Summative Field Blog

While looking back on all my blogs and the experiences that I have had at the schools we have visited, one thing has become apparent to me and that is the relationship with the student and teacher and how the administration has such an impact on teaching.  First hand I have been able to see the role of the teacher not only as a teacher, but as a mentor from grade school all the way until high school.  In elementary school the teacher is looked at as another adult figure that provides comfort and care, but also discipline as well.  In middle school we see the development grow more as the teacher becomes a coach as well or a group leader and then the personal relationships begin to develop slowly as we grow into ourselves.  Once we hit high school that is when we develop strong bonds with teachers because of how much time we spend with them.  This is where whether we are in an after school program ranging from sports to academic teams, we spend nearly two thirds of our weeks throughout the school year with these people and begin to develop a trust with them that does not just happen overnight.  As time passes, some bonds grow stronger and stronger, this not only helps with a relationship stand point but also on the educational level as well.  The student is able to trust what the teacher tells them is correct and therefore the student will listen to what he or she has to say in class which we hope results in better grades and results.
  The administration also plays a role in that they subject the teacher to a certain way of teaching and teaching things that are state tests.  In reality, how likely is it that these assessments are going to prove anything for the student in the long run.  I feel as if schools try to hide children form the real world for so long that it effects their potential in actuality.  Being able to experience what is happening at a young age is good for a person.  It makes them start making their own decisions at a young age.  While going through one of the clinical's, one of the authors said it best in that we only know the text, meaning we only know what the text says because everything besides that is not correct information according to schools today.  When it comes down to it, I believe that teachers should have the ability to be able to say what they please to a certain extent on a subject, whether or not it involves what they are teaching or not.  Certainly, it would only go so far to just get the students to question what is right or wrong and have then make up their own solutions to problems instead of always being told what to do in situations.

Philosophy Paper Proposal

  For my paper I will be looking at how teachers need to be good mentors for our students, not only from a educational aspect, but from a peer stand point as well.  Students today look up to teachers more than most people think.  The philosophy behind it is knowing that teachers spend most of their lives being around kids thinking that whatever they tell them, goes in one ear and out the other.  When in reality administrators, parents, and even the teachers do not know that there are those select students who really engage with what the teacher is saying actually has an impact on that child's life.  Everyone in school had that teacher that we all looked up to, but for what reason?  That is it, is that there are endless reason why we looked up to a teacher because of the way they taught, if they were a coach, possibly even helped you with an out of school problem.
  Teachers too how become unaware with how much of an impact they have on a child's life as well.  Even if it is something as simple as  asocial media site, if a students sees one thing that they could misinterpret, it could totally fracture the image they had of that person.  This is why there must be a limit to what and who teachers let view their social media sites, if they even have one. Especially in todays world where anyone can view anything on the internet, once it is on the web it will always be there.
  For me the need for teachers to still be the role models that the younger generation looks up to is because teachers, for the most part, are who children should look up to.  Many young teens idealize star athletes but with all the money and fame comes heart break and to much power to handle for some.  Some athletes we see today get into drugs or alcoholic problems because they just do not know how to deal with the fame and fortune they have possessed.  Even though today there are more cases of teachers who have ups and downs whether with alcohol or even some have affairs with underage students, these are rare cases tat should not be taken out on all parties of the teaching profession.  Teachers to me are the one people who are able to get into a child's head when parents and no one else can.  They have something about them that lets a student trust them more than anyone else and we as teachers must remember this and not give them a reason to doubt us either.

Blog Post 10

As the semester comes to a close, I really wonder what it is we have been blogging about this whole time.  To me it has all come down to the best possible way to become a teacher and have your kids learn to their full potential via activities and subjects that they actually want to learn.  Students have to want to be able to learn and the only way I think students will want to learn is by if teachers actually teach want students find interesting.  The only reasonable thing that I think will work for future generations is if we use this idea of evolving schools so that they appeal to the students more.  If we develop our schools so that they make the student feel as comfortable as possible and teach them what is really going to help them later on in life.  The activity that really opened my eyes to this was when we had created our own school to present in class.  After being able to combine many different features of what the best school would provide we were able to come up with the best possible environment for students.  Overall in the class I have really enjoyed talking about how the teachers should act in order to become the best possible teacher they can.  The way a teacher teaches I think is the way to be able to tell how the students will learn from that teacher. Teachers who really care for students and have a more developed sense of what their students needs are have a more likely ability to get more out of their students as well.  The hardest part I believe is being able to bend but not break the rules and regulations of the school that you teach at as much as possible.  Teaching straight from the book at all times is not beneficial to the students learning or the teachers teaching method either, the classroom then becomes toxic.  Once the classroom becomes toxic is the moment that you lose your students all together.  The most important part of becoming a teacher I think is being able to relate to each students on a personal level and on a educational level as well.

Blog Post 9

After being able to read about the SummerHill school and the different type of techniques that it allowed its students to use, it really opens my eyes on what a good school should look like.  After doing the group design project, being in a group with three different cultures was very helpful.  We were able to distinguish differences from one another cultures and take what we thought what was best from both and combine them into our school.  The reason that I had chosen relationships was because it sounded as though teacher/student relationships in Niko and Kevin's were not as strong as I have witnessed in the States.  Which is why we choose our school to be in a impoverished area because we wanted every student to have the chance to have the best education that they could possibly get, depending on whether or not they wanted to.  The biggest thing that really stuck out to me while designing our school was the sense of it being a boarding school on the weekdays, and the eating a meal together at least once a week.  The school would be the home away from home for the students and what other way to make it feel like home and a family than eating a meal together with one another.  As Kevin had explained in class, in France, having a meal with someone shows that you have a special connection with that person or peoples.  I also think that if a school wants to be the "best", it has to change every single year because each year students are changing and the only way to survive is to adapt to their students and their abilities.

Blog Post 8

While readings Ayers' chapter 7, I really involved myself with his topic of many of the things that teachers should know in order to be successful.  Some of these were self-criticism, finding allies, authentic friendship, and balance and clarity.  The one that really stuck out to me though was the Authentic Friendship section which is the single most important thing to understanding their students completely.  Teachers have a hard time finding a good medium between being sociable with students and then being able to be a mentor and guide students as well.  Everyone wants to be that favorite teacher that no ones likes, but sometimes that can be taken to far and you could not only lose control of your students because of your reputation, but your colleagues as well. All of these, in a way, correspond with one another because having allies in the teaching profession can lead to balance and more clarity in what should be done, but not without a little criticism on the way.  It all just depends on how you can handle the criticism and how you put it to the best use possible.  Being able to balance all the challenges that come along with being a teacher is not only going to make someone a more likable person, but a better person as well.

Field Blog post 3

While at Orange High School, it was a very different experience compared to when I was in high school.  While observing a Honor Pre-calc class made mostly of Sophomore students, it was interesting in how the technology had developed from my school.  When i had walked in the students were very interactive with one another and the teacher was walking around the room helping students individually when they needed help.  She had given me a paper of their lessons for the day and new formulas that the students would be learning that day.  She had also shown me shown me the calculators that the students used for the class and they blew me away.  They were Ti-Nspire calculators and were basically hand held computers for the students to use and it was just a small token showing the direction that the school was going in and that they were technologically advanced in the resources that they had.    The class had started with two bell work problems that the students would do by themselves and then answer them as a class and if anyone had any questions they would ask Mrs. Rudolph.  In the classroom it was different compared to what I was used to in high school in that all the walls could be moved through a sliding system and they each wall except for the wall that was connected with the windows were actually chalk boards.  This to me was something that may have been creative five years ago but now smart boards and white boards have almost outdated chalk boards all together.  She used the space well though and had many posters of formulas and signs all over the classroom which is smart because it is something that the students would be learning in the class through out the year so with them seeing it everyday, it helps engrave it into their heads and helps them learn it and retain what they learned.  Mrs. Rudolph was very involved with the class always interacting with them even if she was just talking to them about something other than math.  She knew when to get the students attention and be serious and when she could joke with them.  Her balance of lecturing and conversing was spot on and I think this is a reason why the students enjoyed her so much and could be taught easily by her.  She had explained how she had all these students the previous year and how it was amazing and somewhat confusing as to why the could understand what they were learning now and to where the struggled with being introduced to these things the year before.  Like, what was it that had clicked in the students brains and made it easy for them to understand what was being taught and apply to their work and tests. That is the main question that I asked myself while sitting in that class room, how come one year students can go from now having a clue about one thing to completely understanding it the next?  What is it that clicks in their brain to make them get it, is it the constant pressure from their parents, teachers, or just self satisfaction of doing good?
  A small point that was brought to my attention was that students were allowed to carry their book bags around into the classroom which at my school was something that was something that was not tolerated at all and disciplinary actions would be assessed if the students had refused to return their bookbag back to their locker within a given time period.  The only exception that was given is if the student locker was broken and they could not access it.

Blog Post 7

  In schools today it seems that every teacher feels that they need to get as much as they can while the time is right.  Buying in bulk for school teachers is equivalent to power lifting for weight lifters.  Whenever teachers see something that they think they will need for the future, they buy as much as they can.  Ohanian says "Most of us never use 80% of the materials jammed into our classrooms, but we cling to them "just in case."", showing that the reason that most school teachers do this is because of fear I think.  Many schools, financially, are not stable enough to be able to provide necessities that their students need so many teachers will buy them and use the many out of their own pockets to get what is needed.  For instance, when the winter months start rolling around many teachers go out buy tissues for their students or encourage their students to bring boxes for extra credit that way they do not run out during the sniffling season.  It has become a shame that most teachers have to cherish such little things now because they do not know if they will need that at some point in their teaching careers later on, but they may not be supplied them by their school or district.  I believe that this is one of the reasons why so many people fear the area of going into teaching because they are so unsure of what or when they will need to provide for their classroom because their school superiors can not due to budget circumstances.

Blog Post 6

From the reading of the Banking Education method, the difficult read also brought out key points to be addressed from its readers.  The main question that had arisen was whether or not the Banking Education system was trying to liberate us from our full potential of learning.  There has almost been a limit pt on what teachers are allowed to teach and therefore, limits what the students are allowed to learn.  A top is placed over the creativity that teachers can pursue to get their students to become more engaged and interested in the learning.  I also thought that the sense elf the most educated person in a very broad sense of  a person because of what it could mean.  The example that a person with a degree is some who would be more considered to be the educated person compared to a person without a degree.  This could also bring up a question of who would be the more educated person between someone who attended a liberal arts school compared to a trade school. The students a trade school is only learning one skill compared to the liberal arts students ho is learning a variety of subjects and will more than likely further their education.  The child who is from the trade school will probably go right into the work force after school.  Who is to say that this person will have that same job their entire life though?  If they were to get fired then they would have to try and find another job of the same qualities because that is all that he knows.  Without the further meant of his education, he makes himself less marketable to what has become a corporate world.

FieldBlogPost2

While taking our trip to Beachwood Middle School, it was amazing at the technology they had and were able to use it.  The funds of the school made it very appealing because of how much they are able to get regarding the Mac books that each students gets, from the state of the art facilities that everyone is able to use.  The school had a whole class that taunt the students how to use a video production making system, and it was spectacular in seeing how many of the students could wizard through these laptops with ease.
  My first class that I had attended was an art class full of 6th graders and they were working with clay. Now I had not done clay work like they were doing until high school especially with the terminology that they were using was the same that they had been using.  From what I observed from the students was how attentive they were.  They would come straight into the class and get their supplies and get right to work.  They did not need any explanation of what was going to be done because they had stayed on the same project for several weeks to get the children used to using what they know.  They all worked rather independently and got along with one another.  Seeing them all get along was very good to see especially with how diverse the class was, but there seemed to be shunning of students to another.  The students had their own lockers where they grab their supplies from and also have small cubicles where they place book bags and other things they bring with them.  The teacher had told of that he holds different activities for different age groups, and is only given about 6 weeks which is class that he is given because of other electives the children take.
  The next class that I had visited was a 6th grade English class and right from the start the kids had gotten straight to work and the teacher acknowledged them for doing what they were suppose to do.  The way the desks were aligned in a row in rows, touching side by side, and the students were set into groups later on in the period.  The lesson plan was written on the board and students would come in and open up their laptops where they opened up a tab on the internet, and began to write down vocals words that they would find in the books they were reading at the time.  The students themselves are very active and participate a lot during events.  Some are even so active that they notice mistakes that the teachers misses during the lesson.
  I thought that in all, the school was one of the better schools I have ever entered.  The criteria to attend the school was that of a top notch school and it was a rather larger school, that is located in the Division 3 of high school sports.  The location of the school is perfect too, especially with the location of the school in the area of so many different cities.  Meeting the Principal and especially hearing the school counselor talk about how highly he thought of the school just showed the type of school it was and was going to become.

Blog post 5

On the topic of LGBT communities I think that it is something that must be more widely expected because of how it is becoming more of an accepted value throughout the country. While reading the book it mentioned how teachers should go through some type of training or educational class that prepares them for questions that are going to get them ready for questions that students may ask.  It is almost surprising how many kids are coming out nowadays in middle and high school, and I think that has something to do with all of the celebrities that kids admire in todays society's.  Role models to kids have become such a large impact on kids lives today and they really try to imitate what they do and how they act.  Being apart of the LGBT community has become more of a larger part of each community throughout the United States and I think that people are just unsure of how to come about it because it is out of the normal with what people are used to.  For me it was something that was never a problem in high school because there were teachers that students knew they could go to and not have to worry about it getting out, possibly even supporting them with the decisions they made.  I think it not only helps students, but it almost makes the other students accept it because if teachers accept it then it is almost making the other students have to accept that it is ok too.

blog post4

It is amazing how institutional racism is still something that is a problem in the educational system.  The indirect racism that happens in schools is baffling especially being in the age we are.  The trained eye has to be able to see it though cause some people could stereotype and just say that the African American kids or the low-income family kids are just causing trouble.  In actuality, the teachers are a reason in which they act the way they do.  Treating someone differently because of there race or gender does not seem to make any sense.  People now a days preach equality and everything but if we cannot do it in the educational system, where children spend most of their adolescent and teenage years, then how do we expect them to learn what the true meaning of it is?  I think workshops for teachers should be demanded in order for them to learn what not to say and what not to shy away from when talking to their students.

Blog post 3

After arriving at Mercer Elementary, it was easy to see the excitement and positive attitudes that filled the air.  The corridors were filled with paintings, papers, and coloring activities that brought out the brightness that the school not only had, but each of its students as well.  One was able to get a sense of how each child learned and also how each teacher went about in their teaching methods.  Every child was interactive during classes, either by choice or by being called on.  The teaching methods were done so that each child could learn the way that was best for them.  Different methods such as hands on, visual were used and it was easy to see what worked for each student.  My biggest question was how much trust was put into these students?  I noticed they were allowed to get up in the middle of class to get something without having to ask.  That fascinated mien the sense that it was a privilege they are given even at such a young age.  I am sure though that it can just as easily be taken away as it was given.

Blog post 2

Sitting at a local restaurant, there were key points that I had observed from the short time I was there.  The restaurant required that you were given a bowl and allowed to put whatever and how much you wanted in that bowl to be cooked up and served to you.  For the most part everyone had gotten the same amount of serving, and then I noticed two males probably in their 30's that were what we would consider slightly obese in society today.  Looking at their portions size, it was just as small as mine.  I am not a big man at all knew that my portion sized could have been doubled by those two men easily.  i also noticed how the workers there had asked those two men specifically if there was anything else they wanted to add.  Why were they the only ones asked this question and why did those men feel the need to shelter there eating, unless they are on some type of diet, when there should not be a standard to how someone looks at you by how much you eat.

Field blog 1

  Making the trip to Mercer Elementary School in Shaker was a far more different experience that what was expected.  Since I want to be a high school teacher, I was unsure how the elementary aspect would effect me.  Walking into the school was the first thing that had made an impression on me.  The halls were so decorated with arts and craft, papers written by the children and many more.  Once we had made our way into the library, it seemed like any ordinary library you would find in an elementary building; was not overly large, had sections for younger kids and a few computers to look up books.  What really struck me though was when a young boy, probably in the 3rd or 4th grade had walked in and sat on a bench closer to the entrance of the library.  I could not help but notice the book that he was reading had to have been somewhere near 500 pages, just by the thickness of it, and the ore impressive thing is that he was at the end of it.  I had heard that the school was full of bright young and advanced minds but that really sparked my interest in what I was about to observe.
  Our class had a brief introduction from the principal giving the background of the school and then he had let us wander the halls of the school independently.  After a half hour we were allowed to venture into a classroom and sit in on a teacher and observe her teaching techniques.  As I had made my way around the school it was easy to see that all the teachers had one of the same things in mind; bring the creativity out in all the students.  Every floor and hallway was covered with the creativity and imagination of students that had literally gone from wall to wall.  It was intriguing to see what the students had written about themselves and what they wanted to do when they grew up.  The next stop I made was into the gym/cafeteria and the one thing that had caught my eye was all the different flags hanging up near the rafters.  All the way around the gym, they had each countries clad with the name underneath which while the students may not have always noticed them, I think it was to show the diversity of the school along with the wide variety of teaching ways that they use.  As I made my way through the halls the morning announcements had come on with the daily announcements first then the pledge followed by core values that they had said after the pledge.  I found this interesting because they were four or five words that I can not remember what they were but to the administration they must be important if they say them everyday to instill them in the minds of their students.
  When I was finally able to step into a classroom is when my excitement really started.  The first thing that struck me was how the walls were decorated with more work done by the kids or just posters of encouragement or to evolve learning.  I found that to be very helpful because trying to keep a 3rd graders attention for a whole day is not the easiest thing.  If they are going to wander with their eyes, they mine as well look at something that is educational to them and could better them.  I walked in and the kids were doing some type of activity before the teacher had instructed them all to move to the carpet to start a math lesson.  One of the things that really struck me was the freedom that all the kids were given to get up on their own without having to ask permission unless they had to leave the room.  To me that showed a sign of respect that the teacher had for the students and vice versa.
  The teacher had a session of math that took place on the carpet in front of the smart board for the students that were better at looking at a problem and being able to solve it and then sent the kids back to their seats and gave them their own workbooks to work from.  This was for the children would needed to be involved to learn and she had kept the entire class engaged at all times.  What I thought was really great by the teacher is when she would call on all students, even the ones who were not raising their hands.  That to me was showing them that there was no time to slack off because they could be called on at every moment.  The elementary was much more contained and a better overall experienced than I had expected.  Seeing how the school was run and being able to see how the kids interact was great.

WebPost 1

Personal information:

  My names Ryan, I would like to someday teach mathematics at the high school level.  I;m a very avid sports fan, if I'm not playing them I'm watching them or coaching.  I had just gotten into coaching this past fall and loved it.  It's a different feeling when you see your teaching be put to work and successfully used, which is why I thought teaching would be best suited for me.

Learning Style and More:

  For me to take risks in a classroom I must feel that the professor teaching the course is willing to take the same risks that they are asking me to take as well.  Such as, if I am going to write a 10 page paper, I want that professor to read every word of that 10 page paper.  When looking at myself as a student I believe I participate more in classes that i understand and enjoy.  I always show up to class on time and will have the assigned readings or work done for that day before the class has started.  I do not like things sugar coated for myself.  If I am going to be told something I want the honest truth even if it is not what I want to hear.  I stick with something if I do not understand it, and will continue to try and figure it out until I do.

Education Past and Present:

  Changing my major was something that came as a shock to myself.  Being in business is what I thought I had wanted until I started taking classes and soon realized it was not for me.  Education was something that was always around me because my mother was a teacher in the Cleveland Municipal School district for over 30 years so it seemed natural for me to switch to Education.  The biggest concern I have in facing education is being able to find a job in my field coming out of college.

About Dr. Shutkin:

  What is it that made you want to/intrigued you on becoming a man of education?