Blog Post 9/ What do good schools look like

I believe that there are a number of things that can make a school "good". The first major aspect that I agree that every school should have is a comforting and welcoming environment. All teachers, administrators, principles, and workers should be approachable, positive, and act as roemodels for all. When I think of a school where I would be confident in myself and interesting in learning, all my teachers would be friendly and encourage taking intellectual risks even if one is wrong. All teachers would implement problem-posing education and would grow with the students. These teachers would engage their students often in class discussion, hands-on lessons, and constantly be open to feedback from students. It would be an environment where kid's ideas in the classroom will be valued and the teacher's thoughts and ideas will not be any more significant then theirs. Kids will feel empowered and able to believe in their abilities, instead of teachers constantly telling them that they are the teacher and that they know more and  that they always will. 

All classrooms would be bright and colorful with a source of a window or windows if possible. As silly as this sounds, I think it is very important for students to feel comfortable in the classroom when they are there for 6 hours a day. It is essentially their "second home". From personal experience I have found that when in a dull, unorganized room I have been unmotivated to do my work than when in a bright room that a teacher has put some effort into decorating. 

Furthermore, I believe that no matter what age level, every school should have a wide variety of sports and clubs or activities students can participate after school. Not only does this help students to discover what they're interested in, but it produces discipline and helps them to become more involved.  Everyday after school, and during the day it would be very helpful if there was a type of "homework club"  where students could get help with what they were struggling with. This way every kid could have an extra opportunity of getting help. 

Lastly, I believe that a "good school" has small class sizes where every child is accounted for. By allowing having smaller classes, kids will receive more attention and teachers will better be able to  serve them. In conjunction with this, ever kid should be considered mportant and unique in their own ways. Coming from a large highschool, I personally felt just like a number at times. Overall, a "good school" to me is a place where children are nurtured and encouraged to  be the best that they can be.

Field Post/ Cleveland heights

Going to Cleveland Heights was a very interesting experience for me being that it was very different than my high school. The class I observed in was Mrs.Brown's 9th grade English class. The kids were very loud and crazy. The first thing that I realized was that the classroom was very messy and Mrs.Brown's desk had not been organized in days. In my opinion, as a teacher or student I would not be able to concentrate with a lot of distracting, misplaced objects around me. Despite the messiness, there were a lot of colored posters up on the walls which helped. The desks were arranged in separate pods of three or four desks so kids were able to work together. I personally liked this set up because it gives every student a "support system" or people to collaborate and share ideas with. The lesson of the day was that students were analyzing a summarized text of the original copy of a story, along with the original copy. Previously in class they had read the simplified one and were looking for the details they missed in the original one. There was a lot of confusion between the students of what they were expected of and what they were suppose to do with each piece. If I were teaching the same lesson I would of got up in front of the class and explained to them first what they were doing instead of telling each individual group to do after they started working. It was very obvious that Mrs.Brown did not have control over her students. Many of them were on their phones or just sitting there doing nothing. Others were highlighting paragraphs at a time because they did not understand the point of highlighting as a whole, or what specifically they were looking for.

One thing that I really appreciated was that she was very concerned about vocabulary. They had a list of words that they would work on each week up on the board that they were expected to know. She kept telling them to do whatever they had to do if they did not understand a term such as looking it up, circling it, or asking her. Overall, I think it was a very opening view to the discipline that teachers may have to partake within high school. I have learned from being in this class that students may also need a lot of encouragement and motivation to do their work. They need a teacher that will make them want to jump out of their chairs in order to learn.

Blog Post 8

Lately, it has been very difficult for me to decide wether I want to go into elementary school teaching or high school teaching. I love both of them very much for very specific reasons.

I could see myself being an elementary teacher because I love kids and I enjoy watching them grow. I would be very excited to be in a classroom with little kids because they would keep me smiling all day long. In addition, I feel that my personality would fit in better in elementary because I am honestly a kid at heart. I enjoy watching disney movies, playing on the playground, going to pumpkin patches, and of course acting silly. I feel like at times I would be able to relate to the kids in a very large way. Although, I could see myself teaching little ones, I think it would be very hard for me to stay calm if a kid is having a breakdown or the class is in chaos. I would be able to stay calm and collected on the outside, but in any situation of crisis I would freak out or get stressed on the inside.  In addition, I think it would be very hard to create lesson plans because the material they are having to learn would be something that I have known for years. It would be very difficult to train my brain to think that I have never learned it in order to think up a way I could teach them the chosen concept.

I have always been drawn to teach high school because while I was in high school I had some of the best teachers that anyone could ever ask for. By having these teachers, they have changed the way I look at myself and have truly helped me succeed in our world today. Specifically, I had a teacher named Mrs.Weiant that made an incredible impact on my life. From day one that she had started to teach me freshman year, she was always compassionate, caring, and encouraging to all her students. She made a great effort to let you know that every kid is important and that each one has a special strength. Throughout all her teaching she has helped me to see who Christ really is. Over the years, I have formed an amazing relationship that I will never forget and that I will be able to cherish for forever. She will always be someone who is very dear to me.

In addition, I had two math teachers, Mrs.Taylor and Mr.Nutter that have truly taught me to believe in myself. I have always struggled in math and it for sure is not something I'm comfortable with, let alone confident with. These two teachers were always willing to give up extra time after school, during my study hall or in the morning to help me. Instead of judging a student of their test scores, Mr.Nutter would always acknowledge how much effort I would put into homework and practicing after class even if I did get a bad test score for my first test. He always told me to believe in myself and that I knew what I was doing. I will never forget his warm smile. In addition, I would always look forward to going to the math lab during study hall because Mrs.Taylor would be there. Although, I hated math she always made it fun and was a teacher that I have formed an awesome relationship with. She would always form conversations with me even if they did not have to do with math. It made me feel like we were on the same level and that I "was not just a kid". Till today, I am in contact with all these teachers.

Although, I have had some great experiences in high school, I sometimes am hesitant to think about how I would feel if I had a lot of kids that would refuse to do their homework and actually learn. I would also be hesitant to see if I fit in, in this setting because I am sometimes shy when it comes to talking to a big group of people. 

Blog Post 7/8

After writing the blog post 7 on Bill Ayers "Building Bridges" I would like to elaborate on engaging students and growing together. In my opinion, in order to engage students teachers must find a mode of common interest to help transport what needs to be comprehended. If I am in an elementary classroom and am teaching addition and subtraction I might have kids using marbles or candy to figure out the answer. If I am in a high school classroom and am teaching english, I may have them play an intense review game that involves throwing a ball into a bin and keeping score. In each classroom there is a way to spark your students interest and curiosity even if they do not like the subject you are teaching. I strongly believe that in order to find a mode of common interest for your class, you need to get to know them first. Other ways to engage your students is to hold class discussions, encourage hand raising, and to reward a child that answers a question even if they are wrong.
Another aspect of teaching that is critical not only for "building bridges", is growing with your students. Letting students know that they have a say too, and that they are important is something all teachers need to keep in mind. Many teachers may get up in front of the class each day, lecture, have students take notes, and then dismiss them and not even realize how detrimental or inferior they are making their students feel. In order to grow with your students, teachers must keep an open mind and be ready for change in order to accommodate for their students. They must ask questions, be open to feedback, and listen to them.
When I become a teacher I plan on having the kids help me create the syllabus if I am in a high school setting. This way it will make them feel like they have a huge say in the class and are in a class that keeps them proactive. If students mention that they would want to be able to chew gum or have their phones I will fully take it into consideration because it will be our classroom, not mine. Finding every way that you can to make the students feel that they are important will not only make your class prosper, but it will increase their confidence within themselves and in their ability to learn.

Blog Post 7

Building Bridges in Bill Aryer's perspective means building an understanding of simple basic knowledge to comprehending more complicated and difficult criteria. There is a pattern that can be extended by class discussion and activities that have students engaged and working together. In addition, "building bridges" is when the teacher is learning from his or her students and they are growing together, thus building a brig from "childhood to adulthood". If I were to be teaching Language arts in high school and had to form a lesson about Shakespear, I would first have all of the students come up to the board and draw or write anything that first came to their mind when they thought of the play "Romeo and Juliet". While teaching this lesson I must consider that they may not know very much or if any about this topic. By seeing what they drew on the board I would have a better understanding of what they know and what I should address with more emphasis throughout the lesson. By also having everyone come up to the board at once, it would decrease the pressure that they might have had if they had to go up in front of other people. After coming up to the board, I would arrange the desks in a circle and assign reading parts to children that volunteered. By having the desks facing towards each other, it would imply that "we are all in this together" and are a team. While reading I would encourage children to raise their hand anytime they felt confused or had a question referring to the text and I would explain it or have any other children explain it if they felt like they had the answer.  This way, I would be sure if someone didn't get something or felt overwhelmed when reading the difficult text, and would be able to show them that they have a say in everything we do in class regardless if I am the teacher or not. After reading I would ask for help to think of a few scenarios in real life that could be compared or related to the reading and would write them on the board ("Comparing basic knowledge to more complex knowledge"). This way children could grasp a better and fuller understanding on the reading and how it pertains personally to themselves. Lastly, I would ask the children what they liked about the lesson and what they didn't and take suggestions, allowing us all to grow together.

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Beachwood Education Field Blog

After going to Beachwood Middle school I was very shocked from the initial feelings I felt after walking out to the bus. The first class that I was placed in Mrs. Norton's 6th grade spanish class while they were having a "fiesta" in the cafeteria. The kids were very rambunctious and energetic. Many were running around like ants and had a hard time listening when she had told them to sit down and wait patently for the rest of the food to be made. While some kids were helping Mrs.Norton scoop avocado for the guacamole, others were arranging the food that they had brought in. I was very impressed to see what a generous amount of food they had brought in. It looked like the kids were very excited to share and to eat this meal! Although, it was very loud in the cafeteria there was one experience that was very hard to watch. There was one boy that would not listen and was screaming and shouting rude comments at other kids and encouraged his friends to toss the bags of chips around with him. Mrs.Norton had to furiously yell at him at the top of her lungs and make sure that he sat right next to her and was the last to get food. In addition, I heard a few girls sitting at a table laughing at him and making fun of the boy. This really upset me and reminded me how much bullying can occur in middle school and what a difficult stage of life it is for these kids. I think it is safe to say that at this age many are trying to find out who they are and could have many insecurities due to the pressure of wanting to fit in. Another thing I had noticed was that the classroom had a lot of diversity and and they seemed to interact equally to one another even though there were cliques of girls. After observing this classroom I had felt personally that I may not enjoy teaching 6th grade but can not base this opinion after only one experience.

My second placement was in Mr.Smith's 8th grade english class. Right away I had noticed that a lot of the kids seemed very mature and focused. Mr.Smith started talking about recent projects and assignments which had clearly shown that he expected a lot out of his students. Throughout the whole class they went over their vocabulary homework and many of the kids knew some very hard and difficult words to comprehend! Although they were just going through the book, Mr.Smith made it interesting and fun with his powerful voice and even made the students a bet for extra credit if they could get 20 questions right in a row. He made sure that every kid had rose their hand and had encouraged a few that were shy at first to do so. Overall, his enthusiasm about english made me even more excited to teach english if I do so in the future. By observing in his classroom, I feel like I am leaning towards the older side of the spectrum of kids if I were to be teaching middle school in the future.

The Banking Concept of Education

          After reading "The Banking Concept of Education" by Paulo Freire I have found that I completely agree with his position that the coined term of "banking education" needs to be changed throughout all schools. I have experienced so many instances where I have had teachers that have used this concept in my own school and I often found it at times to be very frustrating when trying to get something out of the class. Freire has shown us that this type of education involves memorizing terms and concepts just for the sake to rattle them off instead of being able to comprehend what is being taught. In addition, teachers most likely give off the persona that they know everything and that the students are treated like objects. I can relate to this from being in my World Studies class freshman year and in my english class currently. In world studies our grades were only based on how much information we could retain during the test day. The information was never applied to real life circumstances and I never truly felt like I was able to grasp the information. Currently, my english teacher as well is very strict and always puts a student down in regards to answering questions and always thinks her response is better. Not only does this concept of teaching make students less inclined to learn, but it makes them feel inferior.

         I have found that while in problem-posing atmospheres throughout high school I have felt highly comfortable in the classroom and more inclined to take risks and try my hardest. In this concept of learning both the students and teachers are students. In other words, "everyone grows together". This was my favorite post it note that I had created. I think being able to learn from your students is an extremely important skill to have no matter what grade you are teaching. Throughout my junior year of high school I had a teacher that strongly used this concept and was highly encouraging of all students. Creativity and discussion was a main priority of the class and she was always excited to hear our point of view. When I am teacher I hope to always enforce the problem-posing concept in order to keep my kids happy and constantly learning.

Blog Post 5/ Rofes E.

       After reading about Rofe's childhood, his view on LGBT'S, and our society as a whole, I was very enlightened. My over all feeling when I had started to read was that I was upset due to his personal struggles in school, such as being bullied on the play ground and having to worry about potentially hurting the kids that have pushed him around for numerous years. I have always known that people with different sexual orientations can face numerous amount of pressure and mental abuse by their peers, but I have never heard direct and personal experiences from someone suffering from it. It definitely has showed me that this is reality and the way our kids are feeling in our school systems needs to change. In conjunction, he had claimed that instead of viewing LGBT'S as vulnerable and fragile individuals, we should see them as "daring, powerful, and rebellious". Personally, I can really relate to this statement because whenever the subject of gay and straight individuals comes up, I generally feel bad and continue to think that I could not imagine what they are going through. In the future I am going to focus on changing this state of mind.

Another aspect that I thought was very interesting was the way Rufe talked about, was the amount of LGBT'S teachers in our school system. It was very interesting when he had talked about how there is an uprising of openly LGBT teachers in high school and higher grades, but not in early education. I was never aware of this and personally think that if our nation is going to own up to its slogan that "All people are equal" there should be a wide variety of teachers of different sexualities in all fields of education. When we are young, we constantly look to the people above us to see what is acceptable or not. If all that young kids are surrounded by are straight teachers, our society is going to be stuck in the rut that we are in now, and our newer generations will will continue to discriminate against LGTB'S. In addition to this, I thought it was very upsetting to know that when Rufe's was a kid he felt like he had no one to talk to and had no rights to do anything about the obstacles he had to overcome due to "choosing to act" as a girl.

I strongly agree with his point that as a society as a whole, we also discriminate against children. We are constantly taught through the media and the ones around us that the adults are superior. Even though I am considered an adult at 18, I still feel sometimes as if my opinion or train of thought is not valuable when talking to someone older. I think a lot of the times we just assume that everyone older than us is smarter and knows better, but this is not always the case. Rufe pointed out that during school, he had no lawyers to go to, no self-defense, and no resources to go to about children fighting back with his issue. Although many liberal schools have been creating support groups for LGTB students, all of our schools need to become equipped with help centers and groups that students can become a part of. I think that due to Rufe's experience there should be some sort of support group in lower education as well.

Although, I had agreed with most of his points, I had a hard time agreeing with his belief that he was not genetically born as gay but "chose to do so early on as a child". In psychology class, we are constantly learning about people not having enough of a certain hormone or that a certain gland did not form to the correct size and therefore, changes can change one's behavior. I am not saying that when one is gay they have completely no choice over it, I just think that genetics could potentially play a huge part in wether a person decides to change their sexual identity.

 At my high school kids that identified themselves as LGTB's were not welcomed or accepted by the majority of people that went to my school. It was very difficult to see that a lot of my peers would make fun of them and talk behind their backs. I want the school system where I will be teaching to be highly supportive and encouraging to all kids, regardless of their sexual orientation. There should be a support group for LGTB students and kids should be able to feel as if they could talk to any teacher about any of these issues.