November 6 assignment

BIRTH CONTROL IN MIDDLE SCHOOL
The first story I reviewed came from the Edutopia website concerning the distribution of birth control pills within a middle school. In one of my other education classes this story was mentioned so I had a little background knowledge that played a part in choosing this article. I also wanted to see what the arguments were… who supported it and why and who did not support it and why.
I view education in a big picture way. I see it as an institution that helps shape and guide children into adulthood to help prepare them for life. Not everyone sees education in that way. I am neither for nor against, but I am very interested to see how this plays out and does affect middle schools nationwide.
I think this article is a reality check for everyone involved… the student, the parents, the educators. Some middle schoolers are having sex and some are having babies and otherwise. What does this mean for the education system? Should they become involved, when so many things are easily blamed on the parents and/or the education system? Do schools have the right to prescribe and distribute birth control? I do not know how this will turn out but I find it interesting.

A WEBSITE TO HELP EDUCATORS
On the US Department of Education website there is now a link that encourages and helps educators become more effective teachers. I think it is obvious why I chose this news article… because it is relevant and very useful information to know for my future career.
This site was very helpful as I found it to be a great resource. It mentioned the importance of bridging the gap between research and action within a classroom and the importance of having this information accessible to all educators, hence the new website devoted to teaching teachers learning strategies. First the teacher learns what works, then sees what works and finally does what works.
This article was helpful and hopeful. I keep worrying how I will remember everything I have learned and how to keep learning new and useful strategies so that I can become a great teacher. This may be part of the answer. It is a positive and useful tool accessible to all educators.