Final

Taking this course this semester has helped me learn a lot about wanting to be a teacher and what is involved when it comes to teaching. This course has taught me that there is a lot more to being a teacher than just standing in front of the class lecturing different lessons to them. It has taught me that as a teacher I am going to have to make sure that everyone in the classroom is learning in an equal way and that everyone in the classroom understands what is being taught.

The observations that we had to do in this class was very helpful and showed myself that I want to be a teacher. And it helped me see different ways of teaching after being in a classroom and then comparing what we have read throughout this semester.

Reading other people's blogs and reading the posts that the other people wrote helped because I was able to see their own opinion on what they thought about what we were learning and it made me think in a different way instead of just seeing it one way I was able to look at things in different ways.

Zero Tolerance Policy In Schools

The zero tolerance policy is a policy of punishing any infraction of a rule, regardless of accidental mistakes, ignorance, or extenuating circumstances. The zero tolerance policy over the years has become more noticeable and more schools are being to put it into their school. It is used to protect the other students in the school from alcohol, drugs, and weapons of any sorts. But along with those things it also include many of forms of "trouble" that children may or may not get into.

Zero Tolerance means that no matter what the act of trouble is that student is to be expelled or suspended without question. I do not think this is fair because each "crime" or "bending" of the rule is different and some may be more severe than others. If a child flings an elastic, or tells a joke that has offended someone that person should be suspended or expelled. They should be talked to by someone of authority and explained to why that is wrong and why is should not be done. If the action continues then the child should be presented with some sort of punishment. Not every student who does something wrong is a bad student. Some students do things for attention and teachers should look into the reason of why the child is doing something.

Like all rules I think there are exceptions and somethings should be punished right away without question. For example if any kid has a weapon or drug that could effect the other students in the school they should be suspended or expelled and acted upon without question. The safety of the other children in the school is the most important thing and if anything is going to harm them actions should be taken right away.

I do not think the zero tolerance policy is a good idea in schools. I think that it is going to get a lot more kids in trouble than who deserve to actually be in trouble. Teachers or an authority member of some sort should be the ones to make the decision on what type of punishment is given to the student for what he or she did. This should be more looked into and there should always be exceptions to the rules.

Friedrich Froebel

Everyone experiences Kindergarden in their life. It is the first real experience of school that we as humans have. The name Kindergarden stands for a place where children are able to interact with nature and also a place where they can grow up. In 1837 Froebel moved to Bad Blankenburg and that is where he established his first Kindergarden also known at Play and Activity Institute before he renamed it to Kindergarden in 1840. Froebel's Kindergarden has three main parts for it. There were toys where the kids could play, there were games and dance activities for them to get the health that they needed and observing and nurturing plans in the gardens oso that the children grew up aware of the natural world. Friedrich introduced gardens and thought that the students should participate in growing, harvesting and preparing nutritious produce. This showed the children the connection between food, health and the environment. I think that Froebel did a good job in allowing the children to grow in many different ways, and the different activities that were used throughout the classroom allowed the children to get used to different things and to experience different types of activities and different senses that they have.

Education is like a growing plant

Education is like a plant. When you first plant a plant it is helpless and needs to be taken care of. It needs water and sunlight. I feel that education is similar because when a child first starts getting an education they are helpless and they rely on their teachers and parents to tell them what they need to do and when. And they rely on their teachers and parents to teach them what they need to know in their first years of life. The same goes for a plant. When it is just a sprout it doesn't know anything and it can't take care of itself and get through bad weather or anything like that and it needs to be protected. As a child grows up they begin to learn and grow on their own, and by the time that they get to high school they are able to take care of themselves and they are able to know what they need to learn and they don't rely so much on their teachers and parents and they are given more responsibility. As a seed grows into a sprout and into a seedling and eventually into a plant it doesn't need as much protection and it is able to get it's own food from the sun and it will be protected against the different types of weather. I feel that these two are close to the same because they have almost the same growing process. And they both need people at first to get them on the right foot.

Philosophy in Education

Philosophy in Education: There are many different example of philosophy in education. I choose to look at Humanism. Humanism states that there should be kindness and respect towards everyone, and in the classroom the children should all receive appropriate instruction when it comes to learning things outside of the classroom. It says that the kids should not be forced to learn and that they will learn what they need to learn in time. It also says that the kids do not need to be judged by the teachers and that they should be allowed more freedom when it comes to judging the work that they have done, and the grades that they have received.

I agree and disagree with this philosophy. I agree with this because I do think that the students should be given more freedom when it comes to making choices that affect them and that helps me achieve their goals later on, but I also believe that all throughout school the students need the teachers to be there to guide them and give them direction when it is needed. That's how we learn, but listening to others and watching what others have done.

It seems that if the kids had more of a say over their own education then a lot of them might start to enjoy it more than they do now. I think that because instead of being forced to do it, it shows that they want to do it, and they may even ask for help more because it shows that they are doing this for them and not someone else.

The environment when it comes to Humanism has to do with both indoors and outdoors. I think that there should be outdoors involved in the school but a lot of the education should be done in a classroom where the teacher is the one teaching and the children are sitting and listening.

Inclusion in the classroom

What can educators do to create environments for students with exceptionalities?

As the years go on educators have to deal more and more with a more diverse classroom. They have to accommodate many different students to the best of that student’s ability. A lot of the children that are in the classrooms need some type of extra help in order for them to get the same education that everyone else is getting. When you have your own classroom you as the educator needs to make sure that everyone is able to do work, whether there are special worksheets for some of the children all of the children should be included in every activity that goes on in the classroom.

The teachers need to make sure they have everything planned out for both students, the ones who don’t have a learning disability and for the ones that do. Most of the children that are in a regular classroom will not have a severe learning disability but their level of work they are able to do may be to a lower standard than a regular child. As the teacher you need to take that into consideration and to grade him or her based on the level of performance they are able to do.

Having students with learning disabilities within a regular classroom helps them develop their social skills and makes other children aware of what some other kids have to go with. It shows that other kids that they are the same as everyone only they may need extra help when it comes to doing some of the work.

Gender Bias in schools

Does gender bias play a role in today’s society when it comes to education? I believe that it does. And it is in every classroom whether it is noticed or not. In my own opinion I feel that in the early ages of life the teacher can play a role in eliminating gender bias by asking both boys and girls the same amount of questions and not different levels of difficulty. I feel that all of the students start as being “equal” and that all of the students are treated the same. In the elementary setting there aren’t many cases where one student can do something that the other can’t. And at that age it isn’t as much about the work itself but learning how to get along with each other and how everyone should be treated equal.

When the age moves to around 12 or 13 and in middle school I believe that that is when we can start to see more gender bias. The boys and girls start to separate and what they want out of school become clearer. I believe this is when the teachers start to favor the boys because they want them to do good in school and in order for them to do good then they need to be asked questions and included in class. The teachers feel like they should ask the boys harder questions to get them thinking and being apart of the class and while this is happening the girls are sitting back and being quiet.

There are statistics from the AAUW studies who point out different facts about girls. There are more girls who are likely to finish High school and although boys do better in math and science girls out do boys when it comes to writing and reading tests.

Should Hugs and High Fives be banned in schools?

School's are beginning to ban more and more things as time goes on. Now school's are banning cell phones, ipods, different articles of clothing. And now some schools are going as far as banning hugs and high fives.

Is banning Hugs and High Fives going a little bit overboard? I think that schools should not be able to ban hugs and hugh fives. They can have "rules" suggesting what is okay and what is not for a school, but to say you can't give your friend a high five or your best friend a hug is a little bit dramatic in my own opinion. Hugs and High fives are ways of showing other people that you care, and sometimes it's easier to just give a high five than to talk to someone.

I do agree with some of the teachers that there are different types of hugs and that some of them stretch from a friendly hug to a little more than that. But that is where there are rules on what kind of hugs are allowed at the school. I believe that kids and students should be allowed to hug each other as long as it is appropriate and they are pushing the boundaries.

The Today Show put a poll on whether banning hugs and holding hands is going to far with schools. The results were that 84% said that yes they are going to far, and 16% said that no they aren't. A lot of people are saying that hugs are inappropriate.

http://education-portal.com/articles/Hugs_and_High_Fives_Banned_in_School.htmlpropriate for a school community.

Why People Teach?

There is no specific reason why people teach. In fact there are many different reasons depending on the person. Some people might want to make a difference in a child's life and there for decide that teaching is the best way to do that, or someone may love being around children and they decided that a career where they are always around children would be the best for them. There is no right or wrong answer to why people teach? A teacher isn't just someone who stands in the front of the classroom and drills facts into a students head. A teacher becomes something much more to those students. They become someone they look up to and trust. A teacher becomes a role model for those children that he or she is around.

I believe that not anyone can just become a teacher. It's a tough job and you really have to want it. It's a lot of work, but in the end the reward is far beyond worth it. It's a long process to get there but in the end it is going to be worth it, and you (the teacher) will finally be making an impact in someone else's life. An you'll be able to watch the students grow as you are with them.

Information was gotten by: http://www.helium.com/items/754635-why-do-teachers-want-to-teach