Things and Stuff: April 2012

30 April 2012

Introduction to Education Homework # 15

Read the Case Study 1.1 (CD) Megan Brownlee

How did it make you feel

I had pretty neutral feelings regarding the Case Study 1.1. While the points that Ms. Brownlee makes about the downsides of teaching are not among the most common complaints that I have heard, I still feel like her points were only relatively bad. Her main complaints were scheduling, her colleagues, and standardized testing, but I only felt like the scheduling was actually a significant issue.

Regarding the competency and relationships with her colleagues, I think that Ms. Brownlee sums up and undermines her point best when she says, "those are the kinds of issues you find on any job." Having worked in plenty of minimum-wage jobs and in the Army, and having discussed this issue with professionals of different occupations, I strongly believe that every job is likely to have people that are not overly proficient. In response to the teachers' complaint that she is having trouble teaching a diverse group, it seemed unrealistic to me that she expected a specialist to come in and spend time in her class and then help her adjust. I cannot come up with any jobs where an individual works alone like a teacher and could get this kind of service. Maybe some sort of remedial training or something would be easier for her to find and help her deal with the issue. She might consider taking "Teaching Diverse Populations" at SPC.

I'm not particularly familiar with how standardized tests compare with the learning objectives that should prepare students for them; however, it seems to me like the solution would be to report the inconsistency of whatever questions she had not prepared for and then adjust her lessons for the future. I have always thought that teachers needed to be adaptable and should expect to make these kinds of regular changes. Maybe this issue is a big deal, I'm not really sure personally, but it did not seem like a big issue to me. Additionally, I was under the impression that a lot of standardized tests have questions that require students to apply information they have learned to a new kind of problem or to tackle problems they may have never directly learned how to solve. A real assessment should probably include at least small amounts of information both above and below a group's knowledge or skill level.

The issue regarding scheduling was the only thing I thought seemed like a significant and troubling problem. I believe that Ms. Brownlee's school is probably not trying to make her job difficult just for kicks, so it is probably the result of either bad scheduling by the school or bad scheduling directed from higher than the school/school board. If it is the former, she should try coming up with an alternative plan and explain to higher how the scheduling complicates her job or hinders her ability to properly teach. In the case of the latter, there is probably less that can be done, but this seems, once again, like a challenge that she should be prepared to discuss and adapt to accommodate. I was in GT in school and other kids in my class were in ESL or remedial reading, so this issue of kids being pulled from classes for extra instruction is obviously not new.

My overall feelings about this Case Study are that it was nice of Ms. Brownlee to tell the truth about how she felt and present a realistic impression of the job to Mrs. Ernst, but the reasons that she used to justify the difficulty of teaching or to advise her to reconsider were not adequate.

Introduction to Education Homework # 14

Read Case Study (CD) Joan Martin, Marilyn Coe and Warren Groves

React to what you read by answering the following questions:

What are the issues in this case study? What would be your stand in the meeting if you were Joan, Marilyn, Warren? What can be compromised in each person’s point of view? How could the issues be resolved?

The primary issue of this case study is whether or not it is justifiable to integrate a student with special learning needs into a regular classroom for the benefit of socialization, even if that child may not be capable of completing the coursework. The student in question in the study is named Donald Garcia, has reading abilities about three grade levels below his age, and has trouble speaking English, as it is his second language. Donald's special education teacher, Marilyn Coe, believes that it is essential for Donald to be integrated for social reasons and to prepare him for secondary education. Joan Martin is a social studies teacher who accepts Donald into her class, but later feels that Donald is simply unable to read and write well enough to be successful in her class. Joan cares about Donald's socialization, but does not want to compromise her own personal values by changing her grading system or curriculum. Warren Groves, the principle of the school, believes that these two teachers are the subject-matter experts and should be able to make the final decisions, but realizes that the conflict of interests involved may require his intervention. He is not quite sure whether it is more important for Donald to be mainstreamed or to remain in classes at his learning level, but he hopes to find a solution that will be advantageous to the student, without insulting the professional integrity of either teacher.

Personally, if I were Joan Martin, I think that I would stand my ground on the belief that Donald "shouldn't be in fourth grade if he can't read the work." I don't think it would be fair for Joan's other students, or ethical of her, to grade Donald using a different system or give him separate work. From the perspective of both Marilyn and Warren, I think that I would start out by admitting that I had made an error of judgment. Marilyn obviously did not seriously consider how this scenario was going to play out realistically or logically prioritize Donald's needs, which I will clarify in the final paragraph. Mr. Groves should also admit his fault in this scenario. While his intentions were good in offering advice but letting the teachers decide, he should not have let them decide in this case to put a child that cannot read in a fourth grade class.

Each person in the scenario can compromise in a few ways; however, the majority of those ways are probably not beneficial. If Joan keeps Donald in the class, she could compromise by grading him differently, giving him different assignments, or spending more time instructing him personally. Marilyn has fairly limited room to compromise because she is already doing what she can to help him with his social studies work and taking him out of the class would not be a compromise, but a submission on her part. I guess it would be a compromise if she just allowed him to fail, but a pretty lousy one. The principle should compromise firstly by involving himself more in the situation and giving these teachers some actual guidance, rather than just advice. He can also choose to do what is best for Donald, even though it would probably be at the expense of one of the teachers' pride and confidence.

I have very clear feelings about how this issue should be resolved. Firstly, I will return to my comment earlier about Marilyn not logically prioritizing Donald's needs. I have serious doubts that socialization will be more beneficial to Donald for life in America than learning how to read and speak English. It also seems like Donald failing this class will ultimately make both middle school coursework and socialization more difficult. Marilyn should have strongly considered these things before deciding to move him almost solely on a social basis. Another potential solution to this problem was apparent to me from very early in this case study. Everyone involved in the scenario openly acknowledged from the start that Joan is one of the best teachers, but also one of the most difficult, having some of the highest expectations. Even if it seemed to them at the time like the most difficult teacher would be the best place to send a student with special needs (it did not to me), it should have been proposed by someone involved to move Donald to the easiest teacher once they realized he was not able to handle the class. This is my solution; the principle needs to do his job and either move Donald back to the special education class that he was in to begin with, where he probably needs to be, or at least move him to a class with a teacher who's not holding a special needs student to the same standards as the top tier of her class.

Introduction to Education Homework # 13

Watch Video "A Tour of a Charter School” -

What are the pros and cons of magnet, charter and virtual schools, open enrollment and vouchers?

A charter school is a privately managed and operated school that uses a charter, or legal contract, from a school board. The charter school is created by an individual or group of individuals that have control over the school’s budget, curriculum, and faculty. Unlike private schools, charter schools typically do not have strict admissions standards and receive their funding based on the number of enrolled students. Some of the advantages of charter schools are that they can be more or less traditional based on the founders’ preferences, classes are typically smaller, schedules and curriculums can be adjusted as desired, and teachers can earn higher salaries. Some disadvantages to charter schools are that funding for materials may be limited without a financial supporter, results of student achievement show little difference from public schools, and many view charter schools as taking needed funds from public schools.

The system of vouchers enables students and their parents to essentially receive the government funding that would have been applied to the student in a public school and apply it to the school of their choice. Using vouchers, students who may have only been able to attend a public school in a poor area can use their educational funds to go to any public or private school of their choice. Advantages to the voucher system are that it allows parents and students more choices in what schools students attend, it is believed by some to positively increase competition among schools, and it increases diversity among public schools. Many people are also opposed to vouchers because, like charter schools, they take money from public schools, and they are believed by some to be putting government funds allocated for education into religious institutions.

Magnet schools were created to offer specialized schools and programs for talented students in urban areas. This concept was later adapted in hopes of “voluntarily racially [desegregating] schools.” The biggest advantage to magnet schools is probably that students with special interests and talents can be educated and encouraged in those areas. Additionally, magnet school students have not only been shown to outperform students from other types of schools in some studies, but magnet students are also potentially less likely to be involved in troubles like drinking or fighting. Some disadvantages of magnet schools are that they are more expensive than public schools, can suffer from underfunding and lack of transportation, and that they may require students to commute to school, taking them out of their community.

Open enrollment is not actually a type of school, but rather a policy or strategy for school enrollment across a district. Open enrollment allows parents to enroll their students at any available school within a district, rather than just at the school with the closest physical proximity. As we discussed in class, open enrollment is actually pretty common now, with the book stating that over forty states allow it. While the primary goal of open enrollment was probably desegregation originally, it serves more now as a means of choice for parents and as a means of prevention for intentional or unintentional community-based segregation. The advantages to open enrollment are listed above: it allows many more school choices for students and parents and increases their ability to overcome issues of segregation or disproportionate funding. The only disadvantages to open enrollment schooling might be increased transportation times and costs and issues that would arise from taking a student out of their community.

Virtual schools allow students to complete all or part of their education online at “virtual high schools.” These schools are often managed and organized in the same way as public schools, with students having specific teachers, administrators, counselors, etc. In full-time virtual schools, the school is often a combination of charter school and virtual high school. There are great advantages to virtual schools for students with special needs (like physical or learning disabilities) and students with special interests or talents, because of the potential for a more individualized student curriculum. Virtual schools can also present some strong disadvantages. One study I read online stated that, for Michigan, virtual schools can cost almost twice as much as traditional public schools and have been found to be largely ineffective schooling methods. In other states, reports of costs for virtual schooling are often roughly equal when compared with traditional schooling. Regardless of costs, many people still disagree with virtual schools for the lack of social interaction and questionable effectiveness.

Introduction to Education Homework # 12

Not in anyway giving anyone permission to plagiarize or copy this and also not verifying the authenticity of any of the information. Also note that there are probably no sources listed and I am not one myself, so don't quote me. This is just some of my homework; thought it might be interesting to someone:

Read "Questionable Assumptions about Schooling". What are some of the critical issues for you? How would you reform schools?

This article, “Questionable Assumptions About Schooling,” identifies some of the issues we currently have in schools and how public opinion is often based on misleading or erroneous assumptions. The author identifies some major, commonly-known issues, as well as some lesser known issues and assumptions about education. Some of the misled assumptions about schooling discussed are the purpose of schools, the best ways to evaluate and improve schools, and the organization strategies of traditional schools.

The most critical issue raised in this article to me was the concept of testing as a means of reforming schools and teachers. The author points out that standardized tests do not allow a teacher to help particular students improve (because of when they are administered), and also do not provide any clues about the proper method of reform. I most liked the quote, “What test scores predict best are other test scores,” because I feel like that is a much better interpretation of their value than the one commonly used by administrators and legislators. Though this class has greatly improved my understanding of standardized testing and its usefulness or effectiveness, I have always felt like these tests are a poor way to evaluate teachers and a bad basis for educational reform.

While I did not think that any of the other issues were as critical, I was very interested in some of the organizational ideas about our schools that the author pointed out as questionable. The concepts of age-grading and single-year teachers are definitely ones that I had never considered alternatives to. I do not currently think that these practices should be eliminated or reformed, but I do think that reconsidering them relatively might yield positive results. In many cases, like for students with special needs or learning disabilities, being grouped by abilities might be much more effective than age. While it may not be productive or efficient for many subjects and grades, I can see how reading groups formed based on students’ reading abilities could enable individual students to reach their maximum potential, rather than the expectations for their grade and age.

As related to this article, I think the most important reforms for schools will be based in changing the public’s perception of what makes schools, teachers, and students most effective. The author identifies some of the troubling ideas that many people perceive about schools, like that we should evaluate them using test scores or promote school competition. I think that both of these ideas are horrible and changing them could do a lot to reform schools for both teachers and students.

The biggest issue, in my opinion, relating to schools was not addressed in this article; money. If I could personally reform schools, I would work to provide the funds and resources to pay teachers properly and provide students with the tools and programs they need to succeed. Though education is considered one of our country’s most important institutions, it is often the first thing that our elected officials will try to shortchange and save money on. We, as taxpayers and voters, allow them to do this even though it is against our best interests and our core values.

Introduction to Education Homework # 11

What is the purpose of school? Should schools transmit culture or change it? How would your view be different if you were a politician, a businessman, a teacher or a parent?

Abraham Lincoln is quoted as having said, “The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” From this quote, one could infer that the purpose of school is to create voters and politicians with the knowledge and tools to guide our country in the proper direction in the future. This is essentially what I believe; the purpose of education is to create effective future citizens through a combination of knowledge and social reform.

I think that it is the responsibility of schools to fulfill, at least to some extent, both of the fundamental purposes of education that are listed in the book. It is important to transmit society’s knowledge and values for multiple reasons. Firstly, to set students up for success in America and a globalized world, it is important that they understand both our culture and the world’s. Because the students of today will be the voters and politicians of tomorrow, knowledge of history will be essential in avoiding the repetition of its mistakes. Additionally, creating intellectually and culturally aware students is one of the only reasonable solutions to many of the United States’, and the world’s, social problems. We can only hope to continue social improvement and prosperity in the future by creating future citizens who are aware of the problems and have the tools to come up with solutions.

Though everyone will have different ideas about the purpose of school, based on their own experiences and values, each person’s personal role in education will likely make a difference in their views. From the perspective of a politician, schools are a place that cost the government a lot of money and decisions about them can make or break constituents’ opinions. I doubt that most politicians really base their decisions on what they consider to be the purpose of schools. While politicians will be hesitant to upset voters, they are also under a lot of pressure from voters and other politicians to cut money from public institutions. Unfortunately, education is one of the institutions targeted first. So, if I were a politician, I assume that even my own views of the importance of education would be skewed by the pressure from all directions, as well as the desire to be re-elected.

As a businessperson, I would hope that schools will provide me with the type of workers that I desire in the future. This outlook is closest to purpose 1 (transmit cultural baton), but really kind of transcends both outlooks on the purpose of education. I think that most businesspeople are probably little concerned with their workers’ knowledge outside of the job and do not at all care about the type of societal reform that purpose 2 discusses. As a businessperson, I guess it would be most beneficial to me, so I would most support schools that create solid work-ethics, good employee habits, and people who can work well in groups.

From the perspective of most teachers, I think that the goal of education is to transmit the information. While many teachers do hope to enable students to positively change society, it seems that the average teacher is primarily concerned with transferring the subject’s knowledge to students. This is probably because of their interest in their subject, as well as the pressure of standardized tests and teacher evaluations. From the standpoint of a prospective teacher, I can see how fulfilling both purposes of school might be important to me, but the first purpose might take priority for job security and other reasons.

As a parent, I really hope that schools are able to reform, or reconstruct, society. I feel confident that I can instill the necessary knowledge and values in my own child by spending time with her, being an active part of her life, and creating a love of books and knowledge. I am not depending on the public school system to make my child a good person or a culturally knowledgeable person; I can handle that. Personally, I would much rather that schools prepare students to understand and tackle the important issues of society than to just have a lot of passed-down information. While it seems like purpose 2 depends on the implication of purpose 1, the end-goals are very different.

Introduction to Education Homework # 10

Should we use state standards or not? Discuss the pros and cons. What are testing alternatives to standardized tests?

I think that state standards are a good idea, but only to a certain extent and in some areas. To me, the more important subjects that state standards can address are things like the availability of technology, the quality of teachers, and the funding available for programs and services. I can also understand how state standards for textbooks would make it easier for transferring students and would make the content of education across a state more uniform. There are some things that I believe should be national standards, like holding schools relatively accountable for their successes and mistakes, but not using the kind of system created under the No Child Left Behind law.

Some of the theoretical advantages to state standards are that underperforming schools and teachers can be held accountable, that teachers will be working collaboratively with each other and with administrators to meet the common goal of passing the standards, and that broader standards can unify schools in the information and diversity that they teach. I agree more with the advantages to state standards that are listed in the book than the disadvantages, but I am very unconvinced that these advantages represent how state or national tests will actually affect schools when they come from legislation like NCLB.

Disadvantages to state standards and tests include: the belief that standardized testing does not provide an accurate assessment of student abilities or knowledge; the time required to prepare for standardized tests takes time from studies and causes some schools to teach below their own standards; teachers are forced into a “survival of the fittest” scenario of competition and limited job security; and that this represents a further growth of the federal government and an infringement on the rights of communities or districts. I have mixed feelings about the disadvantages to state or national standards. While I feel that issues like test preparation time and the unreliability of standardized testing are probably valid concerns and valid costs, I think that issues like teacher competition or distrust for centralized government are less valid. I think that teachers should be held to standards that would increase a sense of competition for bad teachers, but not all teachers in general. In reality, I also think that teachers who are trained well and care about their job will probably be less pressured about job security because, with or without standardized tests, there are ways to tell that they are doing their job well, relative to their circumstances.

The alternatives to standardized testing are called “authentic assessments.” These types of tests aim to actually assess the student’s performance during the learning process through a series of tests that demonstrate their ability to use the knowledge and skills they learn in school. Some of the individual assessments included in these kinds of tests could be journals, experiments, presentations, and specified feedback on the student’s performance from both the student and their teachers. I believe that this type of testing is probably a better gauge of an individual student’s strengths and weaknesses and should have a larger part in our school system than standardized testing.

Introduction to Education Homework # 9

I do think that there is an essential place for censorship in schools, but not relating to banning any books or traditional reading materials. The most important consideration in choosing those types of materials should be their educational value, which is completely independent of any controversial nature they may have. While some famously censored and controversial books may contain “sexual content and offensive language,” they may also be one of the most effective ways to teach a concept, a way of life, a time period, or many other important lessons. There is also a good chance that quality controversial materials, like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for example, present reality in a narrative that students can more easily understand than a normal history lesson.

Censoring materials because they contain themes or ideas that make people uncomfortable is a hindrance to education; not only will it create a null curriculum, but it also prevents students from achieving a high level of cultural awareness. I will agree that it is not the teacher’s position to, for example, “promote homosexuality” (which I doubt is a real threat to anyone anyway), but I would say that I think the education system would be correct in exposing students to the reality of it. In our book, it states on page 59 that “it is estimated that there is a gay or lesbian student in virtually every classroom.” Why then would we not expose students to the perspectives and reality of a lifestyle that they are more likely to encounter in America than many of the other things they will learn about, like world wars or Muslims (1% Muslim vs. about 5% homosexual by average estimates).

I also believe that books such as The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, which is one of my favorite books of all time, have the potential to create an interest in reading for many students. Personally, I did not read it in high school, probably because it was too controversial for Arkansas schools, but I wish that I had. Aside from being a funny and interesting book to read, which may create an interest in reading for some students; it can also enlighten students to what life was like for an unhappy military academy student in 1945, providing them with a realistic historical perspective. Additionally, the issues of sexuality he discusses are the same ones that teenage students will be going through themselves and the language in the book is pretty mild compared to what the average high school student uses already. While the protagonist is not a good role-model, neither really is Tom Sawyer, Romeo, or Meursault.

As I mentioned at first, I do believe that there are important times for censorship in education. While the classrooms of the future may have a place for YouTube, social networking, and other forms of the internet, students should be closely monitored when using computers and the internet. Even with the filters that a school system’s internet may have, students can still access inappropriate videos, violent games, and many other forms of offensive materials (I know this for a fact because of my work with BBBS). I also think that censorship should be applied by age and educational value. An example of what I mean by this is that the appropriateness and educational value of The Catcher in the Rye would be eliminated if you tried to teach it to a class of 4^th graders. It is important that materials be censored to ensure that their themes and the lessons they teach are appropriate for the intellectual and emotional ages of the affected students.

Introduction to Education Homework # 8

Read case study - Brenda Forester

Do you sometimes feel the same as Brenda? Are her concerns valid? What do you think of the overall issue?

Initially, I had some of the same concerns as Brenda from the case study but, as is somewhat the case in the story, observing classrooms has changed my perspective of what classroom knowledge on pedagogy a teacher needs to be effective. Brenda’s primary concern is that she is not learning how to teach or create lessons and that the methods she is learning will not helpful for her preferred teaching style. While this concern is understandable, no one is forcing her to use the “writing process” method taught in the story, so her concerns are somewhat unnecessary and dramatic. Having spent a lot of time in classrooms this semester and prior, I have realized that most teachers not only have a detailed day-plan telling them exactly what and sometimes how to teach, but also that most teachers do things the way that they believe is best or the way that has attained them the best results. If Brenda wants to teach a more traditional class, there is probably a detailed curriculum guide in her teacher’s book or her school, district, and/or state requirements. Additionally, if she is not sure which kind of teaching methods she wants to use, there is nothing stopping her from trying multiple methods of teaching or combining multiple methods. The important thing for her should be that her lessons and teaching style are effective and not whether students spend too much time picking a topic or not.

As I stated before, I do see Brenda’s concerns as valid; however, I think that she is taking them too seriously. I doubt that anyone is expecting her to be a phenomenal teacher in her first year, or to know exactly how she intends to teach for the rest of her career. While her professor seems adamant about a particular method of teaching, that professor is not going to follow her into the classroom. Ultimately, Brenda will decide how and what she teaches and it will be her choice to use, incorporate, or discard what she learns about the “writing process” as a method of teaching reading and writing.

If the overall issue is the writing process discussed, then I think that everyone in the scenario is unnecessarily bifurcating the issue of teaching methods. Both Brenda’s professor, Dr. Garrison, and her teacher mentor seem to be advocating that this teaching method is the best one, that it can or should be used solely, and that it will inherently correct students’ deficiencies in writing. Brenda is at least acting like, somewhat dramatically might I add, that she has to choose one method or the other and stick with it. At this time in education, neither of these ideologies has a place in a modern, progressive education plan. Personally, I think that the writing process discussed in the article sounds like a great idea, but should only be used as one part of an overall curriculum.

Wanting primarily to teach English, I whole-heartedly believe that the actual act of writing is essential in creating proficient writers. As with sports or playing a musical instrument, writing essays, prose, letters, or anything else becomes easier as you attempt and participate in that type of writing more often. I do believe that there is a practical learning application for many in writing as well; most of the challenging words I know how to spell or use, I know because I have at some time tried to write them and had to ask or look it up. I also think that the process of writing, especially about what you want, can have a great power to interest students in reading and writing. With that said, I think Brenda is correct in feeling like knowing how to properly use paragraphs or punctuation, is something that for almost everyone will only come with instruction. In a time when more people were avid readers, it might have been possible to familiarize yourself with paragraphing or punctuation simply from reading often but, in a modern world where the average American reads between zero and one books a year, this is simply not realistic. I believe that now it is only through a combination of instruction and practice that great readers and writers can be cultivated or refined from the average student.

Introduction to Education Homework # 7

Property tax creates unequal funding for school systems because wealthier areas will collect more property taxes and the idea of individualism prevents benefits from successes. The value of both homes and land around the United States varies greatly from state to state, and within states, causing different amounts of taxes to be drawn for each area. The effect on schools is that in wealthier areas with larger, more valuable homes, more funding will be raised for the local education system. Individual states also play a role by choosing whether or not to raise, lower, or restrict the amount of property taxes charged each year. Overall, this system not only creates a sort of class inequality among adjacent areas, but makes the national quality of education very inconsistent.

Another issue that Americans have with education is the idea of individual success and its relative value. For example, if each year’s successful students from the worst St. Petersburg and Tampa high schools stayed in their respective areas and bought or built nice homes in the areas and put money back into those neighborhoods, those schools would eventually receive increases in funding and be able to improve the surround areas. But, what will mostly likely happen is each year’s successful students will move to a wealthier neighborhood, in a wealthier area, and their tax money will go into a nicer school system, leaving their old one high and dry. Many Americans feel entitled to the lifestyle that they have and either do not realize or do not care that the same opportunities are not afforded to everyone.

Educational adequacy and equity are two beliefs regarding the funding of education. Proponents of educational adequacy are essentially promoting a No Child Left Behind Act strategy; demand higher standards and school accountability without providing any additional funding or resources to achieve progress. Educational equity is the idea that the rest of the world uses, which is that money affects the quality of education and equal funding is the only way to have equality in schools. In many other countries, additional money is provided per student if they are an immigrant or minority. This is almost the opposite of how school funding realistically supports students in America.

Introduction to Education Homework # 6

Read case study 17 Jane Vincent and react.

Do you think the grading system is fair? Should she change the grade? What issues are raised?

I think that for math, which is an entirely objective subject, the system is fair. I doubt that it is the most motivating system for students like Willie Lawrence, but if the students knew from the beginning of the term that there would be no exceptions to the grading system, they really should not be surprised if they get a B for an 89.3. If Ms. Vincent is having trouble sticking to the system and feels that there should be some room to bend grades for deserving students, she should discuss changing the policy with the other teachers; however, I do think it is important that she decide to agree with one standard or the other. She cannot fairly, as a grading policy, only round Willie’s grade up.

I do not think that Ms. Vincent should change the grade that she has already given out. It would undermine both her authority as a teacher and the authority of her department. If she were to change Willie’s grade and other students with different teachers found out, it would be easy for students to make a case that teachers were showing favoritism or that the policy was not being upheld. I honestly believe that she should go about changing the policy the fair and official way if she would like to be able to curve grades in the future, but for the present, she should consider this a lesson learned. Whether she changes the grade or not, Willie did technically earn the B, and is not being treated unfairly if other students are being held to the same standard.

The main issue raised is the impact of letter grades versus the methods used to determine them. While I do believe that a strict point system is fair, I think it is sensible to leave some room for subjective evaluation. If a student understands the concepts and will be successful in continuing past “above-average algebra II,” then I would consider it appropriate for them to earn an A for an 89.3. But, for a student like Willie, who consistently earns borderline grades, it might be misleading to consistently award him an A for consistently B work. The B that Ms. Vincent gives him may make him realize that he is a borderline student, and does need to put in an extra .2% effort. The issue of fairness is also raised, which ultimately led me to determine that Willie’s current grade cannot be changed. When a department creates rules such as a grading system, it would not be appropriate to change it on a limb for one student. The only way that Ms. Vincent can fairly change this grade is if the whole department changes the policy and reconsiders all borderline students’ grades before releasing them.

Introduction to Education Homework # 5

I do not think that if certain corporations are advertised exclusively in schools that it matters because you are limited students to only that type of advertising. For companies like Nike or Home Depot, any instance where American-based companies, who benefit from the education system, can put money into schools should be supported. I do think that it matters if you are exclusively advertising things that are harmful to students, like Coke or McDonald’s. In cases where the promoted product is inherently unhealthy, like high-fructose corn-syrup sodas or 1,000 calories “value” meals, it seems unquestionably dangerous to allow them in schools.

The most obvious risk of teaching children to eat junk is creating unhealthy eating habits that can affect them for a lifetime. At Countryside High School, students are in class from 7:05 to 1:24, and have lunch from 1:30-2pm. During that six hour block, they only have one fifteen minute break to get food and the only things being sold are pizza, hamburgers, french fries – junk food. Aside from serving unhealthy food, I do not believe we should be teaching children to think favorably of multi-billion dollar corporations that do not even pay their employees enough money to live on. I guess the same argument could be made for Nike’s treatment of sweatshop workers, whom I am just assuming they employ, but these are considerations that I think a school should have to weigh in its decisions. Just like the Olympics will not support certain corporations or athletes promoting unhealthy behavior (which McDonald’s is an exception to), neither should schools.

I find brainwashing hard to buy into, except in instances of Nazi-ism, cults, or the Marine Corps. Kids, and adults alike, are exposed to advertising on television, in movies, on the highway, over the radio, it is literally everywhere. I doubt that advertising in schools will really have much more of an effect on children than advertising on cell phones or Facebook will; what is sad is that schools have to stoop to these methods of funding in the first place. It would make sense to me for sports teams and extracurricular activities to need or use these kinds of funding, but for operating, maintaining, or updating schools, I think it is a real shame.

Introduction to Education Homework # 4

Personal Appearance

Should it be an issue for teachers and staff? State your opinion and justify it.

What about the personal appearance of students? Should there be a dress code? Uniforms? Discuss the issues involved.

Personal appearance will probably always be a factor in the perception of students, teachers, and administrators to each other, as well as to others involved. While I do not really believe that teachers and staff should be judged by appearance, I know that realistically they will be. Especially with the way that politicians and the public opinion can sometimes portray teachers, it would be in teachers’ interests to maintain a professional appearance.

Boyse Mosely, a high school principal in Baltimore, passed a dress code for teachers, saying, “'Teachers want respect as professionals; then they should dress as professionals do” (NYT). I basically agree with his opinion; however, the dress code that he tried to enforce was fairly strict and drew criticism from teachers and unions. I believe that it is a good idea for teachers to dress professionally though; browsing online I found a lot of opinion forums from teachers making recommendations, though most agreed that individual schools had their own policies. Most posts also seemed to agree that it is best to dress conservatively until you are established, especially if you are young.

I believe students should definitely have a dress code and uniforms can be a good idea in some circumstances. I would be wary of a school that required uniforms that had to be bought by parents, without at least some help or exceptions for less-fortunate families. I think that requiring uniforms that parents have to buy will dissuade poor or ignorant parents from wanting or encouraging their child to go to a particular school. For schools with problems with violence, crime, drugs, or etc, I would understand a school or district finding it necessary. If dress code policies are imposed as a district policy or in impoverished areas, it might also be a way to ensure parents buy some presentable clothing for their children, though I am not entirely sure it is the school’s place to aim for that.

Students will always feel like they should be able to express themselves and their perceived originality with their clothing, but that is kind of irrelevant to education. Matt Amaral, a high school teacher, wrote an interesting article on dress codes discussing how distracting clothing can be from education, as well as some overall, very opinionated observations about students’ clothing. Keep in mind it is strictly his opinion, but he listed that he noticed girls who wore provocative clothing: “have lower GPAs, are suspended more, are less likely to go to college, get in more fights, are more likely to have boyfriends, and know more about sex.” Thinking about my high school experiences and observation hours, I would agree wholeheartedly that this is probably true quite often for both males and females. The best dress code for schools will let students and parents have some choices, but attempt to prevent genuinely distractive or obnoxious clothing.

Introduction to Education Homework # 3

Read Case 19 – Ellen Norton

React and react to others’ posts.

After reading case 19, my strongest reaction was that Ms. Norton should not take Becky, her student, home with her under any circumstances. She would only be putting herself in a potentially violent, job-threatening, legally-questionable position. I know that teachers often know about students’ personal lives and feel sympathetic for them, but she is at the point where multiple students think she is their best friend. While it is good that students trust her and look up to her, it seems that she has opened herself up a bit too much in pursuit of tenure. This scenario is actually kind of ironic because she is trying to be involved with students to get tenure, but either taking Becky home or getting murdered by the stalker Abby will prevent that.

I think ultimately Ms. Norton has put herself in this position, even though her intentions were good. In discussing her personal life with the first girl and asking inappropriate questions to the second one, she made these students think she could/would provide services that she can/should not. Imagine the position Ms. Norton would be in if Becky had really fallen off her bike, all the rumors were nothing but rumors, and Becky’s parents found out that her teacher was insinuating they were abusing her. The scenario with Becky could possibly have originated without Ms. Norton being buddy-buddy with students; regardless, she should contact a school social worker or guidance counselor immediately. It also would have been a good idea for her to do that before confronting Becky about the bruises in the first place, in my opinion. She might be a young woman and a good role model for students, but that does nothing to change the fact that she is not a licensed therapist, a guidance counselor, a summer-camp counselor, or their best friend.

Introduction to Education Homework # 2

View the video 16 “Teacher’s Discuss Their Methods of Effective Teaching”

What makes these teachers so engaging?

The main things I identified that made these teachers engaging were that they were excited about their material, they were teaching younger students (the older teacher was probably teaching 8^th or 9^th grade), and they were teaching in the early 1990s. The video was definitely filmed before the No Child Left Behind mandate and it was a lot easier to entertain kids when an overhead projector was about as cool as anything they had at home. Those obvious points aside though, the teachers did discuss some of their methods, mainly the two points of varying instruction and creating clear rules.

About the first half of the video was used to discuss varied instruction. The teachers talked about maintaining student attention, starting with not losing it initially, and keeping students involved in the activities. The first teacher’s strategy was shifting activities, on the spot if necessary, at a pace that could keep students’ attention. The second teacher discussed using group work, like group answers and group activities, which would keep all students involved and allow students to move around the classroom. I think that both teachers seemed like good teachers with tried-and-true strategies, but teachers of today, especially in higher grades, have to do a lot more than what they were doing.

The teachers also talked about clear rules and how much students supposedly like them. I have never understood when adults said that kids want rules; when I was in the Army they would always tell me as a Sergeant that Privates want rules. This may be childish of me, but I can never recall “liking” rules when I was a student or a Private, as they said I did in the video and in the Army. I think that there is some merit to a clear, concise rule system, especially for young kids, but it diminishes as you get to higher grades. High school students do not need to see “do not hit, curse, etc.” on the wall to know that they are not supposed to do those things and I doubt they will be enthused to “create their own rules” if they are taking you seriously. I think that when you get to the point that kids want to be treated like adults, which is around 8^th grade, you are not going to relate to them by pointing to a list of rules on the wall. I completely agree with the importance of high standards.

Introduction to Education Homework # 1

Not in anyway giving anyone permission to plagiarize or copy this and also not verifying the authenticity of any of the information. Also note that there are probably no sources listed and I am not one myself, so don't quote me. This is just some of my homework; thought it might be interesting to someone:

What should teachers know and be able to do?

I think that the most important thing that teachers should know is their subject, as well as the historical context and significance surrounding it. A knowledgeable teacher can not only create more interesting and informative lessons, but can also make the subject more interesting to students. While reading Shakespeare or Hemingway might not be engaging for all students, considering their works in historical context and relating them to modern students’ problems could be. Knowing a subject thoroughly also allows a teacher to connect the material to students’ other subjects and implement the higher stages of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Though I think knowledge is probably the most important skill for teacher, and in general, it would probably be very helpful for teachers to know as much as possible about education and their students. Teachers who know the television, music, movies, books, etc. that their students are interested in will be better able to relate to and understand their students. Knowledge of current events would also help to connect material to the present, as well as provide the most up-to-date information. It may or may not be necessary, but it would almost definitely help teachers to know about education, as well as the current events surrounding it. Some of the technical information about education may not be frequently relevant to a teacher’s duties, but will help in the event that a teacher needs to defend his or her actions.

The most important thing a teacher can actually do should be to effectively teach. Not all teachers will be able to teach all lasting lessons to all students, but good teachers will hopefully be able to teach at least some lessons that last for a relatively high number of students. Similarly, a history teacher will probably not be able to teach a lesson about Shay’s Rebellion that all students will remember forever, but they can memorably teach students what effect it had on the ratification of the U.S. Constitution or use the incident to highlight the importance of an existing federal government. In addition to, and in compliment of, effectively teaching, teachers should be able to relate to and influence their students. Even if they are not able to teach anything lasting in language, arts, math, history, etc., they can at least provide a safe and comfortable environment for students where they have positive, approachable, and understanding adults to look up to.

Poem # 5

These poems belong to me; steal them all you want, just don’t make money off of them:

you have become lost to me
among better lives and feelings
of what i supposedly held you back from
but i am still here.

i found a letter from you to me
from a few years ago but still relevant
i wrote you one back in response
it went:

"Dear you,
i understand,
but i'm still pissed."
except it was longer, more detailed

Poem # 4

These poems belong to me; steal them all you want, just don’t make money off of them:

i watched your personality explode like a grenade
all your desirable qualities became shrapnel
you turned into an angry, cold, killing thing
spitting out obnoxious noise and sharp shit

Poem # 3

These poems belong to me; steal them all you want, just don’t make money off of them:

once my boots hit the ground
and i became more stupid
and more hot and uncomfortable
dust plumed up like on the moon

i slept on the ground
and dreamt of home, when i still could
i awoke a little dumber
a little older and angrier

Poem # 2

These poems belong to me; steal them all you want, just don’t make money off of them:

Some night....
when we are all having a good time...
just as the mood is set and we are closing the deal,
i will vomit vodka and blood all over your new shoes!

Poem # 1

These poems belong to me; steal them all you want, just don’t make money off of them:

i wrote you a poem
to tell you that i think
that you're nice
and sweet like strawberries

here is how it went:
dear you,
how i love thee!
from, me.

and then i sealed it with a kiss
i mailed it on a rainbow
i put some glitter on that shit too
all for you...

Homeless Guys Paragraph

There are some homeless guys that live behind some shrubbery in a gas station parking lot near my house. They often look like they’re having a merry time. For a few moments here and there, I wish I were them but then I remember that such ruminations are silly. They sit on empty milk crates and drink beer and smoke cigarettes. They sure do make it look appealing, as far as homelessness goes. I’m always surprised that the cops don’t make them leave or arrest them or something, they are breaking all kinds of rules being there. I like rule breaking, so that makes the endeavor seem even better. They have long beards and raggedy jeans and look like they’ve seen the worst of the world. I look like all of those things sometimes too. I know for sure that they are less lonely than me because they have homeless friends, I’ve seen as many as 4 or 5 of them hanging out there together before! I guess I could join them for a while and then just go back to my house when I’m done, but I don’t know if they would accept me if I wasn’t actually poor or homeless or stinky. Gaining acceptance is one of the toughest parts of life.

Composition II "Short Paper" Example

Comp II

Short Paper

In The Cask of Amontillado, Edgar Allen Poe presents the reader with a glimpse inside the mind of a murderer. Though the narrator confesses his crimes against Fortunato, he shows no remorse. By carefully blending a clam tone and suspenseful plot throughout the story, Poe is able to make the mind of a vengeful sociopath accessible to the average reader.

One way Poe conveys realism in the uncommon character of the narrator in The Cask of Amontillado is by loading the short-story with details. Throughout the story, the narrator makes it clear the murder he intends to commit has been cleverly premeditated. He clears his house of servants, lures Fortunato into his vaults while he is drunk, and has building stone and mortar awaiting them in a pile of bones near where Fortunato will be buried alive. This could convincingly have been the plan of a 19^th century killer.

Poe also makes expert use of dialogue to make the story believable and engaging. From the time that the narrator first meets with Fortunato, he offers him multiple opportunities to get out of his situation. He also offers Fortunato subtle hints of foreshadowing that, in a more sober state, might have alerted him to be more on guard. The twisted logic of the narrator in the story implores the reader to believe that Fortunato was given a fair chance.

Composition II Research Paper Outline Example

ENC 1102

10/31/2011

Research Paper Outline

1. Thesis: With the population of the world expected to exceed seven billion in 2011 and obesity becoming a larger problem in America every year, a vegetarian diet is the most healthy, efficient, and humane way for people to eat.

2. Audience: Anyone who is concerned with healthy eating, animal welfare, environmentalism, or sustainability. I intend to reach this audience by using a combination of factual information and appeals to reason.

3. Outline:

I. Introduction

a. Discuss the current state of food system

b. Introduce idea of vegetarianism

II. Health benefits of vegetarian diet

a. Decreased chances of obesity (Sabate and Wien)

b. Decreased chances of disease (USDA)

Transition: Better health and a longer life are not the only benefits of vegetarianism. There is also much evidence that our current system of producing food from animals has a surprisingly negative effect on the environment.

III. Environmental benefits of vegetarianism

a. Current system of producing meat creates waste pollution (USDA, EPA)

b. Contributes majority of greenhouse gases (Scientific American)

Transition: Not only does producing meat using factory farms have a harmful effect on the environment, it also costs taxpayers hidden fees and takes food from the mouths of the hungry.

IV. Inefficiency of current system

a. Food and water ratio of input to output grossly inefficient (Gardella)

b. Hidden costs to taxpayers and animal diversity

Transition: Even with a flawless system of agricultural production, modern consumers should consider the cruel living conditions that animals are subjected to so that they can eat according to their tastes.

V. Animal welfare: Living conditions

a. Confined and cruel living areas of meat-producing animals (Foer, Times)

b. Unhealthy conditions of animals in factory farms

Transition: Many may consider the sufferings of animals to be minor compared to the needs and desires of humans, but how fair and accurate is that assessment?

VI. Animal welfare: Case for rights

a. Intelligent and social animals killed for food (Singer, Foer)

b. Humanize animals, point out ways in which they are more similar to us than different (Singer, Foer)

VII. Conclusion: The conclusion is where the points made throughout the paper will culminate in the most logical choice of a vegetarian diet. Because most body paragraphs will not be advocating a vegetarian diet, but will be aimed at pointing out the inherent issues of a non-vegetarian diet, the conclusion will be where the reader can associate the issues most pertinent to them with the proposed solution of vegetarianism.