Language in St. Cloud schools...

http://www.sctimes.com/article/20110129/NEWS01/101290019/St-Cloud-schools-see-mixture-of-spoken-languages-


It was very interesting to see the jump from teachers assisting English Language Learners in the schools in St. Cloud. The article states in 2005-2006 the district had 15 teachers, they now have 28 teachers that are assisting students with language. I like that the author takes the time to compare and contrast with nearby districts. They also point out that with this large growing number- they are taking the time to provide programs that offer additional assistance to these children and families. It's also great to know that these school districts receive money for the children that are English Language Learners, up to $700 per child!

Freedom Writer's

I enjoyed the movie Freedom Writer's. I thought that Erin was different than most first year teachers. She was so passionate and would not give up; whether she was working with students or the other staff. I liked that she always stood up for herself and realized very early on that she would need to be her own advocate, as many other teachers in the building weren't a very strong support system. Watching the way she took on anything was very inspiring. You could tell that she wasn't completely sure that it would all work out but she certainly had to give it a chance. Watching this movie also reminded me of the struggles I may face when I become a first year teacher. Although I may not with the inner city students that Erin worked with, my issues may be similar. Overall this was a great movie and I'm really glad I had the opportunity to watch it because I may not have done so on my own.

1)    What are some of the hopes and expectations Erin has prior to starting her first job?

Erin has hopes of teaching high school English and is very motivated and excited. She seems to come off as a little naive of the issues surrounding her at the high school.

2)    What realities and challenges confronted her in the beginning of the year?

In the beginning of the year Erin was faced with several challenges. For example, she has never had any experience in teaching since it is her first year teaching. In addition to that, the school that she is hired at is very diverse and the kids face many issues regarding poverty and gangs. She soon realized that this wouldn’t be an ordinary teaching job and that she would have to address their issues and change things in the curriculum to understand how they learn.

3)    What were some of the case scenarios of the lived experiences of the students she had in class?

The students in her class had many issues surrounding their lives. Specifically, one of the student’s fathers was taken from the home when she was very little, for the color of his skin and assumptions that he had issues regarding a gang. Some of the student’s parents had issues with drugs. One of the student’s fathers couldn’t pay rent and they were kicked out of their house. Many, if not all of the student’s parents have issues holding jobs.

4)    How did the student’s attitudes towards learning impact their academic performance?

The student’s attitude towards learning really impacted their academic performance in a negative way.

5)    What strategies did Erin incorporate to break down the barriers between the students and the teacher?

Erin used a variety of methods to reach her students. She first made them separate from their “cliques” when they sat in the classroom. She always made the room a safe place to talk and open up about anything. She made connections with students in many ways, such as giving rides home and allowing them to stay late in the room to finish homework. All of these strategies created trust.

6)    What kinds of teaching methods worked with the students?

The journals that she gave to the students really helped them express themselves. She gave them the option to write anything they wanted in the journal and she would leave a cabinet unlocked for them to put their journals in there. She said that they didn’t have to put them in there but if they did she would read them. All of the students chose to write in their journals in put them in the cabinet. She really learned a lot about them from reading in their journals because they spoke a lot about their families and home lives.

7)    How did Erin develop curriculum that connected with the students?

Erin decided to use books and journals with the students. She gave each student a journal to write in and they could write anything that they chose. She also chose books for them to read such as Diary of Anne Frank, a book she thought they could somewhat relate to. She planned field trips for the students and they had the opportunity to meet authors and important people in history.

8)    What were the attitudes and challenges from other teachers and administrators in the school?

The attitudes from the other teachers in the school were very negative. They commented that the students would not be able to read the books that Erin provided and that they would just ruin them. They wouldn’t support any of the field trips that she wanted to pursue. Overall, they were very unsupportive and skeptical.

9)    What role did Erin’s expectations for the students have on their learning?

Erin held strong expectations for her students. Although she had a lot of struggles in the beginning to even get their attention, they soon warmed up to her and realized how much she wanted to do for them. She held them accountable and it wasn’t long before they were learning, reading, and staying engaged in school.

     What lessons did you learn from this in regards to your first year of teaching?

After watching Erin work with her students, I learned that I need to be very open minded and remind myself how hard the beginning can be. But after time and patience it will get better. 

Why do I want to be a Teacher?

I want to be a teacher because I have a passion for children and a never-ending goal to make a difference in a child's life. I not only want to make a difference every day in the classroom, but also be someone that they remember. Only in education do you become a role model for young children. They count on you every day and as time goes on they learn important life skills and how to be independent. I enjoy getting to know each child that I meet and want to personalize their education so they become the best learners they can. I have strong ambitions for getting young children motivated and involved in school. Lastly, I want to be a teacher so I have the honor to advocate for them. Children all over the world are too often keeping quiet and not getting their voice heard by those that mean the most to them. I want to be their voice and advocate for them and most importantly teach them how to advocate for themselves.

Alternative Teacher Licensure

http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=900178

After reading the article about alternative teacher licensing, it really does seem like it will be one of the most contentious education issues of the session. The purpose and goal of the session is to license teachers through a different process than the current one. The process is known as Teach for America. This process allows for professionals that have a current four-year degree in any subject, to take a course over the summer to learn "how to teach".

Their reasons for establishing new ways for teachers to get their license is to have a variety of ranks in the classrooms and fill shortages in certain areas. While this idea makes sense and could have great outcomes it really only advocates for mid-career professionals that wish to get into classrooms and share their expertise. Like the article states, there is more controversy for easing restrictions on new college graduates. I definitely have strong feelings towards this topic because I feel that certain areas in education such as Special Education need to have strong, intense training. This area is not something that someone with a four-year degree in Accounting should be allowed to teach, just because they have taken a summer course about teaching.

After two years in this program the teachers from Teach for America become alumni to the program and have the opportunity to go back to school and get their teaching license. I think this is a great way to promote going back to school to get a teaching license, however I do not think they should be teaching alone in the classroom before that is accomplished. I think that Teach for America should follow similar steps that a student teacher would encounter such as never being alone in the classroom and various observations from an experienced and possibly retired teacher.

Welcome!

Hello and Welcome to my blog! It's great to have you, hopefully you will find something great to read about!