Good Bye!

Taking EDU 100 was very rewarding for me and I am sad that it is coming to an end. I really liked the McNergney text book. I enjoyed learning all of the new termminology and I know I will find the new jargon to be relevant when I becom a teacher. An important aspect that I took away from this course is that being open-minded is important for a teacher. Always remembering that things aren't always what they seem and that everyone is person, is something that I learned to be important. I found the information in this course to be particularly interesting because I am use to learning about Early Childhood Education. Getting to see what Elementary Education majors learn was fun and I am happy that I was given the oppurtunity to take this class a replacement for EDU 105.

I really enjoyed reading my classmates' blogs and getting a better idea of who they are and what they believe. Rading their blogs showed me different aspects of issues that I never would hae thought of; giving me a more well-round grasp on concepts. It was fun to check in on the discussion boards and see people's responses to your own work. It made me feel happy to know that my classmates took the time to read my work.

Froebel



I chose to further research Froebel because I am a Early Childhood major and Froebel's contributions greatly impact my concentration. Froebel coined the term "kindergarten" and started the new foundation of modern education for young children by recognizing that children have unique needs and capabilities. Froebel recognized that hands on learning and " free play" is best for children. He believed that humans are essentially productive and creative and that these qualities should be practiced, even at an early age. He had a passion for Education and its purpose. "The purpose of education is to encourage and guide man as a conscious, thinking and perceiving being in such a way that he becomes a pure and perfect representation of that divine inner law through his own personal choice; education must show him the ways and meanings of attaining that goal. (Friedrich Froebel 1826 Die Nenschenerziehung, pp. 2)"

Also Froebel is famous for the "Froebel Gifts" which advocated the importance of free play. These gifts consist of hands- on activity based wooden shapes and spheres. (below is an example)

Froebels "gifts" are still used in classrooms today, and his theory of Kindergarten is still used today. His contributions to the unique needs of children are profound and are still great value today.

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-froeb.htm

http://www.froebelweb.org/

How important is the "critical" classroom?

 

 The answer is to the question how important is the "critical" classroom is, VITAL. A critical classroom equips the curriculum with an emphasis on the students "talking back." The students will learn the importance of posting critical essential questions that enable them to think outside the box. For example, if the class is learning about the Mayflower's voyage the students should pose questions like "What is religious freedom?" "Do people still seek religious freedoms today?" Learning the skills of asking essential questions shapes the students into a critical thinkers. Being a critical thinker is not only valuable for a student during their educational journey, but it is also important for them when they become adults and are in the working world. Learning to ask critical essential questions also make students more aware of what is going on in today's societies and promotes students to be problem solvers, and possibly leaders. It was once said, "There is no such thing as a stupid question." This perfectly describes the environment of a "critical" classroom. Questions are important to learning, therefore a "critical" classroom is VITAL!   

Is pragmatism applicable in a classroom?



       What is pragmatism? Pragmatism defines the truth and meaning of ideas according to their physical consequences and practical value. Can pragmatism be applicable in a classroom? the answer is YES. Pragmatism has great goals for a classroom and provides a great teaching method. The pragmatism goal for education is "Develop and apply practical knowledge and skills for life in a progressive democratic society." This goal  provides students with great skills for their futures. Also the teaching method suits many different students' needs. The teaching methods are  "Use of hands-on curricula, group work, and experimentation." These methods will not only teach student valuable skills, but they are also fun for students. The more fun students have with instruction the more engaged they will be and they will learn more. Another main point of pragmatism is the emphasis of practice. Students need to learn the value of practice at a young age; the more practice a student demonstrates the more success they will have.

Education is like a garden

       Education is like a garden in many aspects. In a garden you start off with a seed, and this seed has full potential to be a beautiful flower BUT without proper care the seed will not grow. Kids start will full potential and need the proper care just like a seed. But remember, not all flowers are going to be the same color but they are just as beautiful and need just as much care and attention. Perhaps a flower isn't growing properly; maybe that flower needs a little extra water, sunshine, and love. Teaching students is like taking care of a garden. The teacher needs to protect, nurture, teach, and know every single student in and out. Throughout this semester, through readings, I have learned that every student needs particular attention. Also I have learned that a lot students  that are minorities, are gay/lesbian, and that are disabled, are underrepresented. It is our jobs as future teachers to make sure that every student has the proper care and attention.

Are general education teachers properly equipped to teach students with disabilities?

                                                   

By law, students with disabilities have the right to be placed in general education classrooms. This only fair because they deserve to be treated equally and they deserve equal opportunities. In some situations the student will be in a general classroom for part of the day and then placed with a resource teacher for part of the day to focus on specific areas. But, in some situations the general education teacher is responsible for meeting all the needs of the student. This raises the question “Are general education teachers properly equipped to teach students with disabilities?” The license of a general education teacher is limited in the area of special education. It only makes sense that students with special needs need special and more attention. They deserve to work with the best person who specializes in what they need, which would be a special education specialist. Also, if the general education teacher has to constantly work with the student with disabilities are other students getting the proper attention, guidance, and help that they deserve? This issue has many different angles and exceptions because not every disability is the same and different disabilities require different attention. But, in my opinion, in severe cases, the student should be with a special education teacher because they will be working with a person that specializes in exactly what they need. Also, I feel that if the law is going to require general education teachers to teach students with disabilities, then they should also provide schools with training programs that teach general education teachers more about how to teach students with disabilities. Although being fair is extremely important, I feel it is more important to give students what they need to grow academically.

http://www.learningfirst.org/moving-beyond-it-s-not-my-job

Are foreign and bilingual families accepted in schools?

                                                 

It has always been known that a powerful tool used in order for a child to have academic success is students’ parent/s involvement their school. For example, attending school meetings, meeting with teachers, participating in school events, and reading letters that go home. There is only one problem….what if the parent only speaks Russian? Should the child suffer? The number of foreign/bilingual students is on the rise and schools need to be equipped to handle this problem. Schools need to learn which languages families speak in their school and then hire a translator for in case of emergencies and to translate school bulletins. Not only is it dangerous to not be able to communicate with a child’s parent, but it is also working against creating a community at the school. There are many arguments about how foreigners need to learn English because they are in The United States. But is this a justifiable reason for putting a child at risk? More importantly, the U.S does not even have a declared language. In my opinion, it is absolutely ridiculous that many schools don’t have hired translators on call, and that a lot of schools don’t reach out to families. Schools need to make a necessary change to promote unity in their schools.

http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/curr047.shtml

Overbooked schedules

School, boy scouts, soccer, baseball, violin lessons, homework...wait did we eat dinner? Children's schedules have become so jammed packed lately that the question, "Is this healthy for my child?" is raised. The question of whether busy schedules are acceptable or absurd is an on-going debate. Some people believe that kids need time to be kids, and some people believe that kids should be occupied at all hours of the day. Both sides make valid points.

          While researching this topic I came across a true-life scenario. A nine-year old boy named Kevin was anxious, having trouble sleeping at night, and was always complaining that he was tired. His mom took him to the doctors but they found nothing wrong with him. The doctor suggested his mother to bring him to a psychologist. When she talked to the psychologist he asked her about Kevin’s schedule. She informed him that he was involved in three sports teams, church activities, boy scouts, and took two piano classes a week (all on top of school). He suggested that this schedule was too stressful for a child. He also said (not to the mother) that Kevin may be on the brink of clinical depression. The mother denied his accusations but when he spoke in private with Kevin, Kevin confided that he missed being able to just play with the other kids and do normal activities like ride his bike. This scenario raises the questions of "Is this schedule too stressful?" "Is this the reason why Kevin was having problems?" "Can Kevin be developing stress at the age of 9?" Many people who argue that children's schedules are over-booked would answer YES to all these questions. These people believe that schedules similar to Kevin's schedule cause many mental disorders and health problems for children.

On the other-hand, there are people who argue that kids are not "over-booked." A family science professor wrote that, “We found that the very active children were thriving emotionally,” and“In contrast, children who had the fewest activities were the most withdrawn, socially immature and had the lowest self-esteem.” Many argue that children need busy schedules to keep them out of trouble and to learn discipline. Also people believe that busy schedules prepare their children for the future.

As for myself, I am split with this issue. I understand both sides and both sides are valid. I feel that children need to be on a schedule but the schedule should also consist of  a “down time" time slot. Children have their whole adult-life ahead of them to be stressed out and they don't need to be stressed out at the age of nine. But, at the same time children need to learn at a young age that there are always going to be tasks that they don't want to do but need to do. Extracurricular activities are very important but there needs to be a proper balance in order for success and proper health. Also children need time to do their homework; if their schedules are overbooked then they will not have time to study and do their homework. There is no simple answer to this question because children need to be looked at individually because some kids may be able to handle many tasks and some may cave underneath the pressure. A great solution would be constant communication between the child and parent and a healthy grasp on time management.


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32573893/ns/health-childrens_health/t/overbooked-kids-nah-its-parents-who-stress/

http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200301/the-overbooked-child

http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/growing/child_too_busy.html

Why do people want to teach?

People choose to teach for a number of different reasons. Some teachers want to teach because it makes them happy to see others learn from them. Some teachers want to teach because they want to help children the way that previous teachers have helped them. Some teachers want to teach because they enjoy being with children and watching them grow. And some teachers want to teach because the science of different learning theories and psychcology intrigues them. But at the end of the day, every teacher has chosen to teach because of  their own personal experiences and/or realizations. Whatever their reason are, teachers have to have a passion for children and they need to have the want and  the desire to teach. If a person's main goal is to make money and have a high salary then this is not the correct field for them. Teachers have a strong desire to give back to their communities, and they want to help future generations by producing bright, healthy, successful leaders.

http://www.helium.com/items/633186-why-do-teachers-want-to-teach

http://www.thinqon.com/topic/why_do_people_like_to

http://www.highere.com/teachers-why-do-we-want-to-teach/

About me!

My name is Angela and I am senior at Salem State. My majors are Early Childhood Education and Spanish. I love learning (especially different languages) and I can not wait to teach children to love learning too! I am a very open-minded person and am always up for new ideas. I hope to be a principal one day and change the lives of as many children as I can.