Chapter 15 Reflection

Chapter 15 discusses what exactly it means to be a professional. Different criteria a profession has are: long period of specialized training, self- governing, and offers a unique service to society. There are three different levels of teaching profession. The levels are: Imitative- Maintenance: going through the motions, Meditative: reflects, but within a limited range, Generative- Creative: takes a wide view of knowledge, creates desire to learn. The NBPTS has several propositions for teachers which include that they are committed to their students and their learning, are members of a learning community, and know the subjects they teach and know how to teach them to their students.

AAE, NEA and AFT are three different teacher associations the chapter talks about. It gives details as to what they require and what they are about. Several types of professional development opportunities such as mentoring, graduate study, and systematic reflection on practice, and how tobe effective are also discussed in the chapter.

Chapter 14 Reflection

      Chapter 14 is all about what to expect when you are a teacher; from peers, to instruction, to students, and the parents. It talks about the kinds of advice you can expect to receive from the administration, for example they may be able to give you advice that deal with specialized problems. They may also help you arrange contact with specialists. Another “what to expect” aspect the chapter covers is the type of response you may receive from your peers; it may be positive and they will welcome you to the new school, or it can be as negative as to where you may get no attention at all.

      As far as instruction, as a new teacher there is a lot to learn and the book shows how the link between a teacher’s instruction and a students learning is very crucial. Classroom management problems are also discussed in the chapter and problems such as teachers not being used to give orders, being too nice, and if teaching at a high school level, if a teacher is young they may come across as attractive and can create problems that have many different ways in which they can be avoided.

      “The first day” is very important to new teachers and these are a few tips given in order to be successful: establish classroom procedures, talk about your vision for the year, and make sure to begin using student’s names so that you can develop a proper relationship with them. These are a few tips for a new teacher and success in the first year: Commit for two years, commit, find a mentor, and make students parents your allies and take care of yourself.

Chapter 13 Reflection

Chapter 13 discusses different opportunities one can find in the education field, what steps are needed to take for the process so that it can be a smooth one, what you can do if you are having difficulties getting a response back, different types of institutions you can apply to, and a few other alternative jobs you can get with having a degree in the field of education.

If you would like to get into the “classroom”, you have the choice between getting into a public or private school. Private school teachers tend to be paid less than those who teach at a public school but it also has its advantages compared to a public school, for example: smaller classrooms, better discipline, and parents that are more supportive than the average parent. A teacher in a public school gets paid more, but they must know how to deal with handling a larger classroom (varies with school district size), students with different disciplinary issues, and a wider variety of parent support.

Once you have decided what path in the education field you would like to take, you must now focus on getting the correct paper work ready and at hand. Resumes, teaching portfolio, applications, and credentials are all essential materials needed in order to “land the job”.

Other options are also presented in the chapter for those who prefer not to be in the classroom. Some of these options were: other school occupations such as a counselor, early childhood education (day care) publishing and other professional organization; just to mention a few. No matter what type of position you wish to acquire or where, it is important to know the facts and details for every position you apply to.

Chapter 12 Reflection

     Chapter 12 is about hoe education should be reformed. Maby different takes on the issue have been given ranging from schools needing reform to some saying that schools are the best they have ver been and there is no need for change. Different elements of reform that some believe ought to be are: excellence, high standards, accountability, high steaks standarized testing, active learning, a sene of community, life long learning and character education. The chapter goes on talking more in depth about each one of these elements.      These were the few that really caught my attention: high- stakes standardized testing, I can relate to this because for many years I took the TAKS test which is a state wide administered exam and overall I believe it does have some help as to the motive behind it but what bothers me is the fact that teachers tend to give all their attention to that rather than other objectives that need to be taught. Another element that struck out to me was life long learning, I really liked this one beacuse as for me, I have been one of those students that would memorize, not learn, and in the long run it did not help me at all.

Chapter 11 Reflection

          Ideally I would like to become a superintendent one day but due to what I have seen and personally experienced as a student leader, if I had to choose between these options, I would like to become part of the school board.
          As a student in a small community I have seen how the board members, educated or not, have over powered the authority of the superintendent. When I was a senior in high school and even now, my school district was very corrupt and nothing was done to help the students but only benefit the individuals on the board. Individual power is not what I would seek, but stopping that is what I would strive for. I would use the power a board member has so that the students can be educated to their fullest potential and provide all kinds of experiences and opportunities.
          It is seen in the media very often on how board members always sabotage the school to benefit themselves and yet the community or city keeps re- electing them or citizens simply are not aware of the candidates motives if they become board members. My goal would be to make a change and show what great progress and outcome of doing the right thing, how not only benefits the students, which is what the board is there to do, but benefits you too by giving one that feeling of doing good for others.

Chapter 10 Reflection

          In the year 2020 many aspects of the education field will see many changes compared to what it is like now in days. From technology, to architecture, to maybe even the curriculum.
          My guess is that as to technology is that it will be so advanced that books will no longer be utilized and everything will be done through a computer. As I mentioned in a previous chapter reflection, I believe this hurts students at a certain extent. They now lack the one on one communication between teachers and students. The different styles of learning within children will no longer matter because everything will be done one way…on a computer.
          The architectural aspect of the typical school will be constructed very different from today’s buildings. They will look much more modernized and classrooms might not have as many hands on equipment besides a computer, which also excludes desks in order to implement room for computers.
As far as the curriculum, some subjects might be removed from the general core plan in order to focus more strongly on what is essential for the student to learn in order to succeed in their careers. Or maybe, more might be added and may become much more diverse.

Chapter 9 Reflection

        Chapter 9 is about the philosophical foundations of American education. A variety of different philosophies were introduced such as: Perennialism, which is delivered primarily from the writings of Plato, views truth and nature- in particular, human nature as constant, objective, and unchanging. Essentialism is a uniquely American philosophy of education that began in the 1930s and 1940s as a reaction to what was seen as an overemphasis on a child-centered approach to educate and concern that students were not gaining appropriate and adequate knowledge in schools.
         I found these two philosophies to be very interesting being that with perennialism I too believe that students should be taught with a hint of a classical aspect to the material. I have personally seen that discipline knowledge can be taught through subjects such as history, mathematics, language, science, and the arts. In the essentialism philosophy I agree that students must lean the appropriate material and knowledge in school in order to be successful in life.