Teaching Students Who Are at Risk

1. Classroom management is a perennial concern for beginning teachers. Which approach to classroom management makes the most sense? What about instruction?

• I think Emma's approach makes the most sense. Allowing students to move around the room, get into groups, interact with the teacher, and take some responsibility in their own education leads to more successful students who retain more of what they've learned. They also learn valuable skills in working with others and expressing their own thoughts and ideas. It's important for them to be treated like people and not lined up in quiet, little rows by an authoritarian teacher, and it's also important for them to know that you're a human being too. So, like, smile and provide feedback. Don't tell them what to do and what to think at every turn. (:

Students at Risk

4.1 What are the characteristics of students at risk?

• Students at risk encounter social, academic, and emotional problems. Some background factors include low-SES/poverty/homelessness, divorced/single-parent families, inner city, minority, non-native English speaker, drug and alcohol abuse at home, high neighborhood crime rates. Some educational factors include high dropout rates, low grades, grade retention, low achievement, participation, and motivation, poor attendance, misbehavior in class, low self-esteem, lack of interest, and high suspension rates.

The Influence of Socioeconomic Factors on Students

3.1 Define socioeconomic status.

• Socioeconomic status is the combination of family income, parents' occupations, and level of parental education. Socioeconomic status is divided into four classes - upper, middle, working, and lower - each with more distinct sub-classes therein.

Changes in Our Students

2.1 What changes have occurred in student sexuality over time? What are the implications of these changes for education?

• Nearly half of all teens are sexually active by the end of high school - 1 in 10 before the age of 13 and 1 in 10 with more than four partners by 10th grade. Only 61% of sexually active teens use a condom. The average age of first intercourse has dropped to 17.
• Rates of teenage pregnancy are falling, but they're still the highest of any industrialized country. The decline is attributed to decreased sexual activity and increased use of contraceptives. Becoming a teen parent increases the risks of dropping out, developing poor work skills, and receiving limited employment opportunities. Energy is diverted from self-development, and the babies often fare poorly as well.
• Many teenagers are infected with some type of STD. (This textbook conveniently gives only the statistic for female teens...) Depending on which STD and whether or not it's discovered early, infection could cause serious health issues which would impact student education.
• Sex education is still a controversial topic with form and content of instruction varying widely across the nation. Polls suggest a vast majority of parents are in favor, but many programs are still ineffective due to certain restrictions in various states and districts.
• There is still a lot of stigma around sexual orientation and identity, which can be especially difficult for teens as they're coming to understand who they are sexually. Sexual harassment is also a huge problem with more than half of all students reporting being sexually harassed and especially affecting the LGBTQ community. These circumstances can lead students to feelings of isolation, depression, and helplessness, impacting personal health and school attendance and raising the incidences of drug abuse and suicide.

Changes in American Families

1.1 Describe changes that have occurred in the American family over the last 50 years.

• "Traditional" families aren't so common anymore. Less families are headed by married couples, most women with children now work, the divorce rate has quadrupled in the last 40 years, less children live with both parents (single mother, father, or neither), and poverty among single-parent families is drastically higher than households with married couples. Many of these circumstances lead to busier adult schedules, leaving children with less time to spend with their parent(s)/caregiver(s).

1.2 What implications do the changes in American families have for child care in this country?

• Quality child care is more important than ever. Child care can have a lasting impact on children, often well into adulthood. Good care is positively correlated with long-term cognitive and emotional development, higher earnings, and greater relationship stability. Poor care is correlated with the opposite effects. Quality care is especially important for children of poverty, but participation rates of these children have declined in recent years.

1.3 Who are latchkey children? What problems do they encounter in their homes?

• Latchkey children are children who come home to an empty home because their parent(s)/caregiver(s) are at work (or maybe school). They don't receive as much time spent with their caregivers and lack the structure and support of children whose caregivers are consistently home with them. Problems include safety concerns, supervision, excessive TV watching, lack of homework help, and perhaps poor nutrition. Students may not complete their homework if they're unsure what to do and don't have an adult present to ask questions.

This I Believe: Societal Changes and Our Students

Many students come to school with "baggage" that is often linked to societal issues. How do these issues affect our students, and how will they affect your life as a teacher? On a scale of 1-4, 1 strongly disagreeing and 4 strongly agreeing, rate the following:

Reform in Teacher Education

4.1 How is the current reform movement in education changing the teaching profession?

• Stringent standards have been implemented as specified by each state that state what students should know and be able to do. Standardized tests determine grade promotion and graduation. Parent's are offered choices between public and alternative charter schools.

What Kind of School Is Right for You?

1. Which advantages and disadvantages of different types of districts are most important to you?

• Small class sizes would be pretty nice. I think being able to afford each student the attention that they need would be important to me. I'm not worried about the pay - I could do many other things if it was money that I wanted. Chances for growth, leadership, and choice are important. The school having up to date technology would be nice. High standards are really important. I want to know that the other teachers and staff are committed to teaching. Diversity is important among students and staff. Some rural communities can be stuck in their ways and make reform challenging when needed. I come from a low income family, so I think I might enjoy the challenge of trying to work with students in lower economic classes.

Diversity: The Changing Face of American Classrooms

3.1 Identify the different dimensions of student diversity. Explain how these dimensions will influence your work as a teacher.

• Culture and ethnicity, Socioeconomic status, Physical and emotional maturity, Personality, Gender, Learning capability, Location (rural, urban, suburban), Language, Religion, Learner exceptionalities
• These dimensions will create many opportunities and challenges as a teacher. It will provide a means of personal growth as a teacher and impose opportunities for understanding and compassion. It will garner chances to teach students about commonality and difference and gain a better sense of it myself. It will teach me to appreciate diversity even more and perhaps even appreciate the challenge in working among such diversity. There will be many challenges. Some students may not be willing to learn or have other things to worry about. Political correctness could become an issue. Choosing where to place my focus or staying on task could be difficult if some students need a lot of extra help. Learning how to respond to all these differences will influence how well the students learn, how they feel about school, and my own enjoyment of teaching.

3.2 Why is an understanding of different teaching and learning environments important for beginning teachers?

• Understanding the differences between different environments will be beneficial in choosing the best suited place to teach for individual teachers. It will also help prepare them for the challengesnand give them a general understanding of what to expect when they step into the classroom for the first time.

The Teaching Profession

2.1 What are the essential characteristics of professionalism?

• A specialized body of knowledge
• For teachers, this includes knowledge of content, pedagogical content knowledge, general pedagogical knowledge, and knowledge of learners and learning.
• Pedagogy: I The function or work of a teacher; teaching. II The art or science of teaching; education; instructional methods.
• Teachers are also required to receive extended training for licensure by individual state standards and laws. It must be periodically renewed to confirm continuing education and current knowledge.
• Autonomy
• Teachers have autonomy over the specific content they teach, how they teach it, and how they will assess their student's learning.
• Complete autonomy is impeded by state and district standards, prescribed curricula, and mandatory standardized testing.
• Emphasis on decision making and reflection
• Teachers work in dynamic environments and must make on-the-spot decisions constantly throughout the day. This type of environment makes it essentially impossible to function without professional knowledge and continuous reflection. Teachers receive little formal feedback, so self-assessment is a necessity in order to continue to develop as a professional.
• Ethical standards and codes of conduct
• Teachers are held to high standards of ethical conduct. The largest professional organization in education is the National Education Association (NEA) which addresses the issues of teachers' ethics and interactions. Ethics are an important part of professional decision making.

What Is It Like to Be a Teacher?

1.1 Identify the four most commonly cited reasons people give for entering teaching.

• Working with young people
• Making a difference in society
• Subject content
• Self-growth.

This I Believe: Teaching and Me

I'm only taking one education class this fall, and I bought my book today for EDUC 101.

I can't believe they charge $200 for these things.

I'm a zealous type, so I started reading the first chapter. On the fourth page, the authors have a little questionnaire titled "This I Believe: Teaching and Me". They actually have a "This I Believe" for every chapter in the book. But since I'm reading it, I decided I might as well do it.

Education

This fall I'm going to be starting a new program at school. I went for therapeutic massage for a year, but I decided to change my path to education with a focus on mathematics. Math has been a pretty big passion of mine for several years now, and I've found that I really enjoy teaching and tutoring people. So, I figured the two would go together nicely. Not to mention math teachers are always in need. ;)

So, that is where this blog comes in. I'm going to attempt to keep track of my educational journey on here. As a teacher, resources will be very important, so I figured it would be a good idea to start compiling everything I've got into one spot for easy reference.

School starts in T minus 11 days. I am so ready!