Changes in Education

Changes in Education Education is important in order to prepare individuals to contribute to be effective citizens in our society. Teachers should educate these individuals in different areas such as writing, communication skills, analytical skills, basic knowledge of society, social skills, responsibility, and other skills that enable them to be self-directed learners. Teachers are important for the child’s education and they can make a positive impact or a negative impact. One of the things that I learn in this course was the about the Code of ethics of the education profession. I have heard about this but I had not seen it the way the book presents it. I learned that in the professions such as teaching, an underlying principle of that moral code is that those in the profession act in accordance with the well-being of the client in mind rather than personal concerns or satisfaction (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009). I see this as a way to protect the student values; the code of ethics will encourage the teacher to treat the student in an ethical and responsible way. Teachers have to treat a student with respect and should not take advantage of the students because of their position. A teacher influences the lives of students not only academically but morally and ethically through the teacher’s actions (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009). I also learned about teaching in a world of change, I have not taught in a regular classroom many years, but I had seen many of the new ways of teaching. It is difficult to understand that teaching has change dramatically. First when I was in school we did not have these entire standards that children have today. Years ago, learners with disabilities were isolated in special education classrooms; this was justified by the claim that such students needed training and assistance that was unavailable to them in the regular classroom (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009). We were taught at a regular class and non-speaking English student would usually have their own class room where they would learn in their own language and/ or they would learn English as a second language. Classrooms for students with disabilities where provided as well. Today all the children are in one classroom, they all learned the same thing every day and they all learn at the same pace. Teachers have to be well-prepared and have a curriculum where they include their entire student regardless of language or mental impediment. The book states these educational changes can offer opportunities and threats. It is a challenge for teachers to concentrate not just every child’s learning style, but in all children with special needs as well. A subject that I am familiar with is child abuse and neglect. Teachers responsibility is not only to teach but to help reduce child abuse and neglect, there are so many children dying each year because of abuse. Teachers can feel overwhelm with this kind of responsibility but they are the ones that are with the child most of the day, they are the ones that are closer to the students besides their parents. Reviewing about this subject is a reminder of how important this subject is for the child’s personal life. Another of the things that capture my attention and I am familiar with is the issue about homework and learning. When I was in school I remember we did not had an issue about how much homework was too much. We had homework for almost every classroom and we did not have extra books to leave one in school and one at home. We had to carry most of our books if we need it. Today parent question the value of great amounts of homework that have accompanied the increased emphasis on testing and accountability (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009). The parents are worried that the students are placed in too much pressure; many times they do not have the time to do other out-of-school activities. In the past teachers gave homework to students but students did not have to focus in so many assessments as today. Even though I do not teach in a regular classroom, I do teach at the church where I congregate myself. Many of the things that I learned in this course and the pass courses have helped me be a more effective teacher. I attend a multicultural church where they are children from different places, some are non-speaking English others are English speaking only. When I prepared my class I have to remember that all my children are different but yet I need to treat them the same. I need to prepare my class thinking of every student, they all have different learning styles and in order to capture everyone’s attention I need to make sure I have a well-prepared class. This course has also helped me because I have to teach children with disabilities such as ADD or ADHD, this is a small church school where we don’t have the teachers that we need and all the resources that the schools have, so I have to manage to deal with the students all by myself. And I have to also think of them when I prepare my class. We also have to deal with children that are abused or neglected as well. We have to go to homes and talk to parents and children when there are problems at home. We see these problems mostly in parents that work two jobs or families with single parents. Many times we have to find professional help to these people because they need it. Many times we have to tutor children in math or language arts because they are struggling with school, we have form study groups on Tuesdays in order to help these children succeed in school. One of the questions that I would generate regarding this reading material would be about homework, is schools giving students too much homework? Are the students really filing pressure because of the load of homework that they have? It seems like now a days there is not enough time to do everything we plan. As the book states homework have benefits, it is more likely to improve achievements when teachers take time to explain the purpose of the assignment. Another question that I would generate regarding this material would be about assessments. Do assessments really determine if the students have learned? What are the benefits of so many assessments throughout the year? The book states that one reason for good assessment are that it helps the teacher evaluate the effectiveness of her teaching, it helps the teacher indentify individuals who might be having difficulty learning and among others it helps form the basis for grading and students evaluation (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009). But what happens if the student was having a bad day and he score low in a placement test, is the student placed in a regular class rather than an advance one? The last question would be how is the separation between church and State affecting the school system? In the book it states that many religious leaders have long viewed the teaching of evolution versus intelligent design (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009). How come schools can have books where they talk about having two mommies or two daddies instead of living with mommy and daddy, but it is wrong to talk about God? One of the subjects that really caught my attention was the subject about diversity. Diversity has impacted teaching in many ways. Diversity includes ethnic diversity, language diversity and ability diversity (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009). One of the benefits of having a diversity class is that it gives teaches as well as the students the opportunity to learn from each other, they will learn about each student’s cultures, values and beliefs. It is important for teachers to make their children welcome to their classroom environment in order for the child to feel accepted and secure. . “Teachers should learn about their students and the communities in order to make a connection with the students and the communities (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009). There are many programs that can help diversity students such as ESL classes, where they are taking individually to teach English as their second language, this helps the student because they are able to go at a slower pace and are able to comprehend better. For many students it’s difficult to learn because they are afraid on to pronounced the words wrong and others just want to learn and they know the more they practice the faster they learn. President Bush emphasized a deep concern that our schools were having, this was that "too many of our neediest children are being left behind," so he developed No Child Left Behind. This was developed to improve the performance of every child. According to the Department of Education the assessment results and State progress objectives must be broken out by poverty, race, ethnicity, disability, and limited English proficiency to ensure that no group is left behind (U.S. Department of Education, 2001). Diversity has caused a great impact in education. In order to be an effective teacher, he or she must offer quality teaching, Teachers need to develop a well-develop curriculum where all the class can be involved and where non-English students can feel a desire to learn. Having a well-organized classroom is also important for the student; teachers can put up pictures of different countries or different areas of the world in order to make the student feel important. In the book it states that teachers mush established a culturally responsive environment where all the students are giving the opportunity to learn, this includes encouraging acceptance of students’ native speech patterns and acknowledging the cultural heritages of all ethnic groups and developing ethnic and cultural pride (Armstrong, Henson, & Savage, 2009). Teachers need to keep in mind that many of her students can have English as their second language so they have to develop a way where they can have an effective communication. Language is the foundation of our perceptions, communication and daily interaction (Otto, 2010). Language is important for everyone to communicate, it is important for children to not just acquire their language, but for some children it is important to acquire a second language. Learning about diversity in schools made me realized how blessed we are and how many benefits we have this country. Many people see diversity education as a negative issue and they even agree school should be a privilege, but if school was a privilege many of these students would not be able to study in an elementary, middle or high school. Many people see these students as intruders and they think they should go back to their original country. “The U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 1925 that parents have a constitutional right to determine their children's education, as long as they are being educated”( Kirkpatrick, 2001). Talking about this issue made me feel upset at the beginning because many of the students agree that illegal immigrants were breaking the law and they did not deserve to be giving the opportunity to get any grants to study in United States. There are so many smart children out here that if they could they would take advantage of any opportunity they were giving to educate themselves. For many of these students school is a privilege, they have to work hard in order to earn a degree, but if these students do not have the funds to educate themselves it’s like a putting a brick wall in front of their future. Most children on low income societies cannot afford costly books, computers, or laboratories. In such societies, bare literacy is sometimes all that the people can afford (Vikas, S., 2009). According to the National Center for Educational Statistics the status dropout rates for Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics declined between 1980 and 2007. However, for each year during that period, the status dropout rate was lower for Whites and Blacks than for Hispanics, although dropout rates have decline in the last years (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2009). I believe Hispanics rates in drop out are always going to be higher because of the lack of funds these students have in order to continue with their education. Unless there is program that permits Hispanics, that cannot afford education because of their legal status, to keep on studying for free beyond high school, these students will not see an open door and they will keep on dropping from High Schools. It made me sad to know that many of the student drop out before finishing high school, but I see why they do it. Many of them do not see a future, why are they going to keep on going, why finish the race when they know there is no trophy for them at the end of the race. Many of them drop out and preferred to work at a restaurant or a construction site where they know they are going to earn money instead of “wasting” their time in school. Education should be a right for everyone that has the desire to study, for everyone that has the desire to learn and better their future. Many times students don’t get out of the poverty level because they are not giving the opportunity to better themselves while others take education opportunities for granted. Speech and Language Impairment is one of the disabilities that teaches spend more time instructing about. No matter what the students disability is they need to be treated fairly and they should all be praised equally, teachers should never put a student down because of their impediment or disability, this can interfered with the student’s ability to learn. This course has taught me how education is changing over time; I can see a clear perspective on how teachers need to teach today. I am able to see that technology is one of the main changes that have happen throughout the year but technology is just another tool for teacher to teach. Technology is something that children are growing with and teachers need to implement technology in their classrooms. Everything that I learned in this course will be able to help me understand the way children are educated. What to expect to see in a classroom, such as computers, projectors, tech board and other tech materials. I should also expect to see the diversity of students. Recognizing each child’s background and making it important in the teacher’s life is necessary for every child. It is important to recognize and understand how to meet the needs of language diversity students. Teachers should model a positive perspective by creating a positive learning environment and building on first language competencies and developing a community of learners (Otto, 2010). All the principles that I learned about in this course would be able to help me in the road to become a better and an effective teacher. I can see that education is totally different in than 20 years ago. Introducing technology in classrooms is a “must” in order to prepare our children to be valuable to society. Teaching a diversity class is something that teachers need to prepare for because the reality is that most of our schools are in diversity communities. I will be able to learn how to prepare a well- develop curriculum where I have to include every single one of my students regardless of speech, language or mental needs. And I will be able to develop an assessment plan with what I need for my students to achieve.
Refernces
Armstrong, D., Henson, K, & Savage, T. (2009). Teaching today: An introduction to education (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Kirkpatrick, D. W. (06/01) School Choice: A Right, Not a Privilege. Retrieved June 10, 2010 from http://www.schoolreport.com
National Center for Educational Statistics (2009). Fast Facts. Retrieved June 14, 2010 from http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=16
Otto, B. (2010). Language Development in Early Childhood, 3rd ed. NJ: Pearson Education
U.S. Department of Education (2001). No Child Left Behind. Retrieved June 12, 2010 from http://ed.gov/nclb Vikas, S. (2009). Impact of Society on Education. Retrieved June 11, 2010 from http://www.articlesbase.com/education-articles/impact-of-society-on-education