Financing and Governing (Observe and Reflect)

1. Would you support the establishment of the Escalante School? Why or why not?  I would support the establishment of the Escalante School because of its purpose.  In the video, the main purpose (the main advantage) of the school was to have smaller class sizes.  Smaller class sizes would promote better results for students.  Teachers would benefit because they would have more quality classroom time with their students.  They could explore topics more in-depth and they could dedicate more time to students that are struggling with certain topics.  I also liked what they said about support, that the Escalante School would be in a network of 30 charter schools and that those schools would support the Escalante school in any way necessary.
2. Why can school boards be resistant to change?  School boards are resistant to change because they need to see a need for the school.  In the video, one of the board members talks about an after school program that does what the Escalante School is setting out to do.  The after school program offers extra help for students that are struggling.  They also discussed resistance because of added teacher support, that teachers would have to dedicate more of their time to the charter school versus staying after school with the after school program.  I feel a third resistance would be the financial side of the school, that opening a charter school is a larger cost to the school district. 

know your school budget and school governance quiz

After taking the school governance quiz, I realized that I know more than I thought I did about this chapter.  I got 5 out of 7 correct.  The 2 questions that I didn't get correct are number 2 and number 4.  Question number 4, I read this question incorrectly, I now see why the answer is option C.  It's because they were looking for an untrue statement, Superintendents are not elected officials.

Question number 2 was confusing to me because of options A through D, they seem contradictory.

The "Know you school budget quiz" was very straight forward.  I got 5 out of 5 on that quiz.

Savage Inequalities and If We Want Better Education

I have walked through bad parts of New York City and seen homeless people begging for food and money.  I have also been through parts of downtown Newburgh and seen poor, homeless, and hungry people looking for handouts.  I have never heard or seen such a place as described in this article.  Part of me can't believe that such a place exists in the United States of America today.  The other part of me believes every word that I just read and I am disgusted and appalled.  I can't believe that we can allow people to live in such surroundings.  We live in a country where we have individuals like Bill Gates and Donald Trump that have accumulated such a vast amount of wealth they couldn't spend it in 10 lifetimes. 

Here we have the other end of the spectrum.  People living in excrement, playing with squirrels and mourning deaths like they are everyday happenings.  These people from East St. Louis are residing in a living Hell-on-Earth.    


I liked what the article "If We Want Better Education" discussed.  The main point of the article was to let us know that in districts where teachers are valued, students also perform better.  Raising teacher salaries, offering excellent benefits, and protecting them with good unions will attract more college graduates to the profession.

Financing and Governing

Here is the link to my Powtoon

I used Powtoon to create an animated power point for the Financing and Governing Chapter for Dr. Smirnova's class.  I used the quote in the first slide.  Then I added 2 more slides that talk about losing money because I believe that's what schools want us to believe is going on.  The final slide I  used some of the key terms from the forum.  You can see that I also animated the slides as well.  I hope you like what I have created.

The New England Primer Poster

This is the link to my Glogster poster.  A large part of Education in 1777, when this book was published, concerned religion.  We have been learning that students read and studied the King James Bible, at length, during this period in American History.  The United States had just declared its independence from Great Britain. Church and religion were very important in society during this period. 

Well-to-do farmers shipped tons of corn and wheat and rice to the West Indies and Europe, using the profits to send their children to private schools and buy their wives expensive gowns and carriages. Artisans—tailors, carpenters and other skilled workmen—also prospered, as did shop owners who dealt in a variety of goods.

Men wore clothes that were as colorful as the ladies' garb. One male fashion plate in New York ordered a suit of "superfine scarlet plush and a vest of light blue plush." Among the ladies, the beauty business was already a major force in the economy. "Fashion dolls" wearing the latest styles circulated through the city and the country. Women regularly spent a half day getting their hair "permanented" for a ball. Ladies seeking to preserve the sheen of youth spent a fortune on "paints" from China and lip salves from India.

The automobile hadn't been invented yet.  Transportation was walking from place to place, riding a horse, or a horse-drawn carriage.  There was no internet or email, this is the time when mail is first invented (now called snail mail).

Schools are simply one room buildings.  All ages and grade levels are taught in one room, all at the same time.  Teachers would have 20 students of various ages and skill levels.  Each individual student could be on a totally different topic and level than every other student.  The teacher is most likely a man (farmer, shop owner, lawyer, or factory worker) taking time during his off-season to earn extra money.

Children are used as factory workers.  This is the time before child labor laws have come into effect.

Chapter 4 (Evaluate: When did it happen?)

This post is my response to playing the "Who Am I?" game and the "timeline" game.  I really liked playing the Who Am I? game because it gives you prompt feedback, if you're right or wrong.  I felt like I was playing a video game.  I love playing trivia games like that, I enjoy watching shows like Jeopardy at home in my spare time.  The fact that it has buzzers to reflect an incorrect answer and bells to reflect a correct answer is interesting.  When you are done, it shows your score and then you hear a crowd clapping and cheering you on.

First, I read through everything that's been posted on eclass this week.  I watched all the videos and read the articles at the bottom of each page of the eclass tabs.  Surprisingly, I did remember most of the dates and information about the individuals mentioned in the chapter and in the games. This game was much more difficult than the Who Am I? game for me to play.  I have never been the type of individual that can remember specific dates from history or textbooks.

How much do you already know about the history of American Education?

After taking the quiz, I was surprised to see that it didn't give me a grade.  It just gave percentages of true and false answers.  I had the results emailed to me.  I am posting them below.  I would've gotten 5 out of the 10 questions correct.  Numbers 2, 4, 7, 8, and 9 I got wrong. 


 Question 1:The first kindergarten in America was in Wisconsin.
(398 responses)
55%TRUE
45%FALSE


Question 2:One of the first colleges in the western hemisphere to admit low-income students was Stanford University in California.
(396 responses)
47%TRUE
53%FALSE


Question 3:The first medical diploma in the U.S. was granted by Harvard.
(396 responses)
78%TRUE
22%FALSE


Question 4:The first woman's college endowed by a woman was Smith.
(393 responses)
62%TRUE
38%FALSE


Question 5:Until the middle of the 19^th centuries, most classrooms contained students in multiple grades.
(391 responses)
82%TRUE
18%FALSE


Question 6:Massachusetts was the first state to have schools with blackboards, put erasers on pencils, and actually prepare teachers for their jobs.
(394 responses)
77%TRUE
23%FALSE


Question 7:Gallaudet University in Washington, DC was founded to educate the deaf and hard of hearing.
(390 responses)
76%TRUE
24%FALSE


Question 8:Ohio's Wilberforce University was the first institution of higher education owned and operated by African Americans in the United States.
(389 responses)
58%TRUE
42%FALSE


Question 9:Normal schools were created to transform difficult students into productive members of society.
(393 responses)
36%TRUE
64%FALSE


Question 10:Dame schools prepared women in the finer social skills.
(394 responses)
57%TRUE
43%FALSE

Focus questions

1. What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a teacher?  Advantages are Good health insurance, excellent work hours for people with families, tenure.  Disadvantages are that there are some unrealistic parental expectations to meet and being responsible for how students perform on tests.

2. What are the satisfactions—and complaints—of today's teachers?  They don’t get paid sufficiently for the amount of time they put in and they didn’t realize how much time is needed to prepare and adjust for lessons and classes.  They don’t have sufficient books for the classes they are teaching.  Access to technology is limited.

3. Can we consider teaching to be a profession?  According to the chapter, it’s a semi profession.  If carpentry, plumbing, and landscaping can be considered professions then teaching should definitely be considered a profession.  There are vocational schools for carpentry, plumbing and landscaping.  After going through a vocational program, there is field experience and testing needed to be a professional plumber, carpenter, and landscaper.  You are then considered licensed.  The same is true for teaching:  you must go through a rigorous college program to get a master’s degree, you have to pass New York State tests, and finally you need to Student Teach in order to be a teacher.     

4. How has teacher preparation changed over the years?  In colonial times there was no training required at all, then there were normal schools set up for a 2 year training program.  And now of course there is a very rigorous and in-depth process involved to be a teacher.  You must have at least a bachelor’s degree, student-teaching, and pass 5 New York State Exams.

5. What are the differences between the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers?  The NEA is the largest and one of the oldest professional associations in America, while AFT is smaller and affiliated with the labor movement.

6. What traits and characteristics are needed for successful teaching?  You must be a people person because you are constantly in contact with people (especially children).  Teachers need to have a good work ethic, they need to like to work because it’s a lifelong pursuit.  Sometimes they bring work home with them, or spend long hours at school preparing lessons after normal school hours.  You’d better have a good sense of humor and be able to control your temper.  We are in possession of the most valuable thing in the world, children.  If you fight with them or yell at them, you can guarantee to lose with their parents every time.  

7. Is teaching a "good fit" for you?  I believe teaching is a great fit for me.  I was a substitute teacher for 1 full school year.  I substituted in various classes.  I also was a Director of Education at Sylvan Learning Center for 5 years.  These two experiences were by far the best work experiences I have ever had.  I enjoy teaching high school students more than any of the other professions that I have tried throughout my working career.  There is something about the “Ah Ha” moment that is just so satisfying, when a student that I help finally understands something after much effort and hard work.

Teacher's role in todays childrens education

    This is to review the 4 videos we watched this week.  I found them all to be interesting.  The first two from Dalton Sherman are inspiring to watch because he thanks teachers for what they do.  It is our, teachers, jobs to make sure that every student we come across is like this young man.  Our feelings are imprinted onto our students.  If we have a good day, our students can tell and if we have a bad day, our students can also tell.  Teachers need make sure that everyday is a good day because we want all of our students to have a positive school experience.  We cannot bring our problems into the classroom.  It is already filled with so many challenges, we do not need to allow it to overflow with our own personal struggles.  Just like Dalton Sherman says, "Never lose your joy." 

    I had a negative fieldwork experience last year.  I observed a veteran Math teacher's class in a school district.  In the middle of the lesson, she came to me and said some very negative comments about her students.  She said, "They should know this material by now.  We've gone over this many times and they still don't get it."  Then she proceeded to make comments about her pay, "I don't get paid enough."  And finally, she told me that she was close to retirement.  I never want this to be me, I never want to lose my joy for this wonderful profession.  I truly believe this to be a lifelong calling for me, this is not for everyone.

    Rita Pierson gives two very good talks about her teaching experience.  I would like to use her test grading strategy.  She said, "A student got 18 out of 20 questions wrong on a quiz, so I gave a grade of '+2' instead a grade of '-18'."  I find that to be funny and one of the best strategies I've ever heard used.  There are two different ways of looking at the same grade and she chose the more positive of the two approaches.  Why discourage the child even further, why not put a positive twist on a bad situation?

    Finally, Rita Pierson shows us two examples of how to handle the same situation on the subject of catching a student cheating on one of her tests.  In the first example, she does a role play activity with how to overreact and how not to handle the situation properly.  Then she shows a contrasting style of how to handle and role play the situation in the correct manner.  It is important to treat our students with respect in order to keep their trust and respect for us as educators.  She shows how you can express you disappointment in a proper manner.

    I found all 4 videos to be helpful, especially the last one.  The last one is the most interesting because it is a situation that will, without a doubt, arise in everyone's classroom sooner or later. 

Teacher's role in todays childrens education

    This is to review the 4 videos we watched this week.  I found them all to be interesting.  The first two from Dalton Sherman are inspiring to watch because he thanks teachers for what they do.  It is our, teachers, jobs to make sure that every student we come across is like this young man.  Our feelings are imprinted onto our students.  If we have a good day, our students can tell and if we have a bad day, our students can also tell.  Teachers need make sure that everyday is a good day because we want all of our students to have a positive school experience.  We cannot bring our problems into the classroom.  It is already filled with so many challenges, we do not need to allow it to overflow with our own personal struggles.  Just like Dalton Sherman says, "Never lose your joy." 

    I had a negative fieldwork experience last year.  I observed a veteran Math teacher's class in a school district.  In the middle of the lesson, she came to me and said some very negative comments about her students.  She said, "They should know this material by now.  We've gone over this many times and they still don't get it."  Then she proceeded to make comments about her pay, "I don't get paid enough."  And finally, she told me that she was close to retirement.  I never want this to be me, I never want to lose my joy for this wonderful profession.  I truly believe this to be a lifelong calling for me, this is not for everyone.

    Rita Pierson gives two very good talks about her teaching experience.  I would like to use her test grading strategy.  She said, "A student got 18 out of 20 questions wrong on a quiz, so I gave a grade of '+2' instead a grade of '-18'."  I find that to be funny and one of the best strategies I've ever heard used.  There are two different ways of looking at the same grade and she chose the more positive of the two approaches.  Why discourage the child even further, why not put a positive twist on a bad situation?

    Finally, Rita Pierson shows us two examples of how to handle the same situation on the subject of catching a student cheating on one of her tests.  In the first example, she does a role play activity with how to overreact and how not to handle the situation properly.  Then she shows a contrasting style of how to handle and role play the situation in the correct manner.  It is important to treat our students with respect in order to keep their trust and respect for us as educators.  She shows how you can express you disappointment in a proper manner.

    I found all 4 videos to be helpful, especially the last one.  The last one is the most interesting because it is a situation that will, without a doubt, arise in everyone's classroom sooner or later. 

Strengths and Weaknesses of the American School System

The example used in the article "A New Professional:  The Aims of Education Revisited" is a perfect example of the strengths and weaknesses of our school system. 

After the operation, everyone just watched this poor man get sick and eventually die a slow and painful death.  At any point before his 3-day diminishing health experience, the hospital or the nurse could've done something to help this person and avoid his final demise.  I believe Parker J. Palmer uses this example to show how poorly we are preparing our students for real-life work experiences.  This "new" nurse sat by and did nothing.  Once this person was dead, a report was done by the hospital that dehumanized the situation.  If she had used her emotions in a positive way, she could've saved this person or at least tried to save this person. 

We want to train our students to use their emotions in a positive way in their careers.  We want them to challenge the companies (the institutions) they will be working for in the future.  We don't want students to idly stand by and do nothing, like the nurse in the example. 

An experienced nurse would've done more to help this person.  We want people to come out of college with more readiness.  I understand that the readiness comes from experience, valuable experience, that people achieve in their respective fields.  But they shouldn't be completely useless or dumbfounded in their first few years on any job.

A major strength of the school system is the preparation of our teachers and the standards by which they are judged.  The system has evolved from one room where students were educated like the show "Little House on the Prairie" to the massive schools we have today.  The size of our own college, Mount Saint Mary's College, is an example of just how far our education system has come in the past 100 years.  Along with size of schools, comes size of student population, we are living in a time where there are more men and women going to school than ever before.  As a result, the workforce is supposed to be flooded with a more talented population.  According to the article, that is not the case.

3 questions

1.  How can we better prepare students for life after school?
2.  Can we teach students to use their emotions in a positive way to make a change?
3.  How do we avoid negative conflict in our classrooms in the future?

Reflection of Video

I enjoyed watching the video about becoming a teacher.  The advice they give in the video is very important advice.  When they say, "make sure you like kids because you are going to be around them all the time" and "if you don't think this is for you, then move on to something else."  Both of these statements are very powerful.  I feel that some people get into the profession for summers off, health benefits, good pay, and for many holidays off.  These are not good reasons for getting into this profession and in this case, I agree that these people should move on to another profession.

They bring up the concept of planning in the video.  Two of the teachers say, "I didn't realize how much planning goes into being a teacher."  The male math teacher said, "I thought my math teacher just gave out tests and graded them.  I didn't realize how much goes into planning for the test."  As students we don't understand all the hard work and time involved in planning and preparing lessons and tests that teachers put in.  I thought teachers had it easy because most of the teachers I've had just stand in front of their classes and lecture, write notes, give homework, and give periodic assessments.  Teaching is much more involved than what I ever thought it was.

Teaching is an ever-changing and evolving profession.  The manner in which classrooms were set up and run in the 1970's versus how they are run today is very different.  There is much more accountability today and we have much more advanced technology today.  The classroom, teachers, and students have to adapt and change just to keep up with other competitive nations and countries that are more successful than we are in education.

The male math teacher seemed to be intimidated about being 23 years old and having 18 year old students.  It seemed that he had to prove himself to his students through his knowledge and expertise of math.

our first blog post for nature of schools

welcome everyone to the first day of our class.  I really hope this goes smoothly.  I am looking forward to this class and learning more about online learning.  I really like that we meet in person this time versus just being thrust upon the information.