VOLUNTEER WORK AT NORTH HALEDON ELEMENTARY

This was a fun experience for me. It was my first time , volunteering in the after school program. All grades in the elementary level are allowed to attend. It costs $200 per month. I think its well worth the money. Most of the volunteers are college students like myself. We helped the students with their homework. After they finished they were allowed to have free play.The hours of operation are from 3-6pm. The students really seemed to enjoy themselves in the after school program. They enjoyed being around their friends. The program is held in the school cafeteria five days a week. This is a really good program for parents who work and can't pick up their kids on time. There is also a field trip that the students get to go on, since the parents are paying monthly. I really look forward to volunteering again.

MY COUSINS SOCCER GAME

I attended my cousins soccer game. All the parents were at the game cheering on their kids. It was really cold ouside, this is one thing I definately remember. I couldn't wait to leave because it was cold and raining. Even though it was in the morning, the kids had lots of energy. I wish I could have as much energy as them. They ended up winning the game. The kids were really exited about winning. The score was 4 to 1. The coaches encouraged the girls to try their best throughout the game. I forgot to mention that my cousin is in the 4th grade. The parents really encouraged the girls to give it their best shot. In was fun to feel all the energy in the atmosphere, I felt like a little kid again. It was a fun game, I really enjoyed being part of it.

PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCE

I attended my brother's parent/teacher conference. I attended the conference with my mother. My brother is in the 7th grade. It was a short meeting. it lasted for about 10minutes. Most of the parents showed up for the meeting. Each subject area teacher attended the meeting. The classroom that we were in was need and organized. this was the first thing that I observed. The teachers showed concern for my brother's academic progress. They said that he had the abilities to work harder and do better. In the classroom there were some motivational posters. This was the first parent teacher conference that I ever attended. It was a good experience, I just wish it lasted longer. it seemed way to short. I think the meeting should last for more than 10 minutes.

ARTS HIGH SCHOOL OBSERVATIONS

I really enjoyed my observations at Arts High School. Mrs. Anglin (U.S. History I) was really nice. I sat in the back of the classroom and did my observations. I really tried to take in my surroundings. First, I looked at the classroom. I checked the classroom set-up. The teachers desk was all the way in the right corner of the class. Her desk appeared to be neat and organized. I also looked at the set-up of the students desks. They were set up in groups. There was a chalkboard and an over head projector. The classroom seemed a bit small and somewhat cluttered. There were posters and projects all over the classroom. There was also a small desk with a computer sitting on top of it. I then observed the class itself. The class was small. The teacher taought the lesson by using the blackboard and the over head projector. She handed out hand outs in the beginning of the class. The handouts had the course objectves and also the homework for the week. The teacher got the students involved by asking them questions and usingreal life examples. The students particiapted in the lecture. The teacher gave them group assignments. The students seemed interested in the lesson. The teacher was doing a lesoon on Habieus Corpus. I asked the teacher how she motivated the students. She told me she motivated them by encouraging them to work gard, she told them that they could do anything that they put their mind to. She encourages them by giving them confidence. Mrs. Anglin gives group projects, and also an 80 mintue test, I'm assuming during each marking period. She said that the students usually do well on the test. Mrs. Anglin makes calls home to parents when she has to. She also has parent teacher conferences when needed. She sometimes shows videos in the class. Mrs. Anglin likes giving extra-credit to the students. It encourages them to improve their grades. Mrs. anglin tries to challenge her students by making them think outside the box. In her lessons she tries to use visual aids. Overall I had a really great experience at Arts. I would love to go back.

Arts High School

I thought Arts High School was a great experience. It was even better than I had expected. The kids there are so talented and have so much to offer. I was really surprised to find out that out of 2000 applicants only 150 are excepted. This is a serious school with many important values. Everyone there was really polite. It was just a great atmosphere, there was a lot to observe. It wasn't like an ordinary High School, it had something unique about it, I guess that's why I liked it so much. People are there because they want to be there, and because they have the talent to be there. I really look forward to going there again.

The Promise of Urban Schools

Urban schools are suffering from many challenges. Urban schools lack the resources that suburban schools have. Urban schools have great potential to prosper. Urban schools need to undergo many changes. Urban school students need to be encouraged through knowledge. Teachers need to be able to relate to their students. Urban school students shouldn't feel like their participation is not valued. They need to know that they are an important part of the community. They can make a difference in their lives if they are willing.(Teachers and the community also need to help in making a difference.) Teachers need to be actively involved in debates and actions in their schools as well as in their cities. Parent participation is also very important.(The Promise....pg.3-4) Instead of controlling students we need to inspire them. Action definately needs to happen quickly in order for their to be changes in the urban school environment. Schools need to prepare their students for the real world society. Schools also need to guide students in decisions that will affect their lives and also their community.

Inquiry Project Data

I still need to make some changes to my inquiry question. I think I need to be more specific. I still want to write my paper on the topic NCLB.I will need to check many sources and references. I can check the data from different schools; both urban and suburban. I can also speak to teachers who know the pros and cons when it comes to NCLB. There are many sources, I need to pick the ones that are most reliable. I can check the internet as well as books and use them for my sources. It seems like it's a tough assignment, but I think once we all start it will get easier.

NCLB: Narrowing the Curriculum?

In some ways I think NCLB is a great idea. This policy holds schools and school districts accountable for improving student achievement in Math and Reading. This is being done by increasing the amount of instructional time spent on both subjects.The downside to NCLB is that it takes away from other subject areas, such as, Art, Music, Social Studies, Science, and Physical Education. I think there needs to be some sort of compromise.All subjects no matter what should be looked at in the same way. All subjects are important in the development of each child. I think its ok for some subjects to be reduced minimally . But I don't think it's ok to reduce subjects such as Social Studies and Science to a great extent. I want to be a social Studies middle school teacher. It would bother me to know that time is being taken out of Social Studies and put into Math and Reading. Like I said before each subject is extremely important to the development of each child. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to NCLB, but something needs to be done to make NCLB as efficient as possible. Efficiency should be our number one goal and priority.

Teaching Againt Idiocy

Walter C. Parker discusses the root of the word “idiocy”. He explores the challenge that democratic societies face today. Democratic societies are trying to develop public-minded citizens. He addresses the following question: What problems do democratic societies face in developing public-minded citizens? He believes that schools can improve their efforts and achieve greater success. Idiocy shares the root idios, which means private, separate, self-centered and selfish. (Parker, pg.1) The powerful opposition in this article is the private individual versus the public citizen. Many schools are trying various ways to become democracies. They want to develop public citizens.
He marks that puberty is the transition to public life. In a democracy the people are the ones that govern. Parker notes one of de Tocqueville’s quotes, All democratic peoples face a “dangerous passage” in their history, he wrote, when they “are carried away and lose all self-restraint at the sight of the new possessions they are about to obtain.” De Tocqueville felt that getting “carried away” caused citizens to lose the very freedom they were wanting so much to enjoy. Idiots are idiotic because they are indifferent to the conditions and contexts of their own freedom. They fail to grasp the interdependence of liberty and community, privacy and puberty. (Parker, pg.2)
There is some hope in school. Schools already try to educate for citizenship, to some extent. Democracy is better than the alternatives because it can be held accountable for securing civil liberties and equality before the law. (Parker, pg.3) He states that there should be no alternative to democracy; instead it needs to reach its fulfillment. Democratic ways of living need to be created. Engaged citizens are not born capable of being democratic citizens. Being a democratic citizen is something that needs to be embedded into the human mind.
A school is not considered a private place; it is considered a public, civil place. Schools are public places where people are diverse. Parker discusses three keys. (1) Increase the variety and frequency of interaction among students who are culturally different from one another. (2) Orchestrate these contacts so as to foster competent public talk. (3) Except, teach, and model competent, inclusive deliberation. (Parker, pg.4) I agree with Parker’s proposal. I think children need to interact with children who are from diverse backgrounds. Children can learn from other children. Teachers need to promote acceptance and awareness when it comes to diversity. Interaction needs to be done in an n appropriate manner. People need to make sure they think before they speak, so that they don’t put there foot in their mouth. Things can be said as long as it’s in an appropriate manner.
A good teacher should be able to engage students in a positive way. Schools are the sites of choice because they have two important things, one being diversity and the other being problems, waiting to be solved. A proper curriculum for democracy requires both the study and the practice of democracy. Democratic societies are having trouble producing democratic citizens because they are not following the three important keys, which Parker has come up with. In many schools the diversity is present but there is still segregation, for example segregation in the cafeteria. There are many things that are hindering the further development of democracy in schools.

Inquiry Project

I think I want to discuss the pros and cons of No Child Left behind. This was one of the first topics that popped up into my head. I'm sure I'll come up with different ideas and topics. No Child Left behind would be a great topic for the inquiry project. This is a major issue in the U.S. educational department today. There are many debates over this particular issue. I'm sure many others in the class will decide to do the same thing, but everyone has different ideas and opinions regarding this particular topic.

Hodgkinson Article

Some states have 65% of their 19-year-olds addmitted to college whereas others have only 25-30%. What can be done to encourage students to continue their education? Diversity has become increasingly prominent in discussion. The article notes that the most diverse states are California, Texas, and Florida. I guess people are migrating out to these states. These three states are growing at a very rapid pace. I found it interesting that whites will become a minority of the U.S. population around 2050. By that time most of us will be retired, but it is still an evident fact. Hodgkinson makes a good point when he talks about economic desegregation. An economic floor needs to be built under every child. I agree with this idea. There needs to be an equal investment in each childs eduction.I thought the Demographic tips for teachers were very helpful. Demography has a large impact on education. All of these demographic changes will have a large impact on all of us. Statistics are proven to be very helpful, knowing statistics will help us become better teachers. We need to know who our students are. We also need to know who our parents are. By knowing the background of each child as a future teacher I will be better prepared to deal with daily issues.

Educating an Alien

Schools have grown a lot over the course of the years. There are four types of schools. These schools are public schools, private schools, magnet schools, and charter schools. The public school system is set up into districts and are available to those who live there. The public school system is the most popular, 88 percent of students in America go there. The private school are privately run institutions attended by those who apply and usually pay tuition. They don't benefit as much from the state financially like public schools. 12 percent of the students attend private schools. Magnet schools have specialized curriculum designed to attract students of diverse racial and ethnic back rounds. Charter schools are publicly funded and are governed by a group under a contract or charter that exempts them from certain government regulations
Our students are made up of a variety of racial ethnicities. The ages range from four to early twenties. There are also a variety of programs for adults and immigrants. One third of public students are from low income families. Four out of every ten public school students are children of color. One in every ten public school students is a English language learner.
Our teachers are pre dominantly women. 80 percent of teachers are women. Half of public school teachers have advanced degrees and over ten years of experience. Low income students are taught by less experienced teachers and high income students are taught by more experienced teachers. Teachers in catholic schools don't have to have a teaching degree to teach. High rates of teachers changing schools and leaving the profession are the cause of teacher shortages.

The First Reading

I found the first reading to be interesting. It was helpful looking at statistical data. Graphs and tables are always helpful, at least for me. All teachers should know the stats. behind schools. We need to know who our students are, and we need to know many other things to be able to become a valuable teacher.

First day of class!!!!

The first day of class is always nerve-wrecking. I always keep my fingers crossed and hope the professor is reasonable. I think our class is going to have a good semester with Prof. Goldstein, she seems cool and down to earth. I haven't done the reading yet, but I plan on reading some of it tonight and finishing it up on Wednesday. As of right now I really don't have much to reflect on. When I'm done with the reading I will refelct on my thoughts.( There are lots of tables to look at for this weeks reading.)