Dear Senator John Pederson,
I am writing to let you know that I am very opposed to the bill SF1291. I believe that every single child on this earth deserves a chance to have the best education that they can receive. Every child is equal and no child should be educationally left behind. I believe that by passing this bill, you are not giving students with disabilities the best education that they can receive. With this bill you are literally leaving these children behind. Paraprofessionals need to have training in order to better serve these kids, their learning, and the teachers that help them to learn. If this bill was to be passed in the future, it would make special education teachers work much harder, allowing for them to not be as effective of a teacher as they could be. Therefore, these teachers wouldn't be able to give their students the best education that they can get. I am astonished that this bill was even introduced. Please do not move forward with this and do not bring it up again in the future.
Thank you,
Cassandra Quamme
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
The Global Achievement Gap: Chapter 6
5 pain points:
A different kind of school: These schools have personalization, real-world connections, and they all hold a common intellectual mission. It's not about fitting more content into the curriculum, its about deepening the quality of analysis. They want to serve a student body that mirrors the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the local communities, Integrate technical and academic education, increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students, and graduate students who will be thoughtful and engaged citizens.
A different kind of teacher: Teaching is different because the teachers focus is on the individual student. They are more of a facilitator to them than an instructor sitting in front of the class giving a lecture. Teachers meet with a team of teachers twice a week to plan and talk about their students.
A different kind of student: The students are excited about school and they are confident in themselves because of their school and teachers.
Successful schools are diverse: different kids do best in different kinds of environments. One size doesn't fit all. Schools really need to teach the seven survival skills.
Schools/ teachers listen to students and adjust accordingly: Student and teachers have better relationships. No student is left behind and the teachers truly care about their students. They actually listen to their students, which makes the school a much better place to learn effectively and feel comfortable in. The school is a better environment.
A different kind of school: These schools have personalization, real-world connections, and they all hold a common intellectual mission. It's not about fitting more content into the curriculum, its about deepening the quality of analysis. They want to serve a student body that mirrors the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the local communities, Integrate technical and academic education, increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students, and graduate students who will be thoughtful and engaged citizens.
A different kind of teacher: Teaching is different because the teachers focus is on the individual student. They are more of a facilitator to them than an instructor sitting in front of the class giving a lecture. Teachers meet with a team of teachers twice a week to plan and talk about their students.
A different kind of student: The students are excited about school and they are confident in themselves because of their school and teachers.
Successful schools are diverse: different kids do best in different kinds of environments. One size doesn't fit all. Schools really need to teach the seven survival skills.
Schools/ teachers listen to students and adjust accordingly: Student and teachers have better relationships. No student is left behind and the teachers truly care about their students. They actually listen to their students, which makes the school a much better place to learn effectively and feel comfortable in. The school is a better environment.
Group presentation: Chapter 10
This group did a very good job on their presentation. It was informational and well rehearsed. They talked about the U.S. legal system regarding the school system. They talked about the ethics involved within a school system. They also touched on the facts of facebook and how it could get a teacher fired. They talked about teachers rights, collective bargaining, tenure and dismissal, teacher liability, academic freedom, and teachers private lives. Overall, they did a very good job.
Field Experience Reflection
My first field experience has taught me a lot. It was held in Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten classroom at Kennedy elementary. I have experienced many aspects of the content that we have learned in class. I have experience student diversity, classroom management, twenty-first century technology, instructional strategies, and a very nice learning environment. I have learned a lot about myself through this experience, as well as, about the profession of teaching. I have had a lot of fun with all of the students and have had a very good time getting to know and practice lesson plans with four of the students. I will be sad to leave Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten classroom.
In Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten classroom they have a motto, which states, “We are all alike, we are all different, we are all friends”. They celebrate the differences in their classroom and are taught about tolerance to diversity. Mrs. Murphey does a very good job at practicing culturally responsive teaching. She recognizes and accepts student diversity. She lets all of her students know that they are welcomed and valued. There is a daily story time in the classroom, which allows Mrs. Murphy to read stories out loud to her students. Mrs. Murphy picks books that resemble their class motto. The books have something in common, something different, and are nice stories. The books tell of different cultures and backgrounds. I have noticed that all of the students in the classroom realize that they are different from one another and accept everybody for who they are. They are all friends and they never judge one another. This aids in making Mrs. Murphy’s classroom a very nice learning environment.
Mrs. Murphy has a very nice learning environment within her classroom. The walls of her classroom are decorated with displays and pictures to make her classroom more physically attractive. She has the alphabet displayed around her room. She displays her students’ most common reading words on one wall of the room. There is a play area with a kitchenette, dolls, games, and other toys that the students’ would like to play with during break time. When the students first enter the classroom at the beginning of the day, they meet and form a circle at the center of the room. Once they are all together they greet each other and they each say an activity that they did over the weekend. This helps to make the classroom more inviting at the beginning of every day. Mrs. Murphy really shows the students that she cares by knowing all of her students names, greeting them every morning, smiling constantly, and holding all of her students to high standards. She is always positive and never puts any of her students down. As I have already stated, everyone in the classroom has respect for one another. I have learned that respect is very important when creating a positive learning environment. When I walk into the classroom I feel comfortable and I know that all of the students do too. It is a very nice learning environment. Mrs. Murphy also has some amazing classroom management techniques.
I have learned a lot from Mrs. Murphy’s management techniques. My favorite technique that I have witnessed within her classroom is when she is trying to quite the class. She gets them to focus their attention on her almost immediately. She starts singing very softly until the whole class hears her and participates in the soft singing. Eventually the whole class is quite and their attention is focused directly on the teacher. I am amazed at how well this works in her classroom. Mrs. Murphy has set classroom rules that are posted up on the wall so that all students remember what they are. Her rules include; raising your hands before speaking, keep your hands to yourself, and listen when someone else is talking. Her rules are simple and effective. She has kept the list of rules small so that her students will remember them better and will be less likely to break one of the rules. Her students understand the rules and the reason behind them. Also, all of the students practice the rules and accept responsibility for their behavior, which is very good for a kindergarten class. Mrs. Murphy also uses the latest technology, which keeps her students motivated.
Mrs. Murphy’s classroom contains the technology needed in the twenty-first century to keep her students motivated. She has a smart board, which the students in the class love. The smart board is used to start out a lesson. First the class will read the lesson off of the board and then actively participate in touching the board to finish the beginning of the lesson. For example, when practicing reading numbers, each student will walk up to the board and flick a spinner which will randomly land on a number that they have to read off for the class. It is amazing to see how excited the students are to walk up to the board just to spin the spinner. The technology of the smart board keeps them motivated and entertained. Using the smart board follows Mrs. Murphy’s style of instructional strategy.
Mrs. Murphy uses a combination of direct instruction and cooperative learning. When introducing a new lesson, Mrs. Murphy will introduce the topic to her students, describe and model the skill that they are to learn until all of her students understand, and then let them practice. Every once in awhile she will let the students practice the lesson in pairs or in groups. During the day she will let them practice reading with a partner. However, when it comes to writing they typically practice writing letters on their own. Both of the strategies are used and both seem to be highly effective. Mrs. Murphy knows when a strategy will work and when it won’t. She can read her students very well and knows when to trust them in groups to be able to complete a task and when they need to work alone.
All of the students in Mrs. Murphy’s class are very bright and polite. They are all excited about learning and take it seriously. I was assigned to practice lesson plans with four of the students in her class. They were so fun to work with and they were always excited to participate in activities with me. Their favorite lesson plan that I practiced with them was the poetry segment. First, I would read them a poem, ask them to find the rhyming words within the poem, and then teach them about synonyms. They caught on very fast and loved poetry afterwards. I felt a very good sense of accomplishment and I was very proud of the students when they remembered what a synonym was. I had the best time getting to know the students in Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class. I am sad to have to go, however, I am very grateful that I was able to have time with them. They have helped me discover that I was born to be a teacher. I have heard that when you love doing something it doesn’t feel like a job. That is exactly the way I felt when I was working with these students. I am going to miss Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class. I have learned so much from Mrs. Murphy and all of the students in her class. On my last day with them they really made me feel like I was going to be missed. I have witnessed classroom management techniques, student diversity, instructional strategies, and the use of technology. I have seen students be motivated to learn a lesson because their teacher cares and is enthusiastic. I have practiced patience with the students in the classroom. I have learned a lot and have benefited from this experience. Thanks to Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class, now I really know that I was born to be a teacher.
In Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten classroom they have a motto, which states, “We are all alike, we are all different, we are all friends”. They celebrate the differences in their classroom and are taught about tolerance to diversity. Mrs. Murphey does a very good job at practicing culturally responsive teaching. She recognizes and accepts student diversity. She lets all of her students know that they are welcomed and valued. There is a daily story time in the classroom, which allows Mrs. Murphy to read stories out loud to her students. Mrs. Murphy picks books that resemble their class motto. The books have something in common, something different, and are nice stories. The books tell of different cultures and backgrounds. I have noticed that all of the students in the classroom realize that they are different from one another and accept everybody for who they are. They are all friends and they never judge one another. This aids in making Mrs. Murphy’s classroom a very nice learning environment.
Mrs. Murphy has a very nice learning environment within her classroom. The walls of her classroom are decorated with displays and pictures to make her classroom more physically attractive. She has the alphabet displayed around her room. She displays her students’ most common reading words on one wall of the room. There is a play area with a kitchenette, dolls, games, and other toys that the students’ would like to play with during break time. When the students first enter the classroom at the beginning of the day, they meet and form a circle at the center of the room. Once they are all together they greet each other and they each say an activity that they did over the weekend. This helps to make the classroom more inviting at the beginning of every day. Mrs. Murphy really shows the students that she cares by knowing all of her students names, greeting them every morning, smiling constantly, and holding all of her students to high standards. She is always positive and never puts any of her students down. As I have already stated, everyone in the classroom has respect for one another. I have learned that respect is very important when creating a positive learning environment. When I walk into the classroom I feel comfortable and I know that all of the students do too. It is a very nice learning environment. Mrs. Murphy also has some amazing classroom management techniques.
I have learned a lot from Mrs. Murphy’s management techniques. My favorite technique that I have witnessed within her classroom is when she is trying to quite the class. She gets them to focus their attention on her almost immediately. She starts singing very softly until the whole class hears her and participates in the soft singing. Eventually the whole class is quite and their attention is focused directly on the teacher. I am amazed at how well this works in her classroom. Mrs. Murphy has set classroom rules that are posted up on the wall so that all students remember what they are. Her rules include; raising your hands before speaking, keep your hands to yourself, and listen when someone else is talking. Her rules are simple and effective. She has kept the list of rules small so that her students will remember them better and will be less likely to break one of the rules. Her students understand the rules and the reason behind them. Also, all of the students practice the rules and accept responsibility for their behavior, which is very good for a kindergarten class. Mrs. Murphy also uses the latest technology, which keeps her students motivated.
Mrs. Murphy’s classroom contains the technology needed in the twenty-first century to keep her students motivated. She has a smart board, which the students in the class love. The smart board is used to start out a lesson. First the class will read the lesson off of the board and then actively participate in touching the board to finish the beginning of the lesson. For example, when practicing reading numbers, each student will walk up to the board and flick a spinner which will randomly land on a number that they have to read off for the class. It is amazing to see how excited the students are to walk up to the board just to spin the spinner. The technology of the smart board keeps them motivated and entertained. Using the smart board follows Mrs. Murphy’s style of instructional strategy.
Mrs. Murphy uses a combination of direct instruction and cooperative learning. When introducing a new lesson, Mrs. Murphy will introduce the topic to her students, describe and model the skill that they are to learn until all of her students understand, and then let them practice. Every once in awhile she will let the students practice the lesson in pairs or in groups. During the day she will let them practice reading with a partner. However, when it comes to writing they typically practice writing letters on their own. Both of the strategies are used and both seem to be highly effective. Mrs. Murphy knows when a strategy will work and when it won’t. She can read her students very well and knows when to trust them in groups to be able to complete a task and when they need to work alone.
All of the students in Mrs. Murphy’s class are very bright and polite. They are all excited about learning and take it seriously. I was assigned to practice lesson plans with four of the students in her class. They were so fun to work with and they were always excited to participate in activities with me. Their favorite lesson plan that I practiced with them was the poetry segment. First, I would read them a poem, ask them to find the rhyming words within the poem, and then teach them about synonyms. They caught on very fast and loved poetry afterwards. I felt a very good sense of accomplishment and I was very proud of the students when they remembered what a synonym was. I had the best time getting to know the students in Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class. I am sad to have to go, however, I am very grateful that I was able to have time with them. They have helped me discover that I was born to be a teacher. I have heard that when you love doing something it doesn’t feel like a job. That is exactly the way I felt when I was working with these students. I am going to miss Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class. I have learned so much from Mrs. Murphy and all of the students in her class. On my last day with them they really made me feel like I was going to be missed. I have witnessed classroom management techniques, student diversity, instructional strategies, and the use of technology. I have seen students be motivated to learn a lesson because their teacher cares and is enthusiastic. I have practiced patience with the students in the classroom. I have learned a lot and have benefited from this experience. Thanks to Mrs. Murphy’s kindergarten class, now I really know that I was born to be a teacher.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
The Finland Phenomenon: The 3 biggest differences in the way teachers are prepared in Findland vs. the U.S.
This is a very good documentary that shows schools that do work. It shows schools in Finland that are succeeding in leaving no child behind and are giving a high level education for EVERY student in the country. One of the reasons why Finland has found the way to productive schools that work is in the way future teachers are prepared to be teachers.
First of all, the business of teaching is taken seriously. There are very high standards to get into a teaching college. Only the best can be admitted to these schools. Second, every teacher has to have a masters degree. It is a requirement if you want to be a teacher. Third, training to be a teacher is done differently. The training to be a teacher really prepares future teachers to enter the field and be able to teach ALL students and ensure that none are left behind.
First of all, the business of teaching is taken seriously. There are very high standards to get into a teaching college. Only the best can be admitted to these schools. Second, every teacher has to have a masters degree. It is a requirement if you want to be a teacher. Third, training to be a teacher is done differently. The training to be a teacher really prepares future teachers to enter the field and be able to teach ALL students and ensure that none are left behind.
Waiting for Superman: What kind of teacher do I want to be?
The documentary, Waiting for Superman had a big impact on me. It was sad to see that every single child in the United States can't succeed in school because our damaged school systems and teachers unions won't let them.
One lesson I have learned from this documentary is that you can't have a great school without great teachers. A bad school can not change unless good/passionate teachers are involved. There are failing kids within these school systems and it is the obligation of the school and the teacher to help these kids succeed.
I want to be a very good teacher. I want to be passionate about my job and help kids succeed. I want to strive to make every child in my class the absolute best. I will never leave one kid behind. I will not be selfish about my time, I will be totally selfless and give every minute to the kids that need it. There will be no excuse, every student that I teach will need to achieve at a high level. Somehow, I will make learning active and fun for my students. I will have faith in myself that I can make a difference in this mess of an educational system. I will try my hardest in my studies at SCSU so that I will be educationally the best teacher that I can be. I will do everything that I can do to help EVERY student succeed.
One lesson I have learned from this documentary is that you can't have a great school without great teachers. A bad school can not change unless good/passionate teachers are involved. There are failing kids within these school systems and it is the obligation of the school and the teacher to help these kids succeed.
I want to be a very good teacher. I want to be passionate about my job and help kids succeed. I want to strive to make every child in my class the absolute best. I will never leave one kid behind. I will not be selfish about my time, I will be totally selfless and give every minute to the kids that need it. There will be no excuse, every student that I teach will need to achieve at a high level. Somehow, I will make learning active and fun for my students. I will have faith in myself that I can make a difference in this mess of an educational system. I will try my hardest in my studies at SCSU so that I will be educationally the best teacher that I can be. I will do everything that I can do to help EVERY student succeed.
The Global Achievement Gap: Chapter 5
Chapter five answers the question, What does it take to bring out the best in young people today, both in school and in the workplace?
Some believe that young Americans lack work ethic and others believe that they are just differently motivated today.
The first main point of the chapter has to do with young Americans growing up differently, otherwise known as "growing up digital". Therefore, young people who have grown up using the web relate to the world and to one other in ways that are very different from those of their parents' generation. So why are we still teaching these generations in the same way as older generations when the two worlds are so different?
The second main point of the chapter includes new learning styles. The use of the internet and other digital technology has transformed both what young people learn today and how they learn. It is confirmed that students are increasingly impatient with the lecture style of learning and the reliance on textbooks for information and crave more class discussions. Also, with the mass amounts of information available through the web, we find a new kind of learning assuming pre-eminence, learning that is discovery based. Today, kids want to experience and watch how other people are doing things, then try it for themselves.
The third main point of the chapter includes tipping the balance to the positive side of the world wide web so that kids can use it in positive ways to be actively engaged learners. What is needed to tip the balance to the positive side is an older generation that better understands what drives the younger generation and has learned how best to harness and focus its energies.
The fourth main point is how to turn this generation of kids into producers. In order for young people to respect school and learning, we need to think more carefully about what we're asking them to learn--to ensure that schoolwork is not busy-work or make-work but real, adult work that requires both analysis and creativity.
The fifth main point includes positive mentors both in the workplace and within schools. This is very important! In both the workplace and in school kids want to engage as active learners and creators, and they long for adults to be coaches and mentors. Mentoring is a huge motivational tool. Kids need someone to show an interest in them and give them feedback. The way to bring out the best in young people is to give them the right mix of challenge and support, combined with thoughtful adult mentoring.
Some believe that young Americans lack work ethic and others believe that they are just differently motivated today.
The first main point of the chapter has to do with young Americans growing up differently, otherwise known as "growing up digital". Therefore, young people who have grown up using the web relate to the world and to one other in ways that are very different from those of their parents' generation. So why are we still teaching these generations in the same way as older generations when the two worlds are so different?
The second main point of the chapter includes new learning styles. The use of the internet and other digital technology has transformed both what young people learn today and how they learn. It is confirmed that students are increasingly impatient with the lecture style of learning and the reliance on textbooks for information and crave more class discussions. Also, with the mass amounts of information available through the web, we find a new kind of learning assuming pre-eminence, learning that is discovery based. Today, kids want to experience and watch how other people are doing things, then try it for themselves.
The third main point of the chapter includes tipping the balance to the positive side of the world wide web so that kids can use it in positive ways to be actively engaged learners. What is needed to tip the balance to the positive side is an older generation that better understands what drives the younger generation and has learned how best to harness and focus its energies.
The fourth main point is how to turn this generation of kids into producers. In order for young people to respect school and learning, we need to think more carefully about what we're asking them to learn--to ensure that schoolwork is not busy-work or make-work but real, adult work that requires both analysis and creativity.
The fifth main point includes positive mentors both in the workplace and within schools. This is very important! In both the workplace and in school kids want to engage as active learners and creators, and they long for adults to be coaches and mentors. Mentoring is a huge motivational tool. Kids need someone to show an interest in them and give them feedback. The way to bring out the best in young people is to give them the right mix of challenge and support, combined with thoughtful adult mentoring.
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