Goodbye EDU 100!

EDU 100 was a requirement based on becoming an elementary education teacher. I am glad it was a requirement because I learned a lot about education that I did not know about before. What I am going to take away with me specifically is the discussion on "Waiting for Superman". I found this extremely interesting ebcause this is a major issue within not only the state but the entire country. Becoming a teacher I need to know of all the issues within our education system and how I can help to change that. Students need a teacher who is willing to stand up and fight for them so each and everyone of them can succeed. I will definitely rent this movie to watch it completely because it seems so interesting. Although this is a major eyeopener to me and the one that will stick with me the most, I will still keep in mind all the other lessons we had this semester. I also enjoyed learning about the Zero Tolerance and Underprivileged children. These aspects are really important in our schools and the education systems need to be aware of it. Teachers specifically. They need to be able to be there for that child and do anything in their power to help them. Students want to succeed as much as the next one so you need to be there for them. Also they do not want to be in school that could cause them harm, so schools need to take into the account the safety and comfortable factor for the students.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE! :)

How can we stop violence within schools?

Bullying, violence, threats, accusations. All these words play a role within a school each and everyday whether a teacher sees it or not. It is hard as a person from the outside to help those on the inside who are dealing with these issues everyday. Schools are now becoming more anti-bullying and setting up campaigns about it. Schools need to become more active though. They think that creating a golden policy and making signs to say stop bullying will help. Even though these schools think it is positive way it is not finished. Schools need to get into the heart of the problem and have a zero tolerance for this type of action. There should be no bullying what so ever and if there is someone who has been caught they will be reprimanded. Bullying leads to violence whether it is the victim being hurt or the bully themselves. Bullying can lead to death in our world today as well. Schools should reach out to each and every student giving them an overview of what it is like to be the bully and the victim. Students need to learn that bullying is not okay and even if they are not the victim, speak up for that person. Schools are supposed to be a safe place for students and when there is bullying taking place inside those walls, it is not safe. There are multiple ways that bullying can be stopped and it is a major campaign sweeping the country.


http://www.stopbullying.gov/

Friedrich Froebel

Kindergarten. A place where education begins for most students. Friedrich Froebel was the creator of Kindergarten previously known as Play and Activity Institute. I chose to do Froebel because kindergarten is where our journey through school begins, and I have never heard the background of it. Froebel created a new method of on learning using structured and activity based learning scenically. This method soon created what we have now, Kindergarten. To Froebel this aspect of education was extremely important because it was a place where students could grow and learning with freedom and Kindergarten was this place. It stood for a garden for children. He wanted it a place where they can learn from nature through observations and interactions. Froebel wanted a place for students to learn freely but using practical methods and multiple uses of materials. For his new method he created "gifts" and "occupations" which were used mainly within Kindergarten. These gifts were toys such as blocks or balls, and the occupations were different lessons in which the students would learn from. Froebel wanted healthy activity through these occupations and also the use of nature through observations.  I definitely agree with Froebel and his teachings because kindergarten is the starting point and it is like a freedom learning stage. The students are to young to understand a whole lot but they are learning from themselves and each other. The gifts and occupations are the beginning for them and teach the basics aspects they need. These basics are taught through freedom though and that is what I love. In Kindergarten the freedom is the aspect of sitting on a rug and learning a new song, shapes, or colors, where as down the road it becomes sitting at a desk and learning these things. I think that Froebel's method of  kindergarten is one of the greatest teaching methods because it gives us the beginning to it all.

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/et-froeb.htm
http://www.froebelweb.org/

How can Social Justice be a regular aspect within the classroom?

It is hard to say but the two article given were full of truth and negatives. What a terrible aspect to a future teacher seeing that schools can be "corrupt" in this way. Teachers should be there for there students 100 percent of the time and making their school environment an enjoyable one. Students should not be falling behind or not having the chance to succeed. These students may find school their safe haven because it is better than home. Teachers need to create an environment where they feel free of judgement and neglect. Students with any sort of difference, which is all of them, need to feel comfortable at school not secluded. Social justice needs to be a main priority within schools and the faculty need to make an effort to do so. Within the article I provided, it gives tips to integrating social justice within the classroom. It is very informative for a teacher that is looking to add social justice to not only the classroom but the curriculum. It gives tips on how to get background information on different areas and getting the students involved. It is not just a lecture type of lessons students need the hands on experiences to the world that will help them understand what social justice is.
A classroom that has the aspect of social justice is the type of classroom that will produce successful students time after time. Within these kinds of classrooms children feel comfortable and able to learn in this kind of setting. There are some classrooms where social justice is not an aspect and these students struggle. Using an example from the reading in the Educational Foundations book, Death at an Early Age, Stephen was an African American boy within a class and was segregated by the Art teacher. You can see he struggled because of his race and was secluded in the classroom. That is the type of classroom where social justice is not present. It is a horrible thing to think about when you know that there are classrooms out there like the one Stephen was in and this student will struggle to succeed but will not have the useful tool called a teacher to help. Social justice needs to be a large component in every school. every day to create successful children.

http://ctfd.sfsu.edu/feature/top-ten-strategies-to-integrate-social-justice-into-the-classroom.htm