ELL

ELL students do not make up a large portion of the United States but they are spread out and no matter where you live or teach, you are bound to encounter them at some point. Team 1 showed a graph that said even in towns and rural areas there is still about the same amount of ELL students. As we went through the different group activities, I had a lot of fun actually. Team 1 did a great job demonstrating ways to teach ELL students and brought up a lot of interesting points about those students. For example, whether a student is from a different country or if they are from the Bronx, they may have different challenges when it comes to an English lesson about the Three Little Pigs. Some students may have trouble with slang words, while others have trouble with grammar. The rotation that I enjoyed the best was definitely the one where we had to write down a vocab word that students will hardly use outside of the classroom and make an easy to understand definition of that word. We also had to draw a picture to describe what that word means. It was fun to see the different content areas during this lesson because it offered up great ideas as well as a certain level of humor in some areas. Overall it was a good way to get us to think creatively about how we present new words into our lessons. 

Alternative Schools

Alternative schools are an interesting concept. At some point, people got together to design a different kind of school that better accommodates certain students. Alternative schools are not for everyone, as team 3 mentioned. They are created with a specific purpose in mind depending on what their target audience is. I really enjoyed the part of the presentation where we got to create our own alternative school. It was a fun exercise that got each of us thinking about how to make an involved and educational school. I personally do not think that I would have preferred an alternative school. I never had any behavioral problems or a mental illness that made it so I needed a different sort of education in order to be successful. That being said, I definitely see the benefits of attending such a school. I have never had a school that was designed for my own needs. The group did a great job of showing us the different types of alternative schools. It’s interesting because they can vary depending on where they are in the country. If they have access to more land and a nice outdoor facility, then they can do a lot of work outside and give students an experience that they may not have had otherwise. These schools seem like they would be more expensive than your average public school. I believe that is a big problem when it comes student’s needs. If they come from a low income family, they will not be able to have the same opportunities as a family that is more well off. 

Voices

The “Voices” packet was filled with multiple and interesting educational philosophies. Confucius saw his role as inspiring students with the truths of great ideas. I identify most with his view of education, especially from a health standpoint. He focuses on the morality of education and how the two should be inseparable. As a health teacher, I have a moral obligation to share my knowledge about how the human body works and what it needs to be healthy, to help all my students. I have mixed feelings about Sappho’s philosophy of education. Sappho was big on memorization and helping girls develop and mature so that they could marry and become outstanding Greek women. While I don’t agree with that, I do agree with her idea that students should have physical development through activity. For her, she wanted it to be dance. Other than that, she focused on preparing women for successful marriages. Socrates was all about asking the right questions to help develop students mind. He wanted them to come to the answer on their own. This is a technique that I have seen in many classrooms when teachers are trying to edge students in the right direction, whether they are close to the answer or far from it. I must say that agree with this method because it gives students a chance to find the answer for themselves rather than having it given to them. It brings a reward to working through the problem. Between Confucius and Socrates, I think they make up most of what I believe in as an educator, while at the same time, showing me that many of the teachers I have enjoyed in school over my lifetime have used elements from both of these philosophies. 

Bright Futures

The first thing that stood out to me was the Bright Futures mission statement. It is all about better the middles level practices. It has high expectations for all their students and uses the Maine Learning Results as a basis for the curriculum, instruction, and assessment. I have been a big fan of the Maine Learning Results for a couple of years now because it breaks everything down into simple standards that are easy to follow. One of the best things about it is they advocate for young adolescents even if what they do may not be current practice or easy to accomplish. This initiative has been growing for many years and that’s what makes it a lasting and profitable resource. It is always evolving and improving in order give young adolescents what they need and part of that is making sure that the teachers are all up to date and knowledgeable about all things in their field of teaching. Those teachers need to make sure that the learning experiences in their classes are meaningful, coherent, and relevant so that students can think at high levels. This will better prepare them for their futures. Aside from academics, this curriculum helps students understand themselves and the world they live in, while broadening their views on such things. Bright Futures talks about what it is like when students first reach middle school. They have a heavier work load as well as an increase in sophistication of reading and writing in multiple content areas. Focusing on these areas with ongoing instruction will improve the literacy in all content areas and bring each student to the same standard of reading and writing ability. Bright Futures is a well thought out initiative that I cannot help but agree with.

Integrated Curriculum Reflection

As I read through the team’s paper, I could recall my own experiences in student teaching. They mentioned an integrating curriculum within other classes. Though I did not do that exactly, with the help of my mentor teacher, we were able to transform the health curriculum to hit each topic multiple times throughout each trimester. We focused on making classes more skills based so that we could mention how each topic relates to it and how it could relate in their other classes as well. Combining subject matter to make lessons more meaningful makes so much sense not only for the students, but for all the teachers as well. From my own experience teaching, when staff members work together on a single project, it can make an amazing difference with the students because they see their teachers working together to make classes more interesting.

This team did a good job talking about what kind of person would like this approach specifically. They used pragmatists because of the focus on real world applications it can have. Not only that but they also mentioned existentialist people. Doing this brought together some of the things we have been using in class and showing how they can apply within an integrated curriculum. Team 5 did a great job mentioning how some subjects are easier than others to have an integrated curriculum but starting small is exactly the thing we need to do to progress and refine what it means to have an integrated curriculum. 

Teaching Hope (Empowerment)

Entry 139 was the first to stand out to me because I honestly thought it was going to be an underdog story about a student that worked hard and against all odds and expectations pulled off something amazing. Unfortunately, the story took a 180 and didn’t end up like that at all. Even though the student put his heart into the work and the teacher did everything they could, he did not pass the eighth grade. Both the student and teacher were devastated about how things had turned out. I was a little annoyed that he did not pass because the story was set up in a way that I thought he was on the road to success finally. It illustrated how sometimes, even if you put a lot of work into a student to help them pass, it may not work out the way you had thought it would. The teacher did not give up and neither did the student and the next year he was able to pass. That was the second lesson to be learned from this entry. Never give up on a student.

Another entry that through me through a loop was 146. To start, the school decided whether students passed sophomore year based on how they did on one final presentation. Sure, they could have multiple tries at it but it still seems like a lot of pressure, especially seeing as how many students are terrified of presenting anything. The student, Mike, did not pass his first time and decided that he wanted to drop out because of it. The students of the sophomore class and some of the teachers grouped up to try and convince him that he should stay in school. This is another thing that I’m not too sure about. I feel like there are better ways to handle the situation. He decided to drop out originally because (it seems to me) the pressure got to him. Now everyone is around him begging him to stay and putting more pressure on him. I honestly feel as though they got lucky with him coming back to school in the end. 

Educational Philosohies

The book talks about two different types of philosophies in education. There is teacher centered and student centered. Essentialism is the first teaching centered philosophy. The teacher must have a common core of information and skills (subject matter) and focuses on teacher-centered instruction. Behaviorism is the second teacher centered philosophy. This says that one’s behavior is determined by environment, not heredity. The third is positivism. This means that thinkers did not attempt to go beyond observable, measurable fact. It limits knowledge to statements of observable fact based on sense perceptions and investigation of objective reality. Perennialism is the belief that schools should teach ideas that are everlasting. “All’s fair in love and war” has been around for a very long time, whether you believe it or not. This is where teaching avoids fads or new ideas and sticks with what has worked in the past. Lastly, reconstructionism focuses on addressing social questions and a quest to create a better society and worldwide democracy. The curriculum highlights social reform as the aim of education.

Next are the student-centered philosophies. Humanism works to enhance the innate goodness of the individual. It does away with group-oriented education and focuses solely on the individual. “Humanists claim that as educators attempt to predict the behavior of students, they turn individuals into objects to be measured. Next, constructivism works with hands-on, activity based teaching and learning that develops personal meaning in the instruction process.

The last philosophy I mentioned is probably the one I best identify with. When teaching health, there are so many different activities that can get students involved in the classroom or in an outside environment. I truly believe that students learn best when they can move around and work with their hands. Obviously this isn’t the case with every student but it is by far my favorite way to teach. 

Poverty

Many Americans struggle with poverty at some point in their life. Most people in America do not make an outstanding amount of money. The poverty presentation we saw on Wednesday opened the classes eyes on just how little the average person with poverty makes. It also shows all the things they cannot afford because small amount of money they make. One way or another, they must give up at least a few important things that each American needs. Often, it is a choice between food and health insurance or car insurance. There are millions on Americans that cannot afford health care because it can be so expensive. If a family must choose between health care and food, they will choose food everything and hope that everything works out. I am not all that surprised about the number of people in the country that live-in poverty. This year especially we hear more and more about it because of the recent presidential election. Every issue imaginable involving money you can hear about on the news every day. Unfortunately, those numbers are never in anyone’s favor. 

Class of Philosophy

After class on Monday I was very surprised that I was placed with Idealism. Now that I know more about each philosophy from class, I especially do not agree with my placement. When I look at the descriptions of each other philosophy, I find that I identify with all the others more than idealism. Idealists seem to only look for the “ultimate truth” rather than information that is already presented to them. They already have an idea of this ultimate truth should be. It’s this idea that makes them stagnant and unmoving in different areas. There are plenty of good traits that I do think I fall in line with such as, values. Idealists believe that values are rooted in existence and are part of reality. It is this that I believe to be relevant to my own life. Strong values make a person who they are whether that person is good or bad. Overall, I cannot say that I agree with my placement but I do understand how I may have aligned with it. 

4 Philosophy's

Idealism deals with mind over matter. Everything about idealism involves the mind. “For idealist, nothing exists or is real except ideas in the minds of people or the mind of God, the Universal Mind.

Realism is the opposite of idealism, in that, it states that knowledge exists outside of the mind and must be uncovered through the senses and scientific investigation. Reality is composed of both matter (body) and form (mind). God doesn’t play a role but rather scientific method.

Pragmatism views reality as an event or a process, whereas others view it as a given. This states that knowledge is evolving and changing constantly. This includes things that are taught. According to pragmatism, truth is not absolute but is determined by function or consequences. They don’t even us the truth but at best use “tentative truth” until something changes.

Existentialism believe that existence precedes essence. For them, there is neither meaning nor purpose to the physical universe. We are born into this world by chance and we owe nothing to nature but our own existence. For this, you create your own meaning and have free choice.

I believe that I fit mostly with realism. I have never been the most religious person so the fact that realism leaves out God and focuses on what we know and what we uncover speaks to me. My own content area focuses on everything we know about the human body and I make recommendations and lessons based on those truths. I do not teach about sex being a sin but rather safe sex or abstinence, for example. At the same time, I also agree with pragmatism. The idea that knowledge and our understanding is forever changing based on discoveries, just makes sense to me. I believe these two-philosophy’s work well together. In my opinion, it appears realism unlocks pragmatism. Through scientific discoveries and investigations, we unlock new truths and new ways of doing things that are better before. 

Teaching Hope (Rejuvenation)

Entry 115 was the first to catch my eye. It hit me on a very personal level because I know from first-hand how great a pen pal can be. Having the chance to talk to someone that you have never met or never seen is really something special. It’s exciting to know that whatever you say, someone, from somewhere else is going to read it and there is a good chance that they will reply back to you. I had a little different experience but it still involved a pen pal. I was in elementary school when we were given this opportunity. I wasn’t writing to someone that was across the country but rather to someone who was a couple of towns over. When you’re in elementary school, that feels like a place far, far away. I didn’t know it at the time but I would later find out that my pen pal would become my best friend for many years. Pen pals are a great opportunity for every student to experience because they get to see things from two different perspectives, from someone they have never met before.

It's stories that are full of hope and progress like in entry 125 that people need to hear more about. In order to help her students and get them to new experiences that would hopefully change their outlook on life, this teacher found a way to get them to Arkansas on a budget. It’s not easy to take kids out on a field trip that also has them camping out in the woods. There are a lot of hoops to jump through that many teachers may not be willing to do. It is things like that, that can make an amazing impact on a student’s life and change the way they look at the world and see their place in it, as well as where they could go. If there were more teachers who thought like this and were willing to get things done to give their students an experience they would never forget, our education system would sky rocket in a positive way. 

PBS Episode 4

In episode 4 of the PBS education documentary, we get a look into a more “modern” education system. After viewing the episode it’s actually hard to believe that it is modern in the slightest. Everything seems off about it. I remember when I went through the same education system and never thinking much of it at the time. However, looking back I can see all the flaws that I was introduce to at an early age. It was a time testing was the big fad in the school system and only some schools had begun a standards based education, if any did at all. This is not to say that things did not improve with the system since its beginning but little can be left to doubt that there was still a long way to go before we find a correct formula. Even today, there are so many schools that are still stuck in the past. This final episode really made me think about how education is today. I mostly think about our government and how a lot is left up to individual states and how those decisions are decided by people who never look to the future because they believe it to be too costly. If only they could see the benefits of investing in our education system today so that tomorrow, we could reap what we sowed. Unfortunately, a lot of people in power have a hard time seeing past what is right in front of them. They choose to spend money on less important things instead of funding the students that will one day run this country.

PBS Episode 1

The first part of this episode started with students reciting the pledge of allegiance. The longer I am involved in the education system, the more I wonder why we still have to stand up and pledge to the country. It’s mostly the part about God that really gets under my skin. For a country that isn’t supposed to have government involved with religion, we involve the two together at every corner. Anyway, education in its infancy was pretty interesting to say the least. They eliminated any books from Britain and focused on learning things about the United States.

Dame schools were one of the interesting things I found about this episode. A school for just girls where they learned how to behave like women. Men were the only ones to really receive any sort of education and African Americans either didn’t have an education or they had to risk a lot for some education.

Schools in the early days focused on memorization of spelling or passages in texts. It’s funny how this is the case because you still see that kind of thing today in schools. Back then, they didn’t have any clue about MI surveys and how each student learned differently. As the years have progressed, things have definitely gotten better. It’s more noticeably progressed in the last 20 years and before that you would still see remnants of the old ways. It’s unfortunate because even today you will still see older veteran teachers that stick to the way things used to be and don’t feel comfortable changing what they already know or they don’t agree with how things are progressing.

Diversity, Learning Style, and Culture

In the opening text of this article it talks about how too little has changed in the last 50 years. Recently I have finished student teaching and learned a lot about being in a school environment from an adult perspective. The biggest observation I have made is the fact that most teachers there are from another generation. Of that generation, it seemed like only 30% at most had adapted to change. I believe it is entirely possible that things haven’t changed much because a lot of people still in schools today teach the way they were taught. One teacher told me that she was only a few years from retirement so there was no way she was going to change anything. There are plenty of people of different generations that are willing to change but in some ways the system isn’t ready for that change. The article talks about diversity and how it’s easier to teach to sameness than it is for difference. In Maine, 97% of people are white. It could be that sameness that gets teachers to teach in one way to all the students. It is something as simple as seeing similar visuals that gets people to treat everyone the same. Basing things off appearance is a long tradition that human beings have. If some people can’t see right away that someone learns differently than they lump all in the same group. Fortunately, future teachers learn about this in school about how to find those diversity’s and differences. Differences and diversity was the biggest thing that I got out of this article because I see a problem with it in more than just a school setting. I believe it’s something that is so important and something that needs to be focused on in school. If it can start in the school than it can go much further than just in the classroom.

A Nation at Risk

In the beginning of the Nation at Risk article, it talked about different risks in the American world. One of the things was the American industries aren’t top of the line anymore. Things are being replaced by other countries overseas that can make products better and cheaper. This takes jobs away from Americans and takes us off the top of the developing world in some areas. The biggest risk is the intelligence of the American people. It’s important to have citizens that can all reach a common understanding of complex issues. Unfortunately, our education system isn’t always set up for everyone to succeed. Throughout the article it brings up many different educational points that the American people are lacking in. All of this was back in the 80’s. So how have we improved?

Some states made a step in the right direction by switching to a standards based education. It was a bumpy road and mistakes were made. That being said, it was a smart choice that could work towards fixing those mistakes and gradually improve. The biggest thing for me that I notice was the cost of getting an education. Getting a solid and up to date education can cost a lot of money. Even average schooling can be costly. If this isn’t a problem that gets addressed soon, then any progress we’ve made could hit a plateau simply because it will cost too much to get an education. On top of this, performance in high school hasn’t gotten any better since the 80’s and it could have actually gotten worse.

There is still so much that needs to be done about the education system and I don’t know if we will ever be able to solve all of the problems. If we fix one, there’s no guarantee that two more won’t take its place. I’m hopeful, however that we will be able to make improvements in the system but only if we really put the time and effort into it. It will likely cost a lot of money too.

Teaching Hope (Disillusionment)

In entry 78, I had a thought back to when I was doing my student teaching. I didn’t run out of the room crying or anything like that but my mentor teacher and I did have a class that was unexpectedly thrust upon us without any sort of consideration as to how we felt about it. In the end, the class was my favorite to teach of them all. But just the thought that at any point a class could be thrown my way without either the proper support or be even in my content area. I’ll never forget what the principle said to me before I left the school I student taught at. He said, make sure you apply for a health teacher, phys. ed teacher, and a science teacher. As if all of it was the same. On at least one level, I could relate with this teacher in the entry.

Entry 94 was interesting because it was about a teacher outside of school. I remember when I was student teaching and how I would sometimes think about the students in my class and how a conversation I had outside of student teaching related to one of my students. When that happened, I would have to tell whoever I was talking to about it because it was so relevant to me. The part where she says he won’t really understand what she means is so true. I’m fortunate enough to have a girlfriend that completely loves that I’m going to be a teacher and supports me all the way. The life of a teacher is a rewarding and underpaid endeavor and sometimes I wonder how I ended up enjoying it so much.

PBS Episode 3

In episode 3 you see a lot of interesting things. The biggest theme that I took away from it was, equal rights. Not everyone had equal rights. It was only the wealthy white male that had everything going for them. Some states had segregated blacks and whites and made different schools for each of them. All of the funding went to the white schools, while all the black schools got all of the old things from the white schools. This was hard to watch because it also explained how many of the black teachers were more qualified because they had their masters and the white teachers didn’t. If you were any race other than white, then you were treated differently and not in a kind way. You were looked down upon and were thought to less smart. When black students were finally allowed in white schools after much protest, they were ridiculed every day and had to go through a never ending battle just to get an education.

Episode 3 also talked about women’s rights and how a student athlete named Dorothy, fought for her right to play sports and wrote a letter to the government. The letter spoke about how she was being discriminated against and how it wasn’t right. This girl could play basketball with the best of them and she wanted to have all of the same opportunities that the man had.

The same thing went for any student that was disabled. Why shouldn’t they receive the opportunities as everyone else. Why are they not allowed at school because the school doesn’t support people in wheel chairs? Having laws in place to protect these students is great but it’s also insane to think that we needed to put the laws in place for people to act like decent human beings. 

Teaching Hope (Engagement)

Entry 55 caught my eye because I always had a thing for music in the classroom. I thought the entry was going to be about music because of the way the teacher set up the story. As I kept reading, however, I realized that music didn’t have very much to do with the story. It was more about a teacher’s attempt to reach the students in a different way than they were used to. The bit about racism caught me by surprise. It sort of came out of nowhere. I still get surprised when I find racism still in the world because we should be so far past that and yet, children are still taught by an older generation about how black people don’t belong here and they don’t deserve equal rights.

“I don’t need anyone” or “I need someone so badly”? Entry 61 has a lot of different thoughts going on. The biggest one is, worrying about all of your students. Knowing that one of them is in trouble but you have seven others in your class that have their own set of circumstances. How do you reach that one student? How do you reach all of them? Can it be done? The entry ends with a great answer. Step-by-step. It’s going to take a lot of work and you’ll have plenty of challenging days but taking on the challenges one at a time and not giving up is the best thing you can do.

PBS Episode 2

As I watched the video of how the school systems used to be, I thought to myself, boy am I glad that I didn’t have to deal that. It was interesting how at the time there were people who thought education were very important for life but there were just so many thought the opposite that it took a long time for the education system to get anywhere. To start, it was easy for the students and teachers to get sick because they were all crammed into a single classroom for extended period of time. So not only were the classes extremely boring, but you were likely to get sick just by going to school. There was a time when it seemed like they were going to be excepting to all immigrants in schools and it seemed as though they were even proud of the diversity in the school system. As time passed on however, there started to become a divide between the races. Others were thought to be less smart based on where they were from in the world. The entire idea of IQ testing at the time may have seemed smart and a reliable way to tell who the truly intelligent student is. That being said, the whole system was just made up to give some notoriety. It was a hoax that never really did anything for the American school system. To give the generation some credit, they did eventually create a better school system that lets students move from class to class and funding was at one time poured into schools because the powers that be realized the importance of educating the youth of the country to keep it strong. 

Teaching Hope (Challenges)

Entry 27 stuck out to me because it led with a student barging into a classroom late and really upset. She was crying by herself when the teacher approached her. To start, it’s always a little awkward when a student shows up late to class and is crying. The students all notice and the teacher has to find a way to nonchalantly address it. I like the way the woman handled it, by having her teaching aid watch the class while they talked privately. As it turns out, the girl was pregnant and didn’t think she had any available support to her. I chose this entry because I don’t find it unlikely that I might encounter something like this when I become a health teacher. The teacher was able to share a relatable story with the student and get her to talk with her mom about her situation. Where I am the health teacher, I would be able to do the same but I also might be an additional resource that can direct her towards planned parenthood or other resources.

Entry 41 was the second entry to stick out to me. I’m sure many people have experienced either a fight at school or the moment before a fight starts. I don’t like the idea of breaking up fights even though I have had to do it a few times myself. I remember everything about it. There’s the silence to start, followed by everyone’s eyes searching for where the action is going to be. It’s a tense moment to anyone who is around. The way the teacher intercepted the soon to be fight was nothing short of impressive. She found the girl and removed her from the situation but in a comforting way. After, when they were alone, they had a heart to heart where the teacher gave her something that she hadn’t had much of. She gave her support. I chose this entry because I felt tense while reading the first part as if I were actually there because I could remember what that moment was like when I was in high school. I’m glad the outcome ended with the student finding a new friend in the teacher and being able to share a personal moment with each other. 

Mixing and Managing Four Generations of Employees

            During my time student teaching, I had the opportunity to work alongside different generations at the school. From my experiences there, I definitely noticed the different attitudes, behaviors, expectations, habits, and motivational buttons for different teachers. The analogy this article offers of a large family dinner and how the conversation usually turns to, “I remember the old days” or “I remember when.” This is another thing that I’m sure many people have experienced, making this analogy very fitting. I have never thought about lifestyle characteristics with each generation. Looking at some of them, whether it’s how they communicate or how they spend their money or if they just save it up, I learned a lot about each generations characteristics. Things like maybe not spending Christmas together as a family were really interesting to think about because every year my own family gets together to enjoy each other’s company. I think this article brings up an interesting case in the work place. When you have different generations in one work place, it’s possible that their will eventually be some sort of disagreement or altercation between employees. When one generation finds work to be a challenge and contract when the newer generation sees it as a means to an end, those two may have some sort of conflict with how they each do their job. Or if an older generation sees that they aren’t as excited as they are for their work and creates some sort of conflict that way. Thinking about different generations in the work place is, again, something that I have never thought of. Not exactly anyway. I have noticed older generations and how they do things. I also noticed how a lot of the time, I may not agree with the way they do things.  

Teaching Hope (Anticipation)

The very first thing that stuck out to me in Teaching Hope was entry 9. It is the first day of the class in high school and the teacher says that he believes there are only three birthdays a person ever has. The first birthday is when they enter high school. The age here doesn’t matter since everyone enters a different age. This is the time they first take on responsibly and are seen as young adults. The second birthday is when they turn 18. They may or may not still be in high school but either way, this is when they are held accountable by their actions. If they get in trouble, they may not just get to go home with their parents, they may end up in jail. The third and final birthday is when they turn 21. This is when the world says they are responsible enough to buy and drink as much alcohol as you would like. The teacher talks about the importance of making smart decisions and that hopefully you have learned to be responsible enough to handle what comes with your last birthday. All the other birthdays are just yearlong mile stones with some other celebrations along the way.

The second entry that really caught my eye was entry 17. In the entry you find out the health teacher doesn’t let the students ask any questions about sex and how it works and anything that they are curious about. As a result, it all comes out during their other class. This entry really got me because I can’t imagine anything like that happening in my health class where I wouldn’t let them ask any questions. Having sex is a huge part of growing up and they should know everything about it. This entry frustrated me that a teacher who wasn’t the health teacher had to answer all of those questions.