Well of course I want to be a great teacher and i hope that everyone who goes into the teaching field strives to be just that. i want to make an impact in the life and education of my students. I would hope that my students and all the people around me would be able to see my passion for teaching. I would hope that by encouraging my students they would also want to be the best they can be. If a teacher shows that they are putting in 110% I feel the students will be more likely to do that as well.
How serious are you taking your education?
I can honestly say that i have not been very serious about my education. I didn't realize in high school the importance of learning the information. I passed all my classes just fine but never worked harder than I needed to or went above what was required. I put out the work but never really learned about it. Knowing what i know now about how important a good education is, if I could go back to high school I would have done things much differently. I know I would have been able to handle honors classes but I never wanted the extra work. My classes were easy for me I never had to try very hard. I am trying to find my passion to learn and have been working much harder in school. Taking general education classes I have found that not many of the professors are passionate about general courses, so it has been hard to be motivated to do that work, but I am trying!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Chapter Three: Global Achievement Gap
This chapter is titled Testing 123 and talks about testing here is the U.S. It starts off by giving us sample questions from the standard MCA's. I grew up in the Anoka School Districts and we were required to takes these tests. I believe we started testing in third grade. It was the worst week I hated tests after the first couple hours I began to just guess. I would assume I am not the only child who did that. One important thing I took away from this section is that many students struggle to pass these. That is an issue and that issue cannot be solved by more testing.
Another important piece of information I took away from this chapter is that applied skills is at the top of the list for important skills. Students today lack many of the necessary skills for math and science. These subjects are so crucial for learning because they allow you to not only solve a math problem but think critically about the many ways you can solve a problem. That is the same with science.
I thought it was cool when it talked about AP course and college. Many people think if you take AP courses you will be smarter in college. That is not always the case, in the chapter on page 93 it said, "taking any academically challenging course in high school with show an association with success in college."
Then the chapter moved on to talk about Citizenship Readiness. Do students that we send out into the real world really have the ability to be an important part of the community? Do they have the skills it takes to vote for who will make the better changes, or be on jury duty? If students are not learning critical thinking skills or how to accurately judge a situation how would you feel if they were a jury member on your case? All these questions made me think about myself, if I have these abilities or not. The seven survival skills are just as important for citizenship as they are for work.
There was a quote I took from page 111 that I found very interesting and my favorite part of this chapter. It says. "In todays world, it's no longer how much you know that matters; it's what you can do with what you know." I think that quote is pretty self explanatory. :)
Another important piece of information I took away from this chapter is that applied skills is at the top of the list for important skills. Students today lack many of the necessary skills for math and science. These subjects are so crucial for learning because they allow you to not only solve a math problem but think critically about the many ways you can solve a problem. That is the same with science.
I thought it was cool when it talked about AP course and college. Many people think if you take AP courses you will be smarter in college. That is not always the case, in the chapter on page 93 it said, "taking any academically challenging course in high school with show an association with success in college."
Then the chapter moved on to talk about Citizenship Readiness. Do students that we send out into the real world really have the ability to be an important part of the community? Do they have the skills it takes to vote for who will make the better changes, or be on jury duty? If students are not learning critical thinking skills or how to accurately judge a situation how would you feel if they were a jury member on your case? All these questions made me think about myself, if I have these abilities or not. The seven survival skills are just as important for citizenship as they are for work.
There was a quote I took from page 111 that I found very interesting and my favorite part of this chapter. It says. "In todays world, it's no longer how much you know that matters; it's what you can do with what you know." I think that quote is pretty self explanatory. :)
Monday, April 4, 2011
Duluth schools take on high-tech bullies
http://www.inforum.com/event/article/id/314783/
Technology has made it so much easier for students to bully others, and has made it harder to see bullying happen. Often times children get bullied by texting, Facebook, and other internet sources. By the bullying being as personal as cell phone to cell phone it makes it harder to get caught, and easier to do. These Duluth schools have been trying to come up with different ways to address bullying in a way that will be effective for everyone. They have given students and teachers techniques to handle bullying and to notice it. I like that the school encourages other students to stand up for each other.
Technology has made it so much easier for students to bully others, and has made it harder to see bullying happen. Often times children get bullied by texting, Facebook, and other internet sources. By the bullying being as personal as cell phone to cell phone it makes it harder to get caught, and easier to do. These Duluth schools have been trying to come up with different ways to address bullying in a way that will be effective for everyone. They have given students and teachers techniques to handle bullying and to notice it. I like that the school encourages other students to stand up for each other.
DC schools' test scores under scrutiny
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2011/04/03/endo.dc.school.testing.scandal.cnn?iref=allsearch
This video looks at the issue of cheating, in the DC school districts, on the standardized tests. When there was a sudden rise in test schools for the DC schools so an investigation began. The automatic test scoring computers notice a high rate in eraser marks. It is thought that adults had cheated and erased children's wrong answers and put in the right ones. This is very sad, the children are being cheated out of a fair education. The tests are to show how much the children are learning, by cheating like this the children will never get the help they need. Cheating also hurts the school, it may look like their test scores are getting high but the students in the school are not getting smarter, which will hurt the school reputation.
This video looks at the issue of cheating, in the DC school districts, on the standardized tests. When there was a sudden rise in test schools for the DC schools so an investigation began. The automatic test scoring computers notice a high rate in eraser marks. It is thought that adults had cheated and erased children's wrong answers and put in the right ones. This is very sad, the children are being cheated out of a fair education. The tests are to show how much the children are learning, by cheating like this the children will never get the help they need. Cheating also hurts the school, it may look like their test scores are getting high but the students in the school are not getting smarter, which will hurt the school reputation.
Are School Nurses Disappearing?
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/04/04/school.nurse.shortage.parenting/index.html?iref=allsearch
This article really bothered me, the story it shared about a student dying from an asthma attack that could have easily been prevented it there was registered nurse on site. I feel the well being of a child and their health and safety comes before academics. A nurse should be the last person to get cut from a school. I would never send my child to a school that did not have their own nurse on site for the WHOLE school day. Now what about children with special needs? Often times they need medical attention daily, who hands out the drugs that children take daily? A nurse is qualified to give medicine, to give injections, and know what to do in a medical emergency until further assistance gets there. Nurses are needed in schools, and that is disappointing to find that many schools do not have them.
This article really bothered me, the story it shared about a student dying from an asthma attack that could have easily been prevented it there was registered nurse on site. I feel the well being of a child and their health and safety comes before academics. A nurse should be the last person to get cut from a school. I would never send my child to a school that did not have their own nurse on site for the WHOLE school day. Now what about children with special needs? Often times they need medical attention daily, who hands out the drugs that children take daily? A nurse is qualified to give medicine, to give injections, and know what to do in a medical emergency until further assistance gets there. Nurses are needed in schools, and that is disappointing to find that many schools do not have them.
Ideal Teacher Prep Program
I have not really thought about what I would want in a teacher prep program before the question was asked. There are a few things programs and ideas I feel would be very helpful during this prep time and also the first year on the job. First of all during the prep program I find that it should be required students take a second language. Being able to speak to someone in their native language is a cool thing. Also during the first years of being a teacher, I think it is important to have emotional support. Having someone to kinda help you out for your first year or two until you feel you are ready to be totally on your own. One other thing I think would be helpful in a prep program is international studies/ student teaching. We had the honor of listening to a teacher who did her student teaching in South Africa. The things she learned and the new perspective on life that this opportunity gave her is priceless.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
How my school was organized.
I attended Anoka High School. Our school was organized in a block schedule, with about a nine month school year from September to the beginning of June. I had four classes a day for a semester, some elective classes switched at the end of the quarter but the core classes lasted for a whole semester. I enjoyed this schedule because it allowed longer time in the classes and less stress about having to worry about homework for 6 or 7 classes. One thing I did not like about this was that if I had math at the beginning of my freshman year then not until the second semester of my sophomore year, that leaves a big gap of not having a math course. Over all I thought this worked out well, and now this year at Anoka they have switched to trimesters and 5 classes a day, I am glad I left before this change.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)