Student Voice

It is a proven fact that the more involved a student is in their education, the better that student will do academically. Giving students the opportunity to be involved in the administration process is a great way to motivate a students to care about their education. Students often feel that they go to school because they have to. Getting the student involved in a real life situation such as hiring teachers, supervising parent-teacher conferences, and sitting on the district's school board are all great ways to motivate a students to care. However, there should be set limits, and a variable of respect must be present on the part of the student and the teacher. For example, students who are involved in these processes should show exemplary maturity and professionalism. The students could conduct their own interviews and then compare data with the administration who also interviews the new staff. The administration should respect the view point of the students and take it into consideration, but the final say would be up to the adults involved. Not only would students respond positively to the trust given to them, they would also be learning valuable tools they could later use in life.

Quality Teachers Journal.....

After watching the movie by Dr. St. Arnauld I was excited to see the changes occurring in education. There is a great need for not just teachers, but quality teachers. Dr. St. Arnauld says, "There is an emerging role for community colleges in preparing new teachers that must go beyond the traditional approach and model effective pedagogy and instructional practice." The community college can sift serious teachers from those who just think teaching would be fun. By offering education courses at the community level it allows the student who thinks he/she would like to be a teacher a chance to really see what teaching is like. Thereby making a commitment to being a quality teacher instead of just "a teacher." Problems Dr. St. Arnauld confronts in her video include diversity in the teaching force, poor working conditions, job dissatisfaction, low salaries, and lack of administration support. Some of her solutions include, relocation benefits, signing bonuses, student loan forgiveness, and incentive programs given by the state. I think there is some merit in these solutions, but until we as a society value education these ideas are just a band-aid on the real problem. If parents and society in general want quality teachers, they are going to have to pay for them. Sure, we might have a few quality teachers because they love students and want to better society, but how are they supposed to live on an average salary of $35,000 dollars? The teaching profession may attract female students who want to provide additional income to their families, with the added benefit of having summers off. What about attracting quality male students who want to be able to support their family? In our capitalistic society until this issue is addressed, I don't see any real changes coming in the educational system.

"SO MUCH"

The book "So Much" was a great story about a Hispanic family that was throwing a surprise birthday party for the father. I would read this to my students in a classroom setting because it teaches values that are important in the Hispanic culture. Commonly, Caucasian families don't live by each other. Grandma and Grandpa may live in another state. In this book the whole family from aunties, cousins, uncles, and both sets of grandparents were present. The book teaches that family is important to the Hispanic culture. I would read the story and have a group discussion about why they liked the story. Then we would talk about all of the different characters in the story and how they made the baby feel loved.

Educational Philosophy

I have had a great experience with every institute that I have learned at. In these institutions I had all kinds of teachers, those who lectured the whole class, those who brought the subject alive, and those that were adequate. I have formulated my Educational Philosophy based upon what worked and didn’t work in the classes I attended.
The first characteristic of my classroom environment will be passion about learning. Creating a fun environment where all of the students feel safe to voice questions and brainstorm possible answers. Creating interactive group situations where learning is exciting, but also structured learning time involving student interaction.
School is a place to learn fundamental skills that will be necessary to succeed in life. These include; math, geography, science, reading, health, writing, art, music, technology, and physical education. I do not think that personal beliefs should enter the classroom, however, I do think that all sides of the issue should be presented. For example, in the field of science there is debate over whether the earth was created, already existed, or a big bang created it. I think it is important to be transparent about the fact that we don’t know and all side should be given equal attention.
I am very passionate about the sciences and health. I love these subjects and like to do hands on learning such as dissecting, and activities that take the students outside to explore their world. There are situations were movies can become an asset to the students learning. The discovery channel and PBS have great movies about amazing things that make learning come alive in other ways than a classroom setting.
I care about students and realize that I can do everything right in the classroom and still have a student who struggles. This would lead me to believe that something outside of the classroom is affecting the student. I think my job is more than teaching a subject in a classroom setting, it is doing everything I can to help the student succeed in school and as a person. My greatest strength as a teacher is caring about more than the test score a student receives. Creating an appropriate relationship with each student is vital to their success. After establishing that relationship, if signs were present of an outside problem it would be my responsibility to get the student help. This could be parents, school counselors, or administration.
I can remember every name of my elementary school teachers. Some evoke good memories and others I wish I could forget! The point is teachers have a lasting impact whether good or bad on a human life forever. I feel excited and privileged to be a part of another person’s life and realize that teaching requires more than a lesson plan; it requires dedication to each student.

First posting....

Wow! This is really cool! I have never blogged before! I am excited about this class and can't wait to get started. After reading the first chapter in the textbook, I realize how much I don't know about teaching!