Chapter 13: Improving Teachers and Schools, and School Reform

By the time I graduate I have many aspects I hope I can add to my résumé.  I hope to have accounts of working with high school and middle school students because this would show experience in the field of secondary education. Through my next four years I hope to have many accounts of work such as mentoring, student teaching, working with teachers in my career choice, etc. Only through these experiences will I be ready to embark on the next step in my journey and having these on my résumé will show that I am ready.

Within my first five years of teaching I aspire to be in a school that believes strongly in helping make sure students improve and become more educated. It seems like so many schools these days seem to pass students on to the next level when the students are clearly not ready, and I hope to be part of a school that cares more for their students. I hope to be in a job where there is a strong system of school reforms that help improve learning rather than hinder it. I hope to be in a good learning environment where I am able to grow as a teacher while also aiding my students’ growth.

In the next five to ten years I hope to get a great job I love in a wonderful school. I also hope to further my education by earning a masters degree and hopefully even a doctorate in education. By doing this I believe I am helping myself grow in my profession while also allowing me to be all I can be for my students.

Chapter 7: Thinking about Teaching and Learning

In Chapter 7 of The Joy’s of Teaching, we see many great methods that could possibly when making a philosophy for teaching. It brings up key factors we as prospering teachers must consider when making a philosophy for teaching. Below are three of the methods I found helpful in thinking up ideas to add to my philosophy statement…

One of the methods I found that I thought could possibly be of use in my teaching philosophy would be that of reflection. I believe this is a great method to help one improve as a teacher. In order to do so, I would have to keep my lesson ideas with a brief description of how each worked for the class. This would help me reflect on whether the methods I am using are worth using again and improving on, or whether I should get rid of them and find something new. Only through reflecting on the different learning activities I do in my classroom will I be able to see what is effective and what I need to change so that my students get the best out of the learning experience.

Another method I found interesting and worth adding to my statement would be the idea of the focused classrooms. I believe my class would benefit from being a student-focused classroom with maybe some aspects of the teacher-focused classroom. I believe the only way I will know whether my students are understanding is if I am able to know what they are thinking and it is clear in this chapter that in the teacher-focused classroom it is hard to understand what your students are thinking and how well they are understanding each lesson.  I believe by taking on the student-focused classroom there will be more discussions, more open learning environment, more respect, better understanding of struggle areas, and will keep my students interested in the lessons.

The third method I found quite interesting would be Taba’s design of curriculum. His ideas for designing a curriculum seem to take all aspects into consideration, which is something I find very important when making a good curriculum. If you are thinking of all the aspects he has brought forward it makes you think about what you truly want your students to learn, the best way you can do so, and what means are necessary when helping getting across your lesson.

Chapter 6: Social Context of Schools

Why do we continue to judge based on stereotypes about women versus men? Who’s to say that men are really stronger and better at sports than women? What shows us that females are more intelligent and educated than males? There is no way to determine this due to the fact that everyone is different in many different ways so thought the majority of certain genders seem to fit each category doesn’t mean that we should classify everyone into.

I remember…

Example 1: The boys not passing me the football in gym due to the fact that I was a girl and was unable to pass and catch; however, I proved them wrong when one passed the ball and it flew way over the other guys head and I was a ways behind him and caught the ball scoring us the touch down. They remarked about how that was unnatural for a girl and I said maybe to you but others can see women’s potential. 

Example 2: At one point the guys would joke around saying we girls had to make them sandwiches because that was our job and we belonged in the kitchen due to the fact we were women. I asked them “hmm I wonder what Emerald or Bobby Flay would think of that?” Two cooks who spend a good majority of their time in the kitchen making delicious delectable food concoctions.

Example 3: I remember boys’ thinking it was pointless to take sewing in school because it was a girl thing and they would rather be spending time in wood shop. I remember bringing up the point that in the military those brave men and women spend time learning how to sew as a survival tactic so I am sure they would beg to differ. 

My home high school took part in challenge day (link below) and it opened our eyes to the bullying going on in the school forcing us to want to make a difference. It was a life-changing event that I would do again in a heartbeat and hope to bring to my school and bring their ideas to my class. Our school formed a group called "Be the Change" which took the ideas learned in this event and brought them forward in the school and classroom settings. It was remarkable I wanted to give the link to our schools personal page but you must be a member in order to view everything so the class and such would be unable to see it. Instead I added the link to the page of the program that brought change and positive thinking to my hometown school. It was a day full of life changing events, tear, remarkable discoveries, and a chance to be real and true to others and ourselves.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Be-the-Change-Movement-Challenge-Day/19192952301

Through all this I came up with the idea to make a list of things my class vows to uphold in making sure to make our classroom is a safe environment. 

Respect List

I vow to…

1.  Not to snicker at these vows.

2. Not use discriminating terms towards others in the classroom.

3.  Not bully others in any way such as cyber, verbal, physical, etc.

4. Make sure everyone feels safe coming to class.

5.  Be encouraged to express myself freely without worrying about bad feedback from others.

6. Not take part in negative judgments, thoughtless jokes, rumors, or oppressive behaviors, comments or violence that hurts others while in the classroom.

7.  Celebrate each person’s diverse beliefs even if I do not always agree.

8. Be willing to stand up for others when I see a bad situation occurring.

9. Create a positive atmosphere in the classroom.

10.           Lastly to always have an open mind!

Chapter 5: The History of Schools in the United States

The curriculum has changed much over the years. Through time we have seen many different forms of schools that started out one way and have evolved into something very different. For a while before women’s rights were really taken into consideration most teachers were males. Most men were the only ones who could further their education and go into various fields of work; where as women were only allowed to take part in certain jobs and teaching wasn’t really considered one. As we move along women weren’t the only ones left out. They also had segregated schools where students of one race or color were not allowed to be with that of another. This meant school were not able to have diversity or see how different cultures were associated into learning. They learned only that of their culture while also learning basic courses. There were also times when groups weren’t really separated into grades always. It was very different with students from all different levels being in the same room then they were separated in different schools depending on ages and then there became grades for certain age levels slowly separating the students in to sub groups much smaller and easier to teach.  Overall they have changed a lot over time.

Which theories and historical influences should most impact the schools we'd like to have?

Which theories and historical influences should most impact the schools we'd like to have?
         Well throughout the reading in chapter five we are able to see some of this. we have not really gone through this yet in class. I am not really sure if I have gotten as into this and understand it enough to explain how I can relate this to myself and my learning thus far. My concern is I hope I can figure out how to answer this for myself and find what I need for this.

How can diversity in the classroom help me be a better teacher?

How can diversity in the classroom help me be a better teacher?
            Through having a diverse amount of students in my class now and being able to see through assignments and group projects how we all differ and excel in different areas this will better prepare me for what is to come in the rest of my college career and my future career.  As I took part in different group projects I was able to see the many different diverse learning styles people have this opened my eyes to seeing that not everyone learns the same way and through assignments like this they are able to learn the information in the ways they know how to. This helps me realize that when I become a teacher I need to make sure my assignments will be able to teach the many diverse learning styles people have. Through group discussions I was able to see how people realized different things and were able to catch something you might have missed which shows that people are different and are able to focus on certain aspects differently. This also was useful because when some of us didn’t understand something because it was drawn toward a culture we weren’t familiar with someone in that culture was able to help us understand. This will help me as a teacher by teaching me I should have my students converse with one another because someone may be able to help others understand things due to their diverse cultures and such. Through all these learning experiences here it will enable me to be a better teacher. My only concern is I hope I am able to help each student who struggles due to diverse learning skills and such.

How can I be successful at UMF?

How can I be successful at UMF?
             I feel I can be successful at UMF by attending every class I possibly can. I will also be able to succeed if I continue to listen and take part in-group discussions. Also if I do my homework and projects which will also allow my to do well in the class. Through my classes so far I was able to learn skills that will help me achieve success. I have worked on various group assignments which help me learn skills in working with a group which will help me in the future as I am sure we will have many assignments to come where these skills will be needed. I have learned how to make a good thesis statement and support it in a paper. This will help me with paper I will need to do later on. I have been in situations where I have had to work under pressure to get something done on time and right so the next time that comes my way I will be able to remain calm and get done what I need to. I have learned the skills to take certain topics and be able to connect them to other topics, which will help me with projects in the future when I need to find how certain topics connect. Overall I think all this will help me succeed further at UMF. One concern I have though is how will I be in situations I haven’t been prepared for and that haven’t come my way yet?

How do I become a teacher?

How do I become a teacher?
       I believe through the certification research assignment and the build a school product I saw what I needed in order to qualify for being a teacher as well as seeing a bit of what goes into the process. The reading from chapters 1-5 also helped in pointing out what is needed as well as showing me examples through the stories about teachers. Some examples were about parent teacher communications, the influences of gender on students, racial and ethical diversity, etc.  I also learned what I need to learn to further my progress such as learn how to make lesson plans and in corporate activities, projects and such into class to help my students learn. I have also had to present projects in front of class, which has prepared me for speaking to big crowds of people. My English teacher this semester had us each teach a lesson on one of the theories used when looking into literature, for example Marxist, feminist, psychoanalytical, etc. Through this I was able to teach others in my class about a theory how it pertains to the book and answer questions they might have had which prepared me for the teaching profession. My questions and concerns would be what goes into a lesson plan and how hard is it to make one?

Chapter 4: Schools as the Workplace for Students and Teachers

Throughout the reading we noticed many similarities and differences brought forth when we examine the book’s description of how schools generally operate and how the school our group made operates. For instance, our set up for authority and roles of members are quite similar to that of real schools. We had the higher authority and a chart that looked very similar to the chart on page 135. However, since our school was starting over due to the apocalypse we had government leaders and the president also involved making two new slots on the higher part of the graph shown in the book. Our system for communication is very similar to what the book describes having both horizontal and vertical lines of communication. In our school, Be You, there is this thought that though the teachers/staff seem to be active in choices they do not have as high a standing therefore they are unable to have as much say as those above them. In Be You it is about building up a nation for tomorrow, so we tend to be democratic much like most schools seen in the book.  Unlike regular schools we really do not seem to have looping or team teaching since we really have not had a chance to fully consider such things, but it would seem to be beneficial if we were to add this. Since we are building a school out of the rubble we only have one school in progress, which makes us very different from most because we are focused around that main campus where students come to us for an education. Since we only have one real school area there is no need for us to have districts, which is what we see schools today being. Even though we don’t have districts like the schools of today we do share similar people roles as they do such as a superintendent, school board, and lists of set rules that could be considered our policy.  Our students and community can work together to come with ideas to bring up at meetings that the public are welcome to unfortunately much like the unfair world today their voices are heard but sometimes don’t always affect the committee of school board representatives, the president and other governmental leaders, and those with higher authority.  As I mentioned before our government is quite involved in everything dealing with the school much like the federal government is said to be involved in the book. Our school and government feel that this school holds our future so we make rules and such accordingly to this thought process. We have the care of students in our mind constantly working to better thing for them. We do so through many wonderful funds brought forth by the government who is in charge of raising this world back up. We started on nothing having no real form of money since we lost all concern for this during the apocalypse instead worrying about our lives. Thus we really do not have a set exchange of money instead working together to build back up the world, which allows us all the resources it has to offer. Taking advantage of this we use it to our benefit making schools and funding the education through not money per say but whatever the government decides to come up with. This is where we differ from the schools mentioned in the book building their schools through government funds where the money comes through taxes the communities must pay.  As one can see form this the way we have made our school is similar to what the schools in the book discuss, yet our school system also has differences that set it apart from what is also mentioned in this book.

Things I Need to Know

I read about four important things that UMF Secondary Education majors should know…

·      The Praxis Test: I have already taken the Praxis and passed it so the information in this section did dot really help in that aspect; however, it certainly helped in relieving stress knowing that I have already accomplished this goal.

·      Transferring into the middle/secondary education major: I found this very interesting to see all the requirements. Once again it wasn’t a big worry for me since I am already a major but it made me think about the difficulty it could be of changing majors though I really think I am in the right place anyways.

·      Practicum: I found this one very helpful in many ways. I learned that it is best if you don’t take another course while doing practicum for it makes the process easier on yourself. Since I work on campus as of right now it gave me a good idea of what my schedule for work should be if I am able to work next year. I have learned that it isn’t a bad thing if you do not get into practicum first semester because you will surely get in the semester after. It is a very tedious but beneficial experience that I look forward to taking part in. From this page, the sites given, and what I have heard from students who have already taken it this program seems to be highly recommended. I felt nervous at first reading about this program but felt relieved after seeing I meet all but on of the requirements. The only one I have yet to meet would be passing Edu101/Sed101 with a C or higher, but I am hoping I will certainly accomplish this requirement as well. I know when I was going through the choosing process of college I particularly enjoyed this aspect of being able to go into the field for experience my sophomore year. It helps you realize if this is the job for you right away and gives you the helping hand you need to make it through. I am especially looking forward to this class based on what I have heard.

·      Laptops Meeting Requirements: I was a little concerned about this at first hoping that my laptop met requirements and was not very sure. However as I looked at the information further I realized I have the latest brand as of the 2010-2011 year, so I feel my computer with have no trouble meeting all requirements. This was certainly a relief and another aspect that made me excited that I am hopefully fully prepared to further my education in my chosen major.

Chapter 3: Families and Communities

 Resolved: Partnerships between teachers and families can improve the learning of students.

Many hands make light work, which means that the more people that are involved the easier it is to accomplish tasks. In schools we see teachers, students, and parents having to come together and work to better each students’ education. We should not only rely on teachers to take care of education and helping students be all they can be. It takes equal efforts in all three ways in order to fully see students excel and be successful in the school setting. Many times we forget that in order to keep students on task and focused the parents need to help the teachers by keeping an eye on children at home and school. It takes teamwork from both parents and teachers to help a student learn and become successful. Parents need to be willing to show an interest in their child’s learning ability and make an effort to help their children excel.  They need to show their children they care by getting in touch with teachers and staying current with all that is going on in their children’s lives. However this is not a one-way street and in turn the teacher should be sure to communicate with parents and keep them informed. The teachers should be willing to discuss a child with his or her parents on a regular basis being sure to keep them informed on what is going on in the child’s life. When both sides work together to help the students succeed we can see a big difference in students behavior and will power to learn. In The Joy of Teaching we see that family involvement in schools and with teachers has proven to be an important variable in supporting student learning and successful school experiences. For students it meant higher grades, test scores, and graduation rates along with better attendance, self esteem, increased motivation, lower rates of suspension, fewer instances with violent behavior, etc. (Pg. 113) If parents are willing to care about what is going on in their child’s life and taking an effort to help their child why should a teacher stop them? When one teacher Mrs. Greer went into the field of teaching she made sure to keep her students’ parents involved, which in turn made them more involved in the classroom and school activities.  In the Joy of Teaching this teacher’s story is brought to life and we see how these parents took an interest in their young children’s learning because she gave them the opportunity to.  (Pg 112) How does one know if their students’ parents want to get involved in what is going on if they do not take the opportunity to ask? The PTA (Parent Teacher Association) believes that communications between educators and parents are critical to a good education, and make it their first standard. (Pg. 116) They have seen that out of a group of new teachers 25% described their relationship with parents to be very satisfying. If teachers find it satisfying I am sure the parent do as well and though both parties may not always agree they are making an effort for the well being of the student.  Overall if both parents and teachers care enough about the students they will do all they can to see them grow in their education by communicating with one another.