Education is like making a campfire

I believe education is like making a campfire. The foundation is the wood. Without the wood there is no fire. In education, the foundation is what students learn in their early years. If students arent taught how to read, write or do arithmetic in preschool, kindergarten and first grade then they will never prosper. The match to light the campfire is like the teacher. The match sparks the fire. As a teacher, you have to spark a fire in them to want to learn. If you dont do this at an early age they will not want to learn. Paper to get the fire going is like elementary school. It is a small flame, but bigger than what was there before. It is progress to the empty fire pit that was there when you started. Elementary school is a time for students to grow and learn basic skills. It is a time for them to sprout and start to make their own decisions. They begin to understand more about the world they live in. Oxygen is like middle school and highschool. Oxygen makes a fire stronger. It can also make the fire die. Middle school is a time for students to find themselves. It is a time for do or die. Either they will make right choices and find the right friends or they will start living a life that will bring them down. This is a time for them to learn all new concepts. They will either embrace the new ideas or look down on learning. Highschool is a time for each person to show who they are and find themselves. They have been taught all kinds of skills that led them to where they are now, and they are able to make their own choices. Middle school and highschool are critical times for students. They need to be interested in what they are learning, and be shown that their teachers want the best for them in order for them to succeed. Graduation from highschool and going to college is like the burning campfire. It is a chance for student to see that they have accomplished their goals and can now go off and prosper in society. Building a fire takes multiple steps and each step needs to be done exactly the right way to have the perfect outcome. If one thing gets messed up, you wont have a beautiful campfire. If educators dont teach children how they should, and if children dont have the desire to learn, then their education will not be as successful as it could be.

This class has been an excellent learning experience. The first thing I learned was from my observations and that was inclusion classrooms. I never knew that there was such a thing and I always thought that students with special needs were seperated. This made me want to have an inclusion classroom because I saw it was a positive environment for ever student. The second thing I learned was that you teachers really need to accomodate students of different backgrounds. It is important to make sure that students who dont speak english or parents who dont speak english are given equal opportunity. The third thing I learned was that society is based on education. Society will only get better if the education system improves. This makes me want to be an excellent teacher and have a major impact on every student.

I learned alot from my classmates. The blogs and discussions really helped me because when I was confused about a certain view, reading their posts cleared up my confusion or questions. The blogs also helped me learn about different teaching styles and experiences. It was good to have feedback and to see what teaching styles people like and dont like. It was also good to hear stories about their teachers in the past. Blogging was certainly helpful for me throughout this class.

How does social justice play a part in schools?

What is social justice? Social justice is creating equality and opportunity for every person. Teachers use social justice in the classroom to promote equality between students of different race, backgrounds and cultures. It is about giving every student the opportunity to have the resources they need. It not only is to promote equality, but also to reach out to students in need. These students may have learning disabilities, problems at home, or may even be into drugs. Teachers need to be the ones to watch for signs that students may be having trouble in some area. As a teacher, you must provide the student with resources to help them. If a student is being abused, you must report it and seek that the student is getting help. Teachers often are "blind" in these situations because they dont want to deal with the problems. As a teacher, you are also becoming a mentor. You need to be there for these kids no matter how much work it may be for you. This is a way to change future generations. Change now will benefit students and children in the future. It is important that every teacher fights for their students to be in the best environment possible and to provide them with the resources that they need.
http://www.teachersforjustice.org/
http://www.teachingforchange.org/

Maria Montessori

I decided to research Montessori. I chose her because there are alot of Montessori schools around here and I never knew what the difference was. I figiured this could be my opportunity to understand what a Montessori school is. Maria Montessori, born on August 31, 1870, was an Italian physician and educator. She started out wanting to pursue a career in engineering, but soon turned to medicine and became a physician. She started working in psychiatry and was offered a position to train special education teachers. Then in 1907 she opened up a childcare facility and this is where her teaching philosophy began. She believed students have so much possibility to explore and develop in the right environment.

 "Montessori philosophy delivers a method of seeing children as they really are and of creating environments which foster the fulfillment of their highest potential - spiritual, emotional, physical, and intellectual - in the family and world around them." (montessori.edu)  It is a way of teaching that encourage independence, freedom and order. It is sort of like the summerhill school where students make use of the materials and use what they want in the environment around them. They decide how far they want to extend their knowledge. This type of environment is about letting children blossom and learn to their full potential. They believe every child has so much potential  and it shouldnt be stopped. They teach their students to apply their knowledge to real world experiences. Montessori education encourages students to gain knowledge through their surroundings, and essentially teaching themselves.

I like this teaching method because it encourages children to learn to their greatest potential. It allows children to discover who they are and their role in society. It is a way for them to explore their own knowledge with what is available to them in their environment.
http://www.montessori.edu/method.html
http://www.amshq.org/Montessori%20Education/Introduction%20to%20Montessori.aspx

How is pragmatism beneficial to education?

Pragmatism is a philosophy based on practice and theory. It is believed that only things that are experienced or observed are real. This type of philosophy is about applying ones knowledge. It is a hands on approach to learning. Many pragmatists have students work in groups and often have projects or experiments. Pragmatists believe that students should apply their knowledge which will help them out in the real world. This philosophy is based on motivating the students to learn and giving them reasons to enjoy what they are doing. Many schools now are pragmatic schools because their based on all hands on projects. Schools like Essex Agricultural are pragmatic because the students go there because the learning is specific to what they want to do in their lives. Students who want to be vets work with live animals, or students who want to go into construction do shop. They have many different options. In regular schools, many teachers are applying this philosophy. They are doing so because kids are asking questions about what this has to do with the real world. If they show them rather than just tell them, students get more out of the learning experience. This type of teaching encourages the students to actively learn and participate. It is beneficial for students to do hands on assignments so they can effectively learn to their greatest potential. I agree with this theory. I, as a student, am very hands on. I need to do something in order to learn it. Just hearing a lecture does not benefit my learning. Being able to actively participate and do hands on projects has helped me remember things from many years ago. Hands on projects are the most benefecial for students.

http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP2.html
http://pangea.tec.selu.edu/~swoodson/edf607/pragmatism.pdf

What is the Best Environment for Special Needs Students to Learn?

Whether or not special needs students should be included in regular classrooms is a big topic now in schools. What is going to make them be better students? I believe that including all students in the same classroom will best benefit all students. It is a challenge for the special needs students as well as the other students yet it is a growing experience for both. It challenges the special needs students to do as well as the other children and challenges the other children to work cooperatively with the special needs students. IDEA or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act says that students with disabilities need to be in the least restrictive classrooms as possible. It has been discovered that students with disabilities do best in normal classrooms rather than isolated ones. I believe this is because they dont feel different from others. This is also good because the other students wont look at the special ed students as different and they will realize they are all equal. This can be challenging for teachers but that is why there are aids to help. Schools need to be sure that each classroom is equipped for every student.

I believe inclusion is important. They should still have special ed departments where they can take the kids out if they need help. Including special needs students in the same classroom creates a good environment. I feel the special needs students are happier they can do the same things everyone else does and feel included in activities. I believe they will be excel to their full potential. I think all schools should start doing this and assess to what extent the kids can be in the same classroom. This will benefit every student.

http://nvpie.org/inclusive.html
http://suite101.com/article/understanding-classroom-inclusion-for-children-with-special-needs-a232748

How do we incorporate cultural diversity in the classroom?

Today each classroom is filled with many different cultures and backgrounds. It is the teachers job to incorporate all of the backgrounds in her teaching. First a teacher must start by researching each culture and discover unique qualities of each. "The teacher must provide experiences that are culturally specific inside and outside of the classroom."(teachersofcolor.com)  They also can have students do projects on their culture and present it to the class. Incorporating different culture techniques in a classroom will help the student with their learning. It will incorporate different learning techniques to better each student."When teachers have a basic understanding of cultural differences and similarities, they are more successful in maintaining self control and identifying alternate strategies when problems arise in the classroom". (projectidealonline.com) Every culture has different ways of thinking, and if a teacher can understand how someone thinks then both will benefit. Teaching about different cultures helps each student to better understand the world around them. Many children are sheltered and never learn about different cultures or different parts of the world. A teacher can also incorporate foods from different cultures in their learning and have lessons about each one. This will help each student to become more worldly and accepting of each culture they associate with every day. I believe teaching about different cultures is very important. I didnt have a culturally diverse elementary and middle school so highschool was a culture shock for me. Being in a highschool with kids of so many different backgrounds really benefited me. Today I am more well rounded because I had friends from all different backgrounds and learned so much about many new cultures. Learning about new cultures engages the students especially when it is incorporated with another classmates life. A good teacher will be culturally diverse and always looking to make each students well-rounded and achieve at their highest potential.
http://www.projectidealonline.org/classMgt_StudentNeeds.php
 http://www.teachersofcolor.com/2009/04/incorporating-cultural-diversity-in-the-classroom/

How can we stop bullying?

Bullying is a repeated act of aggressive or harmful behavior toward another person. It can be done in many forms such as violence, rumors, mocking, cyber bullying, threats and many more. Bullying has become a major problem in our schools and has even caused multiple deaths. Why does this happen? Because children arent receiving the support they need and supervision. Any child is at risk for bullying, some more than others. Signs of bullying I found on stopbullying.gov include:

• Unexplainable injuries
• Lost or destroyed clothing, books, electronics, or jewelry
• Feeling sick or faking illness
• Changes in eating habits
• Difficulty sleeping or frequent nightmares
• loss of interest in schoolwork, or not wanting to go to school
• Sudden loss of friends or avoidance of social situations
• Feelings of helplessness or decreased self esteem
• Self-destructive behaviors

What do we do if we see these signs in a child? We must not ignore it. Many children being bullied are afraid to admit it. They fear that the child bullying them may become worse or that others would think he/she was a tattle tale. Bullying has three people: the bully, the victim and the bystander. The bully may show aggressive behavior and get in trouble alot. Bystanders are just as bad because they stand there and watch another person get bullied without helping them in any way. Bullying is an epidemic and needs to be stopped immediately. In the U.S. alone there have been atleast 14 cases of suicide due to bullying. (abcnews) This is an unnaceptable statistic. That most likely isnt all the deaths that have been caused because of bullying. This epidemic must be stopped with help from many people. Teachers now must report any case of bullying to higher-ups in the school and the school reports it to local officials if needed. On Violencepreventionworks.org it lists a lot of ideas for teachers parents and administrators to prevent bullying. Some ideas for teachers are make a safe environment, address rules, take immediate action if something is wrong, notify parents, and many more.No case is taken lightly anymore. Parents also need to get involved. If parents arent involved, their children may be bullying others or could be the one being bullied.

In my opinion, bullying is not okay in any way. Schools need to really follow through with these new regulations and make sure that children are not getting away with bullying others. The reasons kids commit suicide because of bullying is because nothing was done about it. Nobody was there to help them. I believe if a child is being bullied they need to speak with the school counselors in order to make sure that they are okay. They must be evaluated and need to know that they are not alone. They need to feel comforted and know that it wont happen again. The person bullying needs to be punished. A detention wont do it. Getting the police involved may teach the kid a lesson.
http://abcnews.go.com/2020/TheLaw/school-bullying-epidemic-turning-deadly/story?id=11880841
http://www.stopbullying.gov/
http://www.violencepreventionworks.org/public/bullying_tips_for_teachers.page