School Choice: still an issue? Cutting back the over growth of skepticism and doubt.

"Ideologically inspired lamentations about the parlous state of American education mask the much more complex truth" Quote from Peter Schrag on School Choice.
(http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97oct/fail.htm)

The article that I got that quote from is very interesting because the author claims that all the worries about how bad public schools are today are boarder line myths. He points out areas of achievement like one in every four Americans has a college degree, which is the highest in the world. He also points out that the comparisons to other industrialized countries in terms of achievement are not valid because for example in Britain and Germany, by the time students are of age to take achievement indicator tests like SATs and ACTs, they are already weeded out and into more specific job training programs. Basically, students who do not do well in school are moved into trade schools, and are not included in comparisons with the United States in terms of achievement. In the United States all scores are included since every citizen legally has the property right to an education and this fact brings down scores that are used to compare the U.S. to other countries.

So what are the implications for me as a future educator?

I think that despite the good statistics and the bad, which I am not denying but just sharing positive statistics, that there is hope for public schools. Sure, there are un-questionably bad public schools out there, but that does not mean that the entire system should be thrown out with the bath water. (I am entirely way to young to use that metaphor, haha...) Public schools are making a difference. Imagine if schools were entirely privatized. This would mean that in the process of the schools improving, like business do in a competitive market, tuition would be high at first while the market eventually lowers prices because of the concept of supply and demand. For a time, education would be to expensive for low class Americans. This is ok in the business world because this usually applies to products that are not necessities like food and water. Allowing education to be privatized is like treating a basic commodity like bread as if it were the newest mustang model. Education is a basic necessity and if it was allowed to be privatized, it would undoubtedly become exclusions, even if for a brief time, and this would be at the cost of our children. The beauty of the American Public School system is that all citizens are entitled to it, even of they don't want it. We believe in valuing the individual, no matter their socio-economic status.
School choice is a great way to keep the government accountable to their own system, and a great way to value the individual in allowing them to go to a better school. However, school choice is not in my opinion the solution exclusively, just another piece to the puzzle of a solution.

I think that the public school system is getting lost in an over growth of skepticism and doubt.

Interesting Quote

"German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1960), himself a very self-disciplined personality, cautioned educators, “But on the whole we should try to draw out from their own ideas, founded on reason, other than to introduce such ideas into their minds.” This notion drawing out reasoned thought appears again and again in the literature still today(Cahan,1994,p.158) To Tolstoy and Kant both the notion of a hired gum approach to education would be an anathema. There is as Robin Barrows (1984) explains a sharp difference between principles of classroom management and control and principles concerned with developing the mind. In an educational institution, all principles should be subordinated in the end to those which develop the mind." taken from http://cie.asu.edu/volume9/number2/index.html

I like this quote because it deals with balancing classroom management and activities that develop the minds of students. I have had teachers who because of students who constantly mis-behave, could only focus on managing the classroom. As much as I believe in educating every child, every day; I don't want what happened to me, happen to other students. There doesn't seem to be a solution to this problem in public schools. I have a feeling that if I allow myself to get worried about problem students, I will probably get burned out of teaching quite quickly. Learning how to balance this problem, and allow for learning to take place in my classroom is one of the goals I know I will have to be commited to for my whole career.

Constructivism and democracy

"Education agencies, therefore, must create environments where students can interact and learn to participate in a democracy, not schools where control is the dominant theme(Sehr, 1996)." taken from http://cie.asu.edu/volume9/number5/index.html
Teaching is evolving and it is exciting to be part of a more student centered movement in American education. I am interested in how teaching constructivist lessons can encourage students in participating in a democratic society. Constructivist teaching is all about according to wikipedia, " values developmentally-appropriate facilitator-supported learning that is initiated and directed by the learner. This is the path through which educators (facilitators) wish to approach students in constructing meaning of new concepts." Basically, this means that unless the student finds meaning in the topic or lesson, and if the teacher can allow the student the freedom to create their own meaning, then students will be life-long learners and engage in the material during class. An article I read mentioned that constructivist lessons takes away behavioral problems because the students are constantly engaged in meaningful activities. This is how it can connect to democratic values. In order for a student to find their own meaning and direct their own learning, a dialogue must take place between the student and the teacher. To get what the student wants, a democratic process has to take place between the teacher and student. This is valuable for a Social Studies Teacher because demonstrating the democratic process in a constructivist way will better communicate these values then any lesson.

Another awesome quote from the essay

"Expectations affect students in many ways, not just
academically, but in the form of mental and social deprivation which
causes a lack of self-esteem. When educators receive information
about students, mostly even before the student walks into their
classroom, from past test scores, IEP’s, and past teachers, it tends
to alter the way we look at the students potential for growth. This
foundation of expectation is then transformed on to our method of
instruction.
One basic fallout from these expectations is the amount of
time educators spend in communicating with students. We tend to speak
more directly to students who excel, talking in more matures tone of
voice, treating them more like a grown-up than we do to the students
who are already labeled underachievers. This can give the student an
added incentive to either progress or regress due to the amount of
stimulation that they receive.
As educators we tend to take the exceptional students "under
our wing". We tend to offer knowledge in situations to help push the
good students, in comparison to moving on to the next task for the
others. We also tend to critique the work of our god students more
positively than the others, offering challenges to the answers they
have given.
The most obvious characteristic that educators present to the
students is in the area of body language and facial expression. We
tend to present ourselves in a more professional manner to our good
students, speaking more clearly and with a stronger tone of voice. We
tend to stand more upright, in a more powerful stance, than to the
slouching effect we give to the underachievers. The head shakes,
glancing with our eyes, hand gestures, and posture all contribute to
the way we look at certain students based on our first impressions
which came before we even knew the student."
Taken from http://www.cyberessays.com/Politics/31.htm

It's crazy to me how even the most subtle body language can send a message to students showing favoritism. Teaching is one of the most difficult forms of communication, in my humble opinion.

School is a microcosm of Society

"Schools are often blamed for the ills of society, yet society
has a major impact on our education system. The problems that schools
are facing today are certainly connected to the problems that are
society faces, including drugs, violence, and the changing of our
family structure. There are many methods that schools have begun to
use in order to deal with the problems they are faced with and still
offer the best possible education to our youth."
Taken from an essay on http://www.cyberessays.com/Politics/31.htm

This quote in interesting to me because it has some very powerful implications for our education system. It is important that teachers recognise that schools are a microcosm of society, meaning that all the problems that exist in the grown up world exist in schools. I think that sometimes as teachers we don't always want to believe that students have problems coming into the classroom. We expect students to leave their problems at the door and come to class every day with a positive attitude, ready to be as excited about my subject as I am. While these are positive expectations, and should be expected of students, I believe that there needs to be understanding when a student comes to class with their problems weighing them down. I believe that it is the teachers responsibility to challenge students to learn how to excel despite the external circumstances and the only way this can happen is by having a caring and compassionate attitude towards these students. How can I expect a students to leave their problems at the door when my bad attitude towards them, when they are having a bad day, only adds another problem to their shoulders. Growing up I noticed these teachers and their bad attitudes were often directed to my friends. Typically the result was my friends shutting down and checking out. Of course I realize that with the sheer number of students I will be in contact with during my career, and the sheer number of bad days I will have as a teacher, this seems very idealistic. Fortunately I believe in a God who I can depend on in the hard times of my career.

A heart for teaching

In my 450 class today we talked about what it takes to teach in a more ethnically diverse school. My initial reaction was overwhelmingly "yes"!!! I could teach outside of "vanilla valley" as one of my classmates put it. It really got me thinking about how this is an issue that still exists today in education. As much as I don't understand it, since I grew up in Colorado Springs where there is not much diversity, I have to be prepared to work with colleagues who may struggle with treating minority students differently. Even with this in mind, I still have no idea what kind of school I want to teach in for my first year. I am worried that if I go into a inner city school, that I will get burnt out within the first two years.

| View | Upload your own