Whether the Weather

Today, after sitting around doing nothing at the beginning of class, two boys finally needed my help, and what else, but finding the definition of barometric pressure. EW! Another subject I hate...science. I had no idea what the heck it was, I knew I had learned it before but the lesson had obviously not stuck, thank goodness we had trusty dusty macbooks to help us! With the help of a few informational sites and weather.com...we got the definition down.

However, I did notice something seemed to be troubling one of my students. He was not really responsive, and barely wrote down anything. I'm hoping he just needs a break from school and it's not something more serious.

Math= YUCK

Well, breaking news, I still hate math. Like really, math has and always will be the bane of my existence...and I still can't get away from it! I was helping this girl with her math assignment for the week, and I really had no clue what the heck I was doing. She did not have a math book or notes, or anything for me to go off of, so I was definitely flying blind. But, with the help of other tutors, and sever brain picking on my part, we got her assignment done. Thank goodness I'm teaching history!!!

La Historia

Last week we watched a documentary entitled "Fear and Learning at Hoover Elementary," and it discussed reactions in Los Angeles, California to Proposition 187, which would make it illegal for illegal immigrants to go to public school. This documentary was extremely emotional to me, and I definitely cried a lot during the showing. I especially got emotional when the children said they felt like a little piece of dirt, and they felt like they were unwanted. For a child to say that is so hurtful and should touch all human emotions, regardless of what you believe pertaining to illegal immigrants. These are children we are dealing with, not criminals or even conscious adults. These children, if back in their native countries, would be living in extreme poverty and would live in constant danger with no chance of ever bettering their lives. When I lived in Juarez, Mexico, I was not even allowed to play in my backyard without a male adult for fear of kidnapping or other heinous acts, and I was definitely not allowed to play out on the street. Thank goodness I was an American citizen and was allowed to return to public school to better myself. I am the first person in my family to go to college, and among only a few that received a high school diploma on my Mexican side.

I just want this opportunity for ALL children. Not only will this better their lives, but giving children an education will better the world in general. One girl in the video wanted to be "an important person" that helped people. How is this child who wants to help people going to endanger the world at all?

This also goes back to my desire to teach in foreign countries. I just believe that everyone has the right to an education, and that education will make the world a better place, where people do not have to look for better, safer places to live.

Oh Middle School Students.....

Today, almost all of the delightful students in Ms. Grady's AVID class seemed to need to go to the library today to work on a science project. Apparently each student has to do their project on a certain scientist, and nobody has started it AT ALL.....gotta love middle school students. I took this as an opportunity to teach them good study habits, and as I told my tutee, I am probably the world's worst procrastinator and all that does is bring increasing amounts of stress on the procrastinator, not to mention you usually don't do a proper job when your rushing. I know this probably went through one ear and out the other, but the teacher in me won out and I decided to give the lecture.

Anyway, of course, all the females in the class decided to sit together and immediately got off task. It was such a pain to keep walking over there and tell them to focus. Finally, I decided to walk over there, and ask them a question about their person. If they did not know, their assignment for me was to find out the answer by the next time I walked over. This worked very efficiently and the students stayed on task after that while learning a lot about their assigned person! I felt like such a teacher = ] .

The Socratic Method

So, as Teaching Fellows, we have to learn about educational philosophies, and one of these educational philosophies is known derives form Socrates' view on education. In AVID, tutors are encouraged to utilize the Socratic method, meaning instead of actively instructing the student, as a tutor I attempt to ask questions in order to get the student to help her self. Now, I tried to use this method last week, and it did not work very well at all, BUT, it worked this week! My student basically did not need my help at all, all I did was ask her questions and guide her in the direction she needed to be in. I was so excited that it finally worked!

I think this method is best used with a slightly more deep thinker, not to be mean, but everyone learns different, and I think the girl from the week before was slightly less capable of grasping the concept by herself than this girl was. It takes a certain curiosity and perseverance to be able to find out things for yourself and not everyone can do it.

Private Education?

In Teaching Fellows class, the class had a discussion pertaining to what will happen after No Child Left Behind. One suggestion is converting public schools into private institutions. While there are a few benefits, the cons definately outweigh the pros.

While some private schools have scholarship programs, how will the rest of American children afford to go to private schools? Not everyone can recieve a scholarship or voucher, and mediocre students who are not the brightest and best in their grades still deserve the opputunity to have an education.

Not only that, but extremely poor children on free or reduced lunch, do not have money at home to afford food, and the only meals they get are the meals given by the school. Doing away with public funding for schools takes away all these benefits.

It is our job, as Americans, do make educated and informed citizens of our children in order for them to make America a better place to live in for years and years to come. If you take public education away, you take away many oppurtunitites for students that cannt afford private education. If America wants to survive, they have to take an active and important role in educating the masses.

Administration Gone Wrong

At my old high school in Fayetteville, North Carolina, a situation occured. A student was supended for "instigating a fight" because she had a family friend pick her up from homecoming when another student, accused of sexual molesting her, started to make her feel uncomfortable and began talking about her behind her back. A little while after being picked up, the accused was hit in the face, but not by the family friend. The police showed up and the accused said he did not want to press charges. The next day the accused parents came in, claimed the accused was beaten up on school property by the family friend. Without asking the police, and even the SRO officers who were outside and did not witness the said "beating up," (because it didn't happen), the school administartion suspened the student; an honor student, student body vice president, and member of the school Forensics Team.

This situation just illustrates one of the many problems in our schools today, how can a student learn if she is frightned for her well being and being punished for being the victim of a henious act. This is a completely ridiculous and outrageous situation, and I cannot believe injustices like this occur even within the heirarchy of our public schools.