The world is your canvas!

Every students comes into your class as an individual. they have goals, strengths, weaknesses, talents, and needs. Everyone of them should be treated as such. why not let them "paint their own canvas"? allow children to make their choices and follow their passions. we should be there to guide then through their journey into self discovery and aid them in their rough patches. its important to notice every childs strength and encourage them to develop their talents. but as teachers we also need to make them realize they wont be "good" at everything they do. sometimes things take work. we can help guide them through their difficulties and teach them strategies to learn how to overcome these weaknesses. allowing them to "paint their canvas" gives them a little power over their lives and builds confidence in them. when they know they can make positive choices for themselves and accomplish things on their own at their own level they begin to feel pride!

As their instructors we are there to provide them with the tools they need to paint their canvas. Much like an art teacher hands them their brush and paints we need to hand them skills, subject matter and problem solving to help them achieve their goals. help them realize they can do it on their own with a little guidance. we can hand them the tools to succeed!

The world is your canvas, get painting!

Social justice is "teaching kids to question whoever happens to hold the reins of power at a particular moment. It's about seeing yourself not just as a consumer (of information), but as an actor-critic".
I would say being an advocate is the most important part of social justice. standing up for what you believe is hard. it can be extremely overwhelming and intimidating to be the one who speaks out against what is wrong. many kids are too scared or shy to ever say anything. this is why being an advocate is so important.
as teachers we can advocate for students. parents hold the tightest part of the reigns in their lives. not every kid is safe at home. its our job as their teachers to make sure they are safe. if we see something that is not right we need to speak out for them. at school you can be the barrier between bullies and victims. openly talking with students about problems with bullying can prevent these problems. if a student comes to you with a bully issue you can resolve it and watch to prevent further issues.
special need students also need someone to advocate. there are many groups of people with special needs that never get the added attention or help they require. as an instructor its our duty to weed through everyone's issues and find out what actions need to be taken to ensure every individual succeeds and is able to perform at the highest level possible.
at every level we need to speak out for these kids needs. its our duty as their role models and teachers to ensure the welfare of every individual.

Montessori*

I chose Montessori schools because i LOVE them. i attended one when i was younger and i was great! i think that giving children a chance to learn at their own pace and making them fully understand what is being taught before they are allowed to move into the next topic is a wonderful strategy. just because 20 kids are the same age doesnt mean all 20 are equal in every subject. some may be better in math while others better in art. no one is perfect but every kid can learn if you try hard enough. they need to be treated as individuals. as individuals they are taught at their own speed and how they learn best. a child will push themselves if they are given the opprotunity. if they are thrown in with a bunch of kids and never looked at on a one by one case disabilities and weaknesses may be overlooked. this distinc school system has been proven time and time again to have educated evern the most difficult learners. children who dont want to learn in a standard school system LOVE learning in these schools. they are engaging, self motivation and rewarding. how cool would you have felt as a 7 year old to be in the 9 year olds math class? that would have been enough for me study!

Montessori Schooling

As a child growing up i experienced many different schools. my dad was in the military and we moved a lot. i would have to say that by far i succeeded the most in Montessori schools.
this schooling method was developed by Maria Montessori. This Italian woman took the "defective" children that were shunned from normal schooling systems and gave them a chance to really make something of themselves.
she realized children learn differently. if we are all different people wouldnt that only make sense? her system focuses on going at their speed their way until every individual learns what they need to learn.
i know in my school there were a bunch of different rooms. these classrooms were not your typical classes. it wasnt all 5 year olds in one class and all 10 year olds in another. you were grouped by level of success. if class A was learning ABCs and a 5 year old already mastered that they may go into the room with the 7 year olds and learn to read words. it also wasnt "group learning". we had some group activities like critiquing and sharing work, but our studies were done alone. if you were a kinestetic learner you would work with your hands and body etc etc. however you learned you were accomidated to. the lesson was never moved forward until the teacher KNEW you mastered the previous lesson.
as a teacher i think it would be extremely difficult to individualize learing for each student, but thats where you see the seperation between people who go there everyday because its "your job" and people who come in every day because its your passion. if you truely want to see these kids succeed and do well you will put the effort in. i know personally this strategy works. i did faar better in that school than anywhere else. i hope there is a Montessori school near me when my son is old enough to attend.

For more info about Maria Montessori Check out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Montessori
http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-mont.htm
http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/montessori2.html

Teaching for Social Justice

After reading the article,"teaching for Social Justice", i began thinking of many things. The author of this writes five tips for successful thinking.
the first point discusses holding onto your morals as a teacher. i remembered the case in PA where the school was requiring science teachers to teach about the theory of creationism in public schools. this was a violation of their constitutional rights. there were a handful of teachers who refused to do so. they were ridiculed and punished. i believe what they did was the right thing. they knew that what was being taught was the wrong thing and they went against the grain and stood true to their conscience.
the second point reminded me of a professor i have at Salem. she is completely passionate about what she does. i have honestly never met someone who loves their job as much as her. however, as a teacher, she kind of sucks! she is totally unorganized and discombobulated. her class is poorly run and i feel like i never learn as much as i should have. she puts an enormous amount of effort into what she does, she just doesnt know how to be a good teacher. this point reminded me of her because it deals with the author having the same issue. he was passionate about what he did he just didnt know how to incorporate being passionate with making sure his students were up to par.
the third point was about teaching styles. a style is something that i consider to be unique to every person. i have seen many different teachers and each on has their own style. one in particular that stuck out to me was a teacher i observed in Salem, MA. he had a very unique style. humor was his tactic and he made all of his kids feel welocme, comfortable and accepted. he could joke around with them in ways i have never known acceptable. he wasnt innappropriate, he was just a little over the top sometimes. he had a student teacher last year that was very dry, used big words, had a very matter-of-fact professional manner and was this teachers total opposite. it was funny watching them interact. i felt like the teacher really believed in his style and thought everyone should be just like him. he would often criticize his student teacher for not being like him. i dont think there was anything wrong with either teaching style. they both had something to offer their students and how they got their lessons across didnt really matter. they were both great teachers and were able to grab their attention and keep it. having your own style is important but accepting the styles of others is valuable as well.
the fourth point was about creating a community that includes your classroom. this is important. the values you instill in your class can be great. but once those kids go home, they have a whole new set of morals and values. in order to really make these kids learn, grown and change you have to get the community you are a part of involved. you have to let the parents know what your trying to do so they are able to cooperate and move forward with you.
the last point was about being good to yourself. thats always important! if your not happy with yourself it will show in your classroom. you need to have things in your life that dont involve your job sometimes. this reminded me of the case study we did about the man who taught by day and owned a licquor store by night. you cant run yourself down like that, you need a little fun in your life!

check out:
http://www.rethinkingschools.org/archive/15_02/Just152.shtml

Gifted and Talented

Gifted and talented. to many, this may not seem like a "special need", however it is. just because these children are not below the standard bar does not mean they don't need specialized educational studies. they shouldn't have to be put on the same level as children who fall within the "normal" range. children like these need to constantly stimulated and challenged so they do not lose interest.
When these children lose interest due to lack of stimulating challenging education they may go on to become "problem" children or serve as distractions to other students. this is because they have already finished their work and have nothing better to do for the rest of the day. things that seem challenging to many students in their classes are elementary to these children. they may also act out to gain the attention they desire which they are not receiving for positive reasons such as academic success.

why is it fair to give children who are below the bar an aid or take them out to an alternative class but not to alter the curriculum for an advanced child? don't they all deserve to be challenged and pushed to their limits? if their limits are low they should be accommodated so they can learn and progress at their own speed and not be left behind. if they accelerate at everything and things are not challenging enough they should be made more challenging and added work to keep education progressing for them.
these children have an opportunity to make something excellent out of themselves, as every student does and you are holding them back by not treating this as a special need.
even within this title there are groups who are left out. the tests to determine if a child is gifted and talented are very language based. this takes minorities out of the picture. while these children may be gifted and talented and maybe more so than their English speaking classmates, they are not recognized because they cant speak the language of the test. these tests need to be designed so every student has a fair shot at taking them. its important to recognize this kids so they are placed in alternative classrooms or settings where their talents can be embraced and they are able to accelerate.


check out:
http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/gifted_and_minority_lang.html
http://www.qagtc.org.au/charprob.htm
http://www.qca.org.uk/qca_5091.aspx
http://www.uniquelygifted.org/
http://school.familyeducation.com/gifted-education/34551.html?detoured=1

What to do with twins!?

Have you ever wondered what happens to those sweet baby twins when they grow up? what happens for their first year of school? often times schools get to decide this. they are typically separated and forced to go into separate classes. in some instances this is a good thing... if they don't get along, or pay too much attention to what the other is doing rather than learning then yes they should be separate. however, what if they do get along focus just fine with the other in their presence? should they then be separated?
I believe it should strictly be the parents choice. the school can make a recommendation and back up their reasons for doing so, but the final choice should be the mother and fathers. Why should a school dictate what your children experience in life? they are responsible for teaching and providing a safe and loving environment. not depriving a child from experiencing life with their twin. 

I personally would choose to keep my twins together if i had twins. here is why. Twins are born together. they have the exact same life experiences for the first few years. some children may use a blanket or stuffed animal for security while most twins use each-other. they expect life to go along with the other. splitting them up can cause emotional damage. they may become distracted because they miss their sibling rather than focused because they are alone. there is just a unique bond between twins. they depend on each-other and they are connect in a way no other siblings are. they grow together from the time they are tiny eggs until they are adults. it can also be more simple for parents to actively participate in school. rather than having 2 different assignments mom or dad can help both of them at once. they can also learn to help each-other when they are learning the same things at once. 

in some instances this option is not possible. if one twin has a learning disability and the other doesn't, it would be harmful for you to force the other one to slow down or vise vera speed up. quality of education is the most important. if there were no aids available to help out then they would have to be separate. i would also say that if there are behavioral issues which become worse when the other twin is present they should be separate. if they are not causing problems, there's no need to separate them. the only time i see this fit is if keeping them together may harm one or both. 

however, in the end i feel it should be up to the parents. they're their children and who knows them better than their parents?

Check out this site. its a video on NECN. The woman in the video is a professor at Salem State. she had a bill passed for allowing parents to decide what happens to their twins. 

http://www.necn.com/Boston/Health/Parents-fight-to-allow-twins-in-the-same-classroom/1221517325.html

say no to vouchers!

When i say, "say no to vouchers" i am not talking about food or rent vouchers, I'm talking about school vouchers.
it is not to say that i don't think every child in America deserves an equal education, because that i do believe. however it is programs such as this that limit the quality of education students in urbanized communities receive.
think of it this way, if you lived in an area with a great deal of poverty and it was known for its poor education and you had the option to send your child to a great school in a wealthy safe community which would you choose? every parents wants the same thing for their child, and that is "the best". the best of everything and anything they can provide. if this is something you would choose dont you think this is something every other parent living in your area would choose as well?
if there is no one in the urbanized school system, why would they clean it up? when you can send them elsewhere why bother fixing the problem at hand?
if parents stay active in the community and on top of the issues they may get resolved. having a child that goes to these schools without books, desks or qualified teachers may be the push they need to create some action. when the problem is not yours its much easier to forget about.
not to mention the extra burden these programs put on the schools these kids are bussed into. if your adding kids you need to add more faculty to keep lower class sizes. good schools are known for small class sizes. if you cant afford more teachers, you are losing that valuable aspect of a quality school by increasing class sizes. is that fair to the parents and student who belong to that city or town and possibly enrolled their children in these particular schools for the simple reason they were quality institutes of learning with small class sizes? it also means these schools need more supplies. more students means more books, desks everything!
yesa voucher does mean money from the government, however it is not enough to cover the costs discussed. a voucher is a minimal amount of money distributed among all students in need of the finance. they are not given a ton of money. its not a teachers yearly salary or enough to remodel the school for the growing number of students. its minimal.
while it seems like a great idea. live in a cheap area becuase its more affordable and bus my kid into a wealthy community for education,it turns into a spiraling disaster.
it turns the quality schools into over populated less quality schools and the urban schools are left out in the cold. if no one has to attend these crummp city schools no one is going to make them better. help these school by donating books and supplies. send teachers to conferences and classes to help them become better teachers or just raise state qualifications for hiring. you can make these school better without just taking kids out.
we all do deserve an equal education and money should not be an obstacle but things will not get better by running away! you have to fight for what you deserve to have!

Why keep art in schools?

Many schools have been making cutbacks, just as we all have due to the economy. Unfotunately when a school is making a cut back, its the students that suffer. its either lower wages for teachers, which equals strikes or a lower quality of teaching staff. they could not purchase supplies but then the students have no books to read, chairs to sit in or desks to write on. so rather than making the cuts there they cut the classes that are seen as, "non essential". what are these classes? mainly Arts, however music falls into their as well. how could a class that can be used as an outlet of self expression be considered useless? what other opprotunity do these kids have to focus on no one but themselves? they can do whatever the please in art as long as they follow simple guidelines. many children who fall into the abused catagory can be saved from the teachers who notice the unusal pattern in the artwork they recieve. Art is unbelieveably crucial to a childs educaiton. its all about becoming well rounded! you can learn just as much from art as you can from any other subject. it may not manifest itself in the same way but its value is there! Whats your opinion of keeping art in school?

Hello!
I am a senior but not graduating this year! :/ i have 5 more classes after this semester and plan to finish up part time. i am incredibly interested in teaching and can't wait! i plan to teach elementary level art. the location of the school doesn't really matter, im pretty open to traveling! this year is going to be the start of a new life and i'm very excited. i have never blogged before so this is a first, but im interested in learning a little about this because i hear people always talk about it but never really read any!