Open Prompt #10: What I've Learned About My Major

Over my past year at Michigan State University I have learned a lot about my major ranging from the qualifications I must have to the passion that I have for this career.  Although it has also formed some doubts in my mind as well, like will I be happy financially, or whether or not I will agree with some of the standards I must teach.  For any career a student wishes to venture into, it is extremely important to do your research just to know all of the different parts that factor into that profession.

For the most part I did know a lot about education before doing my research, but I learned everything more in depth to the level I must know to be a professional in my field.  Such as all the testing and standards like the Common Core that are required at different grade levels, knowing the qualifications and workshops that I must complete throughout my career, being aware of how funding is continually being cut, all of these things are important to know before rather than after a person truly commits to their career.

Living not only a financially stable life is important to me but being able to live very comfortably is something I wish to strive for in my life, and one thing that scares me about becoming a teacher is the salary.  Although it is also very important to me to enjoy my career, which I know I will love being a teacher, I also want to be financially stable which seems may be difficult as a teacher.  Like most things there normally tends to be ups and downs to every situation, this is just one of them, and there are plenty of ways to overcome one's obstacles.

All in all I have learned a lot and I am satisfied with my decisions so far, I have learned a lot through my experiences here and they have helped me to grow as a person.  Have confidence in what you are doing and be sure to do your research and know everything you need to know to reach your goals, it will only help you to succeed.

Prompt #10: Equality in Education?

America is a free nation, a nation where all people have the same rights and equalities.  That said, all people should receive the same quality education in America, right? This news article,  Your Right to Equality in Education talks about how all children in the United States have the right to a free public education, and how all children much be given an equal education despite their race, ethnic background, religion, sex, or their social class.  Although this is technically true, when you take a closer look, a person will see everyone does not get the same equal, quality education talked about in this news article.

The main reason why I say that not every child receives the same quality education is because of funding.  I have seen myself a school in an urban area, a school I volunteered at in Lansing and I can tell you this was not the same kind of school I attended in elementary school, or that children in other parts of Lansing attend today.  This school was in a run-down neighborhood, most all of the children in this elementary school came from low income families, therefore there was a lack of funding, if people don't have the income they will be taxed lower or even nothing in some cases resulting in a school that lacks the materials to provide a quality education for the students.

The school I was at in Lansing had unqualified teachers, little to no writing utensils, very small classrooms for the amount of students, and just lacked other learning materials necessary for a classroom.  It was not that the school did not want to buy these things, they just had no money to provide these necessities.  This is not equality for all students, it does not follow what the article says about every student will receive an equal education no matter what their income level is.

This is a serious problem, and it will eventually have a huge impact on our country as a whole, as our nations children are the future of our country.  Education should not be taken lightly, schools need more funding as many schools are lacking in providing a quality education.  Hopefully people will start to take more of an initiative of improving the system, but for now it is important to at least be aware of the problem at hand.

Your Right to Equality in Education." American Civil Liberties Union. 17 July 2003. Web. 31 Mar. 2015. <https://www.aclu.org/racial-justice_womens-rights/your-right-equality-education

Open Prompt #9: Education in America

It seems to be as time goes on education is becoming worse and worse in America.  Budgets are being cut, less and less is being given to public schools, no wonder schools are lacking.  Sixty percent of fourth graders were tested below proficient in reading.  There is no reason at all for that to happen, the problem is the is not much attention being given to schools, let alone resources to fix these academic struggles in students.  Even more alarming, that number goes up to 80% in urban areas.  Why should students who come from low-income houses not be able to receive a quality education?  This is where the United States is suffering.

Schools need more attention, more funding, our nation's children are the future of our nation, therefore we should be giving them the best opportunity possible to succeed.  Here are some more facts about or nations schools and education system, they aren't pretty but everyone should be aware of the reality of the situation.

• Thirty years ago America was the number one leader in the quality and quantity of high school graduates, but today America is ranker 36th in the world.
• Students living in poverty are 13 times less likely to graduate on time.
• One of the main factors of student achievement is the quality of the teacher.  In America, 14% of new teachers resign within their first year, 33% leave within the first three years, and almost half leave by their 5th year.
• Only 1 in 4 high school students graduate ready for college in the 4 core subjects: English, Reading, Math, and Science.
• Annually, 1.3 million high school students don't graduate on time.

A lot of people may not realize the importance of education, but it is actually very very important.  It has an effect on every individual person.  With that said it is in everyones best interest to take a stand and fight for a better, stronger education system.


11 Facts About Education in America." DoSomething.org. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-education-america

Statistics About Education in America." StudentsFirst.org. 2 Oct. 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <https://www.studentsfirst.org/pages/the-stats

Prompt #9: Significance of Education

Education is important, for all people, for all children.  It is a type of wealth that a person will always have no matter what.  The video below talks about the millions of children who are not given an opportunity to even receive any sort of education.  The more students without an education, the higher the poverty rate will be.  This is obviously a major reason why education is important worldwide, being that without any education a person then obtains no skill sets, which means a person or child cannot easily have a job, which in the end leads to families with no money which equals poverty.

There are also many other reasons why education is important, and each individual obviously has different beliefs and different values but here are some of the reasons education is so crucial to all people.

1. Keeping up with the world: without education it becomes difficult to adapt to changes in the world.  An example of this is knowing how to navigate the web, or even how to use a computer for that matter.
2. Health: an educated person id more aware of symptoms of illnesses and how to treat an illness, whereas a non-educated person may ignore symptoms until they become very serious.
3. Respect:  people with an education are more reputable within society, leading to more respect from those around you.
4. Understanding the World: being aware and knowledgable of the world around you is very important for multiple reasons.
5. Safer and More Peaceful: and educated person is aware of consequences and knows right from wrong, with an education it is way easier to function in society.
6. Confidence:  being knowledgable automatically will boost a persons confidence level.
7. Economic Growth: there are very few countries with very high literacy rates.  
8. Dreams can come True:  a dream of becoming a doctor or a business owner or whatever it may be requires education.  Education will make it easier to accomplish any dream, knowledge will never have a negative impact.
9. Money: education leads to higher paying jobs.
10. Self-dependence:  education makes you more knowledgable on all kinds of issues making it easier for a person to make educated decisions themselves.

These are just a few main reasons why education is not only beneficial but needed for all people.  Education is something that doesn't stop after school either, people are always learning.  

Top 15 Reasons Why Education Is Extremely Important - Listovative." Listovative. 31 July 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2015. <http://listovative.com/top-15-reasons-why-education-is-important/>

Open Prompt #8: What is Montessori?

Until recently I was not familiar with what a montessori school was or even that there was such a thing.  I stumbled upon this because a family I started nannying for attend a montessori school in Chicago.  Montessori is a method of teaching aiming to fully develop the child, sequentially preparing the child for life's enriching experiences (What is Montessori).  The one really cool thing about this type of schooling is each child has their own schedule.  The one little boy I nanny had to miss two weeks of school to go vacationing with his family but he didn't get behind because in montessori the children are able to learn at their own rate.  Between birth and age six the mind is very absorbent, children are able to unconsciously "learn and assimilate from the world".  They are very responsive to specific external stimuli, montessori teachers recognize and use these early stages of the child's mind to help them learn and recognize new materials and activities (What is Montessori).

This is a type of learning that is fairly new, there are only about 4,000 in the United States and 7,000 worldwide (FAQs).  I would assume it is not something well known by many, but it is definitely becoming more popular--two of the five families I babysit for have children attending montessori schools.  

So now that there is some background info about montessori, here are a few other facts about montessori schools:

• They are individually owned and operated (Facts)
• Dr. Maria Montessori founded montessori schools
• But, she never trademarked the name, so not all montessori schools are legit (Education)
• They are individually owned and operated
• They are multi-aged and teacher-guided, also known as a progressive school (Facts)
• They use sensorial materials to help develop the child's five senses
• The child choses their own work
• It is one of the fastest growing forms of education for young children (More Facts)
• There are no grades

Hopefully you learned something new about schooling, this was definitely new for me.  If you're interested in more info there are many great sources, some of which I have linked throughout the blog, thanks for reading!

"Facts About Montessori." The Montessori School of Chevy Chase Facts About Montessori Comments. Web. 13 Mar. 2015. <http://chevychasemontessori.com/about-montessori/facts-about-montessori/>

"FAQ's." Montessori General, Teachers, Schools. Web. 13 Mar. 2015. <http://www.montessori.edu/FAQ.html>

"What Is Montessori Style Teaching | Montessori Training." What Is Montessori Style Teaching | Montessori Training. Web. 13 Mar. 2015. <http://www.montessoritraining.net/what_is_montessori/overview.htm>

Kennedy, Robert. "The Definition of a Montessori School." Web. 13 Mar. 2015. <http://privateschool.about.com/od/privateschoolfaqs/f/montessori.htm>

Prompt #8: Teaching for Real

Obviously as a teacher just like any other job there is training and/or schooling involved.  To become an elementary teacher a person must have a bachelors degree and also a year of student teaching.  A lot is learned in the classroom (the college classroom), a person learns how to think like a child and all the information needed to teach, along with many other things.  A teacher really doesn't know how to teach though until they actually do it.

Being that my mother teaches a third grade classroom occasionally I go into her room and help out.  I love going in and being with the kids, and it is great hands-on experience for me as an aspiring teacher.  It helps me to learn the best ways to interact with the students and it helps me to learn the best ways to deal with each individual student.  Every classroom is also different, something that can't really be explained until actually working with the students.  The whole experience of being in the classroom is a crucial part of learning how to be a teacher, and it can also help people to decide whether or not teaching is for them.  For example, I was not planning on being a teacher until I worked in a classroom and fell in love with the idea of becoming a teacher.  Some things just cannot be learned until a person actually experiences it.

I think this idea of having hands-on experience is an important part for any career, it is just a different method of learning and can really help a person develop skills and realize whether that career is right for them or not.  Hands-on learning is so important, and it should be the fun part of learning new skills for a career, so take every opportunity you can get!

Open Post #7: Language in Education

Each career has its own specific language, doctors use medical terminology, computer technicians use coding, people in business have specific terms they use, and so on.  Education also has it's own language, a teacher is not going to talk to a group of first graders the same way he or she talks to a group of adults.  In order to be an effective educator, or for that matter successful at any career it is important to know the language that goes along with it, really all that this 'language' is is part of the skills needed for that particular career.

In teaching there is not a set of terms for communicating to a group of students, instead it is more of being aware of what they know and speaking in a way which they will understand.  A teacher is not going to use extensive vocabulary while teaching first graders."To be effective, teachers have to try to minimise these barriers to communication. We do this in a number of ways – for example, by making sure that the room is quiet and well lit; by speaking slowly and clearly; by only using words which the students should be able to understand"(Effective Teaching).  When talking to adults, a person probably is not as cautious or concerned with these little things, but to six year olds it really does make a big difference.  The main point to remember as a teacher is to be thoughtful and thorough when speaking to students, to be sure they are getting the most out of each lesson.  

Language is just a part of any career that a person must pick up on and understand to be successful at their job.  It comes with practice as well as knowledge and experience in the classroom, all of these things impact how well a person can do their job.  

Prozesky, Detlef. "Communication and Effective Teaching." Community Eye Health. International Centre for Eye Health. Web. 4 Mar. 2015. <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1705977/>

Prompt #7: Pros and Cons of the Common Core

The Common Core was launched in 2009 and it is a set of standards for grades K-12 for mathematics and language arts.  These are learning goals that outline the things a student should know at each grade level.  The goal of the Common Core is to help students to develop all the skills they will need to be successful if college, in their career, and life in general.  These standards are also put into place to help for all of the states to be consistent with the rubrics from school to school.  Many people are for the Common Core while many are also against this set of education standards.  Lawmakers, taxpayers, educators, and parents are all effected by these new guidelines, so in order to learn more and take a stance on the issue here are the pros and cons for the Common Core.

PROS

1. These standards compare to the standards of other countries.  The United States have dropped down in educational rankings over the past few decades, our ranking should now begin to improve.
2. States can now accurately compare test scores to those of other states, now that the assessments are similar throughout the states.
3. Students will be better prepared for higher education and for their careers, the main goal is to make all students successful in their lives.
4. With the Common Core students progress throughout a school year can be monitored more accurately and more closely now.
5. Teachers can communicate better now and come up with the most effective practices being that all schools are teaching the same curriculum.

CONS

1.  It will be a difficult transition for both teachers and students.  It will definitely be a slow    process.
2. It will likely cause a loss of teachers, especially veteran teachers may choose retirement rather than adjusting to the system.  My own mother in particular has been teaching for years and often becomes very frustrated with the new standards.
3. Younger students will be required to learn at a faster pace, there will be higher level thinking skills earlier on in education.
4. There is not a modified version of the Common Core tests for special needs students.
5. It costs money to update the technology needed of these standard assessments, being that they are all online and not all districts have schools with enough computers and some may not have computers at all.
6. There is currently only Common Core for Language Arts and Mathematics.  So Science and Social Studies will still vary state to state.

These are some of the main reasons why people are for the Common Core as well as reasons why others are against the Common Core.  Like just about everything there is good and bad to the Common Core but it is up to each individual to form his or her own opinion on the matter.  Thanks for reading!

Meador, Derrick. "Pros and Cons of the Common Core Standards." About Education. Web. 3 Mar. 2015.

 Medwin, Deborah. "30 Most Controversial Education Practices in U. S. History." Top Education Degrees.    Web. 3 Mar. 2015. <http://www.topeducationdegrees.org/30-most-controversial-education-practices-in-u-s-history/>