Education is Light

A world without education is a world without light. The light (education) shed on the world allows us to grow, learn and teach. Otherwise, we'd all be in the dark living in stone age times with Fred Flintstone. Education should provide the world with equal opportunities and teach not only academic information but life skills. The main goal of educators is to have every student walk out of the classroom every day with information they didn't know when they walked in.

I learned a lot in this course about the education process. I learned in the fieldwork that being a teacher can be frustrating but rewarding and the good outweighs the bad by far. I learned that its so important to dedicate adequate time to being a teacher and give every single student the attention and education they deserve despite race, gender or religion. And most importantly I learned that there is nothing more I want to do with my life than be a teacher. I want to shed light on the world in the form of education and continue to provide students with a promising future. 

I really enjoyed reading blogs from my classmates, it allowed me to get other opinions and see things from a different point of view. I loved how even though many people in the class aren't education majors but they still seemed to enjoy the class and see the information from the point of view of a teacher. I think the blogs were a really great idea.

John Dewey's Educational Philosophy of Functionalism

John Dewey "The Father of American Education" was a philosopher and psychologist who believed that American children attend school to learn to live in and contribute to a community.  He believed that education was too harsh and there were simpler ways to teach children seemingly difficult concepts. Dewey believed that math could be taught through cooking or distance and history could be taught through culture, plants or geography. These ideals were part of a movement known as Progressive Education which Dewey was a major representative of. Progressive Education focused on critical thinking, cooperative learning projects and personal responsibility. Dewey believed it was important to prepare students for the future. Experimental education also came out of Dewey's Progressive Education movement which emphasized experimentation and hands on learning in the classroom. Dewey has also been called the creator of "reflection" because of his emphasis on the importance of reflecting on thoughts. It has been hypothesized that Dewey's ideas would not have been as well received if it hadn't been for Darwin and his theories of evolution. I agree with John Dewey's concept of "functionalism" and see many similarities between today's American school system and Dewey's ideas.

Teaching the Holidays

Growing up on the south shore of Massachusetts, my town's school system did a lot with Native Americans and Thanksgiving. We often took field trips to Plymouth Plantation as well as Plymouth Rock and read many books about the day in the life of a pilgrim and the first Thanksgiving. It was emphasized over and over again that Columbus did NOT reach India and the proper terminology for the people he came in contact with was "Native Americans". We made turkeys by tracing our hands and one year we even made 3D "stuffed" turkeys. In physical education the whole month of November was "Native American Games". 

Many teachers and curriculum's do not want to teach the hostility toward the Native Americans and would rather teach Thanksgiving as a big pow wow between the Native Americans and settlers. Some teachers will also refer to the people Christopher Columbus came in contact with as "Indians" which is completely wrong and politically incorrect. "A is for apple, B is for ball..I is for Indian" explains "What Not to Teach About Indians", an article about where stereotypes about "Indians originate. The full story should be taught as is-it doesn't have to be the college course American history version. But tone down the hostility and explain the mistakes of Columbus and where he really was. I think the curriculum just thinks that kids won't understand the reality of Columbus and Thanksgiving and decide to treat the two as a "fairy tale". There is a huge difference between the Natives who's land was stolen by European settlers and Indians native to India and it SHOULD be taught this way. 

Joy in the Classroom

Think back to your first grade classroom. What was it like? Was it colorful, playful, joyful? Did you feel safe enough to share your thoughts?  Personally, I have fond memories of first grade and recall the classroom being bright and cheery with a supportive teacher always there for the students. Imagine a classroom where this wasn't the case.

It is said in the "Rethinking our Classrooms" article that students need to have a classroom organized in a way that makes the students feel cared about by the teacher and by others. Imagine a classroom in which the teacher had NOTHING on the walls, not even the students work. That is not a welcoming environment. Students would feel like the teacher didn't even care about the classroom. Going beyond what is physically seen in the classroom, students should be involved in some sort of democracy in the classroom. If we want students to participate and learn about our democratic society, we should teach it in the classroom. I really liked this idea.

Simple ways to bring joy in the classroom include showing off student work, giving student's choice and finding pleasure in learning. These ways can promote how actual society works and promote a healthy and joyful classroom which is so so important. A classroom NEEDS to be happy, any other atmosphere is just social injustice.

The Election and Education

We've all seen that commercial where Governor Romney is emphasizing how important a college education is, yet he says "borrow money from your parents if you have to". This is just unrealistic. The expenses of college is skyrocketing and the dorms at state schools are filling up because they seem to have the only realistic costs. Obama promises to reduce student loans and even proposed a plan that could have students stop paying their student loans after ten years. Is this just a campaign strategy? Who is really for education? 

Mitt Romney established the Abigail Adam's scholarship which gives Massachusetts students who receive "proficient" or above in all categories of the MCAS free tuition at a state school.  So we can't entirely say that Romney is against helping college students out. We must be careful not to listen to everything we hear on campaign commercials, although Obama's plan for students and financial aid sounds much more appealing.
Scott Brown, running for the senator, is for improving the educational system and increasing funding for the schools. Elizabeth Warren also believes in the investment of education claiming it will lead to a better workforce and a better country.

It is also a known fact that schools lose a lot due to budget cuts. I can remember a year in my elementary school where we only had physical education because music and art were cut. It is so important that congress makes sure elementary schools do not lose these critical extracurricular activities. It is also important that more teachers are hired. Schools should NOT suffer but unfortunately they suffer the most.

None of the candidates involves in tomorrow's election are actually against education. They all want our state and country's educational system to improve, its just the way they go about it and the money they are willing to spend that differs.

Humanistic Approach to Teaching

Humanism is a familiar term in a history or philosophy classroom. But is humanism useful in education? 

In terms of education, humanism advocates "that students should receive developmentally appropriate instruction in liberal arts, social conduct and moral principles". With the Renaissance reforms in education, schools and teachers began to teach children with kindness rather than violence. Humanism was all about people taking responsibility for their own lives back in the Renaissance and Reformation period. Humanism in the classroom is all about letting children think for themselves and evaluate themselves rather than having a teacher guiding every single step of the way.

" This form of education is known as child-centred, and is typified by the child taking responsibility for their education and owning their learning. " So instead of praising or punishing a child for their actions, the actions go unnoticed and the child is free to figure out their decisions for themselves. This is preparing the child for adult life and important decision making processes. This idea seems like it could get a little out of hand in the classroom because some students might take advantage of the freedom. However, I do think that its necessary for teachers to sometimes step back and let the child figure out whether their decision or action is the best choice. I feel its important for kids to learn at a young age that someone cannot always be there to hold their hand and its important to be able to have responsibility.

Can humanism go wrong? Yes, it can. First, some students see it as self-serving and manipulative; the faculty are trying to get students to do what they want them to do, but are conning the students into thinking they made the decision or understand it fully. Second, some students see it as hurtful." In this case, there should be a balance between discipline, praise and punishment in order to teach students self responsibility.

Exceptional Children: Educating Autism

Who are exceptional children? Children who are considered to be "exceptional" have skills either above or below other children their age. This includes children with disabilities or children with a special gift or talent.  Autism, mental retardation, hearing/visual impairments or just having a special gift are all considered categories of exceptionality. These children are "out of the norm" meaning they don't operate and live daily life like most children do. For exceptional children life might mean having a service dog, not being able to sit still or being able to play Mozart at age five.

What is Autism? Autism is the second most common developmental disability affecting one in every 110 kids. Some kids with autism, like 7 year old Annalysa Smith cannot differentiate between happy and sad and need medication to focus on  school work. Others with Autism have extreme OCD, cannot speak or cannot sit still. Autism is a "spectrum" disorder meaning it can affect children and people in all sorts of ways ranging from mild to extreme. Asberger's syndrome is a mild form of autism that sometimes results in the carrier having a special gift or talent.

How do we educate autistic children? 

Children with severe forms of autism are generally not involved in a regular school classroom with other children. They may go to classroom specialized in educating children with autism or they may go to an entirely different school with a special program."Because the needs of each autistic child are unique, schools must strive to find ways to match treatment strategies, services and supports to each child’s individual and family characteristics. This includes incorporating the child’s unique preferences, special interests, strengths and weaknesses, as well as the family’s goals and characteristics, into a specialized instructional plan"   However, children with milder forms of Autism like Asberger's syndrome may be in a typical classroom with children who are considered exceptional. In this case it is important to try to pay close attention to the needs of this child without singling them out or making other children feel they are not as important. Kids with Autism will sometimes have aids in the classroom who are specialized in Autism. It may be great and wonderful to see a child with a gift from Autism but its just so important that teachers do not single these students out.