Nation At Risk Reflection

Reflection upon the Nation at Risk and 25 years later article brought many questions about how the American educational system can be improved. Throughout the first article, it depicts how American industry and companies’ move over sees, creating a globalized economy, which according to the author impacted our educational values and the system itself. The notion that school is not as important as it is in other countries was evident in both articles. The Nation at Risk posed these dire problems that our country is facing, only to follow up with more insult to injury by implying in the 25 Years Later article that nothing really had changed throughout time. I thought the tone of this article was very fearful of foreign interference within our own country, evermore so at a time where we should be collaborating with other countries, not competing with them.

In the article I noticed that since 1983 America has put may more focus on education and what the problem is. However, through the skyrocket of standardized tests controlling all education, I would argue that we have taken a step backwards. Standardize testing is used to measure unrealistic standards of schools today. How are you supposed to measure competency, and then measure a school’s worth when there are other factors that result in bad testing scores. I think if this country really wants to improve education to compete with other foreign countries, it needs to find more true ways of measuring the growth and knowledge of students around the United States.

Teaching Hope: Empowerment Reflection

The last section of Teaching Hope was just as its titled, full of empowering stories of educators and the difference they make in their student’s lives. An entry that really touched me was 150. A teacher is reflecting on her classroom and her students right after a graduation ceremony. A quote that really touched me, and that completely embodies my own teaching philosophy.

“So today, I am in an empty room. No more laughter, no more dancing, and no more hugs. But before my class experienced joy, we first had to make sense of the past. My students arrived already labeled. They believed the shorthand that others used to describe them. When I told them that they would get a clean slate just by walking into my room, they didn’t believe me, even though I could see that they wanted to believe. By the time they left, though, they had found their value and their worth. They left with goals, bigger dreams, and purpose, ready for life’s success.” (p. 356)

I want nothing more to than to embody this mentality with my students. At the end of the day, they are sitting in school because they want to be successful. If nothing more, I want to instill in every student, that with an education they can be successful. However, a term to being successful is believing in the potential you have. I want my students to know that I see their potential, as well as believe it for themselves.

Teaching Hope: Disillusionment Reflection

This chapter of Teaching Hope was filled with a lot of tough entries of students who are dealing with major conflicts and tragedies in their lives. An entry that inspired a reflection was 79. Throughout the entry, the teacher is having a hard time having her class calm down. Among the chaotic scene that is depicted as her classroom, the teacher approaches a sophomore-aged girl, sitting with her head down on her desk. Once the teacher brings the student out into the hallway to talk, she opens up about how she had been raped by her father, miscarried, and her mother didn’t believe her. Additionally, two of her friends had passed away in the same month. The teacher at the end of the entry reflects on how and when children’s innocence is lost.

This serves as an eye opener about what situations I might be dealing with as a future teacher. As long as my students know I will be in their corner, supporting them, I do not know how else to handle a situation like that, other than reporting it to child protective services. This entry made me also reflect on the absolute change that occurs throughout middle schools and high schools. With the technology-age, students are now maturing quicker, and losing their innocence at their own hand, or someone else’s. I guess you really don’t know how you would react in that situation until you are thrown into it, but it is helpful reading this text and seeing how different educators respond. This entry gives some sort of a path most traveled by teachers when responding to students and their own loss of innocence and heavy hearts.

Eight Educational Theories

Perennialism – Much like essentialism, perennials believe in studying the core or main ideas that exist throughout time. They believe that all information, using their ability to reason, remains constant.

Essentialism – The three characteristics that essentialism is comprised of is, a strong work ethic, teacher-lead instruction, and a base of core concepts that everyone should know. Essentialists are very structured and draw from both realism and idealism.

Behaviorism – Based off of psychologist B.F. Skinner theory of behaviorism, behaviorists conclude that the environment, and the reinforcements of behaviors determine student success.

Positivism – Classrooms that develop a positivism philosophy determine truth by what is observable and measureable, unlike realists and idealists. By focusing on clear and measureable information, students have clear expectations from the curriculum and the teacher.

Progressivism – Progressivism, a student-centered philosophy, educates students by highlighting how students should learn, not what students learn. Through experimentation, students will better society and remain open-minded once they graduate school.

Reconstructionism – Reconstructionism educational philosophy is built on the belief that education drives the betterment of society, and is essential to overthrowing oppression. Student learning develops into students taking action and protest against real-life problems such as hunger or poverty.

Humanism – Through the belief that everyone contains an innate goodness in them, the humanism philosophy was developed. Surrounded by the ideas that school is a place to further self-actualization and full autonomy, student motivation becomes intrinsic, and the teacher becomes a guide to student quest.

Constructivism – Hands-on and activity-based learning are elements observed in a constructivism classroom. Students investigate current social problems instead of a core foundation of knowledge. Students relationships with one another is expressed through constant respect for others ideas, work, and expressions.

Two theories that I feel best describe my philosophy of education are Progressivism and Constructivism because these two theories go hand in hand with social sciences, and both theories support the philosophy of Pragmatism. Education is much more meaningful when students take responsibility for their learning, and see real-world application for what they’re studying in school.

Educational Philosophy

 Idealism is philosophical belief that every person contains knowledge to uncovering the hidden truths of the word that are unchanging and universal. In terms of education, idealists believe students have the ability within themselves to succeed. With an idealistic, teachers should set the example for student, and teach the “unchanging” aspects of life and society.

Realism, unlike idealism, focuses on using scientific discovery and sensation of the physical world as a way to determine universal laws of reality and universe. Realists believe that information is able to change through time, and occur through the representation of logic. In terms of education, realistic believe that a teacher should be all knowing of specific content, content should be understood through experimentation, and students should think critically and rationally about subjects.

Pragmatism is the belief that information of our universe is ever changing there are no sets of ideas or beliefs. Once something is understood, the universe and the learner are changed. In terms of education, school should be interdisciplinary and students are taught to question the state of things as they are now through problem solving and reflective thinking.

Existentialism is the belief that nothing we know is absolute and we as humans lead insignificant lives that will end. Knowledge is about choices, and choice is essential to this school of philosophy. Teachers should help students understand themselves and shouldn’t be measured with standardization and bureaucracy of education because it takes away from the individual quest of oneself.

As a future teacher, I think of myself more as a pragmatist and a realist not only because that makes sense to who I am as a person, but what my concentration of social studies requires. I believe that there needs to be some form of organization to education in order for students to receive a quality education. I like the notion that there are universal laws of reason that hold the universe together. However, I also agree with pragmatism in the sense that knowledge is ever changing. Teaching students to think critically of the world around them is one of my main goals as a teacher, and I think it will be most easily accomplished through problem solving and reflective thinking, two mechanisms used in pragmatism.

Educational Issue: Poverty Reflection

The paper written by team two presented well-organized, clear, and informational explanation of how poverty influences schools, students, and teachers. It was interesting to read about the history behind the topic of poverty, and how legislation passed by Lyndon Johnson and Ronald Reagan impacted The War on Poverty and its impact on education. It is unfortunate that history still rings true in the sense that many student’s educational success can be dependent on socio-economic status, much like it was in the 1700’s.

That being stated, the paper was filled with helpful recommendations for teachers who experience poverty among their own students. Some of the recommendation included allowing time for homework, incorporating physical activities to blow off steam, and show how education can serve as a vessel to upward mobility. These were all great ideas that I see myself incorporating into my classroom. After I read this paper, I actually did a little further research of ideas other teaching professionals had on using physical activities to help blow off steam. Little things such as asking student to close their eyes for a five-minute meditation, or taking time out of class to play a fun game are both ways to help students handle their stress.

If school can be a place where students living in poverty seek comfort, then us educators need to make sure we are providing them with a nurturing environment to seek refuge in. Once students have their primary needs met, they will be more likely to focus on their education.