Things I Need to Know

I read about four important things that UMF Secondary Education majors should know.

•        There are two different Praxis exams that Education majors have to take. The first Praxis exam will test basic academic skills and is required. The fact that these standardized tests are required to become licensed and certified impacted me. I feel as though getting our teaching degree and certification should not be dependent on a test, but rather on performance and other abilities. Just because I am unable to pass a test, does not mean that I would not make a great teacher.
•        While reading the second wiki, it struck me how particular and seriously the Education major is taken. It was surprising, yet relieving that applying to be an Education major is similar to applying to college. This showed me that being an Education major is not easy like many people make it out to be, but is actually serious and difficult.
•       The importance and stress of Practicum really intimated me at first. Practicum is clearly very rigorous and time consuming. However, I do love the idea of being able to go and experience what it is like to be in the field before student teaching.
•        I did not understand what I was looking at when I first visited this wiki. I still am not positive what it all means, but I understand that we are trying to integrate technology into the classroom, so it is understandable why we must have computer that meets certain standards.

Chapter 3: Families and Communities

Resolved: Partnerships between teachers and families can improve the learning of students.

            Although not everyone may think so, it is widely believed and shown that learning is enhanced when parents of the students get involved with their schooling and work with the teachers to bring their child to his or her full potential. While in school, teachers work to create an environment where children can learn freely and be successful academically. However, if a child then goes home and their parents are not involved in their schooling, and do not make school seem important and valuable, it may be difficult for that child to have the desire to achieve in school. Within a school setting, many issues and problems reflecting the diversity in students may arise, ranging from religion to the learning of the English language. All potential crises and problems can be resolved or even avoided if a partnership is present between the teacher and parents. Communication is a key aspect to education, and typically results in higher test scores, better grades, better behavior and better self-esteem in students. However, students are not that only ones who can potentially benefit from a healthy partnership. If teachers receive positive feedback from parents, it can increase their morale and satisfaction, pushing them to be an even more effective teacher. Parents can also become closer to their children through helping them with schoolwork, as it provides their children with support and shows their children that they care. In the vast majority of cases, partnerships between teachers and families reap positive benefits for everyone involved.

Chapter 2: Today's Students

How does gender influence students?

            Gene E. Hall, Linda F. Quinn, and Donna M. Gollnick define gender in The Joy of Teaching as   "the behavioral, cultural, and psychological traits typically associated with one sex."(67). Culture influences the way both males and females view their future roles in society, affecting their performance and will to succeed in certain subjects in school. While girls are perceived to be the more feminine, quiet, and well behaved gender in school, they typically do not believe they are eligible for the same jobs as males, especially jobs involved in mathematical and science fields. However, girls are more often encouraged to stray from this stereotype, while males are encouraged to be masculine, independent, and strong, and to maintain this stereotype. If males seemingly portray feminine characteristics, they can be harassed and made fun of, reinforcing society’s expectation that all men be solely masculine. Hall, Quinn and Gollnick argue that as teachers, it is our job to ensure that we never play into society’s stereotypes, and encourage both girls and boys to be themselves and reach their optimal potential, regardless of what field it may be in.

Chapter 1: Becoming a Teacher

Joyful         1. The first joyful thing I came across in the book was the intrinsic rewards of teaching. Teaching provides more than just financial support; it is a job in which one can gain internal satisfaction. Helping others understand new ideas and teaching them something new can provide a feeling of accomplishment and joy that cannot be felt in a majority of other jobs.         2. Another element that stood out to me was the stress the book placed on the difference an effective teacher can have on students. Often    times, teachers can influence and impact kids even when other people in their lives cannot. I find the fact that teaching is not only a job, but also a type of personal responsibility, to make a difference in children’s lives, and push them to their full potential very appealing.        3.   Throughout the chapter, all the current requirements and steps of becoming a qualified teacher are discussed. It was very reassuring to know that although historically teaching has not been strict on ensuring that teachers were qualified, current measures ensure that people entrusted to teach are qualified and certified to do so. All the different steps, including passing assessments and tests, completing a teaching education program and student teaching all attest to the fact that the quality of teachers is improving.

Non-Joyful          1. The first non-joyful element I came across was the idea that until recently, teaching was not considered a true, full profession. Teachers are entrusted my parents to shape and mold the minds of their children at least intellectually, which to me, seems like a decently important and large task.  Also, I find it very surprising that new teachers are able to enter the field without any specialized training in education, when teaching is such a large responsibility.          2.  Secondly, I was disheartened when I read that teachers are very much disconnected from setting of standards and rules in their profession. Teachers themselves would know the most about what standards and rules should be applied, versus an outside source with no personal connection to the classroom.         3.  As no surprise, the least joyful thing I read in this chapter was about the salaries of teachers, who make an average of $47,808 per year. To put this into perspective, teachers work around an eight-hour day, for ten months out of the year. If a teacher makes the average salary, he or she is making about $20 an hour to teach over 100 students (in most cases) lessons that will impact their futures.

My First Blog Entry

I honestly have never blogged before, and never honestly had an interest in blogging. I also never followed blogs until the fall of 2011. My childhood friend Katie went on a trip to Africa, and created a blog to allow people to follow her experiences and keep in contact with her. I found blogging interesting, but never thought blogging was for me. I am not terribly private, as I do have a Facebook, but I just never felt it necessary to have an account in which people could follow my life and experiences. I am excited to start blogging, because I realize now that blogs do not just have to be about your life and sharing personal information, but can be humorous and entertaining, as well as educational. I am worried that I will get easily confused however, because I am not the best with programs outside of Word, Excel and Powerpoint. I look forward to learning about blogging and beginning to become a blogger!