I attended K-12 in the medium sized, middle class, suburban town of Brighton MI. I went to kindergarten in an independent building and then moved to the elementary school for grades 1-5. One thing that really stuck out in my mind about the elementary school was that it did not have closed off classrooms. The school had an open floor plan consisting of pods which was a large space that was separated into four classrooms buy items such as storage, drawers, cupboards, chalk boards, along with some permanent walling. Each classroom in the pod had an opening to the two classes next to them, but no doors. This open air floor plan with minimal permanent dividers allowed teachers to pull the walls apart on a regular basis for multiple classrooms to come together for collective activities. Looking back, I can see how this arrangement was conducive to large group activities, but I remember it being hard to pay attention/stay on task with the noise from the other classrooms. Excess noise present in the classroom environment can be detrimental to all learners, particularly the students that are distracted easily, especially when a neighboring class is doing loud interactive activities. http://www.acousticsbydesign.com/acoustics-blog/distractions-in-the-classroom.htm
After 5th grade, I moved to the middle school building consisting of grades 6-8. There, students had lockers and rotated to different classes throughout the day. The middle school experience was extremely helpful with the transition to high school. By the time I was a freshmen, I was organized and used to switching class from my three years experience. Currently, I am a freshmen teacher serving students that come directly to high school from there self-contained grammar school classrooms. I was amazed at how extremely disorganized and unprepared they were, constantly forgetting books and papers in other classrooms and lockers, showing up late to class, going to the wrong rooms, lockers piled up with junk etc… The freshmen here come into high school so disadvantaged due to their lack of organizational skills. I think that they would benefit greatly from a middle school transitional period as I did. http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=2157
Friday, May 29, 2009
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Blog #7 school funding
After listening to the class debate, reading peer blogs and reading articles on line, I realized just how much school funding inequities are affecting not only Illinois, but the entire country. It is not a fair statement to say that all children in the United States receive an equal education. Because schools receive the majority of funds from property value, the schools in affluent areas receive far more money per student then the schools do in poor areas, creating extremely unequal educational opportunities for children living in poverty stricken areas. With this system in place, poor children are at an incredible academic disadvantage. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Cyprus/6547/classwar.html
With all of the out of school factors that children in poor areas face, such as abuse, malnourishment, neglect, poor living conditions, broken families, drug and alcohol issues among family members etc… unequal school funding just adds to the injustice. In my opinion, unequal school funding is largely to blame for the continuation of the cycle of poverty. It was stated in http://www.geocities.com/schoolfunding/equity.html that, “The current funding situation creates a typical catch 22--poor districts cannot afford to fund their schools because of a poverty level that is virtually guaranteed by lack of educational funding. Depriving students in poor communities of their ability to succeed after graduation essentially serves to institutionalize a caste system in the United States—one from which children in impoverished neighborhoods can entertain little hope of escaping.”
Public school funding inequities in the United States is not only an issue of SES, but also an issue of race. “African American and Latino students are consistently over-represented in those districts that lack adequate funding for education. This racial bias in educational resources can help to explain, amongst other things, lower SAT scores, grade point averages, and college achievement, as well as higher rates of remedial education amongst African American and other students of color.”
http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/31D276EF-72E1-458A-8C71-E3D262A4C91E/0/FundingGap2005.pdf
With all of the out of school factors that children in poor areas face, such as abuse, malnourishment, neglect, poor living conditions, broken families, drug and alcohol issues among family members etc… unequal school funding just adds to the injustice. In my opinion, unequal school funding is largely to blame for the continuation of the cycle of poverty. It was stated in http://www.geocities.com/schoolfunding/equity.html that, “The current funding situation creates a typical catch 22--poor districts cannot afford to fund their schools because of a poverty level that is virtually guaranteed by lack of educational funding. Depriving students in poor communities of their ability to succeed after graduation essentially serves to institutionalize a caste system in the United States—one from which children in impoverished neighborhoods can entertain little hope of escaping.”
Public school funding inequities in the United States is not only an issue of SES, but also an issue of race. “African American and Latino students are consistently over-represented in those districts that lack adequate funding for education. This racial bias in educational resources can help to explain, amongst other things, lower SAT scores, grade point averages, and college achievement, as well as higher rates of remedial education amongst African American and other students of color.”
http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/31D276EF-72E1-458A-8C71-E3D262A4C91E/0/FundingGap2005.pdf
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Bolg #6 - school lunches
As a health teacher, I take notice/interest in what my students are eating. Last year, during my first year of teaching it amazed me how much junk food they consumed in one day. When the kids entered the building in the morning, the most common things that I whiteness them eating was, chips, McDonalds, pop, and candy. Throughout the day, the ‘junk food’ trend continued; it was a never ending cycle of sugar, fat, sugar, fat, sugar, fat.
Last year our high school was held in a Baptist church while our new building was under construction. Because this facility was not intended to be a high school, the cafeteria was very inadequate, lacking kitchen equipment needed to prepare hot lunches. At another site, the lunches were put in containers, warmed and then sent over to the school in warmers. By the time they reached the students mouth the food was utterly disgusting! I attributed their poor food choices to avoiding the grotesque cafeteria lunches and the lack of healthier alternative options.
This fall our kids were moved into the permanent building that is equip with a full functioning kitchen, producing (in my opinion) great food. There are several alternatives for the students such as a different set meal each day, a la carte options, salads, cookies, vending machines full of candy/chips/pop. With all of the alternative options available now, I really did expect more of the children to take advantage of them. Although on occasion I do see some of the students eating healthy, the majority of them continue to make extremely poor food choices, eating high fat items off of the a la carte menu, paired with chips and a sugary pop from the vending machine.
A recent study shows that when students are faced with unhealthy a la carte school lunch options, they will typically make the unhealthy choice. “Reporting in the American Journal of Public Health, Kubik said the children who were allowed to choose food outside the standard school lunches ate more fat and fewer fruits and vegetables than the government recommends.”
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/07/01/health.lunch.reut/index.html I found the research reported in this article to be particularly applicable to the students at my high school. It is also stated in the article that unhealthy a la carter options are more profitable to schools.
But is the profit worth the damage that is being done to our children?
What should be done about this problem?
Would taking away these options be interfering on student’s right to choose the foods that they desire despite the negative health consequences?
Another relevant website on this topic: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/446200/the_debate_over_school_lunches_with.html?cat=4
Last year our high school was held in a Baptist church while our new building was under construction. Because this facility was not intended to be a high school, the cafeteria was very inadequate, lacking kitchen equipment needed to prepare hot lunches. At another site, the lunches were put in containers, warmed and then sent over to the school in warmers. By the time they reached the students mouth the food was utterly disgusting! I attributed their poor food choices to avoiding the grotesque cafeteria lunches and the lack of healthier alternative options.
This fall our kids were moved into the permanent building that is equip with a full functioning kitchen, producing (in my opinion) great food. There are several alternatives for the students such as a different set meal each day, a la carte options, salads, cookies, vending machines full of candy/chips/pop. With all of the alternative options available now, I really did expect more of the children to take advantage of them. Although on occasion I do see some of the students eating healthy, the majority of them continue to make extremely poor food choices, eating high fat items off of the a la carte menu, paired with chips and a sugary pop from the vending machine.
A recent study shows that when students are faced with unhealthy a la carte school lunch options, they will typically make the unhealthy choice. “Reporting in the American Journal of Public Health, Kubik said the children who were allowed to choose food outside the standard school lunches ate more fat and fewer fruits and vegetables than the government recommends.”
http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/07/01/health.lunch.reut/index.html I found the research reported in this article to be particularly applicable to the students at my high school. It is also stated in the article that unhealthy a la carter options are more profitable to schools.
But is the profit worth the damage that is being done to our children?
What should be done about this problem?
Would taking away these options be interfering on student’s right to choose the foods that they desire despite the negative health consequences?
Another relevant website on this topic: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/446200/the_debate_over_school_lunches_with.html?cat=4
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Blog #5- school violence
I had originally planned on writing about school funding for this week’s blog, but after overhearing a class conversation discussing domestic violence I really felt compelled to look deeper into this issue. Because our school does not have enough classrooms for each teacher to have their own room, some of the teachers use my room during my planning periods. As I walked into my room this morning, the biology teacher (who uses my room) was having a decision/debate with her class concerning the Chris Brown /Rihanna beating. The class entire class was defending Chris Brown’s actions. This particular group is an extremely talented, well mannered honors biology class predominantly consisting of females with zero discipline issues. I was tremendously shocked by this for several reasons, first that it was the honors class taking this stance, that the ladies were the most vocal in his defense, and that they honestly thought, and firmly argued, that it is acceptable for a man to hit a woman during a disagreement. One young lady raised her hand and firmly stated, “Well, Rihanna deserved to be hit and she must have done something to set him off. It’s not his fault; they said that she slapped him first so she better be expecting it back. If I hit any of these boys around here then I’d be expecting to get hit back.” After she was done making her statement several of her classmates both male and female agreed with her opinion.
The vast level of acceptability for this violent form of conflict resolution was quite shocking to me. In the two years that I have been teaching at this school on the south side, I have witnessed countless fights. In the heat of the moment, physical fights breaking out during class is a common occurrence and nothing that would shock or surprise me. Something about a classroom full of level headed, intellectual honors students’ zealously defending violence as a method of conflict resolution really impacted me.
I attended a middleclass suburban high school. During my four years there, I witnessed the occasional fight but never at that level. The mentality towards violence, especially domestic violence was very different. It was not widely accepted as an appropriate form of conflict resolution, and defiantly was not advocated between men and women. According to the NCCEV (National Center for Children Exposed to Violence) “Serious school violence occurs most often in urban schools. According to the Constitutional Rights Foundation, rates of school violence tend to mirror those of the general population. Typically, community violence in inner cities is more prevalent than in rural areas, which may partially prove that community violence has direct effects on children. The majority of the research to date suggests that violence is a learned behavior, so children who are acting out in violent or aggressive ways may have learned violence by repeating the violent behavior of adults. With this in mind, one can see why early intervention among school aged children is an important element in stopping the cycle of violence.” I believe that the mentality towards violence in urban schools is a learned behavior that is either learned in the home or the surrounding neighborhood. If violence is observed from a very young age, then children will grow up believing that it is an acceptable norm.
Early intervention is recommended, but what are the best solutions?
What can be done to break the cycle?
Another website that I found useful was http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/schoolcrime/6.asp?nav=1
The vast level of acceptability for this violent form of conflict resolution was quite shocking to me. In the two years that I have been teaching at this school on the south side, I have witnessed countless fights. In the heat of the moment, physical fights breaking out during class is a common occurrence and nothing that would shock or surprise me. Something about a classroom full of level headed, intellectual honors students’ zealously defending violence as a method of conflict resolution really impacted me.
I attended a middleclass suburban high school. During my four years there, I witnessed the occasional fight but never at that level. The mentality towards violence, especially domestic violence was very different. It was not widely accepted as an appropriate form of conflict resolution, and defiantly was not advocated between men and women. According to the NCCEV (National Center for Children Exposed to Violence) “Serious school violence occurs most often in urban schools. According to the Constitutional Rights Foundation, rates of school violence tend to mirror those of the general population. Typically, community violence in inner cities is more prevalent than in rural areas, which may partially prove that community violence has direct effects on children. The majority of the research to date suggests that violence is a learned behavior, so children who are acting out in violent or aggressive ways may have learned violence by repeating the violent behavior of adults. With this in mind, one can see why early intervention among school aged children is an important element in stopping the cycle of violence.” I believe that the mentality towards violence in urban schools is a learned behavior that is either learned in the home or the surrounding neighborhood. If violence is observed from a very young age, then children will grow up believing that it is an acceptable norm.
Early intervention is recommended, but what are the best solutions?
What can be done to break the cycle?
Another website that I found useful was http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2003/schoolcrime/6.asp?nav=1
Friday, May 1, 2009
Blog # 4 home enviroment
Although I have already written a blog on out of school factors, after the class discussion we had, I have done a lot of thinking/reflection on the topic. I know that OSF’s exist, and that they have a large impact on student performance, but I never really stopped to think about just how detrimental they are to students. This past week, one of my students came to me after school to discuss some issues that she was facing that really opened my eyes to the Out of school sub topics that we discussed in class, family/living environment.
For the sake of privacy I will not refer to the student by name.
Early last week, one of my previous students came in during my lunch period to tell me about how excited she was that her family was moving this weekend. She explained that her mother, brother, sister, and herself were all living in there uncles single-room basement where she had to share a bed with her teenage sibling. When I asked her how many rooms her new apartment had she replied, “Two, but My mom will sleep in the couch my brother will have a room and I will share a room with my sister. I am just glad to have a room separate from my entire family, especially since we are teenagers now. I have been sharing a single room with all them for as long as I can remember”. After this conversation, I imagined how difficult her living situation must be. In her crowded condition, it must be extremely difficult to get adequate sleep, not to mentions quiet time to complete homework assignments.
This particular student is an extremely gifted young lady, with her standardized test scores at the top of her class. (As mentioned in the Blog #3, the high school that I work at is a ‘college prep’ school that does multiple standardized tests throughout the year to measure student achievement in relation to ACT scores, so there are always current test scores on hand). When I first saw her scores, and experienced her academic ability in my classroom I was very taken back by her low grades. She would get 100% on all of her tests, but have C’s and D’s as her final report grades. As a first year teacher last year, with no experience in urban education, I had no clue as to why there was this discrepancy. It is very clear to me now that the majority her struggle to keep her grades up are contributed to her ‘Outside family and environmental factors’.
How can we expect our children to excel academically under these circumstances?
How can we expect children like her to get all of their homework done and turned in on time when they can’t find a quiet place at home to work?
The student example mentioned above, is just one of many of examples of how ‘Out of school factors’ effect our youth …..As educators, what can we do to fix the problem? What are some solutions?
In addition to the class readings, and discussions, I found study, “The effects of Crowded housing on childhood wellbeing” and “Poverty’s Effect on Childhood Academic Achievement” to be especially insightful.
http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/8/4/7/5/pages184752/p184752-1.php
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/365487/povertys_effect_on_childhood_academic.html
For the sake of privacy I will not refer to the student by name.
Early last week, one of my previous students came in during my lunch period to tell me about how excited she was that her family was moving this weekend. She explained that her mother, brother, sister, and herself were all living in there uncles single-room basement where she had to share a bed with her teenage sibling. When I asked her how many rooms her new apartment had she replied, “Two, but My mom will sleep in the couch my brother will have a room and I will share a room with my sister. I am just glad to have a room separate from my entire family, especially since we are teenagers now. I have been sharing a single room with all them for as long as I can remember”. After this conversation, I imagined how difficult her living situation must be. In her crowded condition, it must be extremely difficult to get adequate sleep, not to mentions quiet time to complete homework assignments.
This particular student is an extremely gifted young lady, with her standardized test scores at the top of her class. (As mentioned in the Blog #3, the high school that I work at is a ‘college prep’ school that does multiple standardized tests throughout the year to measure student achievement in relation to ACT scores, so there are always current test scores on hand). When I first saw her scores, and experienced her academic ability in my classroom I was very taken back by her low grades. She would get 100% on all of her tests, but have C’s and D’s as her final report grades. As a first year teacher last year, with no experience in urban education, I had no clue as to why there was this discrepancy. It is very clear to me now that the majority her struggle to keep her grades up are contributed to her ‘Outside family and environmental factors’.
How can we expect our children to excel academically under these circumstances?
How can we expect children like her to get all of their homework done and turned in on time when they can’t find a quiet place at home to work?
The student example mentioned above, is just one of many of examples of how ‘Out of school factors’ effect our youth …..As educators, what can we do to fix the problem? What are some solutions?
In addition to the class readings, and discussions, I found study, “The effects of Crowded housing on childhood wellbeing” and “Poverty’s Effect on Childhood Academic Achievement” to be especially insightful.
http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/8/4/7/5/pages184752/p184752-1.php
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/365487/povertys_effect_on_childhood_academic.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)