NCLB and Charter Schools

NCLB and charter schools were topics I did not know much about before this presentation. I had definitely heard of them before but usually only in a negative context. I had often wondered if so many people thought they were no good why the laws had been passed at all. The group explained both very well and I feel like I know have a clear understanding of both. Now that I feel relatively informed I can make an opinion about each. I think that NCLB had some good points like the accountability for schools, a standardized form of showing achievement nationwide, it has the proper backing to be enforced. What I do not like about it is that it takes funding away from schools if their scores drop, it holds all students (ELL and disabled students included) to the same standards, it places an unhealthy amount of importance on a standardized test, and treats schools like a business. Margo made the situation perfectly clear when she did the demonstration with the candy representing funding. I also like the news report video that showed the condition and need for space for charter schools in California. There really was not enough room for all the students and in one particular shot right behind the fence a brand new public school was just built. I think the group did a wonderful job.

Classroom Philosophy in Action

My classroom will be organized with moveable desks so that presentations, individual work, small group work, and discussions in a circle were all possible. Most of what my students do will be either individual or group tasks they do at their own pace. Whole class discussion and presentation of material will start or wrap up a particular topic.
I would like students to have intrinsic motivation. That is the only motivation worth having I believe. I honestly wouldn’t know how to motivate a student extrinsically in high school. I don’t think there is anything I can offer a student that will help them more in life than how to discover knowledge on his or her own. As a teacher I think that if I gain the student’s trust then I get his respect. Maybe then I can model desirable qualities and guide a student on his journey to achievement.
Students will inevitably misbehave when that happens a teacher should be prepared. Any sort of minor infraction will warrant a reminder of the rules the class has made for themselves. If moving students to different desks will help, I will do that. Any sort of dress code, fighting, or tardiness I will refer to the school policy for disciplinary action. For perpetual or reoccurring disturbance in my class I will have the student write up a plan of action with the student, his or her parents, and I signing it so the expectations are clear for everyone.
There are three kinds of assessment pre assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment. I plan on using all three in every unit. They each have a specific and very important purpose. I want to know what previous knowledge my students possess so I can tie the new knowledge with the old knowledge and help them build connections. This is also important to create a common experience. Not all students in the class will have taken all the same classes. Formative assessment is any form of feed back to the students so they know how they are doing. Summative is the end product to demonstrate what the student knows and this of course is the goal of assessment in the first place.
As with any teacher the ultimate goal is to offer my students a physically and emotionally safe environment where students feel free to express their ideas, form or change opinions, and discuss controversial topics. That said I want the climate of my classroom to be fun and not too serious. I hope my students feel pushed but not pressured to succeed.
I know in my first few years I will be student focused. This is where my role as a teacher is the facilitator of learning. I will choose whether students work cooperatively or independently, what assignments they will do, and offer them the information to learn. Eventually once I get more comfortable with the classroom management part of teaching and keeping students on task I want to switch to learner focused. In that type of teaching the students have more control over what they learn about. They can choose topics of interest, how assignments are to be completed and when, and keep track of their own progress. The responsibility of their learning is completely on them where as in the student centered classroom the teacher and student share responsibility.
Technology is such an important part of educating students for the future. I want to use technology as much as possible. I think anything that can be done in the classroom can be done also on the computer. Depending on the resources available to me it will take me some time figuring out how to incorporate it into everything. I know my students will know of different programs they like personally and if I can figure out a way to use them in class I will try to. Technology will change, that is guaranteed, this means I have to be willing to change with it. This is actually what is exciting about education for me, I love change. I can’t wait until someone makes what I already know how to do better.
In my history methods class we had to decide what kind of teacher we were. A few examples were coach, performer, evangelist, and some that I can’t remember. I decided that I was an evangelist; I want to convert my students to be independent thinkers. I think the relationship between student and teacher will be different for me depending on the grade I end up teaching. If I teach 6th grade I will have equal student and teacher control. I have to keep in mind that these students are still kids and they need the guidance I should provide. However on the opposite end of the spectrum if I taught seniors I would give them an acceptable level of autonomy and choice. I do not feel like I need to micromanage a classroom in order to be in control of the class.

Standardized Testing

This presentation was on standardized testing. It began with a brief history. The reason for standardize testing in the beginning was to categorize students. I liked how this group had half of the class answer a multiple choice test about the beginning of their presentation and the other half draw a concept or web map. These are both two different types of assessment testing our class’s knowledge of the information in the presentation. It really showed the difference between the two. I also liked how we brain stormed collaboratively at each table the pros/cons of standardized testing and examples of good and bad assessment. Overall it was well done and even though I didn’t learn many new things the concepts and information became much clearer to me after this presentation.
A suggestion would to be to let us know what the plan is for the presentation at the beginning of the class. I was lost at first when you guys handed us the concept map and the rubric. I didn’t understand its purpose. However you tied it together nicely and I understood the point being made by the end.

Promising Futures

This was a document prepared by the commission of secondary education highlighting the present conditions in Maine, clearly stating future goals, and offering an extensive and detailed list of proposed changes to work towards meeting those goals. Granted this document was written in 1998, it still has validity today. The ten core principles of the commission were: 1. a safe, respectful, and caring environment, 2. high universal expectations with a variety of learning opportunities, 3.understanding and actions based on assessment date, 4. teacher practice which values and builds upon the contributions and needs of each learner, 5. equitable and democratic practice, 6. coherence among mission, goals, actions, and outcomes. The biggest problem outlined repeatedly in the document was that every aspect of school life should be coordinated with the same goal and that goal should be to exceed the standard. The standard is outlined in the NCLB for each subject. The school structure, schedule, assignments, and assessments should teach students the necessary knowledge and skills outlined in the standards. Suggestions for teachers such as keeping the same students with a teacher throughout high school, lessening the quantity of students each teacher is responsible for, and adding professional development days or workshops for teachers. The final key is that for a school to attempt a change any sort of change all teachers, staff, administration, and even the community have to be on board.

I think a lot of what was written for suggestions in this report has basis in recent research and information about how students learn best. A lot of books that I have read in practicum and in other education classes at Farmington have said a lot of similar things. This report was written 12 years ago, I wonder if information was collected today from the schools in Maine what the report would say.

The History and Philosophy of Education ‘voices’

After reading this article I felt like it had taken me through the evolution of the philosophy of education throughout time. Many philosophers believed in lofty ideals such as free education for the poor, the blacks, and even women. This is a reality today in the United States. I connected with pieces of nine different philosophers’ ideas about education. I will briefly mention the parts of the philosophies that I agreed with and will incorporate into my own. Quintilian believed in no corporal punishment of students and for information that was age appropriate for students. Augustine thought that teachers should build on the students’ previous knowledge. The teacher is a role model who treats the students fairly and compassionately. Aquinas believed that the purpose of education was to help the student develop their intellect and understand how to use their power of choice and freewill. Students learn through discovery: of themselves, the world, and life’s purpose, which is ultimately their own happiness. The one thing I took from Erasmus’s philosophy was the use of excellent examples to correctly and vividly explain concepts. Comenius thought that parents played a critical role in character formation. Teachers ought to encourage and be kind to students, offer them individual attention when possible, and share a non-coercive atmosphere. Also teachers should be paid more considering all they do. Pestalozzi thought learning should be catered to the interests and for the motivation of students. Motivation should not from punishment and fear. Teacher and student relationships should be caring with teachers taking into consideration the emotional and social developmental needs of students. Pestalozzi said, “The teacher is like a gardener helping the child to unfold.” Dewey believed that there is no reason and it is impractical to break up subjects into separate areas such as math, science, social studies, and English. Real life application and also the best way to learn is through thematic/interdisciplinary units. Tyler considered students’ problem-solving skills a priority and he thought modeling for them a democratic society in the classroom helped the students learn. He advocated summer in-service workshops for professional development and educational evaluation for teachers and the system. Freire believed the purpose of education is for freedom and that discussing the issues of social class, gender, and race are the task of education to create informed citizens and tolerant people.

I picked these beliefs of these 9 philosophers because each one had something different to add that I believed in. I am not a person that can be sold whole heartedly into an ideology of any kind be it a philosophical, political, or religious. There are elements that I like and agree with where as other parts I think are garbage and have no relevance to me. So by taking bits and parts I can make it my own and create my own individual philosophy of education.

Chapter 5: Building an Educational Philosophy in a Changing World.

This chapter was about the many teacher or student center education philosophies, classroom management options, and teachers’ role of change for society. The three philosophies that are teacher-centered are: essentialism, behaviorism, perennialism and positivism. Essentialism believes that there is a set of knowledge and skills that a person must acquire in order to be a functional member of a society. Behaviorism states that an individual’s actions are determined by the environment, so a teacher who subscribes to this theory would have their classroom set up in a specific way, with not a poster or chair in the wrong place. Perennialism says that there are specific knowledge and guiding principles that are equally relevant throughout time. Humans are rational beings therefore they must learn how to think and achieve cultural literacy. Positivism believes that every thing in the world can be explained by rules and laws of matter; any sort of spirituality has no place. Student-centered teaching philosophies are: progressivism, humanism, reconstructionism, and constructivism. Progressivism is propelled by students’ questions and these ideas should be tested by experiments. Humanism believes that humans are essentially good and focus should be on developing that in an individual and not on the group. Reconstructionism is about understanding social problems, learning in and about diversity and multicultural issues, and taking responsibility for the choice the students’ have in the future to improve injustices in the world. Constructivism is based on creating personal meaning and connection to material or information through activities and hands on situations. This uses real life applications as a main component of learning because there can be multiple solutions to contemporary problems. Also students choose to solve the problem that makes the most sense to their way of thinking, it is individualized. The chapter also presented different ways to set up a classroom, assess, motivate, and how much voice students are given. The last part was about a teacher’s role in society, whether a teacher should help students adapt to change, a teacher should be a catalyst in social change, or rationally mediate the tension between the individual and society.

I connected to reconstructionism and constructivism the most of all the philosophies. A main reason was that they were student centered. I liked the aspect of reconstructionism that deals with talking about social issues and multiculturalism in the class. I also want my students to understand that humans have a ability to destroy each other but they don’t and to be able to answer some of the big questions in life. I liked constructivism because I believe if a student has a personal connection to the material it will be remembered later. Students learn material through hands on experiences and simulations. I understand that the facts are important in history but I also know that it is a ‘social science.’ I want to balance the need to show that history is about people as a whole in society and with the need to recognize my students as individuals whose voice can be heard.

Classroom Discipline

The group with Jason, Cara, and Kirsten presented the issue of classroom discipline. Cara talked about the history. Originally classrooms were set up with students getting one on one attention with the teacher and the rest of the class was unsupervised. In order to keep the class on task fear tactics were used such as physical beatings for punishment if a student misbehaved. Corporal punishment was banned in most places in the United States by the 19th century. The next style of discipline was Bureaucratic. This style was very impersonal and teachers appointed students that were the best to be a ‘monitor’ and make sure the rest of the class behaved. Students were seated according to achievement so students could learn at an early age that achievers would make it in the world and those in the back would not. Humiliation tactics were used to keep students in line. Another style developed around the same time was soft-pedagogy. This style was very personal with the classroom functioning almost like a family. Students obey the teacher because of the guilt of disappointing the teacher. The teacher was seen as a parental figure capable of bestowing or withholding affection depending on the students’ behavior. The post-progressive movement saw the role of the teacher as an expert instead of a parental figure. Student teacher relationships turned into professional/client relationships. In this system students were either punished or rewarded immediately after the action. In this consumer society students and adults are used to instant gratification so schools decided to mirror that connection with discipline. How the students behave has a lot to do with what is expected of them by the teacher. Teachers’ styles fall along a continuum that starts with laissez-faire to authoritarian. A laissez-faire teacher is one that is very relaxed and simply gives off the vibe that he or she doesn’t care what the students do. An authoritarian teacher has everything the students do down to the minute and if students stray from the plan they are punished. I think the best way is to have structure but also allow students freedom with in reason. Students tend to invest more in the class if they feel they are a part of the process and are included in the decision making whenever possible. They then feel ownership of the class. This is called judicious discipline. Of course the best possible classroom management style is withitness. Withitness is when a teacher knows exactly what is going on in his or her classroom at all times. This is commonly referred to as having eyes in the back of one’s head. In this system a teacher can intervene before a situation because an issue.

I think that the group presented a lot of useful information. The history of discipline in classrooms was very interesting because I had always been under the impression that corporal punishment had been used as the standard method until modern day methods were introduced. In some places it still occurs but most places had banned it by the 19th century. I hope someday I might acquire withitness but obviously that takes time and practice.

Empowerment

Pgs. 309-347

This is the last section in this book. I think before reading this last chapter I thought since most of the book was about empowering teachers this section would be too. I did not get that impression though. It was kind of an overview of different situations of students and what ends up happening to them. The first story I chose was about Ramiro. Ramiro had been in 8th grade for the past three years and could not move on to high school until he had passed the standardized test. The teacher in the story worked really hard with him and when the results came in for the test he had not passed. There was a make up test date and so Ramiro was assigned to a class to study for the make up test date. Again he took the test and this time he passed. Ramiro thanked the teacher. I chose this story because it wasn’t as simple as Ramiro tried a little bit and then passed the test. Ramiro also learned that lesson that sometimes your best isn’t enough unless you actually learn the material. But three weeks later he passed. He didn’t give up even when faced with adversity. I think that is why the story stood out to me. The second story I chose was about Dejuan. The teacher in the story basically Dejuan held his hand and helped in graduate. He was close to completing but his parents had kicked him out so he was couch hopping and had lost motivation. Through this teacher’s help Dejuan graduated. None of Dejuan’s family was there even though he was the first in his family to graduate high school. The teacher in the narrative continued to wonder to herself if she had done everything she could. The biggest lesson I learned from this section was that once the teacher had done everything and the students left the class there was nothing more to be done. The teacher had to let the students go, to fly on their own. I think I might struggle with this my first few years of teaching, letting my students go once they are finished in my class.

Philosophy: Reaction: idealism, realism, pragmatism, and existentialism.

I realized from the discussion we had in class that I am not really a pragmatist at all in my teaching philosophy. I definitely believe that there is no universal knowledge or information set that every student everywhere should know. I also believe that information is changing constantly and students need to know how to problem solve. However I realized I leaned more toward existentialist teachings because I think its important for students to understand the world for themselves. I also am a pessimistic person and I think that the world I generally chaotic. Good people some times have bad things happen to them and bad people get away with crimes all the time. The only justice is man made justice which is inherently flawed. So I believe I should empower my students with the skills and tools they need to survive in an unfair, chaotic, and at times cruel world.

Chapter 4: Philosophy: Idealism, Realism, Pragmatism, Existentialism

By reading chapter 4 in “Foundations of American Education,” I learned a significant amount about 4 major philosophies: idealism, realism, pragmatism, and existentialism. Idealism holds that there is an absolute truth or higher authority on what is knowledge or worth knowing. Idealists believe that the focus of life is in the mind and that reality is spiritual. Realists also believe there is an absolute truth but that the focus of life is the body and reality is the physical universe around us. Both theories believe that true ideas that were relevant thousands of years ago are relevant to today, time is of no object, and truth is truth. Pragmatism believes that the world is continually changing and evolving. There is no absolute spiritual truth or universal natural laws governing or directing the world. Idealism and realism focus on a set of facts or information people should know; pragmatism focuses on using information and problem solving with it. Since there is no knowledge that is constant, the way a pragmatist understands the world is that knowing occurs by the transaction of information between the questioner and the environment. It is in the process of applying knowledge that is gained by experience. Existentialists basically believe in nothing. There is no absolute truth, spiritual or natural, nor is change a fact either. The only reality is the one that is the lived experience of the individual. What is worth knowing is what an individual thinks of the world and his or herself. Everything a person does is based on a choice, including the choice of refusing to choose. The ability to make a choice that is personally satisfying is the ultimate goal of the existentialist.

I think I’m a pragmatist. Idealists and realists seem quite closed minded and I don’t like that approach to life at all. I understand that there are skills every person should acquire in order to be able to exist in society. I do not think that everyone should have to know the same things because people need to specialize in order for our economy to work. Also ideas and knowledge that were relevant a long time ago for the most part have nothing to do with the realities of life today. Especially in the fields such as science, math, and health, there are new discoveries every year that changes what is known about the world. In some of these discoveries what was held as truth a long time ago is proven to be false. I like the idea that knowledge is only useful if we can solve day to day problems with it. Discovery and experience is an important part of pragmatist thought. I know that I believe facts about a situation much more intensely than if the information is simply relayed to me. I like the reflective piece of existentialism but as a whole the philosophy is quite hopeless sounding. So I don’t think it quite applies to me.

Multicultural Issues

The first group to present their lesson talked about race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. Kayla focused on including and incorporating learning about different cultures everyday not just on a specific day or unit. Multicultural day or black history month or a unit on Native Americans does not give an accurate picture of how an individual’s culture affects their everyday life. Having different cultures represented in the décor of the classroom, mentioned in the lesson, or by using texts written by people of other cultures are all suggestions. Kim talked about sexual orientation or sexual attraction. The most important point she stressed was having a classroom that accepts everyone. Sexualities other than heterosexual are not a new phenomenon. The forwardness and openness of the issue is very recent however. Students are coming from homes with varying views of the issue, with some not as tolerant as others. Walking a thin line between offending a student’s personal beliefs on the issue by calling the student out on their rude or intolerant behavior and informing them of the necessity that everyone has the same right to their beliefs as that student will be a difficult task but a critical one. Lizzie talked about gender stereotypes and issues. She showed us a book “I’m glad I’m a girl. I’m glad I’m a boy.” Apparently it was written as a satire of society but it was not taken that way and subsequently banned from many places and is now out of print. However, some of the stereotypes are not too far from the mark. Gender is still important to recognize if only to be aware and actively combat imposing personal and societal stereotypes on your students.

I thought the group did very well. The visuals/movies/technology was relevant, interesting, and further supported the points made in the presentation. Each group member seemed well prepared and presented the material in a manner easily understood by the audience. Most of what they said I knew but on a level where I could vaguely attempt to re-explain it to someone else. Their presentation made the ideas a lot clearer and gave me concrete goals on which to focus.

1980-2004

From 1980-2004 many people realized that public education needed to be reformed in some way. How to best do that is still up for debate today. The document that brought national attention to the situation or ‘crisis’ as the article says was A Nation at Risk. Basically what the article said was that America was experiencing unilateral educational disarmament and that if a foreign power had done to us what we have done to ourselves it would be an act of war. Economy is not a global one and America now needs citizens who can compete with the foreign market. The reason why America has fallen is because of the schools. Ronald Reagan championed strengthening local control of schools and decreasing federal funding for them. He wanted to increase competition in school. Public schools should compete at the same level with private enterprise and that the reason public education was not meeting standards was because the government held a monopoly. Public education was selling something that no one wanted. In the end school should be about one thing: the bottom line. In education the solution is high stakes testing and the bottom line are test scores. Without competition schools feel no pressure to raise student test scores and achievement.
In east Harlem there was an educational experiment. In one school district students was divided into 52 different schools within existing buildings. Each school emphasized different things like music, math, or discipline. Students chose which school they wanted to attend. Based on the performance of the students in academic achievement schools added students or were closed altogether.
In 1992 ‘choice’ was introduced as a new solution. Students could choose which schools they wanted to attend and their tuition would be paid by the public. But there were so few alternative schools and even fewer that could get there so little changed.
Other solutions were magnet schools which basically was save the best of everyone from diverse backgrounds and bring them together because a particular common interest. In 1990 President George Bush enacted vouchers that allowed low income students to go to private nonreligious paid for by tax payers. A problem arose because many private schools are religiously affiliated but the government has always been very clear about the separation of church and state. No public funds are allowed to support a religious affiliated school. Another movement was led by the Christian right to home school children. They succeed. It is legal to home school children in all 52 states. The EAI tried to run a school based as a business but the students did not do well. So it was a failed experiment. The lesson learned from this situation is that competition is important. The free market is not a perfect mechanism in public schools. The vast majority of students still depend on public education. Unfortunately the bar is being raised while schools are overcrowded, underfunded, and teachers undertrained. However, on the whole public education is a success. In 2000-2001 47.8 million students are in the public school system which makes up 90% of America’s children. The real test is to have excellent with equity. Not only to have them both but to have the sense that they are connected, you can’t have one without the other.

I know I wrote a lot in the summary section but that is because this is all so recent and relevant to where the educational situation is today and where it is headed. It is clear that our students do not match the test scores of other students in other countries. Something obviously needs to be done about this if America is to remain at the top of the totem pole in the world economy. What is to be done no one is sure. I suppose different solutions will be tried until one is found that works.

1770-1890

This country was founded on religious freedom. To some that freedom meant freedom from the dominant religion of Europe and free to indoctrinate the people of this country to the ‘right’ or their religion, which was protestant. The public school system was set up by Protestants so naturally this is the religion promoted by the schools. Texts books had catholic and Irish slurs within them. Many other forms of discrimination existed also. Blacks were not allowed to have an education; if they did attain it then they were punished severely. At first women were allowed only a few years of education. A movement changed that fact and the new popular opinion was that women were especially suited to be teachers. Only single women were allowed to be teachers. Once a teacher got married she would have to give up her career to take care of her family. The first person to suggest free public schooling was Thomas Jefferson. He believed that since our country is a democracy the masses needed education in order to effectively choose their leaders. He put forth a bill for each child to receive 3 years of free public school education paid for by tax payers. At this time the countries had just finished fighting a war and were heavily taxed already in order to pay that debt off. They were not interested in paying for anything extra. Another major leader in education was Horace Mann who championed what were called common schools. Common schools were free of charge to the students and their families. He also standardized schools with such items as chairs with backs, blackboards, and a curriculum. Eventually free public education was available to those families that could provide their children transportation to school and who could spare them from the family farm or other means of employment. Out west each town could apply to be recognized only when they had a formal school house, a teacher, and could fund it. Each state included in their constitution guidelines about free public education for their citizens before it the state was granted statehood.

On one hand I’m not surprised that free public education was not available to everyone at the beginning of our country. Many people held deep seated racism, others held on tightly to their money, and still others felt education was for the elite and a privilege not afforded to common people. On the other hand in my mind education is completely bonded to my idea of what is American. To be American is to be able to gain status, wealth, and privilege through hard work, knowledge, and a little luck. Education has always been a critical part of that ascent. It just seems funny that it was not always the case

Rejuvenation

Pgs 247-308

The story of the boy named Manie was very intense I thought. I think that was because I did not expect any of what happened. It went from just one of her students winning a drawing contest to an important change of thought/heart for Manie for the rest of his life. I know that some families still harbor racist feelings and thoughts and pass them down to their children but it’s a back of the mind kind of knowledge. Not the kind anyone wants to be confronted with. Without this experience Manie might have continued to grow up and hold onto the beliefs of his parents. He would perpetuate that misinformed line of thinking to his own children. This was a powerful piece and I’m sure an experience the teacher and Manie will not forget.

The ‘rock star’ teacher excerpt was quite interesting to me. Sometimes when a teacher does well he or she starts to believe it has all been figured out. Perhaps at times the goal is to ‘figure it out.’ Figure out how to discipline the students effectively, keep them engaged, and aid the strugglers. Everyone once in a while these teachers need a wake up call that reminds them they aren’t the best. My dad once told me that there will always be someone better than me but on the other side there will always be someone worse too. I think he meant for me to keep my head up but never get too cocky. At least this teacher realized that she did have something to learn at the conference instead of continuing to sulk the entirety of the trip.

A Nation At Risk

Abstract
The article, “A Nation at Risk, 1983,” states simply that the education of our young people is not what it used to be and that times have changed. The world has now changed to a global economy. The United States can no longer be at the forefront of industry simply because it has the most raw material resources. The new kind of resource is the people. The economy has changed from a goods economy to a service economy. It is no longer enough to have a few elite scientists to keep a country on top. Schools are concerned more about reaching the minimum requirement instead of putting the bar at the maximum requirement and letting students reach for that. The article also suggests that we promote as an important aspect of our culture the idea of lifelong learning. We have the institutions and museums to accomplish this goal we just need a shift in societal thinking. We have the ability to be better but the standardized test scores shows stead decline. The attitude of the public is that education is still one of the most important aspects of our lives as American citizens and what our tax dollars should be spent on. Education should be at the top of the nation’s agenda.
In the follow up article published 25 years later, it interviewed the writer and another influential teacher. The writer firmly believes that the article helped inspire the change needed at just the right time. The book was published as Reagan was attempting to cut federal funding for public education and privatize schools. Nowadays more money is being spent on education and more qualified teachers are in the schools. The other teacher that was interviewed said the book went too far and it was an unnecessary and sensationalized attack on the condition of public education.

Reflection
The first article was quite harsh on the condition of high school graduates. Besides startling numbers of students unable to do simple tasks as complicated math problems and writing a persuasive essay, the overall impression was that graduates were not ready for college or the work force. The main goal of education is to ready its graduates to meet the world and achieve relative success. Obviously that goal was not being met according to the article. I have no doubt some teachers felt threatened and abused by it. It is not a pleasant thing to read that other people have researched and called you out on not doing your job effectively. Change did occur and I suppose things are better now. I do know that more rigorous tests/ requirements for certification are imposed and not just anyone can be a teacher. This is not a bad change in my mind because I would not want a loosely qualified doctor to be making decision about my well being, health, and future. Just as important, a loosely qualified teacher could negatively affect a student’s achievement, goals, and future. Things may look different 25 years from now.

Disillusionment

Pgs 170-246

This was the section on disillusionment. A lot of the entries were about teachers who struggled to get through each day, with some quitting at the end. The first entry that I will discuss was about testing. Today classrooms are full of standardized testing and also full a lot of students who struggle with it. I remember my teachers telling me that the tests didn’t count for our grade in class so a lot of my peers just messed up the answers on purpose. Now I think that maybe those students couldn’t understand or were too frustrated to try to do the test. What answers do we give our students about the necessity of standardized testing if even we as teachers are disenchanted with it?

The story about the teacher that taught in what I think is a detention center for students who have been in trouble with the law definitely caught my attention. On this particular day one of the 16 year old boys, Mario, found out his parents have been taken by the ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) because they are here illegally. Mario was the oldest of 5 children who are now left to fend for themselves. There is nothing this teacher can do, for Mario, his parents, his younger siblings, or even offer reassurance about the future. I think helpless does not even begin to describe how this teacher felt.

Pgs 104-169

Entry 56 caught my attention for several reasons. First I come from a background that believes very strongly that homosexuality is a sin and those that participate in those activities should be harshly punished. Secondly, I have since come to grips with the beliefs of my parents and don’t feel the same way. I do know that some students will come from a similar background that I did. As I read what Natasha said that she thinks gay people are disgusting and should all be killed, I had flashback. I used to say that all the gay people should be rounded up and sent to live in a space station in outer space or on a different planet. I now know that is a very prejudice thing to say. I wondered what the teacher would do. The teacher used public humiliation to prove the point that students should think for themselves instead of repeating what they hear others say. I’m still not sure if this was the best way to deal with it. I’m still thinking about it. Entry 67 talked about the teachers union and in this instance how she received a 1% raise. Obviously I know that teachers don’t make a lot of money. I do understand how this amount of a raise would feel like a slap in the face for all the hard work the teacher does throughout the year. The entry was about why the teacher taught. In the entry is a story about a boy named Marcus and in the end the teacher teaches for Marcus.

1950-1980

Abstract:
This era of history in schools is one of major reform. It starts out with the preparing the baby boomers for nuclear attacks, giving them vaccines, and gearing their education toward a technologically advanced future. About half of high school graduates were now college bound and society viewed a high school diploma as a necessity. Of course these are all facts depicting the situation for white Americans. Segregation was perfectly legal according to the Plessey v Ferguson case that stated it was legal as long as the facilities were equal. This was the precedent until Linda Brown, her parents, Thurgood Marshall, the NAACP, and twelve other families brought a case to the Supreme Court. In the Brown v Board of Education of Topeka Kansas the decision was that in education segregation is inherently unequal. The way our government works is the judicial branch decides the legality of a situation but it is the executive branch that enforces those rules. School administrators and state governments could just ignore a court order. Lyndon Johnson was the president that gave the court decision some teeth when he signed the Civil Rights Act in 1964. This stated that schools who were not segregated would not receive federal funding. Soon other groups started demanding equal rights. Title 9 was passed which prohibited school programs that discriminated against women. An example would be in extracurricular activities. In 1976 IDEA was passed, which is Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. So by the end of this era schools looked very different than they did in 1950.

Reflection:
I think it is amazing how in the span of 30 short years how much change and how many different people are now allowed in public schools. In the grand scheme of things this country is less than 250 years old. In the reading even children whose parents are illegal aliens are allowed to go to school. Basically this country now believes that every child of school age is allowed and should go to public school.

1900-1950

Abstract: This movie covered the movements of the purpose of education in public schools. The years covered in this section were from 1900-1950. In the beginning public schools in the cities were terrible places to be; overcrowded, dark, cold, and full of sickness. A lot of children worked in factories instead of going to school. Five hundred children were asked whether they would rather work in a factory or go to school. Eighty percent replied they would rather work in a factory. Physical conditions soon improved. Academic subjects were the focus and students were forced to sit in desk bolted to the floor in 1 room schools for hours. This was the case until John Dewey came up with the Gary plan. He is considered the father of progressive education. His ideas about education were that children learn by doing. Children should exercise their minds and their bodies. Students were outside a lot of the day and moved from class to class. This school had classes such as art, mechanics, and working with animals. Students that left these schools were prepared for the work force. Throughout this time span there were movements from progressive education to more traditional education depending on the administration and current political movement. In a decade or two the pendulum would swing in favor of progressive education. Then two inventions were created that are still in effect today: the I.Q. / S.A.T. and tracking. When it was determined by scientists that a person was born with a certain I.Q. and that it stays relatively constant throughout life educators began testing children as early as five. Using those results the administration would place the child in the appropriated track for the rest of the student’s educational career. This has many flaws some are the following: the tests are culturally western European, always in English which might not be a student’s first language, some students are behind in reading at the beginning of school but can catch up later, and students with test anxiety will have results will not accurately reflect their ability. For these reasons many poor students, immigrants, and blacks were disproportionately represented in the lower tracks. Usually students who scored high on the I.Q. test were put into college bound tracking. The low tracks or industrial track were for Mexicans and blacks. Domestic science was for girls. Native Americans were sent to boarding schools to not only separate them from their language but also their culture. Even now many schools have an English only school. There also has been since the birth of this country a movement that will gather steam and die depending on current events. That movement is to make English the official language of this country. This might be why foreign language is not taught since kindergarten and so many students who graduate high school are not fluent in any other language besides English despite a few years of classes in another language.

Reflection: I think the main question to be asked is what is the purpose of education? Is it to be a good citizen? Or is it to cure social evils? Perhaps its purpose is to prepare students for the workforce? Or is school to be used for opportunities, advancement, and upward social mobility? Schools and the movement of education is a reflection of the society as a whole. What is society’s expectation of its youth and future employees? The swing between progressive and traditional education movements reflects this idea. Even now tracking still exists in our schools. I.Q. tests have been replaced with the S.A.T. to measure students’ abilities and whether they can attend a certain college. Society still places value on these measurements of intelligence to ascertain the abilities of students. So the purpose of education is determined by society.

Generations

Abstract
This article described how there are four generations in the work force currently and that they are very different from each other. Each has its own communication style, motivation, and views about how to best accomplish a task. This can cause problems if individuals in the different generations have to work together on the same project. As a person in a leadership position, the best way to get everyone to work together is to meet each person on their level. An example would be an employer has 2 employees, a baby boomer and a gen Y. The employer would call the baby boomer at home or whenever to discuss work and he would email or leave a voicemail for the gen Y employee. The article simply said that being aware of the differences and acting accordingly is the best solution.

Reflection
This article specifically talks about a business type work place but this is relevant to my profession. I will be dealing with multiple generations as I teach students in my generation but talk to parents and grandparents in older generations. It is good to be aware of the fact that they communicate differently and to be aware and flexible to find the method that best suits them. It might be easiest for me to send out a quick email reminding parents of an activity the students are participating in but if a student is being raised by their grandparents their grandparents might be expecting a written letter home. I should be aware of this and try to make the necessary accommodations when possible. That is what I got out of the article.

Challenges

Pgs 45-103

This section of the book was less happy and glowing than the first part. I should’ve expected this because the section is called challenges. I found this section incredibly sad that there were so many students in desperate situations. Story number 27 was hard for me to deal with on a lot of levels. First I just want to say that although I have strong opinions about a lot of issues I do not usually try to influence other people in any way to adopt my beliefs. I am very much against abortion and I almost got physically sick when that teacher said that she almost had a 3rd abortion by the time she was 17. I understand that sharing her story with the student will help that student tell her mom or make a decision about what to do with the baby. I also did not like that woman from the story that told the teacher that god and his angels would help her through the difficult times. That is the worst thing anyone could ever say. People have to figure out how to go through difficulties on their own, it is impractical to sit around and stare at the sky for a solution to problems. All in all, this story made me sick and angry. Story number 44 was the other story I wanted to mention. This was about a 27 year old teacher giving the eulogy for his sixteen year old student who had died in a car crash. This story I could relate to more than the stories about gang violence killing students because this happens in Maine. I had a couple friends crash their cars during snow storms in high school. Most were uninjured but my friend Megan messed up her back so bad she couldn’t play any sports for almost a year. They were lucky but I could have a student someday who isn’t so lucky and that is why this story struck home for me.

Culture Shield

Diversity, Learning Style, and Culture

This article was basically about the disparity between the literature and knowledge that educators read and possess about the way students learn and the reality that is seen in the classroom. There are books and books that flood the market and line the home libraries of educators and administrators across the country and yet an observer would be hard pressed to find much difference between the classroom of 50 years ago and today. It is not because the teachers are indifferent to the needs of the students, lazy, or ineffectual. There is a choice and a compromise that has to be made between diversity and uniformity. Diversity is a well known fact; every student is different and learns differently. No one would argue with that. However, the problem stems from the need for uniformity and organization necessary in a system expected to educate the entirety of America’s youth. This system is for the most part effective. The majority graduate and can meet the demands of life. Most educators do believe that the majority isn’t enough though. This article suggests how that diversity can be used to help rather that separate the student from majority.

I thought two interesting points the article made were about information gather and use about cultures and how students deal with their surroundings as an individual. Implementing knowledge gained by studying other cultures can be tricky. Just because a majority of people believe a certain way that does not mean that the entirety of that group of people believes that. That would be stereotyping, which is dangerous and hurtful. An educator not only has to have the back ground knowledge that this is a widely held belief by a particular set of people but in that set of people there are individuals that are different and the educator can not lose sight of that. The other interesting point that the article made was that a student will succeed when the student’s internal beliefs about themselves and their world, match up with the culture and beliefs of their parents, and both of these match up with the culture and beliefs held by the school and subsequently mainstream America. Students struggle when the three areas are not in align. A few examples might be the culture of the home and that of the school is in direct conflict, or if the student’s internal beliefs or personality are not mainstream, or any combination of the three. Teachers could and should be sensitive to this in order to ease the conflict and friction of the situation for the student.

Anticipation

pg 1-44

The first section of this book was about different stories of passion, triumph, and learned lessons that some teachers shared with small stories. I picked two of the stories that particularly hit home for me.

The first story was about a teacher who changed careers from an attorney to become a teacher. This individual clearly had the capacity for a high end career and money that could come from it. This teacher also received criticism from friends and family for the choice. This teacher also understood what it meant to follow his or her passion and heart. I connected to this particular story not because I had wanted to have a different career than the path I’m currently on but because I have had to answer the money question from many adults along the way. I even had a family member joke that I better find a rich husband. I know that there are many other careers that I could have chosen that I could be quite good at and make more money. I also know that it would not be as fulfilling for me as well. The more I study in this program at UMF the more I am certain I made the right choice. That it is not true what they say about teachers, that those who can do and those that can’t teach. What is true is that those that teach can make a difference, even if its just in the life of one student.

The second story I chose was the story of the teacher whose school experienced the suicides of 4 students in one school year. 4 students. My senior year we had one of our students commit suicide and I remember the aftermath of that. I did not know the student personally. I knew the student’s brother that was in my grade. Even now I know that his brother is affected by that. What got to me was the that the teacher in the story kept forgetting what number of students he had in his class and the empty chair would always be there in the back of the room, at least for the remainder of the year. But that empty chair will always be there at the dinner table at the Higgins house back in my hometown. I know there isn’t anything that can be done that wasn’t already done. The story just hit me I guess.