Whenever I was having a hard time with school my dad would always recite the same speech to me. I called it his "building a pyramid" speech. Back then I would just roll my eyes and nod my head, but now I realize he was of course, right.
He would tell me that education and school was like building a pyramid, and the only way for me to be successful was to start from the bottom, and work as hard as I could. I needed to strive for above what I could actually achieve. He'd say "If you strive for a B, you can end up with a C." He'd tell me that to reach my goal I needed to lay down the building blocks first. This now relates to what I believe about education. The first thing I learned from this course is that it's important to have beliefs and and an education philosophy. So in this final post, I am writing an educational metaphor.
Whether you're a student, teacher, or anyone else, nothing is going to come easy the first time around. Practice always makes perfect, even if you're incredibly gifted and the activity comes easier for you. Before you can learn the things college students learn, you must first learn the basic skills for them in elementary school. Before you can become a talented martial artist, you must first learn all the basic moves, and the way to position your feet and hands. Without the bottom of the pyramid, the rest cannot be built.
In education you need to move up, brick by brick. There is no skipping over a brick. If you do skip over a brick you set yourself up to fail later on because you are missing that important step that you need to have for helping you learn future things.
Too often I do not give everything my all. I don't try my best, but I know that the only way to achieve something grand is to work hard at it. I graduated from high school after years of learning and struggling. If I had given up early I wouldn't have achieved my goal. In this course I have learned that you cannot expect to be the perfect teacher on your first try. Even though we will have training in college and student teaching, we will not yet understand it all. We will have to work hard. There will be slip ups but as long as we keep trying we will get there. Sometimes we will be so frustrated that we may want to give up. But giving up your students, your job, etc does not get you anywhere, it just halts the process. As long as you try something, you'll get somewhere. Which is why I've always liked the quote "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." If you do not try to do something, work more with someone, make the situation work, then you go nowhere.
As a future educator, I know I will have to strive to make sure all my students understand what I'm trying to teach. I have also learned I am going to have to work harder with those who are having trouble, but at the same time I need to push everyone to do their best. Those students who understand the topic, still have room for improvement. Life involves all different kinds of learning every day. There is no end to what you can learn.

The social justice issue I chose to research and discuss is different sexual orientations in the classroom.
I believe that learning about every sex, gender, race, religion, and sexuality is important. Students should understand that everyone is equal (or at least should be). Just because someone looks different than you doesn't mean you should treat them as less of a person.
I want to start about by saying that when I first searched my topic, I got a good amount of results that said something like "Homosexuals brainwashing our children." I also found a nice debate on whether or not homosexuality should be taught in schools. I think that if all types of religions are learned about in school, then why not all sexual orientations? There will be less bullying if students are taught to love and accept others different from themselves. You may not agree with the religion someone practices, but at least you can respect them and avoid discrimination. Hiding students from what is going on in the real only leaves them unprepared for when they actually enter it. I'm not saying students should be taught things like which religion to choose, but they should know about people and places different from their own.
No matter what some students in the school will grow up to be or may already identify as homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, asexual, transexual, transgender, etc. Children need to know that they will be accepted no matter who they love or who they identify as. If they are not accepted, they can never truly blossom into the healthy and complete person we wish for them to be.
As for discussion of sexual orientation in classrooms, it is up to states and school administrators to decide what the curriculum is, which includes what can and cannot be discussed in class. Currently, there are at least seven states in the United States that prohibit schools from discussing homosexuality in a "positive light." Here is an example, a Missouri bill that prohibits discussion of sexual orientation in classrooms. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randy-turner/missouri-bill-prohibits-d_b_1439299.html
By avoiding discussion of different sexualities, we promote intolerance, and end up with things like the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," policy, which I still can't believe was actually legal. We are always striving towards a better future, a world more equal for everyone no mater who you are. If we do not learn about different cultures, people, and places, then we will remain intolerant and will be doomed to repeat history.

http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-students-learn-about-homosexuality-in-school
http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2058&context=etd
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/AmericanFamily/story?id=2972531

Place Based Education

This week we are learning all about place based education. 
Place based education "promotes learning that is rooted in what is local—the unique history, environment, culture, economy, literature, and art of a particular place." In other words, students study curriculum that includes lessons about their town, city, or community. 
I think it's very important we have elements of place based education included in our normal curriculum. I think it would be bettter, however, if there were more schools that used place based education and focused on environmental education. It is important for students to understand the world around them and the importance of also protecting it. Classrooms should focus on activities and lessons for students that encourage experimentation, discovery, independence, an increase in good social skills, and also emotional development. 
I attended preschool in a natural science center and we focused on place based education and environmental education. We were able to learn in a classroom setting, but we spent most of our time outside. We took walks through the woods behind the school and learned about things we found on the nature trails. Long field trips were visits to the lake or meadow across the street where we were allowed some free time to play with friends and some time to learn too. The school included multi-sensory arts, crafts, and cooking activities as an added bonus. We created nature related projects to accompany what we were learning outside the classroom..
The science center itself was also home to many plants and animals that we could observe during and after school. I remember watching barn owls, turtles, snakes, frogs, chickens, geckos, etc. The school had an iguana named Bob that we would visit every day and a rabbit in our classroom for us to take care of. The science center was also home to a greenhouse that hosted a variety of plants, including a venus fly trap, which I was amazed by. I think if I still attended a school like this today I'd enjoy learning a lot more. It definitely began my life long love for all types of animals. 


The school is apparently now also partnered with the YMCA, so the kids get swimming lessons too. http://southshorenaturalsciencecenter.org/preschool/
http://www.ourcurriculummatters.com/What-is-place-based-education.php

Paulo Freire and bell hooks

First off, I wanted to say that while reading all eleven pages of article on the Paulo Freire banking concept, I found myself extremely bored. I kept losing my place in the reading and thinking about other things that were on my mind. Maybe it was the way the article was written or how long it was. Or perhaps I was just distracted. Did anyone else experience this? Anyways, I found the concept to be interesting, and also decided that I would never want to use it in my classroom. I feel as if many teachers do, whether purposefully or accidentally, use this method in their classroom. Sometimes as a student I know I'm not learning, I'm merely just memorizing. In some classes in high school I would often question "Why I am learning this?" and "Why am I required to learn this?" Sometimes I would just have to learn a list of names and dates for a test, but the minute the test was over the information would slip out of my mind. If I was lucky, I remember the information from September for the final in May, which I found to be ridiculous.

The theorist I chose was Gloria Jean Watkins, who also goes by the name "bell hooks." She wrote a book called "Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom." This book talks about her views on education and teaching. She believed that teachers who held too much power and authority over their students would only cause their students to be bored and less happy to learn. Bell hooks also believes that every student, no matter who they are or where they came from, is able to learn. She believes teachers should act less authoritative over their students, and more respectful and caring. Teachers must also "be actively involved committed to a process of self-actualization that promotes their own well-being if they are to teach in a manner that empowers students." (hooks 1994: 15)

I believe bell hooks theory is one that I would agree with. I know that treating students with respect rather than acting as if you are their superior is something that I would want to implement in my classroom. Students learn better when they are engaged in hands on activities and taught in different ways. Just spewing information out for students to memorize and then forget a few days later does nothing. I also agree with the quote from bell hooks that I included in my last paragraph. Teachers should know who they are and be working to better themselves, so that this can shine through in their teaching and empower their students. 

Bell hooks actually knew Paulo Freire and he was a great influence on her. She did not of course agree with everything he said. The banking theory is the opposite of what bell hooks believes about how we should teach. The article on the banking theory that we read states "knowledge is a gift bestowed by those who consider themselves knowledgeable upon those whom they consider to know nothing." The banking theory basically states that the teacher has the authority, the knowledge, and the power, and that the students they are teaching know nothing, should be grateful to have all this new knowledge, and must follow orders. What bell hooks says about teaching in her book is the opposite of this, so I believe she would reject this method of teaching. 

http://www.egs.edu/library/bell-hooks/biography/

http://infed.org/mobi/bell-hooks-on-education/

http://www.education.miami.edu/ep/contemporaryed/bell_hooks/bell_hooks.html

  

Educational Philosophy

When I first took the Educational Philosophies- Self Assessment I was a little confused as to how the scoring worked. Not sure if anyone else encountered that problem? I believe I figured it out eventually and the category or educational philosophy I was indicated to be in was humanism. This makes sense for me because after reading about it I found myself agreeing with a lot of the text. Becoming the best one can be is a very important part of learning and growing up. Everyone is different and will achieve different goals and levels of what they see as best. I believe students should have a choice in how they learn and some particular things they learn about. It's their life and their choices. If they don't get to choose certain things then learning won't be fun and some students may not learn at all. If students are given more choices this helps set them up for when they grow older, become independent, and live on their own. I also believe the mood of the student that day can change how well they are learning. If someone's having a bad day or is uncomfortable in a classroom they're not going to spend too much time learning. They will spend more time looking at the clock and thinking about when they can finally leave. I do believe that most tests, like standardized multiple choice tests do not help students too much. They just teach students to memorize information while studying and then forget it as soon as the test or school year is over. Multiple choice exams also don't help students learn because they can take a guess and pick any one of the answers. They may get the answer right but not have even known that was correct. I think the whole thing about incorporating an outdoor environment into the lesson is a great idea. Kids don't want to sit inside at their desks all day. Taking them outside for fresh air and new learning experiences would be refreshing. This all shows what I would be like as a future teacher. I want my students to be comfortable with their environment and I want my classroom to kind of be like a judge-free environment.
I think it's possible that the results could be in accurate "in picking up my true philosophy of education," but to me it seems like the test did a pretty good job. I think this is the most accurate out of all the categories I could have been put in.

http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/ed416/PP1.html

IDEA and UDL

In this blog post I will be addressing IDEA and UDL.  
As a teacher, it's your job to make sure all students in your classroom are learning and understanding the material. With so many different students with different ways of learning we have to figure out a way to meet all their needs. 
What is IDEA?
IDEA is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The law provides services to students with disabilities. IDEA provides services for children age three, up to twenty-one. Early intervention services are also usually provided for children from birth up to age 2. UDL is mentioned and defined in this act. 
What is UDL?
UDL stands for Universal Design for Learning. UDL is a set of standards for curriculum that helps teachers develop lesson plans that include all students and their individual learning differences. To quote udlcenter.org, it includes four parts, and "provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs."

Universal Design for Learning is very important because every student is different. Students may excel in one subject but need more help in another one. Some students have disabilities and need aids and other things to meet their needs. UDL helps make it easier for students to learn and provides many different ways of taking in information and completing assignments.
There was a program I read about developed by Scholastic Inc, called WiggleWorks. WiggleWorks were a set of books that incorporated UDL standards. The books were accessible to every child, even children with disabilities. To go in depth, the website said "Students with physical disabilities can turn pages and access controls with the touch of a key or a switch attached to the computer. Students with visual impairments can select large text with high contrast or opt to hear the text read aloud, navigating the program through buttons that "speak" their functions." (cast.org,ch4,pg2)
I thought this was a great example of UDL being put into action. Creating technology and other resources that all students can use is what UDL is all about. 

I am currently taking a Principles and Fundamentals of Special Education class in addition to this one. During our previous lesson the teacher had one student stand up and try to open one of the doors without using her hands. The first doorknob she tried was round and needed to be gripped with fingers and turned to be opened. The student had trouble with this door. The next door was simple a handle that had to be pushed down to get the door to open. Though this focuses more on the architecture of the building than the curriculum, I believe it still goes along with inclusion, and the goal of UDL to incorporate all students needs in the classroom. Something as simple as the design of a doorknob can help make a students life that much easier. 

http://www.udlcenter.org/aboutudl
http://idea.ed.gov/
http://www.cast.org/udl/

Incorporating culture into the classroom

It is important for teachers to create a culturally responsive classroom because it provides students with an understanding of different backgrounds and also respect for all people. We all share this Earth, and we should all be respectful towards each other. Teachers often have no previous knowledge of other cultures or how to incorporate learning about them into their lesson plan. All students are different, and each student learns in a different way. By having programs and lessons like these, teachers are able to learn about their students differences, learning styles, etc. Getting to know each and every student well is the first step. The children you work with are more than just names on a list. Your goal is to make sure they understand everything you teach them, but to do that you have to learn about them and understand how they learn. There was a quote I read in one of our readings that I found very important:
"[I]n the words of a wonderful Native Alaskan educator: ‘In order to teach you, I must know you.’ I pray for all of us the strength to teach our children what they must learn, and the humility and wisdom to learn
from them so that we might better teach."
—Lisa Delpit (1995, p. 183)
The Native Alaskan educator speaks nothing but the truth. You can't really do a good job at teaching someone something if you don't know anything about them. When I was researching this topic I came across two articles that stood out. Both are guides on how to create a culturally responsive classroom.
http://elearndesign.org/teachspecialed/modules/ocada7083_norm2/23/24_2/xmedia/reading_c8m3L2a2.pdf
http://blog.nationalequityproject.org/2012/08/22/5-ways-to-create-a-culturally-responsive-classroom/
Both articles highlight the importance of getting to know your students well, but one also mentions getting to know yourself well. You sit down and give yourself a "diversity assessment." This helps you better understand what you already know about other cultures, what you think diversity is, what experiences you've had in the past, and what is going on in terms of diversity in your classroom. It is also important to know about your own culture and how that affects you and others. Knowing all this can better help you learn about others. After you've done that you should incorporate cultures into your lessons, encourage students to help out and care for one another, make new students feel very welcome, and use what you have learned about your students to create interactive lessons that involve them more.

Does art education benefit at-risk youth?

Numerous studies show that children and teens who are at-risk can benefit greatly from varying types of art programs. At-risk kids ar

Why become a teacher?

Why become a teacher?

There are too many answers to this question to count, but I believe if you find you have a passion for teaching or helping others, then that is one main reason you should become a teacher. 

By teaching you are shaping the lives of others.  Some students go to school and see their educators more than they see their own parents. You as a teacher have the ability to help them learn and achieve their highest potential. You are helping them become better students and better people. You help advance their knowledge. You awaken something in the mind of your student that wasn't alive before. 

If you have a passion for something, why not share it with others, whatever it is? It's no use if you can't let people know about it, share it with the world, and teach it to others.

I've always believed that helping others is greater than helping yourself. If you have the drive to do this, you should be in a profession that involves this. Teaching certainly helps a variety of people. I have always strived to be a selfless individual. There is always someone out their who could use a hand. Teaching is helping others, and seeing the results in a student you have helped and you have worked with is also an amazing experience. When you help others, you're also helping yourself in a way, and teaching can be very rewarding. 

It's also an exciting career. You're always learning something new and so are the students. They're teaching you and you're teaching them. The job is never boring, that's for sure. Every day is different, and you get to move around with different subjects. Even if your job focuses on one school subject, you get to study all aspects of that subject. Every day is new and exciting. When teaching you also get to decide how you will teach. Other jobs may have a set of jobs you have to complete. With teaching you can create lesson plans and find great ways to make the students enjoy learning and actually listen.

Summer vacations are also a great bonus. :)

I added this image because it relates to what I said about helping others. This is my favorite poem, "Success" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. I particularly love the line that says "to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded." I believe teaching can definitely achieve this. Let me know what you guys think!

http://www.divinecaroline.com/life-etc/culture-causes/top-10-reasons-why-teaching-satisfying-career-choice

http://teach.com/why-teach