Open Prompt #2: Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Pedagogy refers to a method or practice of teaching.  This post is mainly going to focus on teaching in culturally diverse settings.  Being that my focus in education is on urban education this is a very important topic to me and I am learning more about teaching to diverse groups of students in my classes.  Gloria Ladson-Billings article "But That's Just Good Teaching!  The Case for Culturally Relevant Pedagogy" contained useful information on the best ways to teach in a culturally diverse setting and that is the article I will be referring to throughout this post.

One of the most important thing I have learned about teaching in general is to make the information relatable.  An efficient way to get students engaged in learning is to "insert education into the culture".  If you teach using information the child is already familiar with the child will be more successful in the classroom.  I think more teachers need to be trained how to relate to all students, being that it will help the student to learn more effectively, especially because our nation is so culturally diverse.

For a service learning project I was placed in an elementary school classroom in Lansing and I saw firsthand how this idea of culturally relevant pedagogy applied.  The school I was working at was Willow Elementary School and there I saw teachers that made an effort to relate to the students and others who did not even attempt to relate to their students.  Between the two different teachers you could tell that the students with the relatable teacher were much more engaged and more interested in learning than the others.  These children need to feel comfortable in order for them to perform well academically, they need to feel as if they belong.

I hope to be the kind of teacher who can relate to her students, I want my classes to succeed academically and I want them to feel confident in their work.  Through my classes and readings like Gloria Ladson-Billings I am learning more on how to be this type of educator.

Prompt #2: An Ethical Educator

As a teacher people expect a lot from you. Teachers have the responsibility of showing ethical conduct towards students, parents, colleagues, and towards their own performance.  "The professional educator acts with conscientious effort to exemplify the highest ethical standards"(Code of Ethics).  I will explain what is expected from a teacher for each of the groups listed above and hopefully give you a better understanding of all of the rules and responsibilities that come with being a teacher.

Practices Towards Students

• Help teach students responsibility of their character.
• Teach children the value of being a good citizen.
• Teach each child equally and without bias.
• Keep students safe.
• Try to meet each and every students educational needs.

Teachers Performance

• The teacher needs to be reliable.
• Must follow contract and always meet the professional qualifications.
• Keeps up on current education standards and certifications.
• Teacher follows and exemplifies local and state school policies.
• The teacher must represent the school positively.
• The teacher must be honest in his or her practices.

Teachers Behavior Towards Colleagues 

• Must treat all kindly.
• Keeps confidential information confidential.
• Must not make false statements or assumptions about other employees.
• Work as a team with other colleagues.

Teachers and Parents

• Cooperate with all parents.
• The realization that education is common goal.
• Keep parents updated and informed.
• Respect families from all cultures and backgrounds.
• Stay active within the school.

I think the ethical code for educators is well known to the public although I do believe many people do undermine the responsibilities of teachers.  The public may know the ethics a teacher must portray to their group but may not consider all of the other groups the teacher must also manage.  An example of this is a parent may not consider the other students and colleagues the teacher must attend to as well as that parent's one child.  

I do relate these ethics to myself because I tend to genuinely care about others and helping them to succeed and I am also a good communicator.  I hope to be the best teacher I can possibly be and I hope that my characteristics will help me to do so.

This information was cited from:

"Code of Ethics for Educators." Code of Ethics for Educators. Web. 29 Jan. 2015. <http://aaeteachers.org/index.php/about-us/aae-code-of-ethics>. 

Open Prompt #1: Paying for Busing??

I am pretty sure we are all familiar with budget cuts within the public schools in the United States, and when the budget is cut schools need to take away some of their costs in order to compensate for the loss of money.  With schools cutting various programs, busing was also thrown into the mix of things some schools will no longer pay for according to USA Today's article Cutting Busing.

In America all people have the right to a public education, so is it even constitutional to cut transportation to school?  Some families cannot afford to put dinner on the table let alone pay around $150 dollars a year/student to ride the bus, is what USA Today said some schools were charging.  Some students may live close enough to walk, but others do not, especially during the winter months. The video below, "On the Beat: Cuts in the Boston Public Schools budget" can also give you a better idea of what US public schools are experiencing with these cuts.  The video explains how families are affected by cuts such as busing.

Although cutting transportation is a very big problem, the bigger problem is the lack of funding public schools receive.  I think US citizens need to be more informed on these issues so hopefully we can provide the best education possible for all of our students.  These children are our country's future, and without solid money being put into our schools, these children's education is going to suffer. This is the problem our nation really needs to consider.

                                 

Prompt #1: Asking Questions and Breaking Assumptions

Up until about a year ago I had no interest at all in becoming a teacher.  It wasn't until I was accidentally placed in an elementary classroom through my high school career center I realized I wanted to be a teacher.  After my first day of working in the first grade classroom I knew this was the right career for me.  Like anyone else I did have some concerns and preconceptions about the field:

• How much will I get paid? Probably not very much.
• Becoming a teacher will be easy.
• It will be easy being a teacher and teaching students.
• There are good schools and bad schools.

As other teachers have told me and my education text books and classes have told me, education is a career you must love.  No one becomes a teacher for the money.  The average pay of a teacher is $42,216 but starting out it is way lower being around $36,000 (Teacher Salary).  A lot of teachers, including my own mother have told me "Do not become a teacher!", benefits are becoming less and less, teachers no longer receive pensions, and raises seem to be rare.  One teacher whom I worked with for a semester in her first grade classroom informed me that some states have better benefits and salaries than others.  I did some research and found how drastically the differences from state to state actually were as seen below:

Most people look down on teaching, they believe it is a simple job to have.  Teachers do not receive anywhere near enough credit for what they do.  Depending on the college attended required classes may vary, but Michigan States requirements are very prestigious including integrated studies courses, writing and math requirements, and depending on your focus (math, language arts, science or social studies) there are more requirements that follow (MSU Requirements).  Also, following the four years of undergraduate schooling, a fifth year of student teaching must be completed. 

I am learning right now teaching will not be easy.  In my current math class, elementary math, I am learning all of the different learning styles and how children take in new information. The math book I am using is "Elementary Mathematics" by Thomas H. Parker and it covers all kinds of concepts and shows you different approaches to math skills such as addition and subtraction--something that comes easy to us but is a foreign language to young children.  I never before considered how a teacher needs to think in order to effectively teach his or her students. Each student learns differently and the teacher is responsible for making sure their entire class understands what is being taught.  

There are all kinds of schools, some which are better off than others.  I am in the Urban Educators Cohort Program which teaches Education majors how to work with students of different cultures, races, and social classes.  Being able to relate and communicate with each student is extremely important in order for them to learn.  I did service learning at a Lansing elementary school and there were two children in my class who were learning English as a second language.  The teacher is responsible for overcoming these barriers and finding out how to best teach children that come from different backgrounds.

These are just a few of the things I have learned more about with my education classes and through talking to other teachers about my career choice.  Hopefully you learned something too, thank you!