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

One of my concerns for when I become a teacher is maintaining control in the classroom.  Managing twenty or more teenagers at once is a daunting task and I worry that it will be too easy for me to let my class get out of hand and then affect their education. Another concern of mine is knowing what to teach my students.  English is a challenging subject to teach and I am not sure that I will know what to teach. I am also concerned with being an effective teacher and not providing my students with a quality education.  My other major concern is job stability. I have already been told by a current teacher to have a back up job in case the teaching profession goes down hill, so that is definitely a concern of mine.

The area of concern that is most present is Self, which is described as "having enough information and wanting to know more are of concern as well as concerns about one's adequacy and ability to be a successful teacher. Doubt might be about knowing enough content, controlling the class, knowing how to teach a particular lesson, or being uncomfortable when standing in front of the class," (528). This statement is for the most part a more elegant way to phrase what I had listed for my concerns.  I did not reflect Task or Impact in my statement, but now I realize that I do have some concerns in those areas. I did not reflect the Unconcerned area at all. I am definitely concerned with various aspects of teaching. My concerns were centered equally on my "ability to succeed, the management of teaching, [and] what [my] students are learning," (529). Under the Self stage of concern, I fall under PERSONAL.  As the description states, I am "uncertain about the demands of the innovation, [my] inadequacy to meet those demands, and [my] role with the innovation," (529).  These personal concerns are certainly where the majority of my concerns lie.

Chapter 13: Improving Teachers and Schools, and School Reform

Upon graduating from UMF, I hope to have added mentoring, Practicum, and Student Teaching to my resume. All three of these experiences will make my resume stronger because they will give me experience in the classroom, working with various students of different backgrounds.  I would also like to be able to substitute teach, which will also build my resume by giving me experience in the classroom, but I think it will give me confidence in ways that the other opportunities might not, especially in areas such as classroom management.

Within the first five years of my teaching career, I hope to be working toward obtaining a Master's Degree and National Board Certification. Both accomplishments would demonstrate my qualifications as a teacher and my professional standing.  I would also like to attend as many professional development workshops and conferences that will continue to improve my abilities as a teacher.  I would also like to assist in implementing more technology into my school, because I believe that technology will be a powerful force in the realm of education and in society in years to come.

Chapter 6: Social Context of Schools

This is a list of the rules that will be enforced during the Boys versus Girls activity that I want to do to create awareness of the gender inequality that occurs day after day in schools.


http://kimenglishorganizations.wikispaces.com/Chapter+6

Chapter 7: Thinking About Teaching and Learning

Gene Hall, Linda Quinn, and Donna Gollnick, authors of The Joy of Teaching, discuss different ways of thinking about teaching and learning, from philosophy to the focus of the classroom.  One idea that they describe that I would like to include in or somehow incorporate into my teaching philosophy is different aspects of the various philosophies mentioned.  Although there was only a brief description of each of several of the philosophies, I think that parts of each of them could be used in conjunction with one another to ensure creating the most learning opportunities possible.  Armed with a balance of multiple philosophies and theories, I believe a teacher has the ability to engage all students in ways that they will benefit and learn from.

The student-focused classrooms discussed in this chapter (286), seem to be a beneficial format for teaching.  Certainly there are scenarios in which this structure is not possible to maintain, but I think that for the most part, using this as a focus for teaching can lead to increases in engagement, productivity, and overall learning.  I hope to use this method for instruction as much as possible in my classroom, and only resort to the teacher-focused classroom (284), when absolutely necessary.

Hall, Quinn, and Gollnick examine the positive role that good ideas play in the classroom.  I strongly believe that constantly reflecting on one's teaching skills and strategies leads to improvements.  As Hall, Quinn, and Gollnick suggests, "Constant thinking about teaching can lead to new ideas that will improve education for teachers and learners alike" (264).  For the most part, new ideas only surface when someone realizes that an old idea has either become outdated, is inefficient, or is not beneficial; therefore, it is important to critically reflect on the practices and strategies used in the classroom and determine which work and which should be replaced.  I think that the ability for a teacher to do this is important in order to be a successful teacher, and I hope to be able to demonstrate this ability as I begin teaching.

Chapter 5: The History of Schools in the United States

In The Joy of Teaching, authors Gene E. Hall, Linda F. Quinn, and Donna M. Gollnick discuss how curriculum has developed over the last three centuries.  In colonial times, the curriculum consisted mostly of reading, writing, and arithmetic, with strong religious influences.  Industrialization created a need to educate the immigrants so that they would become beneficial workers and members of society.  Following Industrialization came the Progressive era which focused on trying to reform society through reforming the schools and the education students were provided with.  In the 1950s, the launch of the Russian satellite, Sputnik I, and the following arms race between America and Russia initiated a shift in the focus of education "to improve the teaching of science, mathematics, and foreign language" (190).  Now, "efforts to increase student understanding and achievement in all areas of the curriculum" are a leading factor in "curriculum development and implementation throughout public schooling in the United States" (190).  The various cultures that immigrated to the United States throughout the last three centuries spent great efforts fighting to have their cultures included in the curriculum, but it was not until the federal government had national standards developed in the 1980s that included many of the ethnic and racial groups fighting for inclusion, that the "cultural wars" peaked and continue to this day.

Along with the changes in curriculum that have been taking place for centuries, debates within education have been equally prevalent.  One such debate is the question of which cultures to include in the curriculum; immigrant cultures want their histories included, while others do not feel they should be included.  This debate remains present in today's education, yet it is not seen as such an important factor as it was twenty or thirty years ago.  Another important debate in the education world is deciding who has the right to an education and whether everyone deserves an equal education or not.  This was primarily seen when women were not allowed to go to school and when blacks were segregated in the schools, and although women and blacks now have the right to an equal education as Caucasian males, there are still parties who oppose these ideas.  The debate between teaching evolution and teaching creationism still holds strong in today's society, just as it did years ago; schools are meant to separate religion from the curriculum, but this is also meant with great controversy.

Chapter 4: Schools as the Workplace for Students and Teachers

The school that my group created is the Quentin Tarantino College Preparatory School, geared toward the academically gifted and talented students.  Using the boarding school design, our school administration is comprised of a Headmaster, who fills the role similar to a principal, a Deputy Headmistress, whose role is similar to that of an assistant principal. Their duties include enforcing discipline, hiring staff, ensuring the quality of education, and maintaining the school budget, among others. The high level of education taught at QTPS requires that all staff members obtain the highest degrees available to them, with the preferred degree being a Doctoral degree.  We require our staff members to be experts in their fields of study, not only in their content area, but in their teaching.  They should be able to demonstrate proficient knowledge of various effective teaching strategies that fully engage the students in order to ensure the best education for the students.  Team teaching will be highly encouraged and any additional opportunities that might arise from such a configuration will be specially funded with money donated from our school's sponsor, Quentin Tarantino.

Because our school is a private, individual school, it does not belong to a school district, so there is no superintendent, nor any kind of relationship between the school and the state.  The school receives private funding, develops its own curriculum, and holds its students to higher standards than any government requires.  The governing system for the school is a school board, which is made up of staff members, students, parents, and the trustees to the Quentin Tarantino College Preparatory School Education Fund.  Together, the school board makes all of the final decisions, such as which professors to hire, how much money to allot to each program, and whether the students are meeting the education expectations required of them.

The federal government should have no role in our school because we chose to create an individual, private, school community.  The only instance in which the federal government may get involved is if someone decides to file a lawsuit against the school for whatever reason, which we hope will never happen because we take pride in the excellence of our school.  Federal funding will not be accepted because we do not want to be tied to the government and required to follow whatever latest policies the government has decided to enact.  Instead, all funding will come from the Quentin Tarantino College Preparatory School Education Fund and the annual tuition each student is expected to pay.  The tuition for each student is $5,000.00 annually, with limited financial aid available.  Grants that do not receive federal funding and can be connected to an academic area in our school will be sought out to assist our students in furthering their education through personal research and academic field trips.

QTPS differs from the typical school in the United States in many ways.  The first of which is that it is an individual school, separate from any district and the state.  It also requires each of its professors to have a much higher degree than most schools, because we accept only the highest qualified teachers.  The source of funding is also atypical, although charter schools do use similar sources.  The most important difference, and one of the main goals of QTPS, is that it is an individual, separate school, with a community in itself, whereas most schools belong to a community.

How Do I Start Thinking Like a Teacher?

Thinking like a teacher is not something that I am entirely sure I would realize if I were to do it.  I know in my past experiences as a Teacher's Aide and an intern I have been in situations where I have needed to think like a teacher, but finding the line that divides thinking like a student from thinking like a teacher seems rather difficult to me.  I also think it would be easier if I were given more assignments that required me to think like a teacher instead of a student.  The lesson plan that I worked on in a group in my SED 101 class helped me to begin thinking like a teacher, but I know that a lot of my thinking during that project came from a student's perspective.  I know that thinking like a teacher requires focusing on your students and making sure that they will benefit from your lesson, lecture, project, or assignment.  I think that the experience of being a student makes thinking like a teacher easier, because you are able to place yourself back as a student and wonder how you would have felt about a project or assignment.  The other important thing to remember is that most students who become teachers are not the typical student, so using your thoughts about school as a basis for creating lesson plans often leaves out a majority of your students.  Thinking like a teacher means thinking about each and every one of your students as individual learners who all learn differently and enjoy different things.

I would really like to discuss this topic in class and maybe even simulate some activities that might enable us to think like teachers.

Which Theories and Historical Influences Should Most Impact the Schools We'd Like to Have?

I do not know much about the theories and historical influences that impact schools, but I should hope that the ones that do impact schools are the most successful and/or beneficial ones. Theories change constantly throughout history, and the most effective theories should be the ones that remain in place in schools.  We do not want theories that have negatively impacted schools to remain in effect, but we can use these theories to better understand what works and what does not work in the schools.  The same goes for the historical influences:  we do not want bad influences having an effect on the schools because the school would in turn perform badly.  Instead, I would like to see only the truly beneficial historical influences impacting schools.  I hope to soon learn what theories seem to be effective in schools and what historical influences positively impact schools.

What theories and historical influences do impact schools? This is an entirely new topic to me!

How Can Diversity in the Classroom Help Me Be a Better Teacher?

Diversity is such an important aspect of teaching.  In most schools, classes are full of diverse students, and the teacher is responsible for keeping the class functioning as one unit instead of many individual pieces.  Being able to understand the different parts of diversity and knowing how to work with every diverse learner enables the teacher to serve as a peace-keeper among the students and teach them how to interact with one another.  I have learned that teachers have a great influence over their students, and a teacher that accepts diversity can positively impact the students' ideas of diversity.   Working with students from multiple backgrounds requires understanding the students' perspectives, morals, and knowing how to address individual need of students.  By effectively utilizing diversity in the classroom, teachers work to combat all of the negative stereotypes that diversity creates.  Fostering diversity improves a teacher's relationship with his or her students and makes him or her a better teacher by showing more compassion, consideration, and care for the students. I feel as though my SED 101 class did an excellent job stressing the importance of diversity in the classroom through a number of activities that got everyone involved and helped us to experience what being a diverse student might be like in some cases.

 I would like to know what the most common types of diverse students one might find in a classroom in Maine and the greater New England region.

How Can I Be Successful at UMF?

Being successful at UMF means first defining what success is.  Success is finally achieving something you have been striving for.  I think being successful here at UMF means not only earning a degree, but also becoming a teacher.  In order to achieve both of those results, doing well in classes and developing a network of friends, family, and colleagues to support you in your endeavors.  Doing well in classes means knowing when you need help and being able to ask for it.  I know that I have a hard time admitting that I need help, but when I was struggling with a paper for one of my classes, I made the decision to ask for help.  Effort is also required to be successful.  One cannot expect results without any effort, so it is important to put as much effort into all aspects of your life in order to reap the most rewards.  I feel as though most of this is stuff I have known already, and that I'm just realizing how important it is through my different classes at UMF.  My professors and my advisor definitely help put an emphasis on being successful here so that I can be successful in my career.

I would like to know what options, resources, and opportunities are available around campus and beyond that will help me to be even more successful.

How Do I Become a Teacher?

The process to become a teacher is an in-depth, complex process.  It involves passing two standardized tests, the Praxis I and Praxis II, taking many rigorous education courses, including Practicum Block and Student Teaching, and receiving certification to teach.  Along with taking classes and passing tests, one must become skilled and knowledgeable in his or her content area (primarily for Secondary/Middle Education majors), and continue to be lifelong learners.  Teaching is more than just memorizing and regurgitating facts to students, it requires working with students and making sure that they understand what they are learning.  Most of this I have learned from my advisor and peer advisor, along with my EDU 101 class.  Just talking about the different requirements with everyone helps to ease a lot of the anxiety that is created by not knowing.  Having lived in the Farmington area and being familiar with the Education program for years has helped a lot, too!

My question about becoming a teacher is in which states will my Maine license transfer to and in which states will I need to take another test or exam?

Professional Organizations

National Education Association (NEA) http://www.nea.org/
Association of American Educators (AAE) http://www.aaeteachers.org/
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) http://www.aft.org/
International Reading Association (IRA) http://www.reading.org/
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) http://www.iste.org/
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) http://www.ncte.org/
Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) http://www.aace.org/
Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) http://www.aect.org/
American Library Association (ALA) http://www.ala.org/
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) http://www.ascd.org/
Parent Teacher Association (PTA) http://www.pta.org/
United Federation of Teachers (UFT) http://www.uft.org/
Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education (SITE) http://site.aace.org/
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) http://www.cec.sped.org/
Achieve http://www.achieve.org/
American Educational Research Association (AERA) http://www.aera.net/
Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) http://www.cosn.org/
Education Commission of the States (ECS) http://www.ecs.org/
National Staff Development Council (NSDC) http://www.nsdc.org/
Association of Computer Technology Educators of Maine (ACTEM) http://www.actem.org/

Things I Need to Know

I read about four important things that UMF Secondary Education majors should know.

• In order to be a Secondary Education major, all students must pass all three parts of the Praxis I test

This affected me because I needed to take the Praxis I back in January, which is stressful, but I passed, so now I am all set.  I will also need to take the Praxis II for my content, but that is not required for Practicum.

• Students who wish to transfer into the Secondary/Middle Education major must have a GPA of 2.5 or better, must have passed the Praxis I tests, and must have a minimum grade of a C in an English Composition class

Although I am already in the Secondary Education major, it is good to know what requirements I would have been expected to meet if I were to transfer into the major.

• The Practicum block takes up a lot of time, and only one additional course may be taken at the same time as Practicum.  To qualify for Practicum, one must be a Secondary Education major, must have a GPA of 2.0, must have passed all three Praxis I tests, must have a grade of a C or better in ENG 100, as well as EDU 101 and SED 101

I need to know all of this because I will be taking Practicum in the Spring of 2011.  Because I tested out of ENG 100, I do not have to worry about that grade, nor do I need to take another class at the same time as Practicum.  I have already passed all three Praxis I tests, and received a grade higher than a C in SED 101, so those requirements have been met already.  I will need to make sure that I can keep my GPA above a 2.0, though I'm not particularly worried about it at this point in time.  I also need to make sure that I pass EDU 101 with a minimum grade of a C, again, something I'm not too worried about but will keep in the back of my mind.

• There are laptop requirements for all Secondary Education majors taking Practicum

Because I did not purchase my laptop through UMF, I will need to make sure that my laptop meets the software and hardware requirements prior to taking EDU 221.  If my laptop does not meet the requirements I will either need to purchase a new laptop or perform whatever upgrades are necessary to ensure that my laptop is suitable.

Chapter 3: Families and Communities

Effective, positive, and encouraging partnerships between teachers and parents or guardians can improve the learning of students by creating a greater interest in for the students.  Parents and teachers often have differing opinions on the level of education taught in the classroom, and through communication, conferences, and parent involvement parents and teachers work together to provide the best education for the students.  Open lines of communication between parents and teachers, communication beyond the annual parent-teacher conference, encourages more parent involvement in the classroom.  When students see their parents taking an interest in their learning, they become more engaged in their own learning and benefit greatly from this.  Studies have shown that "Family involvement is related to better grades, higher test scores, better attendance, and fewer behavioral problems" (qtd. in Hall 120). By having a better understanding of what is going on in their child's classroom, parents are able to effectively assist their child with homework, study habits, participation, and overall engagement with learning.

Chapter 2: Today's Students

In The Joy of Teaching: Making a Difference in Student Learning, Gene Hall discusses the effects of gender on today's students, looking at the perspective for both boys and girls.  Hall explains that the beginning of the differences between girls and boys is in the brain, with females preferring activities associated with the left hemisphere of the brain, such as reading and writing, while males prefer the right hemisphere of the brain, which controls mathematics and science.  As Hall explains, this difference in the brain activity of males and females affects not only their particular strengths in school, but also their process of thought and the way that girls and boys learn best.  Hall concludes the section about gender by describing society’s and culture’s influences on gender, such as the many stereotypes surrounding boys and girls and creating false ideas about what is required of each gender.

Chapter 1: Becoming a Teacher

Joyful

• Teaching is being placed first over more traditional professions such as doctors, nurses, and lawyers

The fact that teaching is finally being recognized as a profession makes wanting to become a teacher more realistic and worthwhile.  Teachers work just as hard as any other professionals do to ensure that they are doing their job and they deserve the same recognition as every other profession.

• “Parents believe that teachers make a difference in their children’s lives, especially when it comes to learning” (9)

Parents are perhaps the most influential people in a child’s life and they contribute to developing their child’s attitude toward school.  If parents believe in teachers, then they can bring their children to believe in teachers and motivate them to value their learning.

• “One of the most joyful aspects of teaching is to see students achieve at high levels” (8)

Seeing students learn and improve is the most rewarding part of working with students and is one of the main reasons I want to teach.  I enjoy seeing students prosper and look forward to seeing many more students excel in their learning.

Not So Joyful

• “Most teachers have limited access to an office, telephone, computer, and a secretary” (10)

The lack of support, funds, and other necessities that teachers deal with on a regular basis frustrates me.  Teachers are expected to do so much for their students, yet they are given none of the essentials that they need to do so.  We cannot expect teachers to do all of these things when we do not give them what they need to do it.

• “Teachers between 22 and 28 years old earned an average $7,894 less in 1998 than other college-educated adults of the same age” (17)

Although most teachers do not join the profession because of the salary, it is still disheartening to know that they are not valued like other professionals.  Education is fortunate to have teachers willing to work for much less than they are worth, and without these teachers, there would be no one to teach our children.

• The various tests that must be taken and passed in order to become a highly qualified teacher

The number of tests and requirements that those becoming teachers and new teachers must pass is overwhelming and even scary.  I do not like how different the states are with these tests either; they vary so much from one state to another that moving to a different state to teach could cost your entire college education and any teaching experience you have just because the two states do not align.

My First Blog Entry

Another blog.

I can't seem to escape blogs, and the more I think about it, the less I find I can complain. Blogs are fantastic ways to create, share, and store information without too much pain. I've created at least four blogs that I can think of, and have several others that I follow fairly regularly. I've also spent the last 2 and a half hours blog-hopping from one special education blog to another searching for different resources to use with my AmeriCorps job.

Hooray for blogs!

Image credit: http://www.innosight.com/blog/archives/2007-07.html