Chapter 7 and 8: The Politics of American Education and Education and School Law

The federal government, state government, intermediate agencies, and the local government play various roles in education. These governments play a vital role as far as governance and finance is concerned. Then the individual schools are governed by principals, assistant principals, administration, and the board of education who are responsible for implementing state regulations and policies, as well as implementing local policies. The principals and assistant principals are responsible for resources as well as supporting teachers and students. Then there are the teachers who manage the students and classroom. Teachers will continue to work collaboratively with the management of the principals and assistant principles in efforts to promote a better learning environment for the students, and to be able to adapt and accommodate as needed as it states in the INTASC standard 9:

The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects
of his/her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other professionals
in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities to grow
professionally.

It is also important for current and future teachers to be aware of the legal rights and responsibilities as a teacher, know students' legal rights, and know parents' legal rights and responsibilities. The four sources of law are also important to know because of issues that may relate to freedom of speech, religion, desegregation, and discriminatory practices. These are the U.S. Constitution, Federal Laws, State Constitution and Laws, and Federal and State Court Decisions. Today's schools are integrated with different races and ethnic groups, it is important for teachers to know students are diverse in culture and in learning. Therefore, the teacher must be aware of INTASC standard 3:

The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning
and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners.

Chapter 6: Partners in Learning: Parents, Families, and the Community

Parents, families, and the community are partners in learning and the ever-changing family structure influences parent involvement. To continue to have parents involved in their children's education, the federal government continues to enforce the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and family-centered programs have been established to help strengthen family units. Parent involvement establishes a better relationship with teachers. As it states in the INTASC standard 10:

The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents,
and agencies in the larger community to support students' learning
and well-being.

Teachers who know their student's family structure and continue to encourage their involvment in their education will most likely have the student improve in academics.
The community can be greatly involved with schools as collaborators, advocates, volunteers, and communicators to further address the need of parental involvement.

Chapters 4 and 5: Teaching Diverse Learners (Multiculturalism and Academics)

Schools are becoming increasingly diverse in the United States. As future teachers, we need to be aware of the differences of students. These differences can be gender, sexual orientation, racial, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic status. As it states in the INTASC standard 3:

The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to

learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to

diverse learners.

To be able to follow this standard, teachers will need to understand how students' cultural background influences thier learning process, thus making educational changes by being culturally responsive to the learner's needs. The standard also applies to students whose first language is not English. Programs such as ESL (English as second language) and ELL (English Language Learners) have been developed to assist students into a transitional way of learning and to be able to adapt to the school environment without loosing their native language.

It is also important for teachers to focus on students with disabilities. The IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) of 1990 is a federal act that children with disabilities have access to free and appropriate education between ages 3 and 21. To ensure that there is equal access to education, depending on the student's needs, are mainstreamed into the natural classroom setting where students with disabilities are with the nondisabled students. Therefore, for teachers to be effective and supportive of students with learning and other disabilities, will need to have knowledge of the students and their needs, develop and modify instruction, have leadership and classroom management skills, and professional collaboration skills.

Chapter 3: How Schools are Organized and Connected to Their Communities

There are different types of schools: public, private, charter, alternative, and after-school programs. These schools are located everywhere in the United States in the rural areas, urban, and suburban. The purpose of schooling is to educate all students in spite of race, color, gender, culture, and socioeconomic status.

Public schools are organized by district level in which a student is assigned to attend a school dependent upon the location in where they live. Then there is the grade-level organization which uses the age-graded approach. This approach assigns the grade level of a student according to their age which begins at Kindergarten through 12th grade. But today, children attend school as early as 3 years old which is known as the Preschool, pre-k, or even Headstart; the organization proceeds to primary and elementary, middle and junior high schools, and high schools.

The schools are connected with the community through activities, politics, businesses,issues and concerns, collaboration and cooperation, and others. Teachers are involved within their communities as part of the INTASC standard 10 which states:

The teacher fosters relationships with school colleagues, parents, and

agencies in the larger community to support students' learning and

well-being.

Chapters 1 and 2: What it means to be a teacher and as a profession.

Chapters 1 and 2 discusses what it means to be a teacher and teaching as a profession. The INTASC (Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium) standards were introduced as a guide on what teachers should know and be able to do.

What I have learned from these chapters is that it takes a lot of dedication to be a good teacher and this certainly applies to the standards. For example, INTASC standard 1 states:

The teacher understands the central concepts, tools of inquiry, and structures

of the subject being taught and can create learning experiences that make these

aspects of subject matter meaningful for students.

By expanding the knowledge base, a teacher will be able to achieve this standard by knowing what to teach, how to teach, knowing about the students, and being creative in passing knowledge on to the students which is mentioned in INTASC standard 3:

The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning

and creates instructional opporturnities that are adapted to diverse learners.

Teaching as a profession is considered a helping profession. It takes committment and dedication to keep teaching. Teaching is not just helping students, the helping hand extends to their parents, the families, and the community. According to the INTASC standard 9 it states:

The teacher is a reflective practitioner who continually evaluates the effects

of his/her choices and actions on others (students, parents, and other pro-

fessionals in the learning community) and who actively seeks out opportunities

to grow professionally.

A teacher never stops learning. Keeping updated with new research, technology, as well as

what goes on globally is one way of being informed.

Movie: The Ron Clark Story

The film portrays Ron Clark's experiences teaching in an inner city school. His search for fulfilment led him to a school in Harlem. There he chose to take over a "problem" class where he dealt with the students' hostility. In the end, he was able to make a difference by helping his students achieve higher test scores and most of all for making them realize that they have the potential to succeed. He was able to know his students at some personal level and a sense of belonging was felt by his students.

The piece serves an inspirational tool for teachers and for those who aspire to become teachers. Although Ron Clark had violated some protocols such as walking out of a job (which to some employers is a just cause for termination) and shaking a student's desk in anger, he realized through a friend that he can't give up on his students. It shows his strengths and weaknesses in every situation. It shows that like every other teacher, he is not perfect. He strive to have meaning in his teaching by taking upon a challenging class. However, it is those same situations where a teacher can be faulted. Teachers need to be aware of protocols, procedures, and regulations of a school to avoid being the "bad guy" although it may work at some point.

Will this film be enough for teachers to keep teaching? I think not. Deciding to teach and to continue to teach is a personal decision. It sure is a motivator and a glimpse of what lies ahead.

Teacher Standards

Great presentations today!  It was good practice for future presentations.

The discussion of the teacher standards were very informative especially when the different kinds of standards were presented such SOE, NCATE, GPTS, and so on.  It is important to be familiar with the standards because this will guide and assist us in our teaching profession.  It's good to have rules and guidelines.  Rules keep things in order.  Of course, there are some rules that don't help with order.  However, it is never easy to make the best decisions.  Because as humans, we think we always make the best decisions.  Let's strive to continue to be effective teachers with the help of these standards.  In the long run, it will be beneficial.

Why I Want to Become a Teacher

      No one knows for sure what one wants to be and what will become of one. My decision to become a teacher was a discovery of myself. When I decided to pursue a higher degree of learning, I was unsure what field to take. At first I was very interested in the field of Accounting and so I declared this major. Not to long, I became interested in Computer Science and changed my major. I have taken most of the required classes and I was not feeling satisfied. Another semester had begun. I decided to take an introductory class in early childhood education as an elective at Guam Community College. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the class and I decided to register for additional education classes in the upcoming semesters and declared my major in Early Childhood Education and soon I found myself close to attaining my Associate’s Degree.
     The true test of becoming a teacher came into play when I had Practicum. A period in educational studies where one sets foot in the real world: the classroom. For the next thirty days, I became “their” additional teacher. The first day I entered Room 5 the children were already seated in their seats. I received a strange look from them followed by a sharp stare after I was introduced by their teacher. This kindergarten class was informed that I was their teacher as well. Some of the children became accepting and others felt “invaded”. I could sense it, and this made me so uneasy that my heart started to palpitate faster than the normal heart rate.
     The children had to adapt to change because they were simply comfortable with the teacher they started since the beginning of the school year. Applying what I have learned so far from my education classes has helped me overcome my nervousness. The thirty days I spent with the children was adventurous. Each child in the classroom is unique. There are the quiet ones, the loud ones, the social ones, the one who always volunteers, and others with different characters they bring into the classroom. There were days that it was enjoyable and days that it was difficult. Working with the children was the ultimate test whether or not I would become a teacher. And I have come to a conclusion.
     I want to become a teacher because I know in some little way; I can make a difference in their young minds by being an effective and consistent teacher. From what I have experienced in Room 5 during my Practicum, I have never thought I would be more interested in becoming a teacher. The children, in such a short time, had made me become more aware of my self through patience, tolerance, understanding, and more open-minded. And I at the same time acknowledged their different characters, personalities, and openness. My aim is to have a positive impact in their lives and hoping my teaching abilities are enough to guide, assist, and contribute towards their future as productive citizens.