Letter to Editor

Friday, May 06, 2011

Amanda Mozis

St. Cloud, MN 56301

To whom this may concern,

First, thank you for taking the time to read this. I am writing to inform you of one the critical issues in today’s schools. Though there are many issues, bullying is one of the worst issues that are in need of fixing.

Bullying is repeated, aggressive behavior that involves unwanted, negative actions. Bullying can be in any of the following forms: verbal bullying; social exclusion; physical bullying, such as hitting, kicking, spitting, etc.; lies and false rumors; damaging property; threatening or forcing others; and racial, sexual, and cyber bullying through text messages or email. There are many reasons for bullying, some of which include the bully having a strong need for power and dominance; the bully finds satisfaction in causing injury or suffering to others; and the bully is rewarded in some ways for their behavior. Bullying has many effects everyone involved.

All students deserve to feel safe at school. For those experiencing bullying, there are lasting effects, such as depression, low self-esteem, health problems, poor grades, and suicidal thoughts. For the students who are bullying others, they need to be held accountable for their actions. These individuals are more than likely the students who get into fights frequently, steal and vandalize property, drink alcohol and smoke, report poor grades, perceive a negative attitude about school, and can be seen carrying a weapon. Bullying does not stop with those being bullied, or the one bullying, but also involves those witnessing the bullying. For those students who see students being bullied, they may also feel that they are in an unsafe environment, feeling fearful, powerless, and guilty. Bullying in today’s schools is a very serious issue that needs to be fixed.

Bullying is a vicious cycle. In every classroom, about one in five are experiencing in one way or another. The cycle starts with the student who is bullying, usually taking on a leader role. The next stage is the followers, who take part in bullying but do not initiate. The next two stages are the supporters/passive bullies, and passive supporters/possible bullies. The first group openly supports bullying with laughter, and the second does not openly show signs of support. The middle stage is the disengaged onlookers, who do not get involved, nor do they take a stand. The last two stages are the possible defenders and defenders. They both dislike bullying, but only the actual defenders step in and try to help. Because this is a never ending cycle, it will continue to repeat itself unless it is stopped.

Again, thank you for taking the time to read this. It is important to me to educate others on the critical issues in education today. I hope I was able to do so with this particular issue, bullying. Help make a difference in the lives of our students, be the change maker.  

Sincerely,

Amanda Mozis

The Global Achievement Gap

Chapter 5

·         The decline in work ethic among young Americans is a major concern with both our business leaders and educators.

·         Growing up Digitally: Growing up in a generation and environment that is completely different from previous generations.

o   The Net Generation, “growing up digitally”

o   Me, MySpace, and I: Parenting the Net Generation, by Larry Rosen

§  87% of teens, online, has increased from 60% of 12 year-olds to 82% of 13 year-olds, and 94% 16-17 year-olds

§  Teens are online an average of 5 days a week, 2-3 hours a day

§  75% of online teens use Instant Messaging (IM), chatting with an average of 35 people a week, totally 3 hours

·         New Learning Styles:

o   Learning Through Multimedia and Connection to Others

§  The Net Generation prefers Internet research versus library book research.

o   Learning as Discovery

§  The Net Generation researchers discover new information through different search strings.

o   Learning as Creating

§  New developments on the web give the New Generation a new set of experiences, creating hunger for learning through creation.

·         Producers at School:

o   “In order for young people to respect learning and school, we need to think more carefully about what we’re asking them to learn—to ensure that schoolwork is not busywork or make-work but real, adult work that requires both analysis and creativity” (189).

·         Employers Who Meet the Standards:

o   “Some companies are consciously restructuring work in ways that better meet the needs and interests of the Net Generation—often with stunning results” (197).

o   “There are also some schools that ‘meet the standard’ and are successfully engaging all students, harnessing their extraordinary potential to problem-solve and to collaborate and to create” (199).

Chapter 6

§  High Tech High: A school development organization that runs K-12 public charter schools, serving over 3.000 students in the San Diego area.

o   100% of HTH students have been accepted to college, 80% to a four-year college.

o   The original idea for HTH developed out of the concerns from business leaders and university partners.

o   Common Goals:         

§  Serve a student body that mirrors the ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the local community.

§  Integrate technical and academic education to prepare students for post-secondary education in both high tech and liberal arts fields.

§  Increase the number of educationally disadvantaged students in math and engineering who succeed in high school and post-secondary education.

§  Graduate students, who will be thoughtful, engaged citizens.

§  The Met: A network of schools, a project of the Big Picture Company.

o   Their philosophy is based on educating one student at a time, creating personalized educational programs that are unique to each student. 

o   Five Learning Goals: Represent specific intellectual and interpersonal skills.

§  Communication: “How do I take in and express ideas?”

·         Understand audience, write, read, speak and listen well, use technology and artistic expression, and be exposed to another language.

§  Empirical Reasoning: “How do I prove it?”

·         Use empirical evidence and logical process to make decisions and to evaluate hypotheses.

§  Personal Qualities: “What do I bring to this process?”

·         Demonstrate respect, responsibility, organization, leadership, and reflect on your abilities and strive for improvement.

§  Quantitative Reasoning: “How do I measure, compare, or represent it?”

·         Understand numbers, analyze uncertainty, comprehend properties of shapes, and study how things change over time.

§  Social Reasoning: “What are other people’s perspectives on this?”

·         See diverse perspectives, understand social issues, explore ethics, and look at issues historically.

§  “Habits of Learning” in Action

o   Inquiry: Showing intellectual curiosity and wonder about the world. Asking thoughtful questions and seeking out their answers.

o   Expression: Honestly communicating what you know or want to know, and what you believe or feel.

o   Critical Thinking: Analyzing, synthesizing, and drawing conclusions from information. Generating solutions to problems using creative and rational thought.  Keeping an open mind and appreciating different points of view.

o   Collaboration: Contributing to the overall effort of a group, working well with diverse individuals in a variety of situations.

o   Organization: Sifting through ideas and data, arranging them wisely and making sense of them. Setting reasonable goals, planning and managing your time.

o   Attentiveness: Focusing on the task at hand, observing and taking in the information.

o   Involvement: Taking the initiative to participate in the process of learning. Contributing your questions, ideas, and actions in group discussions, activities, and projects.

o   Reflection: Reviewing and thinking about your actions and the work produced, with a purpose of learning more about yourself and work. 

Field Experience Reflection

Amanda Mozis

SPED 200

Kathy Johnson

Monday, April 25, 2011

Field Experience Reflection

            Throughout this course, I have learned a lot about myself. Before this course, I was unsure if I really wanted to become a teacher. I have learned about where I want to go in life and what I want to do. Before doing my field experience, I was not sure where the experience would take me. So, ten weeks and twenty hours later, here I am, confident about where I am going.

            The first day of my field experience was nerve wrecking. I had done some “internships” with this district in high school, but every experience is new and different. I was not sure what to expect this time around. Walking into my teacher’s classroom, I was relieved at how comfortable it was. He walked me through what he had planned for me for the day, as well as his usual Monday morning routine.

            I soon learned that mornings were spent on reading. Not just straight forward reading, but multiple activities, making it exciting for the students. The teacher had his students split into groups (whether they were split like the ‘People Plus+’ activity arranges students, or not, I am unsure), each group working on different reading activities. One group would work at his computer, listening to stories or playing reading-related games. Another group would work on what is called AR, or Accelerated Reader. This program is one that has been around since I was in second grade. Books are given different amounts of points, and the students take computer tests on each story. Based on the number of correct answers, the students receive these points, adding up throughout the year. When I was in school, the points were then used to earn rewards such as pencils, erasers, bookmarks, etc. I believe now the school has a contest between both grades as well as classes at each grade level. This program brings excitement to reading, allowing the children to enjoy it rather than dread it. The teacher would also work with a group of students on site words in whatever story they were reading. The students were allowed to use their own small white boards and markers, allowing them to be actively engaged in their learning. There were also one or two other groups, however, I cannot think of the activities he had arranged for them. I really enjoyed the set-up my teacher had for his reading time. With him being engaged with a single group, it left the other groups to be responsible for themselves, showing them his trust, which is an important part of education.

After announcements were finished, I would either take a group of students to do make-up tests, or I would work one-on-one with students on their reading speeds. The students had reading packets in which they were timed on the short stories. Each student was at his/her own level, allowing them to progress at their own speed. I would go over the vocabulary words for each story before they were timed for the first time. After the first minute, we would read the story together. The student would then read the story through fully without timing, and then they would read through for the last time with a final timing. This activity was very rewarding. I had students that were slower, with more words correct, and I would have students who were super fast, with multiple mistakes. I really enjoyed the one-on-one time because I was able to see the students succeed as their words per minute increased, as well as their confidence.

            For the mornings where I was working with students on make-up tests, I was able to get an understanding of how far along they were in comparison to their classmates. I particularly was able to really get to know one individual, Boston. I was not told so, but I had a feeling that he had special needs, needing extra help and attention. He was not a trouble maker, rather the most respectful of the group, only needing assistance for comprehending some of the material. At first, he was quite shy towards me, unsure of my presence, but at the weeks fly by, he had learned that I was there to help, and truly cared about him and his education. He, out of all the students, I am going to miss the most; he was really something special!

            Before this experience, I was unsure where I wanted to go with my life. I knew that education was important to me, and that I wanted to make a difference, but I was not sure how I was going to do this. Was I going to be a mainstream teacher, or was I going to be a special education teacher? Was I going to be the one complaining, or the one making the change? Through this experience I have realized that this is my calling; this is where I was meant to be.

            I have seen my brother struggle through school, and wondered what the heck was wrong with our teachers. I have spent numerous nights wondering why we could not find teachers who care, only teachers who ‘teach.’ I have realized that it is not the teachers, though, but the education system as a whole.

I have learned the importance of standing up for what you believe in. I believe that we need teachers who want all of their students to succeed, not just the ones who they feel are ‘going somewhere in life.’ We need teachers who are willing to put themselves out there if it means that their students will do better. We need teachers who can respect differences among their students, and be willing to work with each student, and accept them for who they are. And most of all, we need teachers who love what they do, and want to share and spread that love with their students.

I want to be the person who is making the difference in the lives of my students and our education system. There is so much to be fixed and review that one cannot just stand by and hope that it happens, one needs to take actions to make it happen. I am not going to be walking down a path already mapped out, but making my own as I conquer my dreams. 

Class Update

4/26: Today we visited the Science Express. We were able to do pipetting experiments, which were very interesting! The Science Express visits 16,000 students, 300 teachers per year. This was a really great experience, and I recommend this to any and all teachers.

4/28: Group Nine, Chapter Thirteen: Instruction In Today's Schools

• Motivation: It is impossible to teach without the students' motivation. Without it, students will not feel the need to complete their work/tasks.
• Motivational Strategies:
• Become a role model
• Get to know your students
• Use examples
• Use a variety of student-active teaching activities
• Set realistic performance goals
• Be free with praise and constructive criticism
• Give students control over their own education
• Assess students in a variety of ways
• research projects, essays, etc.
• Essential Skills: 
• Caring, positive expectations
• Practice modeling, enthusiasm
• Organization
• Focus
• Introductory reviews
• Questioning
• Feedback
• Closure & Application
• Instructional Strategies: Approaches to teaching that designed to help students acquire deep understanding to specific forms of knowledge.

Class Update

4/12: Today we watched The Finland Phenomenon. We were asked to think of three of the biggest differences in the way that teachers are prepared in Finland versus the United States.

• In Finland, student teachers are allowed into any classroom, at any time, to observe a teacher's lesson. After observing, they are able to ask questions and discuss the lesson. Along with this, the teacher's do the same. Student teachers and the teacher they are working with interact through email prior to a lesson. This allows the student teacher to change and update their lesson, as well as allowing a teacher to help prepare for what will be taught. When a student teacher is teaching, the main teacher critiques the lesson while the student teacher is teaching the lesson. This allows them to give exact examples and such in their critiques.
•  In Finland, a teaching degree is not just a four year degree. They have a five year program, consisting of a three year bachelor's degree, along with a two year master's degree. Having the master's degree be part of the general teaching program, I think, helps ensure the best teachers are working in their schools. 
• In Finland, the school system's are based on trust. They believe that their teachers are well trained professionals. They do not believe in having an inspection/inventory time for their teachers. By doing this, the teachers are allowed to think outside the box and work with their students to ensure the best results for each student. There are better results when there is trust. If a teacher's being inspected, they are preparing for inspection day, not preparing their students for success. By knowing that you can do it, versus having to prove yourself, a teacher is able to do their absolute best!

Here are points that I thought were really key points from the video:

• Everyone gets the same education, no matter their background.
• Students have the same teacher for several years, allowing them to learn easier.
• School is casual; teachers are called by their first name.
• Teacher's are knowledge workers, and need to make sure that all students succeed.
• Less is more!
• Lessons are/should be 60% student, 40% teacher.
• Students have the choice between vocational track or academic track for high school.
• Moodle is used, which is much like our D2L system.
• Students take responsibility for themselves in their classrooms, allowing teachers to have more time for individual help.
• There is little testing, allowing students to develop their own learning style.
• There is a core curriculum as well each school's own curriculum. 

4/14: Group Seven, Chapter Ten: School Law

• Legal System:
• Constitutional Amendments- 1, 4, 14
• State- passes laws, legal rights
• Local
• Overlapping Legal System
• Ethics:
• Facebook Policy 
• NEA (National Education Association)- gives teachers a code of ethics
• Rights & Responsibilities:
• Licensure- credential evaluation, background check, competency test
• Contracts- legally binding between school board & teacher
• Collective Bargaining- protests, budget cuts in education
• Tenure & Dismissal- legal safeguard, job security by preventing teacher dismissal without cause
• Liability

4/19: Today, group seven finished their project and we discussed district policies, as well as what is going on in the St. Cloud school district. In the school district, there will be a $3 million budget cut, $500,00 of it going towards special education. Every teacher that was not tenure received a pink slip, cutting many of the districts newest and greatest teachers. We also discussed the advantages and disadvantages of tenure. An advantage is job security, for the teachers who are good at what they do, as well as pay protection. A disadvantage is that is keeps the bad teachers in our schools. Along these lines, we also discussed school policies, such as religion and corporal punishment. Interested in where my school, STMA, stood with these issues, I decided I was going to look into all their policies, and become informed. 

4/21: Group Eight, Chapter Twelve: The School Curriculum

• Positive Learning Environment
• Respect & Responsibility
• Classroom Set-up/Efficiency
• Time Management
• The Daily Cafe
• The Daily 5 Program
• People Plus+ Activity
• Gold Learner
• Organized, values family traditions, dependable, values order
• Generally needs extra time adjusting to change
• Orange (Red) Learner
• Quick, energetic, risk taker, high need for mobility, competitive
• Generally will be the chatty, social butterfly
• Blue Learner
• Sensitive, imaginative, strong sense of spirituality
• Generally will be the 'motherly' student 
• Green Learner
• Analytical, thorough, calm/cool/collective
• Generally will be the leader in a group
• Parent Involvement
• Communication
• Parent-Teacher, Parent-Student, Teacher-Student
• Expectations
• Consistency in classroom
• Praise
• Phone call/Voicemail, Mail/Letter, Email/Text Message
• Open House
• Teacher Introduction, Teacher guidelines/expectations
• Progress Reports
• Report Cards, Conferences
• Misbehavior Intervention
• Awareness
• Having eyes in the back of your head
• Dignity
• Don't embarrass the student in front of his/her peers
• Consistency
• Having same expectations, yet respect for differences (IEP students)
• Communication
• Tone of voice, eye contact
• 'Solution Tree'

Class Update

3/31-4/5: Today we watched Waiting for Superman, a public school documentary. The documentary focused on four children--Anthony, Daisy, Francisco, and Bianca.

• Washington D.C. has the worst education system, with only a 12% reading proficiency.
• 'Dropout Factories' are found across the nation. They are the schools with a 50% dropout rate between freshman year and sophomore year of high school. 
• In Pennsylvania, which I am sure is common among many states, $33,000 a year is spent on inmates. 
• The difference between a high performing and low performing teacher affects each child by the loss of one academic year.
• The 'lemon dance' is the passing on the bad teachers between schools. One schools passes their bad teachers onto another school, but take in another schools bad teachers also.
• The United States is ranked 25th in Math and 21st in Science.
• Families are moving into homes with high mortgages, thinking that will be a high expectation in the local schools.
• KIPP schools are charter schools. With that, they have a lottery system like all other charter schools. The difference is, KIPP schools believe in not letting their children fail.
• Our school system is broken. We need great teachers and great leaders to fix our system.

4/7: Group Six, Chapter Nine: School Governance, Finance, and Choices

• Large cities are choosing to authorize the Mayor to take over the running of their school districts.
• Reasons for this include fiscal management and low academic achievement
• The formula for funds = money, times the number of children in the district
• Compensatory Aid- percent of children in poverty in the district.
• School Choices:
• Public schools
• Private schools
• Charter schools
• KIPP school
• Homeschooling
• Vouchers

Education Article Update

Bullying of Teachers 'Increasing in Northern Ireland' -(Global)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13005767

Though this was a short article, it really made me think. In Northern Ireland, teachers are facing serious cyber-bullying from students and parents. We forget that anything posted on Facebook or YouTube is accessible to thousands of other views. Parents are writing their frustrations and comments to others, visible to teachers, administration, family members, etc. It makes you think about the kinds of ideas, words, materials that you(I) are posting on the internet, not thinking about how long it will be out there, and who will view it. 

The New Gatekeepers of Media -(Local)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/09/us/09iht-currents09.html?_r=1&ref=internationaleducation

The article explains New Gatekeepers as our virtual cousins and neighbors. By this, the author means that these are the people that we are depending on for information and truths. A quote I really like was this: "When I spoke the other day to Jon Gosier, the director of SwiftRiver, he said something peculiar: that digital technology is, in a way, bringing us back to the days before the printing press." I had to really put some thought into this idea. Do you agree? I think I do. If you think about it, we find ourselves finding information on Facebook or Twitter, and passing it on as truth, without really knowing whether it is true or not, much like passing on what you may have heard from your neighbor, way back when. Though the article does not see this as a problem, I do. I grew up doing research from books or reference books before Internet was depended on. Now I worry about the children growing up where Internet is the main source for research. Where Wikipedia is a source that pops up with almost any search. Just this afternoon I was talking to my brother about where he got some idea he was telling me about, and his answer was Internet. Was it something I believe was true? NO! Do students know the difference between legitimate sources and sites like Wiki? That to me, is a problem. 

The New Barriers to a Foreign Degree -(Global/Local)

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/education/04iht-educside.html?ref=internationaleducation

Three nations, Australia, Britain, and Sweden, have made it much more difficult to get into their universities for foreign students. Britain will be cutting up to 80,000 students visas a year, effective April 2012. Sweden will stop subsidizing education for non-European Union foreign students. And Australia's foreign student enrollment has dropped nearly ten percent since government policy changes. Not only is this affecting the nations themselves, but foreign students who had hopes of being able to become globally educated. For students, such as myself, it is discouraging to see the limits being put on foreign higher-education programs. In today's world, studying abroad provides great opportunities for all careers fields, as well as personal development. With the limits being put on the education programs, it is going to be much more difficult for students to get in. The only positive that I can see out of this, is that this will help limit the students who are not in it for the right reasons. It will be seen as a way of finding the students who want the high quality of education, versus the free education that may be provided previously. 

Teachers Strike Over Pupils' Discipline -(Global)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/teachers-strike-over-pupils-discipline-2264503.html

The one thing worse than bad teachers is bad administration. Teachers at a Darwen, Lancashire high school are feeling the burden of bad administration. They picketed the school gates over the lack of support needed by the head of the school. The teachers made clear that they were not 'striking' over the children's behavior, but the lack of support from administration to help with the behavior. Teachers facing issues with their students need the back-up support from their administration and without that support, the school will end up down the drain. How can the students take their teachers seriously if the administration does not take them seriously and respect them? As a future teacher, this is really discouraging to see the lack of good administration in schools. 

Cathleen Black Is Out as City Schools Chancellors -(Local)

 http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/07/cathie-black-is-out-as-chancellor/?emc=na

Right now, I am not sure how to respond. I am shocked at the lack of respect she showed for the parents in the community. Comments such as--“I have a three-year term, and I am willing and excited to fulfill it to the absolute end,” which to me is a 'I have three-years to be here, to do what I want, so get used to it"; making jokes about birth control; and making a mock of parents at a local school closing-- all seem very disrespectful, as well as childish. 

I do however, like that the mayor did as he felt needed in finding a new chancellor for the school district. As education is his main focus, finding a new chancellor is at the top of his list I am sure.