Analysis of Field Placement Experience and Philosophy
Part I: Pertinent Contextual Information
Part II: Teacher’s Perspective and Approach to the Social Curriculum and Social Studies
Part III: Reflection on My Field Placement Experience
Part I: Pertinent Contextual Information:
The small town of L is located in central New York. In 2010, the population of L was 4,952 people. This town is considered suburban and rural. It is suburban because it is located about 15 miles from a major city. It is rural because majority of L town is composed of farm land. There are three major US highways that run through L town. The class status of L town ranges from middle to working class families. From what I observed in the school, the middle class residents of this town are either farm owners, work in the agricultural industry, or commute to the neighboring city for work. Some of the working class families are from the Native American tribe from the area. In L town school district, there are three schools: G Elementary School, the Junior/Senior High School and the Native American Culture School. During the 2011-12 school year, the L town school district served a total of 858 students. During the same school year, 35% of the students were eligible for free and reduced lunch. In addition, 67% of the students were White and 30 % of the students were Native American. Furthermore, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian/Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islanders students were 1% each.
The G. Elementary School educates students in grades K-6. During the 2011-12 school year, the school had a total enrollment of 366 students. 30% of the 366 students were eligible for free and reduced lunch. Furthermore, 81% of the students wer...
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...he future. This will ultimately develop students who have self-control and are empathetic citizens. Through my experience, I have learned that teaching is a profession that takes passion, courage, love, and an enjoyment of learning, if the teacher emulates these qualities, he/she can change the world one student at a time.
References:
Butchart, R. & McEwan, B. (Eds.). (1998). Classroom discipline in American schools: Problems and possibilities for democratic education. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Charney, R. S. (2002). Teaching children to care: Classroom management for ethical and academic growth, k-8. Massachusetts, Northeast Foundation for Children.
New York State Report Cards. (n.d.). New York State Department of Education. Retrieved December 4, 2013, from https://reportcards.nysed.gov/schools.php?district=800000040996&year=2012
I know that as I grow and learn as a teacher my theory on education will change and grow with me. I know that the best thing that I can bring to the table when it comes to being a teacher is the willingness to learn along with my students on what works best for us in our classroom, what is important to us when it comes to learning, and to change what needs to be change in order to have a positive learning environment for my student. The most important thing as a teacher I will bring with me into my classroom is the unwavering desire to help to guide, shape, and above all foster a love of learning in my
[1] “Table 160, Summary of expenditures for public elementary and secondary education, by purpose: 1919-20 to 199-2000,” Digest of Education Statistics 2002, National Center for Education and Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
Hollins and Guzman (2005) noted that among the most critical challenges facing the nation is providing high-quality schooling for all students, especially those presently underserved by the educational system, including students of color, low-income students, English-language learners, and students in rural and urban settings. Hollins and Guzman (2005) discussed the recent report from the National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES, 2003a), the report indicated that the 100 largest public school districts in the nation enroll 23% of all public school students. Sixty-nine percent of those were minority students, and 54%were eligibles for free and reduced-price lunches. This is especially relevant in consideration of the expectations of
I had the privilege of doing my middle school observation at Corkscrew Middle School. While I was there I observed a seventh grade language arts class. This school has a total student population of 726. Of those students 320 are White, 55 are Black, 325 are Hispanic, 3 are Asian, 15 are Multiracial, and 8 are Indian. Approximately 52% of the school’s student population are economically needy.
They say it takes a village to raise a child, if that is the case, the same village must share accountability when facing the challenges of educational inequity. In New York City, the nation’s largest school system, student outcomes and their opportunity to learn are more determined by the neighborhood where a child lives, rather than his or her abilities – this issue stretches farther than New York City, it is nationwide.
My school is Salk Elementary which is in Mesa Arizona. I am in Mrs. Sechez’s classroom which is a 5th grade classroom. I am a former student of the school and I attended 3rd to 6th grade at the school. I am familiar with the community because I am a former student and because I live in the area. Salk is a Title 1 school and fosters a community of diverse learners. There is a significant Hispanic population of students at the school which is about 44 percent. 80 percent of students get free or reduced lunch. As a former student, I was one of those who got lunch for free due to my economic situation. Economic wise, Salk is in an interesting position geographically. Salk serves some of the lower income areas that are to the south and southeast
As an education major at State College, I’ve decided to become a teacher for several reasons. As I progressed through elementary, middle, and high school, many of my teachers were great role models for me. This has inspired me to become a role model for someone in the near future. My love for science and math has also influenced my desire to teach and make a difference in a child’s life. I want to teach students the subjects that I love so much. I want the feeling that I helped a child accomplish or learn something they couldn’t understand. One of the main reasons I want to become an educator is because I feel education has really lost teachers who truly love teaching and those who truly love teaching and those who have the desire to make a difference. I feel I can really help make a difference in the education world and bring back the love to teach.
My interest in teaching started at a young age. I used to watch my teachers in awe as they were able to find new ways to get their students involved and excited to learn. Their enthusiasm to teach was so inspiring. I would often find myself using that same fervor as I grasped each concept. I, then, was able to relay it to my fellow classmates as a peer tutor. To this day, becoming a teacher is a passion that flows through me. However, my enthusiasm and passion are not the only reasons I would be a good teacher. I aspire to see a student’s ability to grasp the knowledge they never before understood. I aspire to see a student succeed at something they never thought they ever could. I aspire to not only support students with academic skills, but also with life lessons about the value of community, pride in one’s own ethnicity, good citizenship, sportsmanship, and more. I aspire to play a fundamental role in ensuring that all students from all cultures and learning abilities have the opportunity to be guided in a positive learning
Discipline plays a key role in the learning environment of the child. A teacher must have an effective discipline method to keep order in the classroom. The view of behaviorists seems to work in most situations. If positive reinforcement is utilized in the classroom, students will want to do well academically. Punishment often times causes students to rebel against authority. If the teacher rewards students for good behavior, then they will want to be consistent in their behavior they will see that this will benefit them.
My personal philosophy on teaching is to inspire my students to think and to be objective thinkers. Like life, classrooms are filled with incidents on a daily basis. It 's interesting, as an active participant, to actually experience these moments shared between teachers and students as relationships are built mostly based on personality. As professionals, it 's expected that emotions take the back seat in decision making, but humans think with their heart a lot. A teacher in my estimation is one of the most human
Hearing their personal opinions on what is most valuable in education helped me to consider what I find most valuable in becoming the teacher I want to become. I realized that I value the students the most. They are the factor that changes every lesson plan and they are the ones that alter my classroom demands. Thus, it is how I interact with the students that becomes the factor in determining what kind of teacher I am to become. I was speaking with a friend the other day and he was telling me about his experience when he rode a horse for the first time. He recalled that it was when he was on the horse, weaving through neighbors’ yards and all across the streets (they were uncostly transporting the horse to its pasture 5 miles away) that he realized that there was no way for him to be prepared to ride that horse until he actually saddled it up and took the chance. Life is like this in many ways as plans change and people walk in and out of your life. We cannot ever be fully prepared for the kind of experiences that we are to face in the future, but we can have an agenda of who we want to aspire to be. We are given agency so that we can act rather than be acted upon. We can accomplish excellence and furthermore help others, including students, to also accomplish
Coming into the teaching profession not knowing a lot, I was able to use previous experience from previous teachers to understand how important it is to understand whether or not students really understand the subject being taught. Having a passion to teacher also improves how much work teachers have to put into to make sure students understand. Growing up, I had the opportunity to experience what it was like to have a teacher was passionate about mathematics. This particular opportunity showed me how much effect he was able to put on his students performance, but most importantly how much effort he had to put into things to see a change in his students work.
Being a teacher is not an easy task as many people could think. To be a teacher does not only imply to know the subject to be taught, it also includes being willing to constantly improve oneself integrally, as much as updating the resources and materials one uses in teaching. Reflecting and analyzing over and over again the best way to teach to learn and how to make students to extend what has been learned. The many hours spend in the classroom will never be enough to plan lessons, prepare materials, review pupils tasks and exams, as well, all the administrative requirements one has to cover for whatever institution we work. Besides all this a good teacher, a professional one, will have to find the time to keep preparing to improve oneself.
Individuals who enter the field of education reply to the question why teach with various answers. There is beauty, joy, and fulfillment in this profession, and these spirit-lifting emotions are the result of watching annually as a new group of children enter to learn and leave with the knowledge to achieve. Richard Dufour (2000), author of Why Teach expressed his views on the profession first by stating that teaching is not the career for everyone. He goes on to say, that the education profession has the ability to present the “unique opportunity” for individuals to cast a positive influence upon others (Why Teach, 2000, p.1). The smiles received from a room full of students when as a whole their individual needs, both educational and personal have been catered to, prompts a burst of passion in every teacher.
In a society where kids must go to school up to the collegiate level, teaching is an impactful career choice. Teachers help contour the minds of future leaders of the world. Furthermore, teachers play a crucial role in guiding students to the knowledge, skills, and abilities they need to succeed in life, and teachers lead students to make informed decisions on any topic the meet in the future. As a teacher, a person must relinquish their knowledge onto students. Finally, they must prepare their students for all the obstacles they will face later in life.