This class had to have been the most influential class I've taken in my college career. Learning about Education in depth has opened my eyes to what I can really accomplish when I become a teacher. I have so many ideas now as to what I need to do and what I know I don't want to repeat.
I did my paper on breaking classes down into groups like reading levels and labeling the students at an early age. I don't feel I would ever do this in the classroom. I don't want the hierarchy in my class, I don't want any student to be able to hold favoritism over another student, and I don't want any student to feel as if they are useless and have no chance to succeed. I am not naive I know that every student learns differently and I will respect that. In an Art classroom setting I will have the ability to help each student individually as they work and I will give each student the attention that they will need. I don't see the use of labels that can just embarrass a child.
What I really want to accomplish as a teacher is showing the importance of the Arts in the schools. I know that I am an important asset to the school whether they believe it or not. A child needs motivation to come to school not just to go because they have to. A happy student who enjoys coming to school for whatever reason will learn better. My goal now is to get the parents involved so they fight for the arts too!
Monday, December 17, 2007
Community Service
One of my old professors got a grant last year to take a trip and then do an Art study on the trip. He chose to go to the Grande Canyon and then do a study on layers. He spents every Wednesday after school with his students putting a giant paper ball together, he has been doing so for almost a year now. The ball is covered in a full layer of paper than painted a different color every wednesday. When the class has decided it is big enough it will be cut in half and displayed all over town. The Library, Municipal building, and Theater have already requested its presence for a period of time. The ball right now is already 4.5-5 feet in diameter. I spent three Wednesdays help the students work on the ball when the other adults were unable to supervise. I even helped collect paper for it. I am very excited for when it is finished and I can see it opened up!!!!!
Field Work
I did my field work at my old highschool as an extra practice before I went to Arts. Now I still have not gone to Arts high but I will be this Thursday. In my experience at my old school I found being on the other end of learning is exctly where I want to be. The professor even allowed me to help teach some of the students and he observed me. It was so rewarding for the students to really be listening to what I had to say. The respect they gave to my knowledge was astounding. I was working in an Art class and those students who wished to persue Art in college were very interested to hear what a college class is like. I got to interview and just chat with the students all day. They were very welcoming in letting me just sit down at the table and ask about their experiences and about the tacher. I also got to observe how a teacher can maintian order but keep the environment friendly and open. The professor was not very strict but still required respect, and when someone didn't listen he called them out, or if they were not working they were told they would get a red dot for the day. The professor never raised his voice or sent anyone out, he is well liked and respect comes hand in hand with that. I learned alot simply by watching and I'm going to see if he will allow me to come back and observe a few more times.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Urban Schools
A Senior Fellowship made up entirely of motivated experts geared to fix urban schools. Why did this become necessary? Did the United States really let their urban schools get so out of control that a fellowship was in order to write a new plan? Yes, we did, we let the urban schools fall into stereotype of race and wealth. We let the color and income of the students define how their school was going to be run and what was going to be taught. We didn't think about the fact that these students might want to have a career beyond working class or learn about their own cultures not just white history. Now because of this Fellowship, these things are being brought up.
It is important for the students to feel safe and feel free to speak up in school. Urban schools focus too much on making their students feel like criminals, with the constant checking of their bags and whether they have a hall pass or not. Safety is very important but lets make the students feel more like they are being protected versus they are the ones we need to be protected from.
The curriculum needs to be geared more towards something that pertains to them. The students want African American History and Latino History and Asian History, and why not? I personally would like to have had more information on the Irish and the french when I was in school. American History is very geared towards British coming to America. Broaden the scope, let a few more cultures in, America is a "melting pot," we need to acknowledge that and teach it.
Democracy is what is supposed to be taught in the schools; how one is going to improve the world and find their place in it. In the urban schools it sees to be understood that all the students will be working class, so college is not encouraged and trades are taught instead. Well what about those students who wants to make a difference? What about the ones who want promising careers, to go to college? We need to support those students, we need to support all the students to reach higher. The problem is the teachers settle and don't push the students hard enough. These students have potential just like everyone else, do not let financial problems get in the way of education. Show the students how to apply for grants and scholarships.
We need to understand that urban schools are not a lost cause by any means. These schools just need a little more faith so they can start to pull back up!
It is important for the students to feel safe and feel free to speak up in school. Urban schools focus too much on making their students feel like criminals, with the constant checking of their bags and whether they have a hall pass or not. Safety is very important but lets make the students feel more like they are being protected versus they are the ones we need to be protected from.
The curriculum needs to be geared more towards something that pertains to them. The students want African American History and Latino History and Asian History, and why not? I personally would like to have had more information on the Irish and the french when I was in school. American History is very geared towards British coming to America. Broaden the scope, let a few more cultures in, America is a "melting pot," we need to acknowledge that and teach it.
Democracy is what is supposed to be taught in the schools; how one is going to improve the world and find their place in it. In the urban schools it sees to be understood that all the students will be working class, so college is not encouraged and trades are taught instead. Well what about those students who wants to make a difference? What about the ones who want promising careers, to go to college? We need to support those students, we need to support all the students to reach higher. The problem is the teachers settle and don't push the students hard enough. These students have potential just like everyone else, do not let financial problems get in the way of education. Show the students how to apply for grants and scholarships.
We need to understand that urban schools are not a lost cause by any means. These schools just need a little more faith so they can start to pull back up!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Understanding Teachers
Herold Hodgkinson makes some interesting points. It is only a few more years before all the races have blended together and our differences are far behind us. Unfortunately, for now, race is still a factor. I was captivated by the statistics of turnover in the classes that are on the first suburban belt. For a class to have 22 students year round but 20 of them be new students each semester will severely interrupt learning. A student will never be able to establish a relationship with the teacher if they are only there a few months. This is a result of the schools not getting the reviews they so desperately need.
No school will be able to pick up their status when they have so many students that they don't understand. As said in the article certain cultures are brought up to humble themselves and to respect their elders. The teachers are going to struggle to get these students to learn. It's difficult to know when a child is paying attention if they wont look you in the eye or raise their hand or yell out an answer. Actively listening is a trait Americans have because we are brought up that way, to ask questions and to be vocal. Other cultures don't do this and it can cause them to struggle in a class here in the states. The teachers are not knowledgeable enough to understand these differences and it prevents them from being effective teachers. This prevents the school from being able to improve itself and causes the high turnover rate.
No school will be able to pick up their status when they have so many students that they don't understand. As said in the article certain cultures are brought up to humble themselves and to respect their elders. The teachers are going to struggle to get these students to learn. It's difficult to know when a child is paying attention if they wont look you in the eye or raise their hand or yell out an answer. Actively listening is a trait Americans have because we are brought up that way, to ask questions and to be vocal. Other cultures don't do this and it can cause them to struggle in a class here in the states. The teachers are not knowledgeable enough to understand these differences and it prevents them from being effective teachers. This prevents the school from being able to improve itself and causes the high turnover rate.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Our schools consist of two major types of schools- public and private. While a very small percentage are home schooled, the majority fit into the two main divisions. Our schools are a combination of economic status, as well as racial and ethnic background. These factors, over the years, have become deeply influential in the success of the school. Although the schools receive funding from different branches of the government, the largest amount of funding comes from the local and state institutions. In short, the higher the property taxes are, the more funding will be received. The government has prescribed the curriculum guidelines that determine whether you have completed the standard educational level.
The students are a direct correlation to the diversity present in our country. While most public schools are generally white, that is not true across the board for specific districts toward urban areas. In more urban areas, the statistics seem to be reversed. For example, in Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles its 91% students of color. On the the other hand, 57% are generally white. While this may or may not affect the educational goals, it is pertinent in the overall evaluation of our schools because it directly relates to income.
Unlike our incredible diversity of our student body, our teachers force is homogeneous. Teachers in our country are a whopping 90% white, and dividing that further into 79% female. This directly effects the influence on our student and the presentation of cultural diversity in education. Nonetheless, in schools with higher poverty levels, there is a 20% turnover rate, which altogether are the main reasons for teacher shortages. Thirty-three percent of these teachers will leave within their first three years of teaching. In turn, in the higher poverty schools the teachers are newer and inexperienced. To repair this issue, salaries have become a persuasive form of gearing teachers toward these schools.
The students are a direct correlation to the diversity present in our country. While most public schools are generally white, that is not true across the board for specific districts toward urban areas. In more urban areas, the statistics seem to be reversed. For example, in Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles its 91% students of color. On the the other hand, 57% are generally white. While this may or may not affect the educational goals, it is pertinent in the overall evaluation of our schools because it directly relates to income.
Unlike our incredible diversity of our student body, our teachers force is homogeneous. Teachers in our country are a whopping 90% white, and dividing that further into 79% female. This directly effects the influence on our student and the presentation of cultural diversity in education. Nonetheless, in schools with higher poverty levels, there is a 20% turnover rate, which altogether are the main reasons for teacher shortages. Thirty-three percent of these teachers will leave within their first three years of teaching. In turn, in the higher poverty schools the teachers are newer and inexperienced. To repair this issue, salaries have become a persuasive form of gearing teachers toward these schools.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
