Chapter 14: Succeeding in Your Teacher Education Program--and Beyond

My concerns for teaching are mostly to do with the interaction with kids. I have not built up my confidence speaking in front of my peers, and I am worried about how it will be when I have 20 kids in front of me. Another concern I have is being too quite. I do not want my kids to walk all over me because I am so quite. Do not get me wrong I do not want to be the teacher that is always yelling at my students but I think a great teacher knows when to focus and when to have a little fun.  That is another thing I am worried about, being too "fun". I want each and everyday to be different from the last, and I want to have fun with learning, but I do not want my peer teachers to think I am not taking it seriously.
The stage that most concerns me is the personal (self) stage. As I think back to all of the teachers that impacted me the most,  I remember the relationship me and the teacher had. Whether I could go to the teacher for advice, laughter, learning, what made them so specialy to me was the different connections I made with teacher that helped me be where I am today. I want to be the teacher that is there for my students when they need help with school, but also a listener to help them just talked about their problems. I want kids to want to be in my class and share with me their life, because how can I impact it, if I do not get to know them?

Chapter 13: Improving Teachers and Schools, and School Reform

The biggest experience I would like to have before I graduated UMF is Student Teaching.  In all the readings and listening to all of my teachers thus far, student teaching is the most hands on, interactive and knowledgeable experience I will have here. The next experience I would like to have before I graduate is just sitting in on different classrooms. I feel that if I see different teaching styles I can pick which one best suits me and my students.

Within the first fives years of teaching  I would love to have certification in grades k-12, and have my masters. I feel if you are going to be teaching our youth you should be versatile and have the most education as possible. In schools I teach I would love to see higher test scores and respect, but mostly I feel as though the food in schools needs to be better. Its hard to say what other teachers should do, because even though it is different than what I do, it could be working for them. But what I plan on implementing in my classroom is a fun yet motivated environment for my students to learn in. Also I want my students to know I respect them so they respect me too. A way I could have the lunch system in my school healthier for the students is talk with the kitchen staff and see if they could buy there food locally and prepare the food each and everyday.

Chapter 7: Thinking about Teaching and Learning

• "Socratic Method: A method of teaching or discussion in which the teacher asks a series of questions that lead the answer to a logical conclusion". I feel as though I will use this method practically every day in my math class.  Going through school this was the best way for me to understand math material.  I will incorporate this, but also include other methods for those who learn differently than me. "Discovery Method: A method of teaching that introduces a general concept through questioning and problem solving." This I feel will also be very helpful to me as a teacher because I am teaching a difficult subject (for most).  I want them to be able to look at a question, use tools that they already know and process it in a way that makes it the answers almost obvious. I want to explain in my philosophy that I will take ideas from everywhere and combine them into the best lesson plan; I could make for my students.
• In reading the section "The role of values and ethics in the classroom", it talked about how parents want their child to have a knowledgeable teacher and one who cares, but there biggest concern was the ethics and values of a teacher.  I want to be the teacher that parents feel comfortable leaving their child in my hands. I want them to be in the loop with everything I do, and see that I love what I do. 
• I want to be the teacher that "captivates"(294) their students and take them on a journey that they don’t want to forget. I see my classroom as an extension of who I want to be as a person.  I want to be someone that people remember (for the good reasons of course). I want people/students to see my enthusiasm and willingness to be the best person/teacher I can be. Making an impact on my students not just but they way I teach but how I teach is my main goal.

Chapter 6: Social Context of Schools

Bullying in my classroom wont be tolerated at all. I feel that when you start to see it, its to late. I want everyone of my kids to know that it is not alright. I also want them to be able to come to me if they see it, or are involved in it. I want my classroom to be a safe place for kids to come learn and have fun. With this Power Point I have linked to this blog you will see strategies I as a teacher would follow. You will see facts that I want to share with my students, and also different kinds of bullying. I feel that some kids do not know they are bullying others because they do not know all of the kinds of bullying.  I am excited prevent bullying and anxious to see if my co-workers are too.

For a power point on this you can visit http://edu101mathematics.wikispaces.com/Chapter+6 .

Chapter 4: Schools as the Workplace for Students and Teachers

My school and the school of the United States are very similar.  The staffing and organization is exactly the same. We have a principle that oversees everything; we don’t have assistant principals because my school is was too small. We only have one teacher for every subject again because our school is so small. Although we have many volunteers that come in from the community to help us in any way they can.  We have an open door policy, if we have already checked them out, and made sure that they will benefit our school, not bring it down. We also have a student teacher almost all year round in all subject areas, because we value the process of education. We do not have Department chairs or team leaders; instead the whole staff gets together every week to discuss problems, concerns and achievements. We do have a superintended that comes once a month to the meeting as well. We do have the chain of command but its not as intense as the book entails. My schools community voted for their teachers and principle so yes our principle oversees everyone, but he never makes decisions without conferring with his teachers first; so our chain of command if not so much of a vertical line but a horizontal. We of course have the looping factor in our school because again we only have one teacher per subject area. My schools school district is very small it consist of two schools, Healthy Living and Green Planet (which is an elementary/middle school) in the same area. So in some states in may be the same but the states with “two hundred or more schools”, it is very different. Our Superintendent gets very involved in our schools, which is a good thing. We as a community also vote every year for a new or existing superintended which makes for good work ethic if they want to stay. Unlike the United States we do not have to follow state rules. Because our school is a charter school we do not have to follow state guidelines. The role of federal government is the  exact some for my school as it is for any other school, except for the fact that the only assistance we get form the federal government is given to our state which eventually trickles down to us and that is to help pay for our few school personal. Our school like the others in the United States were built by our income taxes and property taxes,. Although the state did indeed help fund the school to be built, the only money we get from them now is the money to pay the teacher and other personal. We as a school have prided ourselves on being self efficient, and with the help of our community we make the food and car pool to the kids. Yes we are the same in many areas to others smaller schools in the U.S, but not other school is so self efficient than our school.

How do I start thinking like a teacher?

I feel that I am still thinking as a student. I feel that I still need to learn more about the teaching field and about my subject area. I do not think I am quite equipped with the right tools yet. I also think I need for practice, the only time I get to practice thinking as a teacher is when I'm at the middle school mentoring the kids. Even then I feel like a helper not a teacher. I think if we did more teaching exercises in class, that would help me change over to the teacher side.

How can diversity in the classroom help me be a better teacher?

As a class we read about this in chapter 2.  We also discussed this in class by getting into groups.  We found out that diversity is a need to show how good of a teacher you are. Whether or not you deal with diversity will determined your fate as a teacher. Also you want to be able to teach every kid that is why we go into teaching in the first place. We should want the challenge and succeed in at as well. I would like to find out more on how to address this topic and how to incorporate this in my classroom.

How can I be successful at UMF?

This was addressed in class on the first day. You as my teacher talked about how many hours we should put into every class for homework. We also did a blog post named “Things I need to know” about secondary education as a focused. It talked about how we have to take Praxis exams, Practicum, and how difficult it is to make it through without getting a 2.5 or higher in your classes. In that blog I also learned that we have writing and math centers that you can go to, to get help in those certain subjects. I feel as though talking more to an upperclassman about going through UMF would help tremendously in calming my nerves and hearing some of their strategies would help me through some of the difficult times.

How do I become a Teacher?

I become a teacher by first becoming a student. I need to learn from the best and the worst. I need to pull everything I have learned and put into a structure that will best fit my classroom. I become a teacher by passing tests/certifications and working well with my peers. I have learned all of this so far this year. We have worked a lot on the subject. We have learned about and taken the Praxis exam.  We have worked in groups for both in class discussion and our schools. I have had good and bad teachers and already that have taught  me a lot. I have also been hands on with mentoring at the middle school. I think my biggest question for this would be: How exactly do you build up the confidence to teach kids?

Chapter 5: The History of Schools in the United States

As stated in The Joy of Teaching Gene E. Hall, Linda F.Quinn and Donna M. Gollnick the beginning of the 1800’s the curriculum for the puritans was one to educate the “well to-do-to individuals who were preparing for the Protestant ministry”(176) and the other kids were taught how to read and write mostly to “obey the laws of god”.  Then in the early eighteenth century Horace Mann believed that integrating kids from all the classes would cause less tension between them theses schools were called the “common schools” which were schools that was tax supported.  In these schools the kids would all be in the same room learning “skills needed for everyday life, ethical behavior, and reasonable citizenship”, they were also taught the basics of reading, writing, arithmetic spelling, history and geography.  In 1848 the first school to specify between grades was “Quincy School” located in Boston.  This made it more accessible to teach more of a standard curriculum so that the kids could progress through each level.    We know take full advantage of having a textbooks to help guide the teachers to teach somewhat of the same material in the classrooms, and to get our young people ready for college. As a society we are now realizing the importance of education, and are now starting to find ways to educate in a more universal way. 


The first debates in the 1800's were based of the question, how much education should a state provide? The later debates were focused on what should be taught to these kids.  A lot of controversy was over the subject of religion. Should religion be taught in schools? We know now that religion is not taught in public schools, but in private schools.   Some debates were also over the need for a high school.  Some thought that thought the grammar schools should provide all the education that one need, focusing on well disciplined mind.  Others found the need to advance students education in “science, math, English, history, and the political economy “  yet the “curriculum [were] generally determines by the textbooks of the period”(183).

Chapter 3: Families and Communities

All students can achieve at high levels regardless of the structure of their families.

Whether a teacher agrees or disagrees with a child’s family structure they should never show it. In the case of a young boy in elementary school by the name of Marcus McLaurin, his teacher humiliated him in from of his classmates.  His teacher pulled him out of recess, and made him go to the principal and then  to a "behavioral clinic where he was forced to write time after time, "I will never use the word gay in school again"(Roffman,2004,p.34)  as sited in The Joy Of Teaching. The graph on page 98 shows that 68% of children come from  a mother and father family, so that means 32% of families do not.  Is it the right of a teacher to say that they are “un normal” and turn their back on them, and make them feel ashamed of where they come from?  No kid should hear that they cannot tell the truth of their family and should be punished for doing so. For a teacher to put these children down, they lower the child’s confidence and lower their chances to do well in the classroom. So whether the child comes from an "un normal" family or a normal family teachers need to be aware of how the effect the student in doing so.

Things I Need to Know

·         The educational program at UMF is very intense but very worth it. There are tests that you need to pass in order to get through the program, such as the Praxis. You have to prove you are capable in 3 areas (reading, writing, and math).  This test determines whether or not you move on to 200 courses which are sophomore classes.  You also have to have a least a 2.5 g.p.a and have passed all your educational and subject classes with at least a C.   There are also a lot of different kinds of aids here at UMF.  There is help with financial and also help with different subject areas such as math and writing centers.

·         In order for you to transfer in to the secondary educational program at UMF you need some very important requirements. First you must have a 2.5 g.p.a or better, you also need proof that you have passed Praxis 1; and finally you need to have gotten a C or better in English Composition. You also need to write an essay on your experiences with kids and why you want to become a middle/secondary educator.

·          After you get accepted into the program you have to take Practicum. Practicum is a very intense 12 credit course.  This will only be accompanied by one other class, or no other classes. You must pass Practicum to graduate but you need requirements just to be eligible to take it. You must have 2.0 or higher, passed English 100 with a C, have completed SED and EDU 101, and of course be enrolled in middle/secondary education program.

·         In order to take EDU221 and any classes that follow, your laptop must have certain requirements. The easiest way to know for sure that you have all of the necessary requirements is to buy a computer from the UMF Excel program.  This is mandatory at UMF because they are getting you ready for teaching in Maine. Principles and people with power in the school systems will be expecting you to have a good sense of technology, and will be able to teach with it.

Chapter 2: Today's Students

1. How racially and ethnically diverse are our schools?

In the 2nd chapter of The Joy of Teaching Gene E. Hall, Linda F.Quinn and Donna M. Gollnick talk about different issues that arise in schools. Whether it is racial, ethnic or gender discrimination, teaching kids English as a second language or even the problems that arise from integrating students with disabilities into schools. The issue that was most talked about was the problems with racial and ethnic diversity in schools. The book talked about many statistics about the kids of color in different schools.  Although many kids of color are from the south and west, the book talked about how each ethnic group seems to migrate to one area.  So in the areas where these ethnic groups are, the schools are very diverse; yet in those same schools, the kids form different opinions of others and tend to stick with their own.

Chapter 1: Becoming a Teacher

Joyful

·         Remembering my favorite teacher made so happy inside. She was always there for me, and she always knew when I was having a bad day.  I remember going into her room every study and we would just talk about stuff. It was amazing.

·         I was joyful to hear that my concentration was one that was needed.  I have always loved math so for me to learn it in college, and be successful when I get out is really cool.

·         I am so excited to become a teacher. Making my portfolio, to student teaching, and mentoring. I am so determined to be a teacher that kids want to be with.

Not Joyful

·         Remember my worst teacher did not make me joyful at all. She was so mean. I could not do anything right, I could not wear the right things. Then she had me go with the “dumber” kids that made me really sad because I had always gotten good grades. She was just very cruel.

·         When I was reading the professional section that made me upset.  It was sad to think that people didn’t view teachers as professionals. Teachers have to take tests and more tests. Plus we have to go through student teaching, plus we have to go through accreditation periods.  So people, who said that teachers weren’t professionals, shame on you.

·         Salaries. This makes me sad in the way that I might have to struggle a little bit with money.  But when I think of the kids and teaching them, I would not want to be doing anything else. Hopefully my husband will make the dough. J