New teachers today certainly do face many new issues. But I believe that every teacher has faced new challenges for their own time. We have always seemed to evolve and grow in our profession and I believe that is what will happen with the new generate no of teachers. I can’t wait to see where education will be in 10 years. I believe that we will be amazed by the progress that WE will help to facilitate in public education.
For our class discussion, my group was able to talk about some of the proposed ideas by President Obama regarding merit pay. From what we know so far merit pay will be given to teachers who choose to teach high need subject areas or in low income schools. I am all for this. I hope that it will draw more qualified people into education. Many people who have science and math degrees choose not to teach, at least in public schools, because of the low pay.
I have heard some discussion of giving teachers merit pay for their students’ performance on standardized tests. I hope that we do not go that route. I know that many people who are in favor of this believe that if a teacher is doing his/her job then the students should be successful on the tests. I hope that our policy makers will talk to those who are teachers and those who are involved in educational research when making decisions about “quality” teachers.
The class discussion was great! What enjoyed most was the conversation about the power of language. I found myself having a hard time at first with some of the things that Brian shared about Language, but after thinking about them, I can agree in many ways. As a teacher I think that we should use “any means” necessary to teach our children the best way we can. If that means bilingual instruction or using Ebonics then I am ok with that as a means to give them the information. But just as important is teaching them about the power of language. Yes, we should teach children to value their own language and culture, but I also believe that if you are aware of how to use the languageof power you will find yourself open to more opportunities. I know that right now the language of power is English – I wonder if in 5, 10 or 15 years if that will change? If so I suspect that our children will begin to learn 2 or 3 languages as do those in other countries.
I often hear people use the IQ test as a way to label a child. In a school you will hear things like “is IQ is in the shady 80’s” to label a child who didn’t qualify for special education, but is still not performing up to standards. I never really thought much about the validity of IQ tests and how we use them. The readings and conversations really helped to think more about this issue. I know that in our schools today, if a child is struggling and they move through the RTI process, and a psychological exam is given, their IQ score plays a major part in their placement and services. Hopefully in the future we will be able to develop more ways of assessing children’s strengths and learning styles.
In regard to testing, I try to find several ways to use authentic assessments. I feel that I use various methods of assessment daily. Unfortunately at when it comes to CRCT and other mandated tests, there is the pressure to make sure that the students are prepared to take the assessment that our government says they must take.
Curriculum Our class last Thursday said a lot to me about our society. The activity with the 10 chairs as well as the readings really show that the disparities in education have a lot to do with class. This makes me wonder why then is there not more of a focus on how to help bridge the class gap? To me even starting by helping children gain some experience and have access to some of the things that those in a higher class have could help public education. I wish that the skill and drill programs we have for low-income schools, would be replaced by programs that allowed for more exploratory learning. I see a major difference in my students who have had more experiences than others. They may get a question correct on a standardized test not because they really understand the concept but simply because they have had an experience that would help them to figure the answer out. I see this with grammar questions. So how do we begin to fight for our children in low-income schools to have more opportunities and access?
An issue that I have been having isn’t related to one specific reading that we have had in our class. It’s sort of a compilation of ideas that we have discussed in our classes. We have spent a great deal of time talking about how to better understand our students of diverse backgrounds and what pedagogical practices and belief are beneficial for all students. We have discussed the validity of standardized tests as well as the worth of certain educational models and programs. We have talked about why some children don’t succeed in schools and how we can help bridge the gaps between those who excel and those who don’t. With all that being said, I have an issue with how we as teachers define “good schools” and “good teachers”. Looking at all the topics that we have discussed in our classes in this entire program, I have come to the belief that access, opportunity, and socio-economics are major contributors to labeling a school a “good school”. This is an issue for me because I hear teachers saying things like “oh that school is not a good school” or “that is an excellent school”, “those teachers work very hard and they are really great”. I wonder if we as teachers label other teachers and schools as “good” based on the schools performance on tests scores. Do we look down upon teachers who work in title 1 schools? Schools that are in low income areas? Do we hold some schools and or teachers up based on their socio-economics. I believe we do. This is just based on my experience, coming from a school that was very diverse and moving to one in an affluent area that isn’t very diverse, I have seen a major difference in what my fellow teachers say to me. I have had interactions with teachers who want to take give the teachers all the credit for why a school does so well on tests such as the CRCT. They give little attention to the fact that their student population is one that is not diverse by language or race, and many of their children come from affluent homes in which they have had many opportunities and experiences.
* My question is – with all the knowledge that we have, why do we still label each other and the schools in which we teach simply by the performance of the school on standardized tests?
Evaluating Children’s Books for Bias:
This article brought to surface some issues that I really never thought about when choosing literature for my students. One point that really stood out was #5 about looking at the relationships between people. Who are the characters with roles of power and who are the characters with the supporting subservient roles? I found this to be particularly important because in our children’s literature and media, we are seeing more minorities represented, but we have to question what types of roles do they have.
Culturally Authentic Bias:
This article was very insightful. I agree with the author in that there are many stereotypes that show up in “multicultural” literature. What I appreciate most is how the author addresses how stereotypes tend to paint a picture of a whole group of people that are very diverse. This perpetuates the bias and stereotypes that can exist. As the author also points out, it alienates children from those cultures who either don’t feel represented or see themselves portrayed in a negative light.
Beyond Pink and Blue:
The fact that this teacher was talking about the issues of gender bias’ with her students was amazing. I really like how she encouraged them to use their voice and say something about what they saw happening. How often do we do that ? In an authentic way like this teacher did?
Fiction Posing As Truth / Down But Not Out.
Reading this article made me think about how deeply do I examine literature that I present to my students. I’m sure there have been many books that I have picked up thinking that I was choosing a great book but if I really knew the history or look for inaccuracies in the story I would think other wise. This idea goes hand in hand with the article Down but Not Out. As an educator I have a responsibility to choose literature that is accurate and that I can make connections with to teach my students about deer multicultural issues and social justice.
Reading the Oaks and Limpton chapter really helped me to make a lot of connections in my own classroom management. Chapter 7 gives an example from a male teacher who reflects and states that “traditional methods may bring short-term relief from noise or disruption, but in fact…overtime rewards, punishments and controls simple do not produce good results.” This quote really stood out to me. I have had times when I used traditional methods to gain “control” over my class but those methods really don’t work overtime. I learned early on that if I raise my voice that will only have an effect the first few times I do it. Recently, our school has adopted the “Highly Effective Teaching” strategies. This program has many components, but for classroom management the teachers teach the students several “life skills and life long guidelines”. As the teacher teaches these qualities such as active listening, no put downs, personal best, flexibility, etc. students learn what they mean and can apply them. So far, I feel that this method is more positive and allows for children to learn more personal responsibility for their behavior.
I enjoyed our last class and the readings from Freire. What I find interesting about Freire is that he is writing about education from a different perspective yet, it applies to American education. The same problems exist in other places.
In class we talked about the difference between equity and equality in education. I found it interesting to hear everyone’sideas on the two. I find myself thinking about why there is still a fight to make sure education is equitable and equal. You would think that in America this would be a given. I know that there are people who want America’s schools to improve, but they don’t really want to put in their tax dollars or spread the resources to other areas to make education more equitable. In my mind, I think that we need to do a better job of informing people about the importance of an equitable education for children and how big of a role that plays in the success of American schools.
I enjoyed our class discussion about this article. I think that personally I was challenged to think about how I can have my voice heard. Honestly , I have lots of opinions on some issues, but I don’t voice it to anyone but my fellow teachers and my husband, who has encouraged me many times to write letters to have my voice heard. So why don’t I do it? I think that we have been trained in many ways to “shut up and teach”. Even when we say that we will just shut our doors and do what is best for the kids, we silence ourselves. I have been challenged to think about ways that I can have my voice heard, and to really narrow down what it is that I want to fight for in education.
