The two articles that I read were “Doing What Works” and “First Book and Townsend Press Launch 2007 Adolescent Readers Initiative.
In the article “Doing What Works” talks about a website that you as a teacher can use to see what practices work best or see if a practice that you are using tin the classroom works as well as you think. This impacted me as a future teacher because of the different sites that you can look at to see what works for the practices that you are teaching in the classroom. I feel that when you are a first year teacher you a little nervous what types of practices to use when teaching. This site that is discussed will give you a little more reassurance of the practices that you are going to be teaching.
The next article that I read is about an initiative that will help low income students with literacy skills. This initiative is being launched in Texas and will provide 520,000 free, new books to low- income schools and communities. These books will help improve the literacy skills of struggling students. More than 20,000 of the books will be made available to schools in Austin, Texas. This impacts me as a future teacher because if I am a teacher in a low- income school I will not be able to provide books or have the means of getting books to help improve the skills of my students. Coming from a small town myself I feel that I more likely teach in a small town and I know that resources are not the easiest to find. A program like this would benefit any teacher in any school setting but more in the low- income area schools.
Friday, November 9, 2007
Where to Find Answers (the 2 articles assignment)
I think CSI is a very popular show because they find answers in the least likely places, and they do it by using their intellects and acute attention to detail as weapons against evil. Perhaps it's human nature to try and understand why people do horrid things, because in that understanding lies the answers to combat the problem.
The world seems to have been plagued by a rash of Columbine-like atrocities as of late, and people desperately want to know why. I am not unlike those people, and as a future educator, it is of the utmost importance that I seek to understand if there is anything that I can do to help prevent something like this in my future school.
The article "Finland's Gun Culture Facing New Questions" by Craig Whitlock takes poor aim at the real cause. First, let me say that I don't own a single gun, and I have never belonged to the NRA, but I don't think that a nation's access to guns is causing the problem. The problem itself lies within damaged mind of the perpetrator of the crime. I believe if Finland had been free of all handguns, this individual would have found other means. If you disagree--look at what happened in Rwanda. There weren't enough guns to facilitate their perceived need for genocide, so they used machetes to hack their victims to death. If there weren't enough machetes available--they would've used their demented minds to think of unique ways to achieve their dark goals.
Near the end of the article, the pro-gun target shooters pointed the finger at spending too much time in front of computer and engaging in antisocial behavior. Their aim might be better than that of the author of the article. Computers are tools as well (although usually less deadly). Sure, if an already damaged individual spends time desensitizing himself/herself to violence by spending too much time playing graphically violent video games, that could cause problems--but I think it's more the last part of their accusation that comes closest to the bullseye. The boy's parents and teachers (while not to blame for the boy's sick deeds) were the best weapons society had to derail his ultimate goal.
Teachers have their hands full, but if they can keep their eyes open and show kindness to a child that is seemingly an outcast by the rest of the class, or prevent that child from being bullied--maybe that would have helped.
Parents, I feel, need to pay attention to what their child's moods are like and what they are doing on-line. I think there is a stigma surrounding the use of psychologists/psychiatrists, but they need to be willing to seek the advice of professionals when it comes to the enigmatic human mind.
Regardless of the reason, something clearly needs to be done to address this world-wide problem.
--The second article-------------------------------------
I'm always seeking ways to make my future classroom work more smoothly, so when I spotted the "'Doing What Works' Site Launched to Help Educators", I wanted to read it. As I read, however, I couldn't help a bit of skepticism rising in my mind.
As I read, the somewhat vague text, I was reminded of my job at DHL. Occasionally, they have "engineers" (Not those who've gone to school for engineering, but numbers cruncher business school grads) come to view the sort (where packages are sorted and loaded onto the trucks that deliver them). These so called engineers then tell the drivers all that they are doing wrong. But they do this--having never run a route themselves.
As I read the article, I wondered if the authors of the site were going to be educators who actually spent time doing the actual teaching. You see--the article mentions that these strategies have been found via the "department's research arm," and that makes me wary.
If this site is pieced together by the same bureaucrats that pieced together NCLB, I can't help but compare it to my DHL experiences. I would feel much more sanguine if I knew the authors of the site were people like my professors at NKU. Folks like Drs Besnoy, Clarke, Cook, and Faulkner have spent actual time in the classroom and have tried strategies to see if they actually do work.
I intend to investigate and explore the site, despite my immediate reservations. If there are good strategies there, I want to use them in my future classroom. Education--to me--is about community. If one teacher discovers a revolutionary idea that works--he or she should not feel offended that someone else used it--but rather they should feel honored that their ideas might reach beyond their own students.
NOTE: Before I submitted the blog, I went to the site described and found it well-designed and user friendly. It has interactive videos to help the user understand how the site works. I have bookmarked it on my desktop.
The world seems to have been plagued by a rash of Columbine-like atrocities as of late, and people desperately want to know why. I am not unlike those people, and as a future educator, it is of the utmost importance that I seek to understand if there is anything that I can do to help prevent something like this in my future school.
The article "Finland's Gun Culture Facing New Questions" by Craig Whitlock takes poor aim at the real cause. First, let me say that I don't own a single gun, and I have never belonged to the NRA, but I don't think that a nation's access to guns is causing the problem. The problem itself lies within damaged mind of the perpetrator of the crime. I believe if Finland had been free of all handguns, this individual would have found other means. If you disagree--look at what happened in Rwanda. There weren't enough guns to facilitate their perceived need for genocide, so they used machetes to hack their victims to death. If there weren't enough machetes available--they would've used their demented minds to think of unique ways to achieve their dark goals.
Near the end of the article, the pro-gun target shooters pointed the finger at spending too much time in front of computer and engaging in antisocial behavior. Their aim might be better than that of the author of the article. Computers are tools as well (although usually less deadly). Sure, if an already damaged individual spends time desensitizing himself/herself to violence by spending too much time playing graphically violent video games, that could cause problems--but I think it's more the last part of their accusation that comes closest to the bullseye. The boy's parents and teachers (while not to blame for the boy's sick deeds) were the best weapons society had to derail his ultimate goal.
Teachers have their hands full, but if they can keep their eyes open and show kindness to a child that is seemingly an outcast by the rest of the class, or prevent that child from being bullied--maybe that would have helped.
Parents, I feel, need to pay attention to what their child's moods are like and what they are doing on-line. I think there is a stigma surrounding the use of psychologists/psychiatrists, but they need to be willing to seek the advice of professionals when it comes to the enigmatic human mind.
Regardless of the reason, something clearly needs to be done to address this world-wide problem.
--The second article-------------------------------------
I'm always seeking ways to make my future classroom work more smoothly, so when I spotted the "'Doing What Works' Site Launched to Help Educators", I wanted to read it. As I read, however, I couldn't help a bit of skepticism rising in my mind.
As I read, the somewhat vague text, I was reminded of my job at DHL. Occasionally, they have "engineers" (Not those who've gone to school for engineering, but numbers cruncher business school grads) come to view the sort (where packages are sorted and loaded onto the trucks that deliver them). These so called engineers then tell the drivers all that they are doing wrong. But they do this--having never run a route themselves.
As I read the article, I wondered if the authors of the site were going to be educators who actually spent time doing the actual teaching. You see--the article mentions that these strategies have been found via the "department's research arm," and that makes me wary.
If this site is pieced together by the same bureaucrats that pieced together NCLB, I can't help but compare it to my DHL experiences. I would feel much more sanguine if I knew the authors of the site were people like my professors at NKU. Folks like Drs Besnoy, Clarke, Cook, and Faulkner have spent actual time in the classroom and have tried strategies to see if they actually do work.
I intend to investigate and explore the site, despite my immediate reservations. If there are good strategies there, I want to use them in my future classroom. Education--to me--is about community. If one teacher discovers a revolutionary idea that works--he or she should not feel offended that someone else used it--but rather they should feel honored that their ideas might reach beyond their own students.
NOTE: Before I submitted the blog, I went to the site described and found it well-designed and user friendly. It has interactive videos to help the user understand how the site works. I have bookmarked it on my desktop.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Jill's online assignment- birth control article and principal's body found
I found the article on birth control interesting. I have never thought of middle schoolers and birth control together before. I was shocked, and I think that a middle school is no place for birth control distribution. I think it is two different things to have informed students and then to promote sex by handing out condoms or the pill. Students should be educated, and they should know what sex is and all that it implies. By handing out condoms and birth control pills, middle schools will be promoting sexual relations.
I selected this story because the title caught my eye on the left side of the screen. The article seemed interesting. How will this article impact my view of education. It will make me look at my students a bit differently. It just bothers me that these students could possible be thinking about sex. I have taught high school before, and I know that sex is thought about more during that age than middle school ages. My middle school students, goodness, some of them have not hit puberty yet, so the thought of sexual relations is a bit frightening.
I think it is the right of parents, not schools, to decide how and when to approach the issue of contraception with their children.
My next article was the one about the principal's body found in the park. I chose this article because certain titles grab my interest. The topic of suicide has always been a topic of my education research. It is a shame that such a loved man, husband, teacher, father, and friend, would take his own life, and be gone so quickly. I thought it was a sad article and I feel for that school community. They lost a dear friend and a good man.
This impacts my views of education in the sense that you never know what is going on at the home life of a studnt. We should not assume that everyone has a happy home life. We, as teachers, do not know what goes on behind closed doors. Hopefully if signs of suicide or depression, or anything out of the ordinary is being observed, the teachers will have the sense and knowledge to deal with the situation. We need to be loving and caring and supportive to all students at all times.
This also makes me appreciate of all the school counselors out in our schools. They deal with these things all the time.
We should not take our loved ones for granted, because you never know when will be the last time you will have the opportunity to see him/her again.
I selected this story because the title caught my eye on the left side of the screen. The article seemed interesting. How will this article impact my view of education. It will make me look at my students a bit differently. It just bothers me that these students could possible be thinking about sex. I have taught high school before, and I know that sex is thought about more during that age than middle school ages. My middle school students, goodness, some of them have not hit puberty yet, so the thought of sexual relations is a bit frightening.
I think it is the right of parents, not schools, to decide how and when to approach the issue of contraception with their children.
My next article was the one about the principal's body found in the park. I chose this article because certain titles grab my interest. The topic of suicide has always been a topic of my education research. It is a shame that such a loved man, husband, teacher, father, and friend, would take his own life, and be gone so quickly. I thought it was a sad article and I feel for that school community. They lost a dear friend and a good man.
This impacts my views of education in the sense that you never know what is going on at the home life of a studnt. We should not assume that everyone has a happy home life. We, as teachers, do not know what goes on behind closed doors. Hopefully if signs of suicide or depression, or anything out of the ordinary is being observed, the teachers will have the sense and knowledge to deal with the situation. We need to be loving and caring and supportive to all students at all times.
This also makes me appreciate of all the school counselors out in our schools. They deal with these things all the time.
We should not take our loved ones for granted, because you never know when will be the last time you will have the opportunity to see him/her again.
online assignment
the two articles that i chose to respond to were the edutopia article on providing birth control at schools and also the article Body of Cedar Point Elementary School Principal Found in Park.
i chose the first article on birth control simply because it disturbed me. i do understand that middle school students are having sex and that it's a reality, but i'm not sure if that is a good idea. the only positive outcome that i could possibly see is for parents who don't have insurance and know that they're children or think that they're children are having sex and they could use the help. other than that, i kind of think that it's promoting sex in a way, saying go have sex, we're here to help with the birth control and condoms. on the other hand it's like this may prevent a child from having a child or spreading of diseases. it impacts my view on education because as teachers we go to school to educate students and to teach them things, but now it seems like teachers are having to become more like parents to these students. offerring birth control and condoms has taken it too far in education system. personal matters like this should be dealt with at home. i think as a parent of one of those students that attended that school in maine i would have been outraged just as they said some parents were. i would not want my child to take that message of that school providing birth control and condoms as it's ok for me to have sex.
for the second article i read, i chose it because it was talking about a death... that's all a article has to say and i'm going to read it. this article definitely sent chills through my body considering that a principal was found dead by an 8 year old girl. investigators are calling it suicide so far but are waiting for reports to reveal if it was anything else. this article brought tears to my eyes because everyone talked so highly about this man and how he was a great principal. not only was he a great principal, but he was a great father to two children. this is so upsetting to me because of how others will have to suffer his children and wife. it doesn't really impact my view on education, but it does make me realize that suicide is everywhere and that this could possibly happen. as a teacher you would expect one of your students to commit suicide before the principal would just by considering that suicide is one of the most common ways that teens die today. students will also be confused simply because your principal is an authority figure and you would look up to him, and that person they once looked up to took his own life. so i wouldn't know how these students are taking it what they may be thinking and so maybe this is how it impacts my view on education.
i chose the first article on birth control simply because it disturbed me. i do understand that middle school students are having sex and that it's a reality, but i'm not sure if that is a good idea. the only positive outcome that i could possibly see is for parents who don't have insurance and know that they're children or think that they're children are having sex and they could use the help. other than that, i kind of think that it's promoting sex in a way, saying go have sex, we're here to help with the birth control and condoms. on the other hand it's like this may prevent a child from having a child or spreading of diseases. it impacts my view on education because as teachers we go to school to educate students and to teach them things, but now it seems like teachers are having to become more like parents to these students. offerring birth control and condoms has taken it too far in education system. personal matters like this should be dealt with at home. i think as a parent of one of those students that attended that school in maine i would have been outraged just as they said some parents were. i would not want my child to take that message of that school providing birth control and condoms as it's ok for me to have sex.
for the second article i read, i chose it because it was talking about a death... that's all a article has to say and i'm going to read it. this article definitely sent chills through my body considering that a principal was found dead by an 8 year old girl. investigators are calling it suicide so far but are waiting for reports to reveal if it was anything else. this article brought tears to my eyes because everyone talked so highly about this man and how he was a great principal. not only was he a great principal, but he was a great father to two children. this is so upsetting to me because of how others will have to suffer his children and wife. it doesn't really impact my view on education, but it does make me realize that suicide is everywhere and that this could possibly happen. as a teacher you would expect one of your students to commit suicide before the principal would just by considering that suicide is one of the most common ways that teens die today. students will also be confused simply because your principal is an authority figure and you would look up to him, and that person they once looked up to took his own life. so i wouldn't know how these students are taking it what they may be thinking and so maybe this is how it impacts my view on education.
Field Trip!
Well my 7th grade angels went on a field trip and I got to go too. It was pretty interesting to see a group of urban kids, watch a three person play (over 60 parts) for what seemed like at least an hour.
Being a teacher on a field trip is a lot of work. I kept thinking how much I would have enjoyed seeing this with my husband. But we all know that I did not "fully" enjoy the play, as I had to keep students from having side conversations and such. Actually, my kids were all pretty good. We even had a good time on our 5 minute bus ride.
Overall it was a different kind of experience being a teacher rather than the role I'm used to playing as a student. Usually I'm the one the teacher has to tell "quit talking" "keep it down" "stop making funny faces"... you know normal "kid" stuff.
Being a teacher on a field trip is a lot of work. I kept thinking how much I would have enjoyed seeing this with my husband. But we all know that I did not "fully" enjoy the play, as I had to keep students from having side conversations and such. Actually, my kids were all pretty good. We even had a good time on our 5 minute bus ride.
Overall it was a different kind of experience being a teacher rather than the role I'm used to playing as a student. Usually I'm the one the teacher has to tell "quit talking" "keep it down" "stop making funny faces"... you know normal "kid" stuff.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Online Assignment
I chose to look at the articles Addressing a Case of P.A. Fatigue: Officials Try to Trim Morning Announcements and U.S. Department of Education, First Book® and Townsend Press Launch 2007 Adolescent Readers Initiative.
I selected the article Addressing a Case of P.A. Fatigue because I feel like a lot of instructional time is wasted through excessive announcements. I was hoping this article offered some sort of alternative way to get around using a P.A. system. I think educators too often rely on the P.A. system because it is a quick way of making announcements, but then people abuse the system by calling students out of class or announcing meetings, etc. These things could be done through an email or a phone call. These were the only alternative listed. I mean the P.A. system is great in case of emergency, but when announcements take 15 minutes it is simply a waste of time. I agree with the author of this article – just pick up the phone or send an email so that the announcements don’t interrupt instruction.
I selected the article about the adolescent reader’s initiative because I believe students do not read as much as they should. Students too often rely on media for their information, and the media is controlled by the FCC and they can censor information. There is less/no censoring in books and students need to begin to get some information from a variety of books. Unfortunately, books are expensive and so students from lower income families find it more difficult to purchase books. I am impacted by this because First Book, a publishing company, is donating over 500,000 books to lower income school districts for their students to rent from the library. This is a wonderful idea because these students deserve the same opportunities as other students from wealthier school districts.
I selected the article Addressing a Case of P.A. Fatigue because I feel like a lot of instructional time is wasted through excessive announcements. I was hoping this article offered some sort of alternative way to get around using a P.A. system. I think educators too often rely on the P.A. system because it is a quick way of making announcements, but then people abuse the system by calling students out of class or announcing meetings, etc. These things could be done through an email or a phone call. These were the only alternative listed. I mean the P.A. system is great in case of emergency, but when announcements take 15 minutes it is simply a waste of time. I agree with the author of this article – just pick up the phone or send an email so that the announcements don’t interrupt instruction.
I selected the article about the adolescent reader’s initiative because I believe students do not read as much as they should. Students too often rely on media for their information, and the media is controlled by the FCC and they can censor information. There is less/no censoring in books and students need to begin to get some information from a variety of books. Unfortunately, books are expensive and so students from lower income families find it more difficult to purchase books. I am impacted by this because First Book, a publishing company, is donating over 500,000 books to lower income school districts for their students to rent from the library. This is a wonderful idea because these students deserve the same opportunities as other students from wealthier school districts.
My Vote is for Informed Voters
As I went to vote today, I reflected upon the first time I voted and how my social studies teacher inspired me to vote. I haven't missed voting in a single (aside from party primaries, since I distrust both parties), since I turned 18. That teacher impacted my life. He mixed current events into historical lessons and told us that voting was a responsibility, not mere a right.
But as I thought about Mr. Norcross, I can't remember a single time that he tried to influence our political biases. I think that if he had, I'd have discounted his efforts to get us to vote. I think great teachers need to teach their students to think about issues, not how to think think about them.
In contrast, there was another teacher at my high school who had an agenda. He wanted people to think exactly the same way he did. And I've had many teachers since then, who were political advocates for one party or another--some went so far as to show favoritism to papers that agreed with their own political biases. I don't want this to be me--and I think there is little danger of it--since my bias lies in the middle.
At my Practicum, I've heard some students say outlandish things, politically, but I didn't correct them. I honestly didn't know if I should. One boy said, "Bush hates all blacks." While I'm not a Bush fan, neither do I think he is a racist. I wanted to say, "If what you say is true, why did he choose Condi Rice or Colin Powell when he was first elected?" But I said nothing. I doubted it would be appropriate.
Since then, however, I think I have decided that I want a classroom like my high school teacher's classroom. I want discussions about issues, and I want the participants to take sides, but I don't want my students to be swayed by my political leanings. I want other students to have the mental acumen to test the political biases of their peers. Why do you feel this way? Why do you say that? I think political matters are often about passions and are often reflex actions. If I can teach my students to be politically aware, but not aware of my political leanings, I think I'll have fostered an atmosphere conducive to producing informed voters--and when that happens--maybe America will get better candidates than we have been getting. Politicians will have to be smart to get smart people to vote for them.
But as I thought about Mr. Norcross, I can't remember a single time that he tried to influence our political biases. I think that if he had, I'd have discounted his efforts to get us to vote. I think great teachers need to teach their students to think about issues, not how to think think about them.
In contrast, there was another teacher at my high school who had an agenda. He wanted people to think exactly the same way he did. And I've had many teachers since then, who were political advocates for one party or another--some went so far as to show favoritism to papers that agreed with their own political biases. I don't want this to be me--and I think there is little danger of it--since my bias lies in the middle.
At my Practicum, I've heard some students say outlandish things, politically, but I didn't correct them. I honestly didn't know if I should. One boy said, "Bush hates all blacks." While I'm not a Bush fan, neither do I think he is a racist. I wanted to say, "If what you say is true, why did he choose Condi Rice or Colin Powell when he was first elected?" But I said nothing. I doubted it would be appropriate.
Since then, however, I think I have decided that I want a classroom like my high school teacher's classroom. I want discussions about issues, and I want the participants to take sides, but I don't want my students to be swayed by my political leanings. I want other students to have the mental acumen to test the political biases of their peers. Why do you feel this way? Why do you say that? I think political matters are often about passions and are often reflex actions. If I can teach my students to be politically aware, but not aware of my political leanings, I think I'll have fostered an atmosphere conducive to producing informed voters--and when that happens--maybe America will get better candidates than we have been getting. Politicians will have to be smart to get smart people to vote for them.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Catching Up!
In practicum there has not been much going on. Since there has not been much going on I thought that I would write about catching up on things with school. Well since we do not have practicum this Tuesday, I am taking the advantage to catch up on some homework and to prepare for the Praxis test. Since I am taking the Praxis in the next couple of weeks I thought that I would do a little studying. I have also taken this time to catch up on some homework and work on our final project. I thought that the midterm was a little hard compared to actually creating the lesson plan, like we have to do know. I am really enjoying creating the unit plan.
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