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