people” from the less qualified. The test didn’t seem anything to do with what was learned in school. It was also unfortunate how culturally biased the tests were. They were always given in English, so anyone who couldn’t understand English was automatically doomed to fail.

It seemed like educators had a hard time deciding what was important for students to learn while in school. They changed their minds a lot. One of the first major programs was Gary’s “work, study, play” concept. At first, it was a hit. Students were kept busy at all times and even got to learn things that interested them. They had to walk from class to class, which kept them exercising both bodies and minds. Students even got to help run the school, whether in the kitchen, library, etc. However, people soon began to view the Gary plan as preparation for working in the factories and people revolted. They wanted to return to a focus on the pen, paper and book way of learning. So they got rid of the Gary plan and hit the books. Eventually, educators came up with a new program known as the life-adjustment program. This made school more relevant to students’ lives. They take courses on sex, dating, family life, etc.

One guy at the end made a comment about how the approach used towards education is always changing. The way he sees it, educators keep going back and forth between two concepts: traditional and progressive. I think educators are sometimes afraid when it comes to being progressive, but I believe it does a lot for the field of education when certain risks are taken. I think it is crucial that we continue to try new and exciting ideas to get students engaged.

Teaching Hope: Challenges

The twenty-second story really spoke to me because I think it is important to remember that we, as teachers, were young once too and we may have experienced similar issues growing up. I think students forget this sometimes. I really liked how this teacher recognized the similarities she had with the student and was willing to embrace them. She was unsure how to do it at first, but she did eventually give in. The fact that the student was willing to share her journal with the teacher shows that the teacher somehow made a connection with the student. It’s hard to know what to do in situations like this because we aren’t specifically trained to do it, but sometimes just being there to listen is enough.

I’m not so sure how I feel about the twenty-sixth story. Though I agree it would be hard to report something that you are obligated to report even though the student makes you promise not to say anything, it is still your responsibility as a teacher. I’m really nervous that something like this might happen to me when I’m a teacher and I won’t have any idea what to do. I know it takes a lot of courage for a student to admit something like that to a teacher, and it would hurt them a lot to have a teacher report it. They may not realize it, but in most cases, it is what’s best for the student.

I have seen one common theme throughout a number of these stories: sharing something very personal with your students. I’m having a hard time agreeing with what some of those teachers did. Stories about rape, for example, don’t really seem appropriate for in the classroom. Although sometimes sharing a story may encourage students to share their own stories, I’m just not sure I would feel comfortable sharing something that personal in front of every student. Also, I’m not sure what the school would consider to be appropriate.

Cultural Identity Shield

Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees

Abstract
The author of this article puts a lot of focus on the differences among different generations. People from different generations will be more likely to remember certain things in history differently. Hammill claims that there are now four different generations (Veterans, Baby Boomers, Generation X and Generation Y) working together at the same workplaces. In this article, he highlights some of the most significant differences: values, communication, education, dealing with money and family. These differences can affect a lot of what goes on at the office. He discusses the basic life differences but also goes in depth for the differences in workplace characteristics. Towards the end, he gives the reader a few work situations to consider and reflect on.

Reflection
This article was certainly very interesting. It never occurred to me that there were four different generations working together as one. It’s interesting to consider how different values can truly be. I think the perfect example of this is at a school. There are almost always the Baby Boomer teachers who aren’t willing to try anything new and refuse to take crap from anybody (especially students). Then, you have the Generation X teachers who try to be slightly more hip and get the students to like them. They may look up to the Baby Boomer teachers as mentors. Finally, you have the Generation Y students who are obsessed with technology, but still willing to put enough energy into getting the work done. The Veterans are usually in places of authority, either principal or headmaster, and put a lot of value into being respected and getting the job done accurately.

Teaching Hope: Anticipation

The second story stuck out to me because I definitely see myself as the teacher who would want to make sure everything is absolutely perfect for the first day of school. I’ve always been the type of person that wants to be ready to go from day one. There is nothing more comforting than everything being in its place. I also liked the part about starting with a clean slate. Sometimes halfway through a semester, I find myself wishing I had done things differently. This leads to me wanting to start off on the right foot for the following semester. I think it’s important to know that you really can start off with a clean slate. It may not always work out the way you would like, but it is good to know that it is possible.

The seventeenth story stuck out to me because I believe that it is important to inform students about things they will most likely experiment with anyway. There are a lot of people in the education field (sex-ed teachers and principals, especially) who don’t feel comfortable sharing certain facts about sex with students. Like I said, students will most likely experiment with sex regardless of what they are told in sex-ed class. But that’s not the scariest part. If they are not allowed to ask questions and only receive the information that the teacher feels comfortable providing, they may be misinformed or confused. I like the way the teacher in this story took control of the situation and answered the questions in a mature and helpful way. Although students will still be just as likely to experiment with sex, at least they go in knowing a lot more about it.

The eighteenth story jumped out at me because sometimes it is just as important for students to teach each other as it is for me to teach them. I like how this teacher allowed the other students to voice their opinions about stealing the book. They portrayed an important message about how one person’s actions can sometimes affect the entire group. This is a great lesson to teach students of all ages.

Diversity, Learning Style and Culture

Abstract
This article begins by explaining the difference between uniformity and diversity. Uniformity is exposing every student to the same exact material in the same exact way. Diversity is allowing students to learn the same material in different ways. It also discusses the importance of taking advantage of the skills students have. The article then goes on to introduce the four categories of style differences: cognition (perceiving knowledge); conceptualization (ideas and thinking); affect (emotional response and values); and behavior (actions). These four things have a lot to do with how people learn. Finally, the article touches on the importance of culture and the diversity within. Students will be raised in different ways and their lives outside of school will have a huge impact on their lives inside school. This is very important for teachers to keep in mind.

Reflection
This article was certainly very interesting. I especially liked how it stressed the importance of having an even mix of uniformity and diversity. Although it is important that all students learn the same material, it really isn’t necessary that they all learn it in the same way. Some might not do so well with lectures, while others may not feel comfortable with a hands-on experience. It is very important to provide students with options, giving them a sense of comfort, as well as a sense of control. I also really liked how they broke down the four categories: cognition, conceptualization, affect and behavior. It makes it very easy to understand normally complex subjects.