Chapter 6: Social Context of Schools

To express my ideas on solving the problems of bullying in the classroom I created this small list of my 5 Steps to a Safer Classroom. I will practice and encourage each of these steps along with other supplemental activities to create a safer classroom.

http://5steps.wikispaces.com/

Chapter 5: The History of Schools in the United States

Over the past 300 years the curriculum has had to change and shape in order to properly accommodate students in the United States. There have been influences from many aspects of life including religion that have assisted in the development in the standards of which students are learning by. Moral value has been a constant priority, and much emphasis has been put on creating a well-rounded and good moralled student in every classroom. Many substantial times in history have effected the development of curriculum including changes in the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, myriad court cases involving civil rights, and even the Civil War. Each event that effected our country, has also effected our curriculum and expectations in students and teachers. Specific evolutions in the curriculum include the transition from a simplified and religion based core of reading, writing, and arithmetic to a more focused education for individual needs, and also for college preparation. The current curriculum puts a significant amount of stress on the success of students, and the creation of greater opportunities for education, which was less of a focus in early education times such as colonial times.

One major debate that is constant in education is the involvement of religion in the curriculum. The tensions began between immigrants and European settlers and then further developed over time between Catholics and Protestants. These debates lead to other ideas of changes in sex education curriculum and what is appropriate for religious students. These debates are still constant in public schools and teachers are always questioning their right to involvement of religion in their curriculum.

Symposium Presentation

Presenter: Melissa Lyons
Presentation Topic: "Clique, Clique, Boom"

This presentation was a general overview of the presenters interviews of students in middle schools dealing with issues such as bullying, cliques, and other really common social issues. It was interesting to hear her take and feedback on the topic, and hear the reactions from her experiences with the students. I would love to do a similar experiment in another school. It is so common in schools that there are jocks, preps, etc. and the students put that sort of social filing into a different perspective. Though we see the same issues in college somewhat, it is interesting to reenter the state of mind of the middle school students on this topic. I think it would be fun to do a similar study with maybe more of a focus on one particular area or another, rather than thoughts on all of the subjects together. I think something she touched on that would also be a great opportunity for a separate project is the affect the school shootings such as Columbine and Virginia Tech had on the students in high schools, compared to middle schools, compared to colleges. All incredibly interesting for statistics, etc.

Things I Need To Know

I read about three important things that every UMF Secondary Education student should know.

• Secondary English students not only need to take the Praxis test for more than one teacher licensure opportunity, but the passing score on the English, Language, Literature, and Composition test: Content Knowledge is 160.
• Before reading this article, I was aware of the general demands of a practicum schedule, and have heard from here say that it is an incredibly difficult semester. After reading this small article and reviewing the practicum calendar, I can better visual how incredibly time consuming and difficult practicum most likely is. Also, I had understood the importance of receiving credit-worthy grades in my courses, but had let it slip my mind how important it is to stay on top of all of my classes and control my GPA and course grades in order to reach my intended goals.
• This website was actually incredibly familiar to me because I actually went through the transfer process from an English major to a Secondary English major. It is helpful to have these points mapped out in this way for students considering a transfer. Checklists can also be very effective in this process.

Chapter 4: Schools as the Workplace for Students and Teachers

Compare/Contrast of American Schools and the Build-A-School Project

• When building a school one of the main decisions is who is going to be in charge of the main decisions. Staff and organization is a very important part of the success of the school. In our group we decided it would be most effective to have a board made up of equal amounts of administrators, teachers, students, outside community members, and parents. The schools represented in "The Joy of Teaching" are run by four main parts: the principal, the vice principal, department chairs and the teachers. In our system at Seashore Academy we decided it would be in the best interest of the students to have a variety of people making the school's decisions rather than a single group. Communication is very important in both circumstances.
• Another very crucial decision for creating a school is the involvement between the school system and the state. In the "The Joy of Teaching" this concept is addressed through the organization of school districts, the Board of Education in the state of the school and other state organizations. The involvement includes cost analysis, new policies, and public instruction. At our school, Seashore Academy, our school district is unlike this idea presented in the book. Being located on it's own island, Seashore Academy is basically it's own district. Because of these geological differences, as a school it is easier to focus on the needs of the students more effectively.
• The federal government almost always has some sort of wave of affect on schools. The state's ideas of government are generally the standards for the involvement in school systems. Different amendments in the Constitution have great effects on educational opportunities. Being on an island, the Seashore Academy generally is run by a local, public government that controls the majority of the island. That is the basic extent to the choices of government we discussed in our group.
• The idea of costs in schools was not fully discussed in our group. "The Joy of Teaching" suggests taxes as a main way to solve funding problems in schools. These sorts of ideas and concepts lead to some disapproval among citizens. Being on an island, it may be difficult to come up with a perfect solution to school funding issues. This is a concept that would be perfect to use the board of a variety of community and school members to decide. For fair and equal decisions, it is appropriate to involve everyone affected by the changes and ideas.

Chapter 7: Thinking About Teaching and Learning

My personal teaching philosophies mainly rely on the needs of the students in my classroom. The most important element is success, and therefore my main focus is what will be most effective in creating a successful and constructive environment. A few ideas presented in chapter seven fit into these teaching theories. The book "Joy of Teaching" displays some of Ralph Tyler's creative ideas about curriculum. His theory includes the following strategies:
"1. Define appropriate learning objectives.
2. Establish useful learning experiences.
3. Organize learning experiences to have a maximum cumulative effect.
4. Evaluate the curriculum and revise those aspects that do not prove to be effective." (Hall, Quinn & Gollnick, 2008, p.266)
These concepts create an organized and professional classroom. Another really important idea that is expressed in this chapter is the idea of teaching students to think. Within the English concentration, it is incredibly important to encourage thought process in students to help with the development of their work. This is something I would fully incorporate into my curriculum to lead to success in student writing. Another important value brought to my attention in this chapter was the importance of letting go of knowledge that maybe no longer be useful in the classroom. With technology today, certain pieces in the curriculum may be found unnecessary or no longer useful, which may be the opposite of promoting success. It is important to recognize these elements and know the students well enough to know what the most effective lessons and lesson deliveries are. Keeping up with the needs of students is a concept that will be very appropriate for my teaching philosophy.

Chapter 3: Families and Communities

According to the United States Constitution, church and state are required to stay separate. Though public schools are not required to keep the two completely separate, the benefits of including religious views in the curriculum are not substantial enough for a positive inclusion. The line between understanding and practicing is thin and controversial. Over the years schools have adapted to sensitivity to religious differences by being constantly aware of the beliefs within the classroom and community. To avoid problems with students and angry parents, the teacher must be understanding and adapt to any sensitivities. The teacher's beliefs should not be forced onto the students in the classroom and therefore one must be very careful of their speech and actions when teaching. Dealing with religious differences in a professional way is one of the most important lessons a teacher can learn. With constant lessons that could be considered as swaying towards one religious belief or another, teachers must consider the myriad opportunities they will have to be seen as influencing an idea. Cautiousness within all subjects is incredibly important for maintaining a professional and socially open and understanding classroom atmosphere.