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!