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.