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.