Quote:

Live, Laugh, Love!

About Me

My photo
I'm Nicole but I preferred to be called Nikki. I'm at freshman at Salem State and am majoring in Special Education and psychology. I have always wanted to be a teacher ever since I was a little kid. I love kids and being around them is always a good thing. I babysit quite often and enjoy every second. Anything you want to know, feel free to ask! :]

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

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.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

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.

Monday, March 7, 2011

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.

Monday, February 28, 2011

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.

Monday, February 21, 2011

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.


Tuesday, February 15, 2011

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