Chapter 6: Social Context of Schools

"Pick a group from the chapter (students of a certain race, socio-economic status, physical stature, sexual orientation, social group, gender, etc.) that might be the target of such abuse and develop a plan for confronting it in your classroom" (Theresa Overall, http://umfresources.wikispaces.com/EDU101Chapter6)

As we all know, there is a lot of verbal and physical harassment and assault that take place in school and outside of school.  I was asked to do an assignment, as it shows above. I didn't do the assignment as it's segregation which is a style of bullying so I felt that this homework assignment was unjust as it's asking us to bully and bring a group of people out in class. Could this be a good way to bring out differences? It's possible, however you're already putting a touchy subject and bringing it right out in front of your class and maybe even providing more harm than what good could possible come out of it.  Just because you're students are aware or have become informed from this class lesson about this group of people, doesn't mean that the same behavior wont happen.
I have personally been to two challenge days, while we all came "out of the dark" parse, the subjective bullying didn't end, yes for that brief period of two days while people get over the shock of it all then life continues as it normally did with the same end result of harassment and abuse.
I am the role model of the class being the teacher, correct? How is bringing out and segregating one group of students being the role model, showing all the problems of the group and how you shouldn't be attacking them, isn't that in the end feeding the flame?

Chapter 14: Succeeding in Your Teacher Education Program--and Beyond

My personal concerns as I work into my major which in the end makes it so I'll be able to put the bread on the table.  They are: wages (Teaching is one of the lowest paid degree professions), assessments determine wage instead of years teaching, being accused of something (such as sexual assault or harassment towards a teenager).  These are the concerns that I have going into the field as there are people out there that want to destroy you for their own benefit.

Which area of concern is most present?

I don't feel that my concerns reflect any of these, it's what I want to do I'm concerned about the factors that will impact me and what I'll have to do in order to make it so my students can trust myself and succeed through the filter that the Government provides.

Which Stage(s) of Concern was most present?

If anything I'm at a 0 with Unconcerned, I'm not worried this is what I want to do I know how to do it. I'm not afraid nor will be timid around my students and the planning I have to do for them.

Chapter 13: Improving Teachers and Schools, and School Reform

Things that I'd like to acquire to enhance my resume for employment, an internship such as the one that is covered in Practicum. A minor degree from University of Maine at Farmington to demonstrate better strength in my field.  More job experiences to show ability to work with others and show customer service which can be applied to better work ability with my students.

Chapter 7: Thinking about Teaching and Learning

In The Joy of Teaching  by Gene Hall, she mentions the idealism of  Metaphysics, Epistemology, Axiology.  "Metaphysics is concerned with questions about nature of reality and humans' attempts to find coherence in the realm of thought and experience... Epistemology examines questions about how and what we know and how knowing takes place... Axiology branch of philosophy deals with questions concerning the nature of values." (Hall, 2008) I feel that these are great to incorporate in your teaching philosophy but, at the same time what is the point of them?  As education is repetitious echoes that keep extending farther and farther, why would we need to know the concept of others nature of values, how knowing takes place, and thought and experience?  As the gain of knowing is from outcomes, if you stick your hand into a toaster you'll know not to do it again, values are caused by outcomes also as well as experiences.  They are crucial because without us teachers considering and taking them into account.  How can we effectively teach them to their fullest potential?

Chapter 5: The History of Schools in the United States

Today public school is open to everyone: religious background, ethnicity, social status..  Our nation did not start out this way however, during the 1700s schooling was for the elites and no one else.   As life in the United States kept rolling on through, ideology changed towards education when the turn of the century happened everyone in the 1800s came to the notion that all must be educated to x extent in order for their well being.  In comparison, we have also segregation in the education system going by age now, as to the one room school house of the day.  We can blame psychology for this, as information has been proven that certain ages only have mental capacity instead of everyone being an adult mentally while not fully grown physically.  While schools became public, head-start wasn't for the public until the Johnson administration with his domestic policy of Great Society.
There has been many debates on schools and the education of students.  Even to the beginning of the United States, where nothing in the Constitution truly brings up whose role it is to financially distribute funding towards education (federal or state).  There was and still is debate on when children should start receiving education, which in today's age the earlier the better.  The idea that teachers should get paid on performance of their students academic test scores, is now starting to be enforced around the United States.

Which theories and historical influences should most impact the schools we'd like to have?

I would like us to cover over this topic in class before the end of the coming quarter. I have no clue, nor do I feel I am capable of answering this question as is from opinion or knowledge gained from Joys of Teaching or the EDU 101 class I currently am in.

How can diversity in the classroom help me be a better teacher?

We have yet to cover why diversity in a classroom would help improve us as teachers. However, I do feel if there is a diverse group, your teaching will be less biased so your teaching is less opinionated than relative fact.

How can I be successful at UMF?

This particular question is answered during my EDU 101 class where the book is not covering. In order to get out of this education system, and be out in the field, I have to become qualified. In order to achieve this I MUST take Particum, Praxis I/II, in order to further seek the role of teaching I want in my life.  While I have found that you must be level headed and open minded at U.M.F. if you truly want to be successful, if you're not open to other concepts and ideas that go against yours how can you truly gain new insight and knowledge to back up your own argument?

How do I become a teacher?

The knowledge that I have acquired about becoming at teacher has mainly been through the Joys of Teaching.  The information was mainly about how to become a better teacher, not necessarily of how to become one. In the first chapters, it covered over what I should do about religion family difficulties and how I should deal with these problems in my class.  In the actual EDU 101 class, I do not feel I have gained further knowledge of how to become a Teacher, while I already know I need to become certified.

Chapter 4: Schools as the Workplace for Students and Teachers

For staffing and organization, I only have two instructors. As this was a specialized school that is direct 1 on 1 contact the school only allows 60 students a year. While those two professors have the responsibility of their classes which is different to having a principal that needs to monitor classrooms. While they are similar because, there is a head which distributes punishment.
As we are a private school/business we aren't in a district which the Joys of Teaching talked about roles that the government state and federal provide towards Private Schooling.
The Joys of Teaching also didn't go into discussion about how private schools are paid for. The school that I created is sponsored by corporations and which the students have to pay money for admittance.

Things I Need to Know

Before I can move on in my EDU degree I must have completed the Parxis 1 examination. When you complete Parxis 1 with a high enough score it enables you to take Practicum.

While I haven't considered it, if I never decide to swap majors I must complete the following documentation attach them together and hand them to  Kristin Hickey. (Major Swap form, photocopy of Parxis 1 scores, and a brief essay about myself)

In order to get into Practicum you must have completed and passed the Parxis 1 (all 3 sections), SED / EDU 101, 2.0 GPA, and must currently be in the major of Secondary Education.


Continuing about Practicum it is recommended by other students not to take other courses during that semester.

• Practicum students may only enroll in one class in addition to the 12-credit Practicum course but it must start at 2:30pm or later.
• Meet with your advisor for pre-registration; get a printout of your approved schedule showing Practicum. Have your advisor sign the printout. Be sure to have an alternate schedule in case you are not able to get into Practicum for that semester.
• Come to the Practicum Party with your signed printout. You will receive an email from Kristin Hickey announcing the date and time of the Practicum Party. In the past, it's been at 5pm and pizza has been served. At the party, you will fill out an application form, do some other paperwork, and meet with Beth Evans, the field supervisor for Practicum. When you leave the party, you will know if you are definitely in, on the waiting list, or not in for the coming semester. If you are either on the waiting list or not in Practicum, you will register for your backup schedule that you and your advisor came up with.

Chapter 3: Families and Communities

Resolved: Partnerships between teachers and families can improve the learning of students.

 The statement is absolutely true, in the Joy of Teaching a boy named Marcus has two parents that are woman, while the teachers at his elementary school don't approve of same sex relationships, they punish Marcus for something that he has no control over. When teachers and parents are able to cooperate a students learning is increased as if the parent is on board then homework will be done at home instead of being incomplete. If parents lack to reinforce what the teachers do at school, wouldn't that be a little hypocritical? They expect us to teach them everything, yet wont reinforce it home to make sure the knowledge is acquired.

Chapter 2: Today's Students

In chapter 2 subsection How Are Students with Disabilities integrating, Hall talks of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that started in 1975. The IDEA is constantly revised to make it more effective for those students that have disabilities to help dissolve the isolation that public schools put between “regular” students and those with disabilities. While Hall also reflects on certain disabilities touching on how we should go about teaching those who have: learning, speech, mental, and emotional disabilities. In 2006 the U.S. Census Bureau reported that 13% of the United States school population has a disability of some nature.

Chapter 1: Becoming a Teacher

Joyful

• Lesson Plans

            I love the idea of lesson plans, creating a plan of how you’re going to attack a certain part of your specific teaching is exciting to me. How you are going to go about certain material such as the Cold War, and if you’re going to give them a quiz over their notes or possibly a group/individual project.

• Intrinsic rewards

 Reading about this in the book, I can not wait to feel this. Just imagine trying to get a student to understand why we have went to certain wars when they do not understand. Having to look at it from different angles for the student to understand is fun; I try to do that already looking at how to teach someone something more than one way.

• Mentoring

This is a great idea in my views, getting to know students and what they do throughout their academic life during the time they’re in the building with you. I feel it is very important to do it at the high school level with advisers to make sure people stay on top of things. I have been to a few high schools, 1 that did not have Advisory and 1 that did. I really enjoyed the advisory school because it felt like someone cared whether if I make it or not. While at the other school, it felt like I was a man on an island with no one out trying to rescue me.

Unpleasant

• Standards

Being in a school that had standards at the high school level, I felt there was no point in them. Yes it showed what I needed to work on but with a curriculum that makes you push on no matter what I really didn’t benefit from them being there especially because there was no one that would help me with my problems. It felt like Standards / N.C.L.B. was a dead end at the high school level, though I’ve seen it work with other schools at younger ages and it’s great. It basically cuts the problem right in the butt so they don’t have be scared of academics in high school.

• Work Pay

The pay for teachers is lousy compared to other professions. There are professions that you don’t need to seek higher education after high school that give you more a year than teaching. It is so unfortunate especially with all the time and effort teachers need to put in with grading making curriculum, lesson plans, home works, and quiz/test making.

• Assessments

I am scared of these; especially with schools now doing pay scaling on how well the teacher's students perform on these assessments. Not all students are great test takers which would be unfair to those teachers that have a large base of students that aren’t great test takers but are excellent project composers.