Goodbye EDU100!

As this course comes to an end I am reflecting on what we have learned and all that I have gained. In this course I learned a lot about other countries and their education systems. This showed me that there are some areas where our system is great, and other areas we could improve on. I also learned that being a teacher can be tough and sometimes draining, however when you care and work hard, it is one of the most rewarding and satisfying jobs.

In my future job, whether I decide to become a teacher or not, I will take with me the patients and acceptance that this course has taught me. It is important to be patient with everyone and to accept that everyone is different. Accommodating everyone as fairly as possible and leaving no one excluded is beneficial for everyone.

In doing these blogs and reading other classmates, I have learned about how others view certain issues. It was often eye-opening, and at the very least interesting, to see what other's thoughts were. It allowed all aspects of what we were learning to come forward. Overall, this course and every assignment help a great importance. This is one of the few courses where there was NOT as single assignment that I felt was a waste of time or unnecessary. I thoroughly enjoyed this course!

Good luck everyone! It was great getting to know a little about you and your thoughts on education!

Maria Montessori

Maria Montessori was born on August 31, 1870 and died on May 6, 1952. She was a physician and an educator, and she was best known for her educational method which bears her name. There are schools called Montessori schools which focus specifically on young students and how they can learn in the best ways possible. She focused on students maturity and readiness to learn particular skills and certain ages. Using these findings she developed her teaching methods and used materials designed to help children discover new things. I chose her because I think she was really amazing, especially for her time. She thought about every one's abilities and gave everyone a chance to learn. That's the kind of educator I would want to be if I decide I want to teach. I would never give up on anyone, and I would look for new ways for everyone to get the most out of their education. She is inspirational and I hope, whether I am a teacher or not, that I always remember that people learn differently and it could change their life if you have the patience to figure out what is best for them.




Where I got my information:-Education and the Practice and Profession of Teaching by McNergney
-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori

Should Parents with Disabilities have Special Rights?

Absolutely. Parents who have disabilities should be accommodated for when it comes to the education of their children. If they want to participate in the education activities that goes on at their child's school, that is a great thing and should be something they can take full advantage of. In Rothschild v. Grottenhaler (1990), the United States Court of Appeals ruled that a public school system receiving federal financial assistance is obligated to provide a sign language interpreter, at the school district's expense. This provides the most fair and proper opportunities for a parent. If the parents had to pay for these accommodations themselves, then it would be unfair because they should be able to have the same rights as everyone else. How could someone deny a parent the right to participate in activities related to their children's education? Some parents just don't care or do not want to put in that extra effort; so any parent that does want to be involved should be able to no matter what the situation is.

Will Children Be More Engaged in a Classroom If They Feel Emotionally and Physically Safe?

Classrooms should seek to make childen feel comfortable, safe, significant and cared about. These feelings are made by both the teacher and other children. But do children actually engage in discussions and other work more when they are comfortable? I couldn't find any information that did not support this idea. It would be a nit absurd to think that a child would share honest thoughts and opinions when they are uncomfortable. The best environment is created by teachers and students together. They can create a "community of conscience." I have always been a person that thinks deeply about pretty much everything and in doing this I have ideas and opinions. I would never share my views in an environment where I don't feel physically and emotionally safe. Having comfort from the teacher and other students creats a warm and safe place that I would be willing to share my opinions in. As a child I had this and always felt cared about. I think that feeling this way is what led me to doing well academically. It causes a person to feel free of stress and judgement so there is more room for positivity.

Humanism

Humanism is a philosophical theory that I agree with. Humanism wants everyone to give and recieve respect and kindness. Although the idea was brought up through religion and continued to grow during different religions periods, I see it as more of an idea that was created by people who had good morals and intentions behind there thoughts and actions. I say that because I do not believe in God, but I do believe that everyone should be a good person and live in a place where all are respected. I like this theory because it believes students can evaluate themselves and do not need judgment from peers or teachers. Students have a lot of stress and anxiety when it comes to the work they are doing, and they usually judge themselves harsh enough that they do not need anyone else to help out with it. If they feel like they are being judged then they may not perform to the best of their ability because their minds are not in the right place. In our text book, it states that, "students' emotional well-being is of critical importance for learning" (Page 122). This is so true! When I was in school, I would not learn  a single thing if I were upset. My mind would be on what was bothering me and nothing else. So being content makes a huge difference and it is nice the humanists recognize that. Learning and emotional well-being hold a great importance that go hand in hand in an educational setting.

Education is like a Rainbow!

I believe that education is like a rainbow. There are different aspects to it that all combine together to make something spectacular. Each color is like a part of education that comes together to make a whole. One color by itself, while still important, does not seem nearly as whole as it would with other colors. That's how education is too. Every part is important, even seperately. But what makes the biggest difference is when it is all together. Another reason that education is like a rainbow is because of the mystery in it all, especially for a child. It makes a person wonder about where it came from, and it causes the imagination to go free! I think that's an important part of education for a child. They can use their imagination to think about how things work. Sometimes they can make up a fantasy story, like the pot of gold at the end of every rainbow; or it could be them thinking about the scientific aspect that caused the rainbow to appear. I think that education is still being figured out and thought about, just as a rainbow is. There are methods that are being tested and used in classrooms and it will continue to be something that is observed forever.

Is a classroom that has full inclusion a positive for everyone in the classroom?

After working in a classroom where full inclusion was present, I can say that I do not think it is a positive experience for everyone. The most benifical way to teach would be to have a partially inclusive classroom. Teachers become stressed and students suffer when a classroom is all inclusive. Teachers have to make sure that everyone is learning everything they need, while dealing with the fact that not everyone learns the same. Students who are falling behind have trouble because they feel like they are not as smart as everyone else. The children who learn quickly are bored and have to wait until everyone understands the material. I have seen the stress that everyone has during the lessons, and it isn't really fair for anyone. One girl who was having trouble with math said to me that she hates herself for being so slow and she also said, "my brain is too dumb so now no one likes me." She had to ask a lot of questions and the teacher had to come over to show her one-on-one. This made the lessons take longer and then children seemed annoyed by all the time it was taking. The child who just needed a different method and a slower pace of learning couldn't get the full potential because she was feeling anxious and stupid for something she couldn't control. I understand that inclusive classrooms can have great benifits and children can learn how to work with people who are different from them, but it comes down to the individual. If an indiviual child is having exceeding trouble on a certain topic, he or she deserves to be taught seperately until they understand the material to the degree that other children do. I have also seen the benifits that come from a partially inclusive classroom. The children work together when the subject is generally the same difficulty for all. When a child struggles on a topic consistently, they are taught seperately using alternative methods and at a pace which is best for that child. This way everyone can learn what they need to know with much less stress. I think that after all I have learned from being in these two types of classrooms, I can say I feel very strong on this opinion because I just want what I think would be best for all children. When both methods played out, a fully inclusive classroom seemed to have added stressors and anxiety on everyone.


picture found at: http://specialneedsinclusion.wikispaces.com/Educational+Implications+of+Inclusion

Nutrition in Schools

Are schools doing enough to promote and educate students on healthy living?

Schools have started to promote and pay more attention to nutrition and healthy living. There are now guidelines for school health programs to promote lifelong healthy eating. The eating and exercise habits that a child has, are similar to the lifestyle they will have as adults; therefore, the choices that the child makes are of great importance. Having policies, programs, and guidelines sets a standard for the schools to follow. Taking soda out of vending machines and replacing it with healthier options is something that is becoming very popular for schools. Removing greasy food and putting foods that a healthier in its place is another great idea that is taking over. Schools are also making nutrition lessons part of the material taught in classrooms. Educating children about healthy foods and lifestyles, and what can happen when a person isn't following the lifestyle are ways to get children to want to become healthy.

But is all of this enough? Some say yes, while others say no.
Some people think that it still isn't enough because the issue is still huge. Obesity continues to be a problem for children and adults alike. There is clearly a lot being done, and everything that is in place now, continues to be improved each year. I think that although there is always room for improvement, schools are taking huge steps and doing their part with these programs and actions. What more can they really do to be more effective? They have programs and guidelines in place. They are educating people on the importance of a healthy life, while taking the bad food options out of the school. The only thing that I could see them doing more of, is just continuing to improve the standards already in place and keep going with the nutrition lessons.
I chose this topic because I teach nutrition lessons to children at my after school program. They love to learn about nutrition and healthy living. They are very engaged in the activities and participate so much in discussions. I can tell that they learn about it in school because some information is review for them! That is just so great to me and I feel like they are really understanding the information that is given to them. I give them a "weekly challenge" for homework and they love to tell me all about how it went for them. The challenges are just things such as watering down juices, eating less meat and more vegetables, walking up and down the stairs 3 times before going to a different floor of the house, and more. They tell me about how their family gets involved or that they continued to do the task even after the week was through!


This is what the new "food pyramid" looks like!



Where I found the image:
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

Where I found my information:
http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/
http://www.asfsa.org/

Why Teach?

Even though I do not want to be a teacher anymore, I have so much respect for those who do. I want to help people, particularly children, on a personal level rather than on an educational level. I know that there are many issues that may cause people to not want to teacher, but the reasons that people would want to become a teacher are so much more important.

For me, when I wanted to be a teacher, it was all about the impact that I could make on them for the rest of their lives. My actions would be taken with them into their futures and, if I do my job right, I won't be soon forgotten.

"Teachers influence lives, now and into the future. As a teacher, you have the unique ability to promote opportunity for all children. You can reduce inequality in the classroom. Making a positive impact on just one child can spill over into that child’s school and community, now and into the future.

Change the future. Teach."http://teach.gov/why-teach/make-impact

Knowing that you are making an impact makes you feel accomplished and important. Any job that can do that is very much worth while. I would be eager to get to work everyday to continue making this impact.

Another reason to teach, and why I love my job so much, is because of the funny and cute things children say. They keep me smiling all day and give me great stories to tell family and friends about! I feel like I work with little comedians, which is great in the workplace. It seems like their positive attitude rubs off on me, and vise-versa.

"If you have a positive attitude and a sense of humor, you will find things to laugh about each day. Sometimes it will be silly jokes you will make up as you teach that might get a laugh from your students. Sometimes it will be jokes that kids share with you. And sometimes students will come out with the funniest statements without realizing what they've said. Find the fun and enjoy it!"
http://712educators.about.com/od/teacherresources/tp/teachergood.htm

I think that there are a ton of reasons to teach. If I do end up deciding to become a teacher, I would not be disappointed. People can point out the negatives, but I know that there are way more positives!

Overall, this makes reminds me of how awesome teaching is. Yes, it's great to have summers off and have a Monday-Friday schedule with great hours. No, the salary isn't great for all the work that goes into the job. But there is so much more to it. How it makes you feel and how much you can make a difference are way more important. I think if you are a caring person and want to make a difference, teaching is a great job for you!

This picture might be a bit difficult to see. It is a picture of a bulletin board I put up at the school of my children's work. We had a chat about what they wanted to be when they grew up and why. Then taught them a bit about how to add detail to pictures. I merged these two ides together and had them draw a picture of them when they are older and doing their job. I figured this would relate to the question: Why Teach? Everyone had to explain why they have a certain job in mind. Parents loved it!

A Bit About Me!

Hi everyone! I am a psychology major at SSU. I work with children at a daycare and afterschool program and I love it. Those children are the reason I have so much passion for helping children and having a desire to learn more about how I can do that. I was accepted to the college as a education major but changed to psychology before ever taking a class in education. Now is my chance to see what I have been missing, and to expand my knowlegde in working with children. I am really excited about this course and I find everything I have learned this far to be very interesting. Well, that is it! I look forward to seeing everyone elses posts.

--Alyssa