SED 125 and EDU 125
Education has always been an important part of my life, and i have always wanted to be a teacher. This semester I have taken two education classes that I think will greatly help me as I become the teacher that I aspire to be. I have learned all kinds of things that will help me during the process of becoming a teacher and in the classroom. There is a lot of work ahead of me but I think I am ready…
SED 125 is a class about educating exceptional learners. In class we learned about many different things that we can expect to experience and many things that we may experience. We learned about how different kids can learn, different learning disabilities they may have, and what to do in certain situations. Professor Dennison has so much experience with everything, as she has taught in many different situations. She told us countless stories about different students she had in the past, and different people she had to work with. It made me realize that I need to be prepared to work with everyone and everything.
EDU 125 is a class called Intro to Theory and Practice. The class has taught me a lot about education. We started out learning about the history of education and we got to see how it has changed over time and what different people did when they thought things needed to be different. We also had the opportunity to research about different educators that have made huge advances in the past, and it helped me to realize that you can do anything if you put your mind to it, and if you think something needs to be changed then don’t give up. This class has helped me to realize the life of a teacher and different things that you can expect; we had the opportunity to speak with three different teachers, two of whom were first year teachers and one who had been teaching for 40 plus years. As we heard the different things from them we got an idea of the average day and different things you need to expect and will learn to deal with in the classroom. We wanted to hear the truth about everything, and even though there will be hardships and at some point in my career I’m not going to be happy, the rewards are worth waiting for. From every teacher I’ve talked to, they all love the idea of making a students life better, and when the students understand, it’s the best things. EDU 125 has taught me that as a teacher there is a lot I need to follow and a lot that I need to understand.
The road to becoming a teacher can be tough. Classes like the two I have taken this fall will help me to realize different things I need to do and expect. Some things I have heard can be a little scary, and I have a lot that I need to do, but its not going to change my mind. I chose this career path because of my love for children, and the hope of changing lives and becoming a great teacher, so I’m going to stick with it and work and hope for the best.
Friday, December 14, 2007
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Blog E - Diversity
Diversity is being different. It’s the idea of people coming together and sharing their backgrounds and beliefs. There are many different types of diversity; it’s not just race and color, even though that’s what first comes to most peoples minds. Diversity can be about religion, about your different strengths as a person, where you’re from, what you’re into, and many other things.
Diversity can be a very huge part of education, although for some its not. In my schools, diversity based on race and color wasn’t something that was hugely evident. Growing up in a country style life, in a town with not much city style aspects, I don’t believe I experienced the diversity that some other kids do. Along with many other children growing up in Maine, diversity isn’t a problem. I do understand that people come from different places in the world and that many people have different ideas. There are some people in my family who come from different backgrounds and I have had the opportunity to learn about different lifestyles and see how different people live and what they believe in. I have had the opportunity to learn about people from Suriname and from Cambodia. I also have a cousin who lives in Louisiana, she experiences the many different people of the world, and I admire how open she is to different things. Race and color is something that I have never found to be a problem that I need to work to get by. I haven’t had that much experience with it but as I get older I hope that I will have the opportunity to see many more things and learn to understand all aspects of other people’s lives and what they believe in.
Diversity is something that everyone should learn about. As a teacher I feel as though I would be open to learning about all of the different cultures and teaching my students about other people. By doing this I would not only be expanding the horizons of my students but also mine. I think that by teaching students about other cultures, I would be helping them to not be critical of other people, so that they can accept people for whom they are, not necessarily what they look like. Accepting people is going to be a huge lesson that myself and students will need to learn, especially if I do have diverse students in my classroom. I honestly think it would be great. We would all be able to learn about other cultures and be understanding of what people think. I think that everyone deserves the same education and treatment. Therefore diverse students shouldn’t be treated differently, they should be understood.
Overall, diversity is a huge part of schools, because everyone is different and they all should be welcomed regardless of what they look like, talk like, where they come from, and many more things. It’s important for teachers to understand their student’s backgrounds, and I believe that teacher’s should help to include backgrounds into the classroom. I think it would be good for all of the students to understand the other student’s lives, and where they come from. Diversity is hard, but after all America is the melting pot, and I suppose we must conform to that.
Diversity can be a very huge part of education, although for some its not. In my schools, diversity based on race and color wasn’t something that was hugely evident. Growing up in a country style life, in a town with not much city style aspects, I don’t believe I experienced the diversity that some other kids do. Along with many other children growing up in Maine, diversity isn’t a problem. I do understand that people come from different places in the world and that many people have different ideas. There are some people in my family who come from different backgrounds and I have had the opportunity to learn about different lifestyles and see how different people live and what they believe in. I have had the opportunity to learn about people from Suriname and from Cambodia. I also have a cousin who lives in Louisiana, she experiences the many different people of the world, and I admire how open she is to different things. Race and color is something that I have never found to be a problem that I need to work to get by. I haven’t had that much experience with it but as I get older I hope that I will have the opportunity to see many more things and learn to understand all aspects of other people’s lives and what they believe in.
Diversity is something that everyone should learn about. As a teacher I feel as though I would be open to learning about all of the different cultures and teaching my students about other people. By doing this I would not only be expanding the horizons of my students but also mine. I think that by teaching students about other cultures, I would be helping them to not be critical of other people, so that they can accept people for whom they are, not necessarily what they look like. Accepting people is going to be a huge lesson that myself and students will need to learn, especially if I do have diverse students in my classroom. I honestly think it would be great. We would all be able to learn about other cultures and be understanding of what people think. I think that everyone deserves the same education and treatment. Therefore diverse students shouldn’t be treated differently, they should be understood.
Overall, diversity is a huge part of schools, because everyone is different and they all should be welcomed regardless of what they look like, talk like, where they come from, and many more things. It’s important for teachers to understand their student’s backgrounds, and I believe that teacher’s should help to include backgrounds into the classroom. I think it would be good for all of the students to understand the other student’s lives, and where they come from. Diversity is hard, but after all America is the melting pot, and I suppose we must conform to that.
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Influential Educators
Influential Educators
Friedrich Froebel (Friedrich Wilhelm August Frobel)
Friedrich was born on April 2, 1782, in Germany. When he was nine months old his mother passed away, and he was brought up by his father until he turned ten and moved in with his uncle. Five years later he became the apprentice to a forester. This was a good job, but it wasn’t what he wanted to be doing, so in 1799 when he was 17 he left the apprenticeship and began his studies in Mathematics and Botany. From this time on he studied many things and in 1840 he came up with the word kindergarten, for the Play and Activity Institute he had founded in 1837, which is considered to be the first kindergarten. Froebel believed that activity for young children was of high importance. In his classrooms children would sing, dance, garden, and play with his Froebel Gifts. Froebel Gifts were things that he came up with, such as wooden blocks and balls, to help the children learn. He taught women and men what he thought was important and showed them how to work with the young children. In fact, he died in the place where he taught many of the teachers. It was after his death, on June 21, 1852, that the kindergarten idea went throughout the world. It was brought to England, France and the Netherlands first, and then to many other countries including the United States, where it received its best success. One of the first in the United States was opened by Elizabeth Palmer Peabody in 1861, in Boston Massachusetts. The idea of a Kindergarten and activity based learning is still used today, in most countries.
Emma Willard (Emma C. Hart Willard)
Emma was born on February 23, 1787, in Connecticut. She grew up in the United States, with a father who was liberal minded and taught her to believe that girls really aren’t intellectually inferior to boys. Emma was a women’s rights advocate but she is most remembered for founding the first women’s school of higher education. She began teaching at the age of 17, and she moved to Vermont when she was 20 to continue her teaching. In 1809 she married Dr. John Willard, and in 1814 she made her first attempt at a school, by opening the Middlebury Female Seminary in her home. Shortly thereafter she moved to New York and in 1819, she opened the Waterford Academy, which was closed in 1821, due to having a lack of continued funding. Luckily, Troy, New York wanted this school in their town, so in September 1821, she opened/Founded the Troy Female Seminary, which had great success, and is now still running, except under a new name. In 1825 her husband died, but she continued running the school for 18 years, when she handed it down to her son and daughter in-law. In 1830 she started a tour of Europe, and she published a book called Journals and Letters from Great Britain. She was so generous as to give all of the proceeds from her book to a women’s school in Athens, Greece that she helped to found. After one more marriage, and a divorce after nine months, she spent the rest of her life writing, and living the life she wanted. She died on April 15, 1870, at the age of 83. She died in Troy, New York, the town of her school, which is now called the Emma Willard School.
Print Sources
Downs, Robert B. Friedrich Froebel. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1978
Lutz, Alma. Emma Willard Pioneer educator of American women. Boston: Beacon Press, 1964
Bibliography
Friedrich Froebel. 2007. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. Nov 8, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Wilhelm_August_Froebel
Friedrich Froebel. 2002. Nov 8, 2007. http://www.friedrichfroebel.com/
Friedrich Froebel. 1997. Mark K Smith. Nov 8, 2007. http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-froeb.htm
Friedrich Froebel. 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. Nov 8, 2007. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-903547/Friedrich-Froebel
Kindergarten. Unknown. Nov 8, 2007. http://froebelweb.tripod.com/surfkinder.html
Emma Willard. 2007. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. Nov 8, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Willard
Emma Willard School. 2007. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. Nov 8, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Willard_School
Emma Willard. 2005. The Library Company of Philadelphia. Nov 8, 2007. http://www.librarycompany.org/women/portraits/willard.htm
Friedrich Froebel (Friedrich Wilhelm August Frobel)
Friedrich was born on April 2, 1782, in Germany. When he was nine months old his mother passed away, and he was brought up by his father until he turned ten and moved in with his uncle. Five years later he became the apprentice to a forester. This was a good job, but it wasn’t what he wanted to be doing, so in 1799 when he was 17 he left the apprenticeship and began his studies in Mathematics and Botany. From this time on he studied many things and in 1840 he came up with the word kindergarten, for the Play and Activity Institute he had founded in 1837, which is considered to be the first kindergarten. Froebel believed that activity for young children was of high importance. In his classrooms children would sing, dance, garden, and play with his Froebel Gifts. Froebel Gifts were things that he came up with, such as wooden blocks and balls, to help the children learn. He taught women and men what he thought was important and showed them how to work with the young children. In fact, he died in the place where he taught many of the teachers. It was after his death, on June 21, 1852, that the kindergarten idea went throughout the world. It was brought to England, France and the Netherlands first, and then to many other countries including the United States, where it received its best success. One of the first in the United States was opened by Elizabeth Palmer Peabody in 1861, in Boston Massachusetts. The idea of a Kindergarten and activity based learning is still used today, in most countries.
Emma Willard (Emma C. Hart Willard)
Emma was born on February 23, 1787, in Connecticut. She grew up in the United States, with a father who was liberal minded and taught her to believe that girls really aren’t intellectually inferior to boys. Emma was a women’s rights advocate but she is most remembered for founding the first women’s school of higher education. She began teaching at the age of 17, and she moved to Vermont when she was 20 to continue her teaching. In 1809 she married Dr. John Willard, and in 1814 she made her first attempt at a school, by opening the Middlebury Female Seminary in her home. Shortly thereafter she moved to New York and in 1819, she opened the Waterford Academy, which was closed in 1821, due to having a lack of continued funding. Luckily, Troy, New York wanted this school in their town, so in September 1821, she opened/Founded the Troy Female Seminary, which had great success, and is now still running, except under a new name. In 1825 her husband died, but she continued running the school for 18 years, when she handed it down to her son and daughter in-law. In 1830 she started a tour of Europe, and she published a book called Journals and Letters from Great Britain. She was so generous as to give all of the proceeds from her book to a women’s school in Athens, Greece that she helped to found. After one more marriage, and a divorce after nine months, she spent the rest of her life writing, and living the life she wanted. She died on April 15, 1870, at the age of 83. She died in Troy, New York, the town of her school, which is now called the Emma Willard School.
Print Sources
Downs, Robert B. Friedrich Froebel. Boston: G.K. Hall & Co., 1978
Lutz, Alma. Emma Willard Pioneer educator of American women. Boston: Beacon Press, 1964
Bibliography
Friedrich Froebel. 2007. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. Nov 8, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friedrich_Wilhelm_August_Froebel
Friedrich Froebel. 2002. Nov 8, 2007. http://www.friedrichfroebel.com/
Friedrich Froebel. 1997. Mark K Smith. Nov 8, 2007. http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-froeb.htm
Friedrich Froebel. 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. Nov 8, 2007. http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-903547/Friedrich-Froebel
Kindergarten. Unknown. Nov 8, 2007. http://froebelweb.tripod.com/surfkinder.html
Emma Willard. 2007. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. Nov 8, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Willard
Emma Willard School. 2007. Wikipedia Foundation Inc. Nov 8, 2007. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_Willard_School
Emma Willard. 2005. The Library Company of Philadelphia. Nov 8, 2007. http://www.librarycompany.org/women/portraits/willard.htm
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Post B - Education and History
The Committee of Ten
The Committee of Ten formed in 1892 eventually creating the first ideas of a widespread High School curriculum. As given by its name it made of up ten people. They were all men and they were all in the education field, some principles, some commissioners, some headmasters and even presidents. The Chairman of the Committee was Charles Eliot, who was the president of Harvard. The Committee of Ten was appointed by the National Education Association. They had two major recommendations. The first was to add some subjects that everyone should learn, and then the second was to teach kids, especially college bound students, certain subjects.
The Committee of Ten recommended eight years of elementary school and four years of secondary education, which has still basically stayed the same to this point in time. The first major subject that everyone thought at that point in time was Classical and Latin. After Latin came Language and English courses. Included in these courses were many of the subjects that people take to this day such as: foreign language, mathematics, science and history.
The Committee of Ten is also known as the Committee on Secondary School Studies. It is commonly called this because many people believe the main idea of it was to focus on the high school years, because those years were what determined your future in college and your interests. The idea that college was the most important became obvious when the report came out of the committee and it established college domination over the high school curriculum. This is still true today; people who go to college often get better jobs than those people who don’t go to college. College gives you the information you need to succeed in your area of choice. They didn’t want to just allow the college bound students to study though, Charles Eliot thought that everyone should be given the opportunity, even if they weren’t heading to college.
At the time the Committee was formed, a very small percentage of the overall students attended high school and college. Those were different times then now, and I believe that is why they formed it in the first place: to raise the interest and allow people to see what they really needed to know. At the time the Committee was formed only six percent of people who could be in high school went, and only two percent of people who could be in college went. Those numbers should have swayed the minds of the National Education Association.
The Committee of Ten affected the history of education by laying down the process by which education should be learned. They recommended a curriculum, which has remained relatively the same, and the focus of many people is still to promote college and get people further in life.
The Committee of Ten formed in 1892 eventually creating the first ideas of a widespread High School curriculum. As given by its name it made of up ten people. They were all men and they were all in the education field, some principles, some commissioners, some headmasters and even presidents. The Chairman of the Committee was Charles Eliot, who was the president of Harvard. The Committee of Ten was appointed by the National Education Association. They had two major recommendations. The first was to add some subjects that everyone should learn, and then the second was to teach kids, especially college bound students, certain subjects.
The Committee of Ten recommended eight years of elementary school and four years of secondary education, which has still basically stayed the same to this point in time. The first major subject that everyone thought at that point in time was Classical and Latin. After Latin came Language and English courses. Included in these courses were many of the subjects that people take to this day such as: foreign language, mathematics, science and history.
The Committee of Ten is also known as the Committee on Secondary School Studies. It is commonly called this because many people believe the main idea of it was to focus on the high school years, because those years were what determined your future in college and your interests. The idea that college was the most important became obvious when the report came out of the committee and it established college domination over the high school curriculum. This is still true today; people who go to college often get better jobs than those people who don’t go to college. College gives you the information you need to succeed in your area of choice. They didn’t want to just allow the college bound students to study though, Charles Eliot thought that everyone should be given the opportunity, even if they weren’t heading to college.
At the time the Committee was formed, a very small percentage of the overall students attended high school and college. Those were different times then now, and I believe that is why they formed it in the first place: to raise the interest and allow people to see what they really needed to know. At the time the Committee was formed only six percent of people who could be in high school went, and only two percent of people who could be in college went. Those numbers should have swayed the minds of the National Education Association.
The Committee of Ten affected the history of education by laying down the process by which education should be learned. They recommended a curriculum, which has remained relatively the same, and the focus of many people is still to promote college and get people further in life.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Post A - Informal Education
I’ve always loved to go outside; its fun, its relaxing, and you can do so many things. I’ve always appreciated the wide variety of colors, as things bloom in the spring, and as leaves change in the fall. Outdoors is the one place, that I can always relax. It’s a place where I can think, where I can go and just listen to the wind, hear the birds, and watch the rain and snow fall. It’s something that I consider amazing. Outdoors is where I learned to love many of the things I love today. It’s where I was taught to ride a bike, the scary moments of falling off, but having the strength to get back up again. It’s where I learned to garden, with my mom. Its where I learned to fish, and enjoy the lakes, rivers and streams. When laughing with my brothers at midnight, waking up all the campers was fine. Its where camping became part of my life, spending time each summer at our favorite campground, seeing balancing rock, at Jo-Mary Lake, playing with our friends that we couldn’t wait to see that next summer, and pick things up where they left off, catching frogs, building forts, spending hours at the beach… its all worth it. The outdoors is something that will never leave my life.
The outdoors brings me to one of my now favorite games, where teamwork and friendships brought a group of girls and coaches together so close, and took us on the ride of our lives. We knew that hard work and dedication would bring us our dreams, and nothing stood in our way. We learned that our dreams wouldn’t come true, unless we worked everyday to improve, and keep it fun. It all started my freshman year, as less than twenty of us gained an interest and really wanted a lacrosse team at our school. It happened. We worked hard, and by the time my junior year came around, we were considered a good team, and we had full varsity standing and played some of the hardest teams in the league, all of our dedication and hard work, brought us to one of the best days of my life. My senior year, we took states. We went from nothing to everything in a matter of four years, and I will never forget that day, as we all celebrated at Fitzpatrick Stadium, will no care in the world. But sports aren’t the only thing that I had to learn hard work and dedication. School and learning has always been one of my passions. I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to teach. My grandmother is a teacher, and we always talked about what’s she was doing, and how I would be as a teacher. To this day, she always gives me ideas to teach, and gifts to help me along the way. She has always said that she’s going to retire when I graduate, so I can just take her spot. Having the help from family is one of the best things there is. Which bring me to my next and final life lessons that everyone uses.
Building friendships and trusting your families are two of the most used skills that I have. From day one people are taught that there mothers or their caregiver is someone who they depend on. As kids grow they learn that family and friends are some of the most important things in their lives. Family is always there for you and friends are there when you need them and sometimes when you don’t. Many of my memories are built around my friends. Not only are they someone you can talk to at school, hang out with, go to the movies, or anything fun, but they are someone who you can trust, and who you can tell your secrets to, cause everyone knows that you really cant tell you moms everything… But you can them a lot. Family and friends teach you some of the most important things, and you realize what other people care about and what their passions are. Without my friends and family, I feel as though I would be lost.
As there are many other things that affected me as I grew up, some of the things I mentioned seem to be the most important. Loving the outdoors always gives me something to look forward to. I now know that I can reach my dreams, because hard work and dedication will get you there. And without friends and family, I don’t know what I would do. They have taught me so much, and I know much more to come…
The outdoors brings me to one of my now favorite games, where teamwork and friendships brought a group of girls and coaches together so close, and took us on the ride of our lives. We knew that hard work and dedication would bring us our dreams, and nothing stood in our way. We learned that our dreams wouldn’t come true, unless we worked everyday to improve, and keep it fun. It all started my freshman year, as less than twenty of us gained an interest and really wanted a lacrosse team at our school. It happened. We worked hard, and by the time my junior year came around, we were considered a good team, and we had full varsity standing and played some of the hardest teams in the league, all of our dedication and hard work, brought us to one of the best days of my life. My senior year, we took states. We went from nothing to everything in a matter of four years, and I will never forget that day, as we all celebrated at Fitzpatrick Stadium, will no care in the world. But sports aren’t the only thing that I had to learn hard work and dedication. School and learning has always been one of my passions. I’ve known for a long time that I wanted to teach. My grandmother is a teacher, and we always talked about what’s she was doing, and how I would be as a teacher. To this day, she always gives me ideas to teach, and gifts to help me along the way. She has always said that she’s going to retire when I graduate, so I can just take her spot. Having the help from family is one of the best things there is. Which bring me to my next and final life lessons that everyone uses.
Building friendships and trusting your families are two of the most used skills that I have. From day one people are taught that there mothers or their caregiver is someone who they depend on. As kids grow they learn that family and friends are some of the most important things in their lives. Family is always there for you and friends are there when you need them and sometimes when you don’t. Many of my memories are built around my friends. Not only are they someone you can talk to at school, hang out with, go to the movies, or anything fun, but they are someone who you can trust, and who you can tell your secrets to, cause everyone knows that you really cant tell you moms everything… But you can them a lot. Family and friends teach you some of the most important things, and you realize what other people care about and what their passions are. Without my friends and family, I feel as though I would be lost.
As there are many other things that affected me as I grew up, some of the things I mentioned seem to be the most important. Loving the outdoors always gives me something to look forward to. I now know that I can reach my dreams, because hard work and dedication will get you there. And without friends and family, I don’t know what I would do. They have taught me so much, and I know much more to come…
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
