I found Ben and Adam’s presentation and paper interesting. Before the presentation, I had very little understanding of how I would discipline in the classroom. I hate to punish kids, but at the same time I do not do well when students disrespect me. I had some clue that a lot of discipline problems occur when the students are not interested or motivated, thanks to my research project. But I found it a lot more comforting hearing it from the people who actually did the research on discipline. I do believe that if you create an environment and lesson that fits all the students needs in interest, then there will be little issues. I thought along with motivating the students it was a good idea to mention that everyone has good and bad days, and that you should take that into consideration before deciding to discipline a student.
I’m not sure exactly what method I will use for discipline. I liked the discipline with dignity when they were describing it in the classroom, but I did not understand the definition they had on the website or in the paper. I thought the choice theory had some appealing aspects in the paper. I imagine that I will use parts from both of them to create my own. The one thing I will defiantly do is allow the students to help me make up the rules. I liked that a lot, and I liked the examples that Ben and Adam gave for them. Students will have more of an appreciation for the rules that they helped create; there also won’t be any confusion on what they are as well.
One other important part that I learned is if you are meeting all the students’ needs, and there are still one or two students that cause trouble; then they probably need help from outside the classroom. It is important to help these students find that help, rather than continue to punish them and decrease their feeling of self-worth even more. Some adolescents are not emotionally stable enough to understand the help that you are trying to give them. Hopefully this will never happen, and that all my students will be so engaged that they won’t cause any problems. If it does happen, then it is important to discipline them like you design the classroom, beneficial to them and with their help.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Theories
To learn more about my philosophy, I read chapter ten to find out what theories my beliefs fell under. Teacher centered theories included essentialism, behaviorism, and positivism. Essentialism believes that there is a common core of information and skills that an educated person must have. Essentialism teachers educate the students on core information, hard work, and mental discipline. Their teaching styles include required reading, lectures, memorization, repetition and examinations. Behaviorism is a theory that asserts that behaviors represent the essence of a person and that all behaviors can be explained as responses to stimuli. A behaviorist teacher uses both positive and negative reinforces of the environment to help the students learn. The environment plays a critical role in this theory as it believes that one behavior is determined by the environment, not heredity. Positivism limits truth and knowledge to what is observable and measurable. A positivism individual believes that all reality can be explained by laws of motion and matter.
Student centered educational theories include progressivism, humanism and constructivism. Like positivism, progressivism emphasizes that ideas should be tested by experimentation and that learning is rooted in questions developed by the learner. A progressivism person believes that ideas must be tested by experiment, and that only then the true meaning of and practical results will appear. Humanism contends that humans are innately good, but adopt bad behaviors as they grow. Humanism is all about the individual, it rejects group oriented work. Students should be active and should be encouraged to make their own decisions. Constructivism emphasizes hands-on, activity- based teaching and learning during which student develop their own frames of thought. They believe in a wide variety of activities and that students develop their own ideas and create their own pathways.
To my surprise, the existentialist theory was my favorite of the eight. I like constructivism simple because it only focused on what works in terms of student learning. I liked how it emphasized hands on activity for teaching and learning, as well as requiring the teachers to use a variety of teaching techniques that include different learning activities which allows students to find their own answers. I think humanism would have been my favorite, if they did not have such a negative attitude towards group work. I liked how humanist try to bring out the good in the students, and how it emphasizes instruction and assessment based on student interests, abilities and needs. I liked how it also focused a lot on the student’s feelings and allowed the students to make their own decisions.
Since I am a pragmatist and idealist, I got to cover humanism and essentialism. Like all the teacher-centered theories we have covered, I did not care for any of them. I did like how behaviorism placed a lot of importance on the environment, but the overall thought of the theory was a little weird to me. I am glad that I had the opportunity to look more into humanism. I went into the class only liking constructivism, but I found humanism a lot more appealing than I originally thought. Like I said earlier, I think this would have been my number one choice had it not looked down on group work. I obviously found more in common with the student centered material, as I two of the three where my top choices. I did not like progressivism at all though. I do not like that idea can only be found in practical results. There are a lot of things covered in schools that are hard to prove in a classroom, or even in a professional lab.
Student centered educational theories include progressivism, humanism and constructivism. Like positivism, progressivism emphasizes that ideas should be tested by experimentation and that learning is rooted in questions developed by the learner. A progressivism person believes that ideas must be tested by experiment, and that only then the true meaning of and practical results will appear. Humanism contends that humans are innately good, but adopt bad behaviors as they grow. Humanism is all about the individual, it rejects group oriented work. Students should be active and should be encouraged to make their own decisions. Constructivism emphasizes hands-on, activity- based teaching and learning during which student develop their own frames of thought. They believe in a wide variety of activities and that students develop their own ideas and create their own pathways.
To my surprise, the existentialist theory was my favorite of the eight. I like constructivism simple because it only focused on what works in terms of student learning. I liked how it emphasized hands on activity for teaching and learning, as well as requiring the teachers to use a variety of teaching techniques that include different learning activities which allows students to find their own answers. I think humanism would have been my favorite, if they did not have such a negative attitude towards group work. I liked how humanist try to bring out the good in the students, and how it emphasizes instruction and assessment based on student interests, abilities and needs. I liked how it also focused a lot on the student’s feelings and allowed the students to make their own decisions.
Since I am a pragmatist and idealist, I got to cover humanism and essentialism. Like all the teacher-centered theories we have covered, I did not care for any of them. I did like how behaviorism placed a lot of importance on the environment, but the overall thought of the theory was a little weird to me. I am glad that I had the opportunity to look more into humanism. I went into the class only liking constructivism, but I found humanism a lot more appealing than I originally thought. Like I said earlier, I think this would have been my number one choice had it not looked down on group work. I obviously found more in common with the student centered material, as I two of the three where my top choices. I did not like progressivism at all though. I do not like that idea can only be found in practical results. There are a lot of things covered in schools that are hard to prove in a classroom, or even in a professional lab.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Philosophy in the Classroom
As an educator, I feel that everything I believe in and follow, connects together to form my philosophy. All the little things that I do, reflect my approach to the classroom and how the students will learn under my guidance.
Classroom organization is crucial to my classroom. The environment helps set the tone of what kind of teacher you are and how things will be guided. Having a neat classroom that is well structured based on the day’s activities sets a good example for the students to follow. I am a big believer in group work, and mixing up the diversity of the groups every class, therefore I prefer tables that fit four or five students. I like having a big room so the tables can be spaced out. This creates easy access for me to move around throughout the lesson, as well as the students since they will be doing a lot of activities that will involve movement. All of my lessons will be aligned with the districts curriculum as well as the Maine learning results. I will try my hardest to meet all of the students needs by making the appropriate modifications for each student, as well as differentiating my instruction by using all of the multiple intelligences and using a wide variety of resources and activities. A major goal of mine is to create a non-judgmental, encouraging, supportive and healthy atmosphere that allows the students to reflect themselves in their own light, while having the respect of their peers. Students will be assessed based on standards, not on tests. Students are expected to prove to me that they understand how they relate to the material, and how they can use it, not proving it to me by memorize it and write it down on a test.
Without motivation, the students do not learn. Motivating the students is the single most important thing teachers must do. They do this by meeting their needs. Teachers should understand what makes their students go, and use all of their needs within one lesson to catch the interest of all of them. Students are more willing to learn and understand how the material relates to them, when the work is described in ways that they can understand it. I will motivate the students by finding ways to help them understand how the material relates to them. In my class, students will have an appreciation and understanding how their overall well-being is affected with the different health materials I will cover.
Discipline is not a very strong point of mine. I have not spent much time working on it, and therefore have very little experience with it. In the perfect world I hope that my students will enjoy my class and be engaged within the work so that they do not cause any problems for me. Since that is not likely to happen, I hope to discipline in positive ways. Such as the students staying after and helping me create a lesson, or having them write a journal about how the health topics of that day could have helped them have a better attitude during that class.
Most of my assessments will be based on the students showing or proving to me how they are able to understand the material by relating it to real world concepts. I do not believe in tests, and have no intentions of giving them out. I prefer activities that allow the students to practice the concepts instead of memorize them. Assessments will be based on whether or not the students can show me that they meet the standards based on that particular lesson.
Like classroom organization, the climate is part of the classroom environment. Before students are even willing to learn, they must feel safe, intellectually stimulated, and the classroom must meet their basic needs mentally and physically. Students want to learn, but they need the feeling of self-worth. To do this, it is imperative that they learn in an environment that is supportive, encouraging, and fits their needs. My main focus at the moment is looking at all the students as equals, and not playing favorites to any of them. I feel that this will help in terms of creating a healthy relationship with my students, if have a respect for who they are, and are interested in what they do, than I feel the rest will come naturally. I also feel as a health educator, that I will always have an open door policy that allows my students to come in at anytime and discuss any issues they are having or foreseeing. I will always encourage parents to come in and talk with me. I hope to have some sort of classroom wiki, or website that allows them to follow along with the material for each day. The better I know the parents, the more I will understand where the students are coming from. If parents have an issue, I am more than willing to sit down and discuss it and respect their opinions. The only thing I will not do, is talk about another student, or get into a war of words.
In my classroom the main learning focus will be that of understanding how to improve and maintain your overall wellness. This is the goal for every lesson that I teach. Because health is so broad and interconnects in so many ways, I will always have to leave some extra time available in my lessons in case questions or discussion wonder off. I do not mind this, because it means the students are interested and are questioning how it affects other parts of their health. Since health is so important, it will not be a big deal to answer and go off topic. The majority of class time will be spent doing activities that will hopefully reach all the students and give them an understanding of how the material relates to them. I am horrible at lecturing, and do not believe in it. I believe that the students should be doing things that are hands on and allowing them to think about what is going on and how it affects them. I will be constantly assessing the students to see if they understand how the material relates to them. In health, the importance that the students place on the material, all become part of their value system, whether it’s good or bad.
I like to think of my teaching style, like Larry Bird describes his coaching style. Most of the coaching should occur before the game even starts. That means, I should have all the hard work done before my class enters the room. Though my class is like practice, most of my coaching will be done on my own, preparing the material to meet all the students needs and interests with a wide variety of activities that help them to succeed on their own, and only using me as a guide or resource. Like Bird, teachers are leaders and change agents. They find what works for their class and they do it, and their peers who do not catch on, only get left behind (or in other terms, their students). Using technology is critical for future teachers, not only does it have great resources and activities, but it is the easiest way for students to learn. Being a lifelong teacher, and being able to adapt so that they can maximize their students learning is what teaching is all about.
I believe that leadership flies under the radar way to often. I am all about creating leaders and not followers. The best way to create leaders is to set an example of yourself. In health education, if you’re truly passionate about it, this makes it easy. It happens by doing what you teach, always looking out for the whole of the classes health, taking time out of your day to help students with health issues and by pushing the school to constantly improve the school health coordinated program, and create programs that push for more health classes and improving a healthy school environment and setting. The classroom in general requires a leader who gives everyone the same opportunities, and pushes students to reach learning potentials. All my students will have ample amount of opportunities to have a leadership role in the classroom. These students are the future, and their health decisions are based on their willingness to be a leader, not a follower.
Classroom organization is crucial to my classroom. The environment helps set the tone of what kind of teacher you are and how things will be guided. Having a neat classroom that is well structured based on the day’s activities sets a good example for the students to follow. I am a big believer in group work, and mixing up the diversity of the groups every class, therefore I prefer tables that fit four or five students. I like having a big room so the tables can be spaced out. This creates easy access for me to move around throughout the lesson, as well as the students since they will be doing a lot of activities that will involve movement. All of my lessons will be aligned with the districts curriculum as well as the Maine learning results. I will try my hardest to meet all of the students needs by making the appropriate modifications for each student, as well as differentiating my instruction by using all of the multiple intelligences and using a wide variety of resources and activities. A major goal of mine is to create a non-judgmental, encouraging, supportive and healthy atmosphere that allows the students to reflect themselves in their own light, while having the respect of their peers. Students will be assessed based on standards, not on tests. Students are expected to prove to me that they understand how they relate to the material, and how they can use it, not proving it to me by memorize it and write it down on a test.
Without motivation, the students do not learn. Motivating the students is the single most important thing teachers must do. They do this by meeting their needs. Teachers should understand what makes their students go, and use all of their needs within one lesson to catch the interest of all of them. Students are more willing to learn and understand how the material relates to them, when the work is described in ways that they can understand it. I will motivate the students by finding ways to help them understand how the material relates to them. In my class, students will have an appreciation and understanding how their overall well-being is affected with the different health materials I will cover.
Discipline is not a very strong point of mine. I have not spent much time working on it, and therefore have very little experience with it. In the perfect world I hope that my students will enjoy my class and be engaged within the work so that they do not cause any problems for me. Since that is not likely to happen, I hope to discipline in positive ways. Such as the students staying after and helping me create a lesson, or having them write a journal about how the health topics of that day could have helped them have a better attitude during that class.
Most of my assessments will be based on the students showing or proving to me how they are able to understand the material by relating it to real world concepts. I do not believe in tests, and have no intentions of giving them out. I prefer activities that allow the students to practice the concepts instead of memorize them. Assessments will be based on whether or not the students can show me that they meet the standards based on that particular lesson.
Like classroom organization, the climate is part of the classroom environment. Before students are even willing to learn, they must feel safe, intellectually stimulated, and the classroom must meet their basic needs mentally and physically. Students want to learn, but they need the feeling of self-worth. To do this, it is imperative that they learn in an environment that is supportive, encouraging, and fits their needs. My main focus at the moment is looking at all the students as equals, and not playing favorites to any of them. I feel that this will help in terms of creating a healthy relationship with my students, if have a respect for who they are, and are interested in what they do, than I feel the rest will come naturally. I also feel as a health educator, that I will always have an open door policy that allows my students to come in at anytime and discuss any issues they are having or foreseeing. I will always encourage parents to come in and talk with me. I hope to have some sort of classroom wiki, or website that allows them to follow along with the material for each day. The better I know the parents, the more I will understand where the students are coming from. If parents have an issue, I am more than willing to sit down and discuss it and respect their opinions. The only thing I will not do, is talk about another student, or get into a war of words.
In my classroom the main learning focus will be that of understanding how to improve and maintain your overall wellness. This is the goal for every lesson that I teach. Because health is so broad and interconnects in so many ways, I will always have to leave some extra time available in my lessons in case questions or discussion wonder off. I do not mind this, because it means the students are interested and are questioning how it affects other parts of their health. Since health is so important, it will not be a big deal to answer and go off topic. The majority of class time will be spent doing activities that will hopefully reach all the students and give them an understanding of how the material relates to them. I am horrible at lecturing, and do not believe in it. I believe that the students should be doing things that are hands on and allowing them to think about what is going on and how it affects them. I will be constantly assessing the students to see if they understand how the material relates to them. In health, the importance that the students place on the material, all become part of their value system, whether it’s good or bad.
I like to think of my teaching style, like Larry Bird describes his coaching style. Most of the coaching should occur before the game even starts. That means, I should have all the hard work done before my class enters the room. Though my class is like practice, most of my coaching will be done on my own, preparing the material to meet all the students needs and interests with a wide variety of activities that help them to succeed on their own, and only using me as a guide or resource. Like Bird, teachers are leaders and change agents. They find what works for their class and they do it, and their peers who do not catch on, only get left behind (or in other terms, their students). Using technology is critical for future teachers, not only does it have great resources and activities, but it is the easiest way for students to learn. Being a lifelong teacher, and being able to adapt so that they can maximize their students learning is what teaching is all about.
I believe that leadership flies under the radar way to often. I am all about creating leaders and not followers. The best way to create leaders is to set an example of yourself. In health education, if you’re truly passionate about it, this makes it easy. It happens by doing what you teach, always looking out for the whole of the classes health, taking time out of your day to help students with health issues and by pushing the school to constantly improve the school health coordinated program, and create programs that push for more health classes and improving a healthy school environment and setting. The classroom in general requires a leader who gives everyone the same opportunities, and pushes students to reach learning potentials. All my students will have ample amount of opportunities to have a leadership role in the classroom. These students are the future, and their health decisions are based on their willingness to be a leader, not a follower.
Monday, November 5, 2007
NCLB
I have enjoyed all of the presentations so far, but I have to say that I think Stephanie and Angela’s have fascinated me the most. I do not do a good job of keeping up with laws or guidelines in education, and I had a tiny understanding of what No Child Left Behind (NLCB) was. This was a real eye opener to me, as I found a lot of the information was drastically different than what I believe, and have been taught, that education is all about. I feel that there are some schools that are doomed from the get go because of this. Schools that are in rural parts of America that struggle to attract the resources and money needed to survive. It is impossible for them to improve if their below the line, and getting the money turned off every year, and than eventually having the school terminated. This is what bothered me the most, when schools that needed money the most, are unable to get it. I feel that their should be some evaluation program that should be set in place for the schools that are below the line and decreasing. A group of evaluators should come to the school and find out what is, and is not working, and than report it so that the school can get what it needs to succeed. I realize there are many other things to be concerned about with this Act, but this is what really disturbed me the most from the presentation and paper.
I do wish that Stephanie and Angela discussed some positives to the Act, because my opinion of it is completely negative. Which is a little unfair sense I am still very new to it, and obviously only learned a small section of it. I am interested in the next few classes going over it, because it seems to me that it is going to be a big issue for the future and will no doubt impact me as a teacher down the road.
I do wish that Stephanie and Angela discussed some positives to the Act, because my opinion of it is completely negative. Which is a little unfair sense I am still very new to it, and obviously only learned a small section of it. I am interested in the next few classes going over it, because it seems to me that it is going to be a big issue for the future and will no doubt impact me as a teacher down the road.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Voices
The History and Philosophy of Education had many different opinions and beliefs from a wide variety of leaders from different times. Though almost each one of them had at least one similarity to my philosophy, I found that Thomas Aquinas and Comenius’s to be the most similar to myself. If I could combine those two, then there would be a philosophy very similar to mine.
Aquinas similarities include the student understanding how they can act based on their power of choice through what they know and understand. Education is meant to help students develop their intellectual abilities and form their character by giving them the power of choice. Teachers should help equip students in a way that will help them develop good habits through their own free action. A teacher should stress the importance of giving the students opportunities to make good choices, by recognizing their strengths and potentials and allowing them to learn through discovery. Aquinas believed that a good education was one that enabled individuals to engage in activities that allow them to achieve their own good, and happiness. The only way this would work was when family, school, and the community worked together. Aquinas also tells us: “Just as one is inspired to virtue by another and by himself, so also does he get to know something by discovering for himself and learning from another.” Aquinas also believed in studying the classics, as they are an important reason of why we are where we are today, but also studying for the future. The only thing I disagreed with Aquinas on was that woman should have equal rights.
Comenius believed in universal education for all, no matter what their social background, religion, sex, or intellectual ability. He created a universal education that implied holistic development of the human allowing woman, deaf, blind, and retarded individuals to be part of the school. He believed that the parents were the primary educators, especially in the development of the child’s character form. Teachers made the school a workshop for the virtues in order to help each student to develop themselves. Teachers should encourage, be kind, give individual attention to students, and be open to all learners, creating a non-coercive atmosphere in with the subject is presented with a variety and practicality. The teacher should combine moral integrity, enthusiasm, and diligence with pedagogic efficiency. “School is the workshop where young souls are formed to virtue.”
There are other major concepts taken from a wide variety of the philosophers in the text that fit my own philosophy. Similar to myself, Tyler believed in new experiences in educational programs that would interest the students, meet their needs, and prepare them for life after school. Montessori believed that the environment was crucial for student development. The teacher was not their to teach, but rather present, observe, and allow children to teach themselves as they worked with material that made up the properly prepared environment for their activity. The teacher was responsible for creating an environment that through careful observation of student movement and behavior meets the needs and interests of the students and allows them to develop and achieve satisfaction. Like Plato, I expect students to become leaders, and promotion of leadership should be used in different activities. Many of the philosophers believed that motivation of the students was in the hands of the educator; if they created a lesson that meet their interests, needs, and level, then they would want to learn. “He teaches me who puts before my eyes, or any bodily sense, or even my mind itself, those things which I want to learn,” were words spooking from Augustine when referring to the students needs. I also like how Augustine speaks in terms of teachers being role-models, and showing just as much passion and enthusiasm for the content as they expect their students to show. I also like how he built upon ideas and concepts, guiding the students to reach a goal. “We are born with faculties and powers, capable almost of anything; as it is in the body, so it is in the mind, practice makes it what it is.” Locke said these words in terms that every student has their own potential; it just needs to be brought out through the process of education and socialization. Finally, like many of the philosophers, I believe that the educator should care for the students and their abilities to learn.
http://www2.nd.edu/Departments//Maritain/etext/walsh-q.htm -Thomas Aquinas
http://www.comeniusfoundation.org/comenius.htm -Comenius
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/ -Locke
Aquinas similarities include the student understanding how they can act based on their power of choice through what they know and understand. Education is meant to help students develop their intellectual abilities and form their character by giving them the power of choice. Teachers should help equip students in a way that will help them develop good habits through their own free action. A teacher should stress the importance of giving the students opportunities to make good choices, by recognizing their strengths and potentials and allowing them to learn through discovery. Aquinas believed that a good education was one that enabled individuals to engage in activities that allow them to achieve their own good, and happiness. The only way this would work was when family, school, and the community worked together. Aquinas also tells us: “Just as one is inspired to virtue by another and by himself, so also does he get to know something by discovering for himself and learning from another.” Aquinas also believed in studying the classics, as they are an important reason of why we are where we are today, but also studying for the future. The only thing I disagreed with Aquinas on was that woman should have equal rights.
Comenius believed in universal education for all, no matter what their social background, religion, sex, or intellectual ability. He created a universal education that implied holistic development of the human allowing woman, deaf, blind, and retarded individuals to be part of the school. He believed that the parents were the primary educators, especially in the development of the child’s character form. Teachers made the school a workshop for the virtues in order to help each student to develop themselves. Teachers should encourage, be kind, give individual attention to students, and be open to all learners, creating a non-coercive atmosphere in with the subject is presented with a variety and practicality. The teacher should combine moral integrity, enthusiasm, and diligence with pedagogic efficiency. “School is the workshop where young souls are formed to virtue.”
There are other major concepts taken from a wide variety of the philosophers in the text that fit my own philosophy. Similar to myself, Tyler believed in new experiences in educational programs that would interest the students, meet their needs, and prepare them for life after school. Montessori believed that the environment was crucial for student development. The teacher was not their to teach, but rather present, observe, and allow children to teach themselves as they worked with material that made up the properly prepared environment for their activity. The teacher was responsible for creating an environment that through careful observation of student movement and behavior meets the needs and interests of the students and allows them to develop and achieve satisfaction. Like Plato, I expect students to become leaders, and promotion of leadership should be used in different activities. Many of the philosophers believed that motivation of the students was in the hands of the educator; if they created a lesson that meet their interests, needs, and level, then they would want to learn. “He teaches me who puts before my eyes, or any bodily sense, or even my mind itself, those things which I want to learn,” were words spooking from Augustine when referring to the students needs. I also like how Augustine speaks in terms of teachers being role-models, and showing just as much passion and enthusiasm for the content as they expect their students to show. I also like how he built upon ideas and concepts, guiding the students to reach a goal. “We are born with faculties and powers, capable almost of anything; as it is in the body, so it is in the mind, practice makes it what it is.” Locke said these words in terms that every student has their own potential; it just needs to be brought out through the process of education and socialization. Finally, like many of the philosophers, I believe that the educator should care for the students and their abilities to learn.
http://www2.nd.edu/Departments//Maritain/etext/walsh-q.htm -Thomas Aquinas
http://www.comeniusfoundation.org/comenius.htm -Comenius
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/ -Locke
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Experiential Learning
I enjoyed Michael and Megan’s presentation on Experiential Learning. I completely agree with them when they say that it is the best way to learn. I agree that individual’s best learn through involvement and experiences. I like how Megan and Michael found several different types of learners and teachers, and they were all able to succeed and fit their styles into Kolb’s four step cycle. There are some learners I feel would have a difficult time going through the process without changing their attitude, but I believe the research would know more than me, so I believe it. I thought the foxfire example was perfect, and summed up everything a classroom should be. I also like in the conclusion how Michael and Megan discussed that experiential learning brings everything all together. It really touches upon everything we have learned about creating an equal and positive learning environment that involves differentiated instruction. All the presentations we have had so far all link, and experiential learning has all of these concepts in one. The only thing I am confused about is how it makes the work load easier for the teacher. I realize that the students will have more responsibility since they will be using their own experiences and understanding to learn, but doesn’t the teacher still have to put in a lot of time developing a plan for each student so they can understand how they use their experience to learn the material? I must say that this was a great project, and it was nice to have them refer back to information that they learned from Sean and mines project.
TWYH Final Chapters
After Gruwell lost the election, she was in a financial debt. She found ways to make extra money by traveling around and giving presentations and speeches about her experiences with the freedom writers. Throughout these trips, she got to meet famous people such as Rudy Giuliani, and Hank Aaron. She also made connections with people that were able to help her out. One of those people was Ric Kanye, who was so impressed with what she had done with her students that he wanted her to create an exact replica of her teaching model that she used with her students. So that her students could help her create the model, as well as get some college credits, Kanye offered to pay for half a dozen of the students tuition. While celebrating during the fundraising party for the start of the program, Gruwell ran into an old friend whose husband was a movie producer. This lead to another opportunity for the Freedom Writers, a movie was going to be produced based on their stories. In the middle of all this happening, Gruwell’s father dies. He had just seen his first speech by her, and called her to tell her how proud he was of her, when he died later that day. Gruwell struggled at first, though she continued to do her work. She found the Freedom Writers helpful during the coping process. The book ends with Hillary Swank playing the part of Gruwell in the movie, and Darius and Maria giving speeches before the kickoff of the highly anticipated move Freedom Writers.
I really enjoyed reading this book, and would have to say that it is probably one of my favorites now, but I have mixed feelings about the ending. Its frustrating reading about how Gruwell put all this time into teaching, and the only thing left for herself is a divorce and no money. I think its great what she has done for her students, and all the experiences she has had, can never be matched, but I hope that in the end she was able to have her own personal life. I thought there were to many times at the end that she did not seem happy, and I think it would have been a lot easier on her if she had more of a support system other than her dad, and had time to slow everything down. I do not know whatever happened with the work that she was doing for Ric Kanye, but I thought that was good for her. That’s something I could see her enjoying and being successful at.
After the students had graduated, I wished Gruwell had spent less time discussing congress and her speeches, and more talking about what the students are doing now. I thought it was necessary to talk about what she did, because it all connected and showed how they got to where they are now, but I did not feel that she needed to go into that much detail. I am curious on hearing how there all doing. In the end, I am very appreciative of what Gruwell has done. She has not only sacrificed her time and energy for her students, but also future teachers like me who are able to learn from her experiences and ideas.
I really enjoyed reading this book, and would have to say that it is probably one of my favorites now, but I have mixed feelings about the ending. Its frustrating reading about how Gruwell put all this time into teaching, and the only thing left for herself is a divorce and no money. I think its great what she has done for her students, and all the experiences she has had, can never be matched, but I hope that in the end she was able to have her own personal life. I thought there were to many times at the end that she did not seem happy, and I think it would have been a lot easier on her if she had more of a support system other than her dad, and had time to slow everything down. I do not know whatever happened with the work that she was doing for Ric Kanye, but I thought that was good for her. That’s something I could see her enjoying and being successful at.
After the students had graduated, I wished Gruwell had spent less time discussing congress and her speeches, and more talking about what the students are doing now. I thought it was necessary to talk about what she did, because it all connected and showed how they got to where they are now, but I did not feel that she needed to go into that much detail. I am curious on hearing how there all doing. In the end, I am very appreciative of what Gruwell has done. She has not only sacrificed her time and energy for her students, but also future teachers like me who are able to learn from her experiences and ideas.
Philosophy Assessment
After reading the chapter and taking the Philosophy Assessment test, I have come to the conclusion that I am both a pragmatists and a realist. This is how I had described myself after reading the chapter, and after taking the test, I had scored a 6.4 on both of them as well as existentialism. I really had no doubt in my mind that I was a pragmatist once I had finished the reading in terms of education, but I struggled to choose between the two because of my religion. After taking the test it made me feel good knowing that I had struggled to pick between the two, and now I could settle for both of them.
I believe that I am a pragmatist mostly because of the education I have had while in college. I used to hate change, and had the same routine for eighteen years. Since college, I have learned that everything changes, and you always have to be willing to adapt. I believe in creating values through experimenting and learning through those experiences so you can make your own sense of the world. I believe that the best way to motivate students is to teach them by relating the material through their own interests, and experiences as well as learning through several different methods with a wide variety of activities. The job of teachers is to help guide the students in their learning, but it is more important for the students to discover who they are by what they value and learn. The students should use the teacher as a guide and resource, allowing them to reach standards and objectives by their own terms. Students should also be allowed to work in groups and set their own rules and goals on how to reach the standards and objectives.
Idealism is part of me because I believe that if an individual really wants to do something, than they can do it as long as they work hard and have the right mind set. I believe that school is a starting point for students to find out who they are and what they want to be. Though I believe in change and adaptation, I also believe that there are some things that are concrete, and have remained the same over time. Students should appreciate these ideas, and understand how it affects their lives today. Teachers should use material to help the students come to conclusions based on their own experiences and teachers are responsible for finding ways to motivate students to become familiar with the topic.
After reviewing the answers to the questions on the test, I realized why I scored so high on the extrinsic section. Because I had to either give a 1 or 5, the questions were about the students, and focused only on there development, which I am obviously not going to put a 1. I do like that extrinsic allows the students to learn from their own actions and experience, but I feel that it is to loose of an atmosphere and not enough guidance. I did not value any other parts of extrinsic as well as realists.
I believe that I am a pragmatist mostly because of the education I have had while in college. I used to hate change, and had the same routine for eighteen years. Since college, I have learned that everything changes, and you always have to be willing to adapt. I believe in creating values through experimenting and learning through those experiences so you can make your own sense of the world. I believe that the best way to motivate students is to teach them by relating the material through their own interests, and experiences as well as learning through several different methods with a wide variety of activities. The job of teachers is to help guide the students in their learning, but it is more important for the students to discover who they are by what they value and learn. The students should use the teacher as a guide and resource, allowing them to reach standards and objectives by their own terms. Students should also be allowed to work in groups and set their own rules and goals on how to reach the standards and objectives.
Idealism is part of me because I believe that if an individual really wants to do something, than they can do it as long as they work hard and have the right mind set. I believe that school is a starting point for students to find out who they are and what they want to be. Though I believe in change and adaptation, I also believe that there are some things that are concrete, and have remained the same over time. Students should appreciate these ideas, and understand how it affects their lives today. Teachers should use material to help the students come to conclusions based on their own experiences and teachers are responsible for finding ways to motivate students to become familiar with the topic.
After reviewing the answers to the questions on the test, I realized why I scored so high on the extrinsic section. Because I had to either give a 1 or 5, the questions were about the students, and focused only on there development, which I am obviously not going to put a 1. I do like that extrinsic allows the students to learn from their own actions and experience, but I feel that it is to loose of an atmosphere and not enough guidance. I did not value any other parts of extrinsic as well as realists.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Senior Year
Senior year has officially come for the students, and more doors are starting to open for the students and Gruwell. The year starts out by the class being collectively nominated for the Spirit of Anne Frank Award by Gruwell, which they eventually won. They also got another opportunity to publish their book, based on their diaries. While interviewing for the Anne Frank Award, Gruwell happened to run back into a publisher who she had meet with earlier. After hearing the story again, the publisher was all about giving Gruwell and the students a book deal. The book would be about adversities that the students had overcome, and how the class came together in the past four years. As these opportunities arose, along with the prospect of going to college, Gruwell received a new opportunity as well. California State University, Long Beach offered her a new teaching position in the education department. Gruwell decides to take the job, and leave Wilson along with the seniors. Before the end of the year, the students struggled with the idea of life after the Gruwell era, as did Gruwell with life after this group of students. They decided that they would take one more trip. A trip that would not happen until the following year, with only fifty of the students; they decided to take twenty days and go to Europe. The trip was a success; it included guest speakers and even a trip to Anne Frank’s attic. At times there were some nerve wrecking moments, but overall the trip was a great experience that allowed the students to make an even better connection with the environment that they had read so much about. After a year of teaching, and promoting the new book, Gruwell was encouraged and then decided to run for congress, which she eventually lost.
I feel that Gruwell is just a one class wonder. This past section was very sad for me to read, instead of encouraging like all the previous ones. I was originally sad to see the class and Gruwell have to separate, but that quickly turned into an annoyance once she decided to for congress and include them in on everything. I feel like she is trying to hold on to her students as long as she can. I guess I do not blame her, she does not seem happy with them gone, and it seems that her heart is not in anything she does now. I think that she got in to deep with the class. I realize that a lot of the students owe their lives to her, but she did what she was supposed to. She prepared them for life after high school, and all of them made it to college because of her. She now needs to get her life back on track, and move on. Its good that she still sees the students and has an opportunity to communicate with them, but I think it’s a little much that she still allows them to rely and hang on to her as much as they do. I know this book and everything happened for them because of how close they are, but in general, I would not want my life as an educator to end up like that. She just does not seem that happy. I believe she was meant to do two things; teach in high school, and write this book. I don’t know the impact she has had on her college students, but she is a great high school teacher, and I’m sure has changed the attitudes of many education majors who have read her book. I am defiantly someone who will struggle every year at graduation; I do not like change, or goodbyes. I hope that students will come back and see me, but I also hope that I do not get as depressed and down like its seems that Gruwell did with her class. I know it is different, but I feel Gruwell would just be better off teaching the same students for one or two years. That way she can make a connection with the students, give them the opportunity to work under her, and than be sad and excited that there moving on for graduation. Instead of dreading to see them go.
I feel that Gruwell is just a one class wonder. This past section was very sad for me to read, instead of encouraging like all the previous ones. I was originally sad to see the class and Gruwell have to separate, but that quickly turned into an annoyance once she decided to for congress and include them in on everything. I feel like she is trying to hold on to her students as long as she can. I guess I do not blame her, she does not seem happy with them gone, and it seems that her heart is not in anything she does now. I think that she got in to deep with the class. I realize that a lot of the students owe their lives to her, but she did what she was supposed to. She prepared them for life after high school, and all of them made it to college because of her. She now needs to get her life back on track, and move on. Its good that she still sees the students and has an opportunity to communicate with them, but I think it’s a little much that she still allows them to rely and hang on to her as much as they do. I know this book and everything happened for them because of how close they are, but in general, I would not want my life as an educator to end up like that. She just does not seem that happy. I believe she was meant to do two things; teach in high school, and write this book. I don’t know the impact she has had on her college students, but she is a great high school teacher, and I’m sure has changed the attitudes of many education majors who have read her book. I am defiantly someone who will struggle every year at graduation; I do not like change, or goodbyes. I hope that students will come back and see me, but I also hope that I do not get as depressed and down like its seems that Gruwell did with her class. I know it is different, but I feel Gruwell would just be better off teaching the same students for one or two years. That way she can make a connection with the students, give them the opportunity to work under her, and than be sad and excited that there moving on for graduation. Instead of dreading to see them go.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
TWYH Junior Year
As summer comes to an end, and Gruwell is preparing for the upcoming school year, she finds that her marriage is not as successful as her student’s progress in the classroom. The relationship she has with her husband has slowly been detariating since she has become an educator. They eventually decide to get a divorce, and Gruwell merges herself in more school work to help heal her pain. In the classroom, Gruwell’s students are getting more opportunities than ever before. As an assignment, Gruwell has the students write their own diaries, similar to that of Mieps and Zlata. Gruwell wants to give her students an opportunity to type up their work, because of the lack of computers the school has to offer, Gruwell goes to John Tu and asks if she could borrow a few for her students, Tu decides it would be better if he bought thirty five new computers for her class. Since the students have an opportunity to type their diaries, they go a step further and take a trip to Washington D.C. to present their diaries to the Secretary of Education. The trip is a great success, the students come together with their families and with the help of John Tu, raise enough money to go. The trip eventually leads to a write up in the L.A. Times. The article caught attention everywhere. It was a well written piece that brought out the best in the class. People and organizations were sending in donations from all over to the class. Several calls from big time news stations wanted to do a story on the class. With careful consideration, Gruwell decides that an interview with Connie Chung of Primetime is the best option for her students. It eventually turns into a long process that wears on the students and creates a lot of tension with the class and the reporting crew, as long as with each other.
While reading, I originally thought that Gruwell gets extremely lucky with a lot of the opportunities that come about for her students. I still believe that a little luck is involved, but, I now believe it is more hard work and attitude than anything else. Everything her and the class do have some affect on another thing. All the events that occurred during the students junior year was because of her idea to have them create a diary. Though I wish that other classes at the school could have Gruwell as a teacher, I will admit that for a three year plan, she has done a good job of creating a base with the students and continuing to build on it. I feel that this is great for the students. Most of them have never built on something before and got to see positive results. Their getting a better education with Gruwell, they also see the results of what a positive attitude and hard work can do. The students are also making good role-models and seeing how their work can affect others.
It’s sometimes hard for me to remember that Gruwell is only in her third full year as a teacher. The way she handles every situation you would think that she’s not only a teacher, but a business woman, a mom, and a world leader. I did think it was a little sad and discouraging that she could not handle her marriage as well, but I feel that she might have been a little to young to handle it all right away and that they truly were not meant to be. I hate to say it, cause I hope that I can have as much of an impact on my students as Gruwell, but I do not think I could do as much as her. I would encourage my students to write letters and go places, but I feel that I would be too involved with athletic programs and my family to take the time and money to travel across the country and bring in guests from other countries. I realize that Gruwell is the ultimate teacher, but that’s what I strive for, and I feel that it might be too much considering everything that I plan to be part of.
While reading, I originally thought that Gruwell gets extremely lucky with a lot of the opportunities that come about for her students. I still believe that a little luck is involved, but, I now believe it is more hard work and attitude than anything else. Everything her and the class do have some affect on another thing. All the events that occurred during the students junior year was because of her idea to have them create a diary. Though I wish that other classes at the school could have Gruwell as a teacher, I will admit that for a three year plan, she has done a good job of creating a base with the students and continuing to build on it. I feel that this is great for the students. Most of them have never built on something before and got to see positive results. Their getting a better education with Gruwell, they also see the results of what a positive attitude and hard work can do. The students are also making good role-models and seeing how their work can affect others.
It’s sometimes hard for me to remember that Gruwell is only in her third full year as a teacher. The way she handles every situation you would think that she’s not only a teacher, but a business woman, a mom, and a world leader. I did think it was a little sad and discouraging that she could not handle her marriage as well, but I feel that she might have been a little to young to handle it all right away and that they truly were not meant to be. I hate to say it, cause I hope that I can have as much of an impact on my students as Gruwell, but I do not think I could do as much as her. I would encourage my students to write letters and go places, but I feel that I would be too involved with athletic programs and my family to take the time and money to travel across the country and bring in guests from other countries. I realize that Gruwell is the ultimate teacher, but that’s what I strive for, and I feel that it might be too much considering everything that I plan to be part of.
Multicultural
After reading Chelsea and Stacey’s paper, as well as going over their power point and taking their quiz; I realized just how far we are from equal rights. A few weeks ago when the class went over some of the major equal rights acts in history, I understood that we were not even close to everyone having equal opportunities, after reading this I feel that we are much further behind than I thought before. I did not score very well on the quiz, and a lot of the answers were very disturbing to me. It is not fair that individuals from different back grounds, who work just as hard and have been through just as much as the other, do not have the same advantages.
The positive of all this, is that it is in our (educators) hands. Though there will be a lot of influence from home and the environment, we are the people that can bring different diversities together to work as a team. We can help students see that everyone is equal, and that everyone is different in their own ways. By creating an environment in the classroom that promotes understanding and learning from their peers, students will understand and have an appreciation for each other as well as their cultures, diversity, and gender.
I loved the paragraph in Chelsea and Stacy’s paper on “transformation.” It is imperative that educators look at all students as equals, and not give special attention. It was shocking to me in the quiz that 53% of faculty is the cause of homophobic remarks in schools. If all educators can change, then it will be a great start to a long process that will improve attitudes of individuals towards different diversities. If the nation is to change, then it needs to start in the classroom with unbiased opinions. I think it would be a good idea to have a checklist, or the list of objectives that Chelsea and Stacy had. It would be a good reminder to keep their own opinions to themselves and treat all the students as equals.
Students who have an opportunity to be with educators that are equal and allow them to work with a wide variety of different individuals, will have a better understanding and appreciation of others beliefs and ideas. This will hopefully someday lead to a nation that is equal for everyone, and ideas and beliefs can be judged by opinions and not color, gender, or background.
The positive of all this, is that it is in our (educators) hands. Though there will be a lot of influence from home and the environment, we are the people that can bring different diversities together to work as a team. We can help students see that everyone is equal, and that everyone is different in their own ways. By creating an environment in the classroom that promotes understanding and learning from their peers, students will understand and have an appreciation for each other as well as their cultures, diversity, and gender.
I loved the paragraph in Chelsea and Stacy’s paper on “transformation.” It is imperative that educators look at all students as equals, and not give special attention. It was shocking to me in the quiz that 53% of faculty is the cause of homophobic remarks in schools. If all educators can change, then it will be a great start to a long process that will improve attitudes of individuals towards different diversities. If the nation is to change, then it needs to start in the classroom with unbiased opinions. I think it would be a good idea to have a checklist, or the list of objectives that Chelsea and Stacy had. It would be a good reminder to keep their own opinions to themselves and treat all the students as equals.
Students who have an opportunity to be with educators that are equal and allow them to work with a wide variety of different individuals, will have a better understanding and appreciation of others beliefs and ideas. This will hopefully someday lead to a nation that is equal for everyone, and ideas and beliefs can be judged by opinions and not color, gender, or background.
Promising Futures
The Maine Commission on Secondary Education’s Promising Futures shows and discusses improvements that Maine Education programs need to make, based on a fourteen-month examination the board made. Maine students are to often memorizing information, following a routine, and functioning in isolation in their classrooms. Promising Futures breaks down what educators can do to maximize the learning potential of Maine secondary students. The Maine commission first recognized eight core principles that form when students are successful in education. These principles promote high standards for academics, social and personal skills, and knowledge. The commission developed fifteen core practices that if used by schools, students will have the ability to meet all the standards of the Maine Learning Results, and will graduate high school prepared for a productive future. The first eight principles focus more on learning and teaching practices that should be used throughout education; the last seven are practices that are essential for the faculty to do to help the success of the first eight. After breaking down and discussing each principle, the Commission than gives recommendations of ways to change schools environments and inserting the practices and principles into everyday education in Maine. It includes “phase outs, (things you should not do)” and things that need to be done outside school walls to assure that a comprehensive school education is being put in place. At the very end the Commission breaks down eight observations it made on Maine schools throughout the study, and discusses how a comprehensive school education can improve them.
While reading, I was really trying to look for something that I would disagree with or could debate against, but I could not find anything. Education can be very controversial, and when a document like this is written, there is often something that you may not agree with. After I finished reading, I thought about all the people out there who might not agree with any of their suggestions, and realized how lucky I was to basically have my educational philosophies and practices molded in the past four years around strategies that education specialist are trying to implement in schools today.
There are three core practices that stick out to me more than the others, and lately I feel as if I have been developing a good chunk of my philosophy around these three. The first is core practice 1. I thought the line where they said “adults must guide and trust, push and accommodate, and challenge and humor teenagers,” is a perfect explanation of what a teacher should be. I am starting to look at myself more as a guide, than an actual teacher, where the majority of my work will be outside the classroom finding ways for the students to understand the material in their own way using my resources. I feel this builds a respect between the students and adults, as well as gives them both a value for each other and the environment. The next two practices are 5 and 6. I feel these two build off of practice 1, by letting the students create their own environment for their success. Students need to succeed and fail to learn, and school is the best place for this. Students will have people in school and guardians at home who will help guide them to find themselves, but for the most part, students will learn on their own. Allowing the students to make a good portion of their decisions also better prepares them for life on their own. They will be the one making the decisions for America as they get older, and what better way to help them get ready than have smaller version in their school. I really love the idea of portfolios for graduation. Allowing the students to show in their own way how they meet all the Maine Learning Results would defiantly prove the students success and knowledge they have obtained throughout school.
(1998). Promising Futures: A Call to Improve Learning for Maine's Secondary Schools. Augusta, Maine: Maine Commission on Secondary Education.
While reading, I was really trying to look for something that I would disagree with or could debate against, but I could not find anything. Education can be very controversial, and when a document like this is written, there is often something that you may not agree with. After I finished reading, I thought about all the people out there who might not agree with any of their suggestions, and realized how lucky I was to basically have my educational philosophies and practices molded in the past four years around strategies that education specialist are trying to implement in schools today.
There are three core practices that stick out to me more than the others, and lately I feel as if I have been developing a good chunk of my philosophy around these three. The first is core practice 1. I thought the line where they said “adults must guide and trust, push and accommodate, and challenge and humor teenagers,” is a perfect explanation of what a teacher should be. I am starting to look at myself more as a guide, than an actual teacher, where the majority of my work will be outside the classroom finding ways for the students to understand the material in their own way using my resources. I feel this builds a respect between the students and adults, as well as gives them both a value for each other and the environment. The next two practices are 5 and 6. I feel these two build off of practice 1, by letting the students create their own environment for their success. Students need to succeed and fail to learn, and school is the best place for this. Students will have people in school and guardians at home who will help guide them to find themselves, but for the most part, students will learn on their own. Allowing the students to make a good portion of their decisions also better prepares them for life on their own. They will be the one making the decisions for America as they get older, and what better way to help them get ready than have smaller version in their school. I really love the idea of portfolios for graduation. Allowing the students to show in their own way how they meet all the Maine Learning Results would defiantly prove the students success and knowledge they have obtained throughout school.
(1998). Promising Futures: A Call to Improve Learning for Maine's Secondary Schools. Augusta, Maine: Maine Commission on Secondary Education.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Curriculum Integration
When it comes to curriculum integration, I feel that this is an automatic process that happens in my field. Health education relates to everything. Health is so broad, and there is nothing more important than an individual’s wellness and overall well-being that it makes it very easy to bring in other subject matters. The love-hate relationship I have with this field is that it connects to everything and is constantly changing, while at the same time I always feel like I’m behind on information. The reason I get behind is because of all the other content areas that focus on finding and improving information. I often find myself thinking so deep into health, that I get completely confused because I have gone into another subject matter that I do not understand. Whether it is writing descriptions of the human body, stats off food labels, history of diseases, or the biology and chemistry of general adoption syndrome, it is very important that you understand other subjects, so that you can fully understand health.
My practicum teacher was very good at understanding terms that she could use from other subjects in a relationship towards the health content. Though I recognize that health is made up of all the subjects, I often found myself not understanding the terms she used until she explained it to the class. This is one problem I do have, I am not that smart when it comes to subjects outside of health. Though I will be a life long learner, I feel there is no way I could be like my practicum teacher. There were times I would think she was a science and math teacher in her previous life. I believe in curriculum integration one hundred percent, it only makes sense. The students will understand it so much easier not just for my class, but the other subjects as well. It is part of the differentiated teaching I will do. I just have a lot more to learn from my other subjects before I can start using other terms in the classroom, but at the same time, to be a successful health teacher, you need to use and understand other areas.
My practicum teacher was very good at understanding terms that she could use from other subjects in a relationship towards the health content. Though I recognize that health is made up of all the subjects, I often found myself not understanding the terms she used until she explained it to the class. This is one problem I do have, I am not that smart when it comes to subjects outside of health. Though I will be a life long learner, I feel there is no way I could be like my practicum teacher. There were times I would think she was a science and math teacher in her previous life. I believe in curriculum integration one hundred percent, it only makes sense. The students will understand it so much easier not just for my class, but the other subjects as well. It is part of the differentiated teaching I will do. I just have a lot more to learn from my other subjects before I can start using other terms in the classroom, but at the same time, to be a successful health teacher, you need to use and understand other areas.
Sophmore Year
Gruwell enters this semester for the first time as a sophomore teacher, and more importantly the first time teaching without Sharaud and Melvin’s class in the school. So it was only appropriate that her old freshman class, now sophomores, start the year off with a toast. Gruwell had finally broke down, and decided that it did not matter what her colleagues thought of her, she went and bought four new different books for every student in her class. These were books that she felt the students could relate their lives too, and felt that a toast would be the first step in taking the time to read them. What happened was not a change of attitude towards reading, but one toward bettering their lives. Most of the students spoke up and stated changes they were going to make with their life during the toast. A few of the students were less than excited at first, but by being punished with nothing to do, all the novels got read. This lead to a new revolution in the class; suddenly Gruwell was really starting to understand her students, and them of her as well. Students were so excited about the novels, and the connections they made with the characters, that they started writing amazing papers. The students were so engaged that they all worked to bring the heroes from the novels to their class; Miep Gies, a woman who helped Anne Frank, and Zlata Filipovic’, a war torn girl from Sarjevo. These events gave many of the students a safety net in a classroom where they were able to work as a team, and feel good about themselves. All the students even were able to make a positive connection with their parents by teaching them about Zlata Filipovic’, and taking them to supper to meet her.
This semester by far had the most turning points in the student’s lives, but there are two that really stand out to me. The fist one is the very beginning when Gruwell has the class make a toast. Though it was not what she expected, it was much better. These students do not have opportunities to enjoy the small things that a lot of us take for granite. Making a toast was a special occasion for them and it really set the tone for the rest of the semester. The students started reading the books, and opening up to Gruwell. With Gruwell’s abilities, she took advantage of this right away and did whatever it took to keep them engaged. The second major turning point was at the end when Gruwell made her students bring someone special to the dinner for Zlata, and teach them her history. Gruwell hit several important aspects with just that one assignment. The first is that she got to meet the special people of her student’s lives. She also let the students have a moment with that person that was special to them. They got to make a connection that they have never done or felt before. The final thing it did was unit the class even more. They all worked together to achieve a common goal.
There was one moment that really hit home for me during this semester. When Miep was explaining how Anne had no idea how much Miep was doing for her, and Gruwell thought in her head that she was in the same boat with her students. She put so much time and money into the class, and they probably had no idea how much she did for them. It just made me think about all the stress, pain and work that I will do for my students some day, and they will never know. There is no doubt in my mind that’s exactly how I want it to be. It’s like being a superstar athlete, except without the publicity. It just made me proud to think about being a teacher, someone who will quietly put everything together for all these youngster and help set them in a path that is their lives. Even though we rarely get recognized, we are more important to people’s lives than any superstar or rock star will ever be.
This semester by far had the most turning points in the student’s lives, but there are two that really stand out to me. The fist one is the very beginning when Gruwell has the class make a toast. Though it was not what she expected, it was much better. These students do not have opportunities to enjoy the small things that a lot of us take for granite. Making a toast was a special occasion for them and it really set the tone for the rest of the semester. The students started reading the books, and opening up to Gruwell. With Gruwell’s abilities, she took advantage of this right away and did whatever it took to keep them engaged. The second major turning point was at the end when Gruwell made her students bring someone special to the dinner for Zlata, and teach them her history. Gruwell hit several important aspects with just that one assignment. The first is that she got to meet the special people of her student’s lives. She also let the students have a moment with that person that was special to them. They got to make a connection that they have never done or felt before. The final thing it did was unit the class even more. They all worked together to achieve a common goal.
There was one moment that really hit home for me during this semester. When Miep was explaining how Anne had no idea how much Miep was doing for her, and Gruwell thought in her head that she was in the same boat with her students. She put so much time and money into the class, and they probably had no idea how much she did for them. It just made me think about all the stress, pain and work that I will do for my students some day, and they will never know. There is no doubt in my mind that’s exactly how I want it to be. It’s like being a superstar athlete, except without the publicity. It just made me proud to think about being a teacher, someone who will quietly put everything together for all these youngster and help set them in a path that is their lives. Even though we rarely get recognized, we are more important to people’s lives than any superstar or rock star will ever be.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Ch. 6-15
This next section of the book finishes her first semester as an official teacher, and covers her whole year with the freshman class. Gruwell’s first semester as a teacher begins by taking her students to see Schindlers list. A local paper ends up writing a story about the students journey to the movie theater in Long Beach. The story becomes controversial, and to make it worse, the reporter put Gruwell’s phone number at the bottom of the page. A few good things come of this; Gruwell’s confidant in college plans a field trip for her and her class to meet Thomas Keneally, the author of Schindlers list. The class meets with Mr. Keneally and attends the symposium he is featured in at the University of California at Irvine. Keneally was so impressed with the students stories that he tells his friend, Steven Spielberg, who is a famous director in Hollywood. The students once again get to go on one last field trip with Gruwell before they become seniors to meet Spielberg and visit Hollywood studios.
The next year Gruwell gets the incoming freshman class. This class is no different than her previous class was when she first got them. It is a divided classroom amongst diversity and gangs, and most of the students could care less about their education. With the help of some of her former students, who are now seniors, Gruwell is slowly catching the interest of a few students. She finds it more difficult, as she does not take this class on as many field trips, or buys them new books like she did her old class. She is now a full time teacher, and does not want to upset the administration in chance of losing her job. She feels that because of this, she struggles to make more of a connection with this group. By using outside resources, she becomes more of a guide, and finds people or other things that the students can make a connection with.
Once again I can not get over how much Erin continues to impress me with her ideas, beliefs, and her overall love for teaching her students. Her students have completely changed their attitudes towards school, and their lives; and it is all because of her caring attitude. I am also impressed with her new ideas that she is using with the freshman. Even though she does not have the same flexibility with field trips and new books as she did last year, she is slowly starting to get her students engaged. She is doing the same thing she did last year, by giving her students something they can compare their lives to. I really like how Erin is more of a guide to the students. She realizes that she can only do so much, so she finds books, or outside resources that can better benefit the students learning. She does not try to do or explain everything; she finds ways for her students to truly make a connection with the work.
For the first time in the book, I have to say that I was a little disappointed in Erin. I understand her wanting to move up with her junior class, but I thought she was a little to down about teaching the freshman. I thought she would be thrilled that she got to start all over again and try to achieve with this class what she did with her previous. I feel like the first class does not need her anymore, and that it would be unfair for all the other students in the school not to have an opportunity to be with her. She puts the students in the right direction, and so far, has changed all their attitudes from negativity to being positive. Her original class now realizes what they need to do, and have changed their thoughts about education. It is now time for her to start working with the freshman and prepare them for the rest of their high school career and the real world.
The next year Gruwell gets the incoming freshman class. This class is no different than her previous class was when she first got them. It is a divided classroom amongst diversity and gangs, and most of the students could care less about their education. With the help of some of her former students, who are now seniors, Gruwell is slowly catching the interest of a few students. She finds it more difficult, as she does not take this class on as many field trips, or buys them new books like she did her old class. She is now a full time teacher, and does not want to upset the administration in chance of losing her job. She feels that because of this, she struggles to make more of a connection with this group. By using outside resources, she becomes more of a guide, and finds people or other things that the students can make a connection with.
Once again I can not get over how much Erin continues to impress me with her ideas, beliefs, and her overall love for teaching her students. Her students have completely changed their attitudes towards school, and their lives; and it is all because of her caring attitude. I am also impressed with her new ideas that she is using with the freshman. Even though she does not have the same flexibility with field trips and new books as she did last year, she is slowly starting to get her students engaged. She is doing the same thing she did last year, by giving her students something they can compare their lives to. I really like how Erin is more of a guide to the students. She realizes that she can only do so much, so she finds books, or outside resources that can better benefit the students learning. She does not try to do or explain everything; she finds ways for her students to truly make a connection with the work.
For the first time in the book, I have to say that I was a little disappointed in Erin. I understand her wanting to move up with her junior class, but I thought she was a little to down about teaching the freshman. I thought she would be thrilled that she got to start all over again and try to achieve with this class what she did with her previous. I feel like the first class does not need her anymore, and that it would be unfair for all the other students in the school not to have an opportunity to be with her. She puts the students in the right direction, and so far, has changed all their attitudes from negativity to being positive. Her original class now realizes what they need to do, and have changed their thoughts about education. It is now time for her to start working with the freshman and prepare them for the rest of their high school career and the real world.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Generations
These two articles introduce and discuss the five different generations of Americans that have been running the country since the beginning of the 1900’s. The five generations in order starting in 1901 include: G.I. Generation, Silent Generation, Boom Generation, Generation X, and Millennial Generation. Since the G.I. and Silent generation are either currently at the end of their career, or already retired; the two articles focus more on the Boom, X, and Millennial Generations. Individuals from the Boom and X generation are two drastically different types of individuals. While Boom is more conservative, and has trust within the school systems as they were raised during a time of strong community. The X people were born into a time when the needs of children were put last. X individuals are more people friendly then Boomers, and are more concerned with how their own children are doing in school as well as constantly checking up and pressuring the educators to make sure their children are maximizing their learning potential. The one thing these two generations do have in common is that of their children. Their children are considered the Millennial generation, which includes all traditional students currently in college and younger. Millennial generation has a good mix of all the previous generations, and will shortly be entering the real world where they will make a mark and eventually represent all the superior jobs in America. Millennial Generation has been criticized for all the same things that students of previous generations have. Some people even go further and clam that America is in trouble as soon as the millennial generation takes over. Statistics show that the millennial generation is actually in much better shape than any before it. Students today show more respect, have better attitudes, achieve at higher levels, and are better people persons than any generation before. The false impressions about students today are only myth statements that are thrown around during every generation. Today’s students are more than capable, willing, and ready to be leaders in the workforce.
I found these two articles to be very interesting. I never knew that each generation had a name and that they broke them down that much. It all makes a lot of sense to me though. My parents are from the boom generation and are very caring and always concerned about mine and my brother’s education, but there very supportive of the teachers and have a lot of trust in the school system. I can also think of a lot of people that were born in the X generation who are teachers and coach’s worst nightmares. I found it amazing how much the articles were on about each generation and could think of a bunch of examples of people who acted exactly like their generation description. I also found it fascinating all the positive facts about the millennial generation. It makes me proud to be part of that generation, and to know that I will be someone who has a part in continuing the growth and success of those students. I have thought about how I will mold many students of the future, but I never thought about how the article had described it, and how I will be responsible for trying to continue the improvement of these statistics; especially since a lot of the stats involved health education and overall well-being. These articles also made me a little nervous, as I will have to deal with many of the generation X parents. It is something that I do not think about nearly enough, nor want to, but I will have some parents at some time get upset with me. These articles only worsened my concern as I feel that these parents will be armed and ready just as soon as I make one little slip up. It is something that I will have to manage and deal with, and will only understand better over time.
I found these two articles to be very interesting. I never knew that each generation had a name and that they broke them down that much. It all makes a lot of sense to me though. My parents are from the boom generation and are very caring and always concerned about mine and my brother’s education, but there very supportive of the teachers and have a lot of trust in the school system. I can also think of a lot of people that were born in the X generation who are teachers and coach’s worst nightmares. I found it amazing how much the articles were on about each generation and could think of a bunch of examples of people who acted exactly like their generation description. I also found it fascinating all the positive facts about the millennial generation. It makes me proud to be part of that generation, and to know that I will be someone who has a part in continuing the growth and success of those students. I have thought about how I will mold many students of the future, but I never thought about how the article had described it, and how I will be responsible for trying to continue the improvement of these statistics; especially since a lot of the stats involved health education and overall well-being. These articles also made me a little nervous, as I will have to deal with many of the generation X parents. It is something that I do not think about nearly enough, nor want to, but I will have some parents at some time get upset with me. These articles only worsened my concern as I feel that these parents will be armed and ready just as soon as I make one little slip up. It is something that I will have to manage and deal with, and will only understand better over time.
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Article: Diversity
This article discusses the different methods of teaching students with diverse backgrounds. All students are capable of learning; it’s the teacher’s responsibility to understand the culture and learning style of the student to maximize his or her learning potential. Learning and cultures are controversial in three different ways: The first one is they often lead to naïve inferences about individuals within that group; there is a persistent achievement differences between minority and non-minority students; and it brings us face to face with philosophical issues that involve deeply held beliefs. These three beliefs have lead to many new ways of approaching teaching by connecting learning and culture. Research has been done to find learning patterns within different diversities. The article gives three different examples of measuring culture and learning. The article also has research about similarities that all diversities share within learning; as well as a list of controversial teaching methods in terms of diversity and learning.
For the most part we all described our reflections differently, but came to the same conclusion. Knowing and understanding your students is by far more important than trying to teach based on their culture. Since we are all from Maine, culture differences have never been a major issue for any of us. So we have never really taken the time to think about it. But we do all know from practicum the importance of differentiated instruction. This article was a good eye opener in understanding our students’ culture, so that we may apply it in the classroom, but as far as teaching students certain ways because statistics show that historically their cultures thrive in a certain teaching style, we will pass on that. We will not pass on getting to know, and understand our students’ strengths within learning; nor will we pass on not using all the multiple intelligences. Instead of teaching based on students’ diversity, it is more important to teach based on their learning styles and personalities, and to use their culture within the learning experience.
Guild, P. (1994, May). The Culture/Learning Style Connection: Educating for Diversity. Educational Leadership, 447-453.
For the most part we all described our reflections differently, but came to the same conclusion. Knowing and understanding your students is by far more important than trying to teach based on their culture. Since we are all from Maine, culture differences have never been a major issue for any of us. So we have never really taken the time to think about it. But we do all know from practicum the importance of differentiated instruction. This article was a good eye opener in understanding our students’ culture, so that we may apply it in the classroom, but as far as teaching students certain ways because statistics show that historically their cultures thrive in a certain teaching style, we will pass on that. We will not pass on getting to know, and understand our students’ strengths within learning; nor will we pass on not using all the multiple intelligences. Instead of teaching based on students’ diversity, it is more important to teach based on their learning styles and personalities, and to use their culture within the learning experience.
Guild, P. (1994, May). The Culture/Learning Style Connection: Educating for Diversity. Educational Leadership, 447-453.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
TWYH Ch. 1-5
The first five chapters from Teach with your Heart introduce the teacher, Erin Gruwell, her students, and some of the different strategies she uses to get them interested in her English class. Gruwell is a student teacher at Wilson high school in Long Island. She first expects the students to be eagerly awaiting her arrival and ready to learn, but she quickly finds that it is a very diverse classroom with clashing groups. Gruwell slowly begins to reach some of the kids by finding out their interests and relating them too class work. She finds this more difficult then expected; not only are the students hard to reach, but her colleagues and father are also causing road blocks. Gruwell is finding the only thing she can do is ask for help, and take extra shifts at the Marriot so her students can have the same opportunities as others. After reaching one of the studs in the class, as well as planning a field trip to see a Holocaust museum, and buying the students new books, she is slowly starting to help them all see their true potential.
I have enjoyed reading these first five chapters. Gruwell represents what being a teacher is all about. I have admired her willingness to go the extra mile and find ways for her students to have an opportunity to learn, especially where everything seems to be stacked up against her. It is difficult to follow a dream when you are on the door step to a job that guarantees wealth, your father is pushing you not to teach, and the students do not show any interest in learning. Gruwell looks past all of this, and only sees students with unlimited potential, with the need of some guidance. I like how Gruwell approaches the classroom. She seems very non-judgmental and approaches every lesson with something that she feels might interest the students. Even if her lesson fails, she still is succeeding because she is getting closer to find the method that will work, and making the students realize that she is not going to give up on them. I think the changing point in the first semester is when the class visits the Holocaust museum. The students not only realize how much she cares about their learning, but they find something they all can relate to. It was a powerful moment for the students as they all realized how common they are to each other and people who were around at the time of the Holocaust.
I have enjoyed reading these first five chapters. Gruwell represents what being a teacher is all about. I have admired her willingness to go the extra mile and find ways for her students to have an opportunity to learn, especially where everything seems to be stacked up against her. It is difficult to follow a dream when you are on the door step to a job that guarantees wealth, your father is pushing you not to teach, and the students do not show any interest in learning. Gruwell looks past all of this, and only sees students with unlimited potential, with the need of some guidance. I like how Gruwell approaches the classroom. She seems very non-judgmental and approaches every lesson with something that she feels might interest the students. Even if her lesson fails, she still is succeeding because she is getting closer to find the method that will work, and making the students realize that she is not going to give up on them. I think the changing point in the first semester is when the class visits the Holocaust museum. The students not only realize how much she cares about their learning, but they find something they all can relate to. It was a powerful moment for the students as they all realized how common they are to each other and people who were around at the time of the Holocaust.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)